CoasterFan3180

Canada’s Wonderland requiring guests 12 and older to be fully vaccinated as of November 13.

Slightly old news but Universal Studios Hollywood and Six Flags Magic Mountain will require guests to present proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to visit the park beginning October 7th due to a Los Angeles County public health order. https://www.dailynews.com/2021/09/15/universal-studios-hollywood-and-six-flags-magic-mountain-must-require-vaccination-proof/ Do the rest of you think other parks might/should require proof of vaccination to attend (without being mandated)? While I’m vaccinated myself and wish more people would get vaccinated, I’m afraid parks voluntarily requiring vaccination proof might cause too much public backlash (could negatively affect attendance).

The CDC is now saying that fully vaccinated individuals should go back to wearing masks indoors in areas with high levels of transmission due to the Delta variant. I wonder if KI and any other parks will reinstate indoor mask mandates because of this. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/27/cdc-to-reverse-indoor-mask-policy-to-recommend-them-for-fully-vaccinated-people-in-covid-hot-spots.html

Hersheypark is no longer requiring masks and social distancing for fully vaccinated guests. Sounds cool but I wonder how they’re supposed to enforce this?

DeWine will be ending all Ohio COVID-19 restrictions (mask mandate, capacity limits, etc.) three weeks from today on June 2nd. https://news.wosu.org/coronavirus/2021-05-12/gov-dewine-to-give-statewide-address-on-covid-19-vaccination-effort I predict Kings Island/Cedar Fair will probably keep indoor mask rules in place until the CDC says it’s safe to lift them.

California is now allowing out-of-state residents to visit amusement parks with proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative test within 72 hours. https://twitter.com/inparkmagazine/status/1384984248990326784?s=21 Got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine earlier today, feeling pretty tired and achey right now but at least I’ll be fully vaxxed and ready to go for coaster season in a few weeks.

California is finally allowing amusement parks to reopen on April 1st. There are severe capacity limitations and only California residents will be allowed to attend, but it’s a step in the right direction. https://ktla.com/news/california/some-outdoor-ballparks-stadiums-and-theme-parks-eligible-to-reopen-april-1-in-california-state-officials-announce/

Worlds of Fun has announced their operating calendar for 2021, they will be bringing Haunt back but they are not having Winterfest this year, I wonder why that is and what it could mean for Kings Island and other parks’ Winterfest.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is announcing that they’re planning on reopening with rides running this spring. Maybe they know something we don’t about California easing restrictions to allow parks to open?

Looks like Disney will be keeping mask and social distancing protocols in place for the remainder of 2021, though they’re hoping to be able to drop them by 2022. https://www.wzzm13.com/mobile/article/entertainment/disney-will-keep-requiring-face-masks-for-the-rest-of-2021/67-e9c9c248-327b-49c9-aa2a-7bc8a5f59de5?fbclid=IwAR16V3G9rGSuRFgfHH0s9BhPRgYNMvXfeKGu2f0EE7bdShEH4Yvr9yG1-sQ

Another park falls victim to COVID, Conneaut Lake Park is filing for Bankruptcy.

https://youtu.be/k0O4qokpYs0 Found this interview on YouTube between Dennis Spiegel and Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman, where they discuss Cedar Fair’s handling of the COVID crisis and their thoughts on the future. It’s a lengthy interview but it has some fairly interesting information. Something I found interesting was that Zimmerman mentioned that parks will probably be opening later in the spring than usual in 2021 (I’d assume that means sometime in May), and can’t quite figure out why they might be doing that. I’d though the parks would open at their usual times next year unless there are new restrictions or the COVID situation gets worse (which I don’t really see happening in the Spring barring a major vaccine setback).

Do you have a source for that?

With COVID vaccines expected to roll out over the next several months, do you guys think Kings Island/Cedar Fair and other amusement parks may require proof of vaccination to visit the park (once vaccines are widely available to the point that anyone can get one)? There has already been talk of vaccines being required to attend concerts, sporting events, and the like, so I wonder if the same might apply to the parks. Knowing that everyone in the park has been vaccinated would probably be an easier way to provide a more normal park experience for guests, though I’m not sure what percentage of the park’s clientele are in the “I will never get the vaccine no matter what” camp and if it would be worth alienating that group as a business decision.

