Waldameer will be introducing a unique cashless system in this upcoming 2010 season.  “Wally Points” will be the parks own currency, so paying for each ride will be completely different.  This new system will revolutionize how you pay for food, drinks, games, souvenirs, and rides.

At a cost of approximately $500,000 (thats a whole lot of Wally Points), the park manager says this is the biggest investment the park has ever done that is not being put towards a ride!  The new cashless system is a play on the park mascot’s name: Wally Bear.  And if you are wondering what the exchange rate is, well it is suppose to be approximately 1 Wally Point for every 1 U.S. Dollar.  Still confused?  Here is the rundown: Waldameer is a free to enter, and free to park.  However guests can either buy single tickets or all-day wristband passes.  But now instead of guests being able to buy single tickets at $1.50 each, they will get a plastic card and will buy Wally Points to get on the card.  Then, at each ride, they will swipe there card which redeems the given amount of Wally Points to ride.  Guests with wristbands will now have bar-codes on their wristbands that they will also scan to ride.

I think it’s a very smart move by Waldameer.  It cuts down on printing costs, and is a new-found technology that makes everyone want one.  Disney’s California Adventure installed a similar system for their Boardwalk Games in April of 2009.  And what I have noticed is that if you don’t use all your points, the park still has your money, so there is no reason to spend more time at the park buying and spending before your day is over.

Well what do you think of these new Wally Points?  Leave a comment with your park thought below.