Joshua

How would they handle lines and train capacity while trying to enforce the 6ft rule?

I'd love to see the theming and characters used again for something. At the very least, a permanent Haunt attraction, maybe that's what they could sub out Urgent Scare for?

HAZMAT suits, of course.

On a related note, there is a late-70s documentary hosted by Vincent Price called America Screams. In it, the doc details the various trends in rollercoaster design, including the then-current looper craze. It also features interviews with Arrow personnel and teases their suspended coaster prototype. While it is cheesy (and wonderfully very 70s), I consider this documentary essential viewing. If not for the interviews and vintage ride footage, there's the imagery of Price narrating while riding a coaster. (Maybe pair it up with 1977's Rollercoaster, partially filmed at KD.) From it, I do believe there is enough to surmise why KI might want a looper over the other designs. It was tried, trued, and exciting.

My concern is that we may use projected models as an excuse to open everything up too quickly, sparking another wave of the virus. I know there are many itching to get back to normalcy, but as age-old wisdom says, patience is a virtue.

Plus, there are still a lot of people who haven't been tested and a lot of people who still had potential exposure when crowds were aloud to populate at Kroger and Wal-Mart. So while it may "peak," that doesn't mean there will be a significant decrease right away. Hope for the best, prepare yourself for the worst.

I am curious about the Easy Pay Program. It states, "When the park reopens, the billing resumes." But 2021 isn't worded in direct reference to the program. Assuming KI makes a similar statement, if they don't open until 2021, will those Easy Pay plans resume then as well?

Granted, as Knott's is a year-round park, KI's could likely have different wording for the Easy Pay Program. But it does give us an idea of how it might be handled for us. This is just speculation, of course.

I've been told that Kroger has still been hiring due to the high demand, but if they adopt something like this (which I assume they will), that probably won't be the case anymore. But I'm also concerned such companies will face lay offs, as well.

Which makes me think this will also impact staffing. Hopefully, I'm wrong about that.

I always liked his posts. He used to read every thread and every post, and I feel like he would "like" the majority of them, even when he disagreed. From what I remember, his posts never seemed hostile. For whatever reason, that link is not loading for me at this time. It sounds like a line is involved. Were there any other limitations?

Last year's opening day had some pretty cold rain and boy did that rain hurt on Diamondback!

I mean this as no slight, but I am looking at this from a different perspective. For some, the impact of the coronavirus has affected park excursions, cruises, and extravagant Disney vacations. For others, it's affected basic necessities like paying rent. Respectfully, a person can survive without expensive vacations, they can't without a home or insulin. I love Kings Island, and I'm one of those who's part of an ongoing payment plan, but my concerns are elsewhere...

It is a shame I never got to ride the Barbarian Beetle.

Somehow I've never noticed that.

For the record, this will include me. I just found out today I was permanently laid off from my store. It was such a great job and my coworkers were like family, so I'm crushed.

Here it is. Man, looks like we lost a bunch of rides.

I'm loving the Congo Falls love. Usually the conversation is about getting rid of it. If we're talking defunct rides, I can add King Cobra and Ghoster Coaster to my list, and even though I rode it as The Crypt, I never experienced Tomb Raider: The Ride in its original form.

Then they can bring it back as "Corona Classic."

Does that mean a certain beer company will have to change their name?

I believe the Skyflyer is it for me.

Keep in mind that the virus may not necessarily be deadly to a lot of people, but it could be to those with lower immune systems not quite capable of fighting off the illness, and those are who we are trying to protect by social distancing. Hopefully, when this is all said and done, the mortality rate will be low, but that wouldn't necessarily mean COVID-19 didn't pose a genuine threat. It would likely mean the self-isolating was effective.

Naturally, as there are still a lot of people who aren't grasping the magnitude of this situation, think it's overblown and get frustrated because they can no longer live their lives as if nothing has changed. It goes to show how privileged we are that through advancements in science and medicine, we no longer live have to live in fear of getting the common cold or yearly flu, and likewise, how quick people are to believe it is a "scam," as it was described to me a few weeks ago, when there is a virus that poses a genuine threat.

I went on one about 12 years ago and witnessed an employee make a tiny mistake. I don't even remember what it was, I think they might have almost dropped something, but what I do remember is the look on that poor guy's face, and that was pure fear.

Agreed on all points. Like you said, Disney will most likely be fine through all this, but they do have an another problem. As a movie studio, a lot of their major productions are on hold and the films that were going to be released within the next few months have been postponed. If things progress any further, they'll most likely have a difficult decision to make regarding the way they approach film distribution, as will the other major studios. While studios have been dipping their toes in the "straight to digital" market for years with smaller productions, it is not something that has really been tested with major tentpoles. (Note: Onward may be the biggest film out of the "In-Theater" VOD rentals, but it's also going to Disney Plus in mid-April. Other films, such as The Invisible Man and The Hunt weren't made with blockbuster budgets.) The obstacle with digital is that it is entirely different market than cinemas, and the price being asked for said "In Theater" rentals is both too pricey and not pricey enough, considering cinema tickets are purchased for each individual who sees the film while any given number of people could be viewing that stream. But at the same, consumers know they could permanently own a fairly recent title for that price, and if they wait it out, the price for renting Bloodshot will come down as it is no longer "in cinemas." Having said that, many would find that price justifiable to rent Black Widow, but the debate is whether it would be more profitable in the long run to wait for cinemas to re-open. (There's also the issue of piracy as releasing straight to digital means the film has to compete against a 1080p mkv file floating around on Pirate Bay and not some trashy handheld recording.) The impact COVID-19 will have on the movie industry is not quite known, but I think we can guarantee that a lot of films that were due out in 2021 (and probably even 2022) will be postponed, and potentially some even cancelled. This includes a new Jurassic Park film that had just begun filming and featured the return of the original film's cast. It is also possible that the industry may put a lid on those inflating budgets and rely more on modest productions, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Another outcome could be that some of the local theaters may close permanently.