Here’s some good news, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown to be over 90% effective at preventing COVID-19 in trial participants so far in its Phase 3 trials. I agree it’s probably to take a while to distribute, and COVID restrictions will probably be in effect at the parks for much of next year, but we might finally have a light at the end of the tunnel. https://investors.pfizer.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2020/Pfizer-and-BioNTech-Announce-Vaccine-Candidate-Against-COVID-19-Achieved-Success-in-First-Interim-Analysis-from-Phase-3-Study/default.aspx

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2020/11/cedar-point-cedar-fair-preparing-for-another-pandemic-focused-season-in-2021.html?fbclid=IwAR2LG82p6xmgiTkZWgo65FRnVyqbT85VqMAF1LaSmZfnpx5ktssTK0SEJBc Cedar Point, Cedar Fair preparing for another pandemic-focused season in 2021 SANDUSKY, Ohio — A strong ending to the shortened seasons at Cedar Point and Kings Island is giving parent company Cedar Fair confidence heading into 2021, even though it’s likely the coronavirus pandemic will affect operations for at least part of next year. In a call with analysts Wednesday, Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman said the company gained significant experience in 2020 about how to operate amusement parks during a global health crisis. “Having the opportunity to open and operate seven of our 13 properties after the March shutdown was very important and extremely valuable for our team and company,” he said. “We’re using what we tested and learned this year to help us improve our operating plans for next season.” Cedar Fair reported third-quarter earnings Wednesday that were, not surprisingly, dramatically down from a year ago. Six of the company’s 13 properties never opened in 2020, or didn’t reopen after being shuttered in mid-March, including its two largest parks, Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario and Knott’s Berry Farm in California. And those that did open – including Cedar Point and Kings Island – operated during an abbreviated season. Even so, said Zimmerman, every park that opened generated positive cash flow, with revenue exceeding costs. At Kings Island and Cedar Point, which both opened in July, visitation grew later in the summer and into the fall, as consumers grew more comfortable about the parks' safety protocols, he said. Attendance at the parks early in the season averaged about 20-25% of comparable prior-year levels, increasing to as high as 55% in September, according to Brian Witherow, Cedar Fair’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. And on one Saturday in October, Cedar Point was forced to restrict admission because the park reached its state-mandated capacity limit. “We’re encouraged by the fact that demand continued to build the longer we stayed open,” said Witherow. “That gives us confidence as we look ahead to 2021.” Zimmerman said it is the company’s goal to get every park open next year. “Everything we see in our research says that our consumers want to come back next year,” he said. “While my crystal ball is very cloudy… I do think the further out you look, the more comfortable consumers are about saying that they want to come back and that they think they’ll come back.” Zimmerman called the issuance of $300 million in notes last month “an insurance policy against the possibility of the disruption lasting longer than anticipated.” The company also reported: * Net revenue for the third quarter was $87 million, down from $715 million in 2019. Attendance was 1.3 million, down 11.9 million. * In-park, per-capita spending decreased 5% to $47.29, primarily due to the nonavailability of pricey skip-the-line Fast Lane passes, which were not for sale this year; spending on food and merchandise was up for the quarter. * Carowinds, in Charlotte, N.C., which hasn’t opened at all in 2020, will open this month for Taste of the Season: An Outdoor Holiday Experience, a revamped version of its popular WinterFest. * Guests can expect minimal capital expenditures for 2021, in part as a cost-saving measure but also because many new attractions and events planned for 2020 didn’t happen. Cedar Point’s 150th anniversary celebration, for example, which included a new river ride and other attractions, was delayed until 2021.

Ohio looks like they’re in the middle of a COVID spike right now, averaging 2333 cases per day as of yesterday. I wonder if Dewine might add additional restrictions and/or order certain businesses to close in the next few weeks, though I don’t think there will be a second lockdown/stay-at-home order unless hospitalizations and deaths become significantly worse than they were in the spring.

^ I don’t really think that’s the best move right now. IMO, the COVID restrictions at the parks like masks and social distancing should remain in place until a vaccine or effective treatment is widely available, which is still at least several months away at this point. Even though parks have thankfully not been the source of any major COVID outbreaks, it’s better to be safe than sorry right now.

Yeah, I definitely don’t think masks should be mandatory once the pandemic is over, though it might not be a bad idea to wear a mask if you have go out in public while sick with any contagious illness (cold, flu, etc.) going forward.

So what are everyone’s thoughts on what the 2021 season at the parks may look like at this point? If a vaccine and/or effective treatment becomes available in the next several months or so, maybe there’s a chance we could have something resembling a normal summer at the parks next year. If that doesn’t happen within that timeframe, I’m afraid that next summer may look fairly similar to this one.

Kennywood and Lake Compounce have cancelled their fall/Halloween events and will be closing for the season on Labor Day, September 7th. https://www.kennywood.com/calendar https://www.lakecompounce.com/hours-and-directions/calendar

DeWine issuing no new orders as of now but urging Ohioans to take caution and wear masks in public.

^ R naught below 1 basically what I was trying to say. Even if the epidemic gets under control, masks and social distancing are likely going to be the norm until a vaccine or effective treatment are available because there have been examples from some countries that one person acting recklessly can trigger an outbreak. I’m cautiously optimistic that a vaccine or treatment will be available in the foreseeable future since there’s been some encouraging news in that area. Until then, mask up!

This is why I really wish everyone would just get on board with wearing masks in public. The director of the CDC has said that if everyone in the U.S. wore a mask, the epidemic could be brought under control in about 4 to 6 weeks. thathttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-cdc-idUSKCN24F2PG