super7

Previously, the large trees in front of Festus were just up, lit. It was such a waste of large trees that could have spectacular lighting. This year they actually lighted them! The other area I noticed more lights is the walkway between international Street and Planet Snoopy, between the enchanted voyage, building and the first aid building. They all those trees are wrapped in blue and red lights, and I think previously they were just mostly up lit.

Carowinds is enforcing their chaperone policy for Winterfest. ID required to get in there.

Staffing issues = we won’t pay enough to attract workers. Back to Dollywood again! I went on WEEKDAYS in Sept and now there this week on weekdays Fully staffed. ALL rides open except seasonal water rides and of course Lightning Rod is down. Huge live entertainment lineup. But get this. ALL restaurants, food stands and shops are open All rides fully staffed. Running trams. But cost cutting Cedar Fair can’t “find” workers in a huge metro area.

That price is dishonest. Another Cedar Fair trick. I know they aren’t the only one but it’s still not the real price. They add a “processing” fee for doing absolutely nothing for a self serve online purchase.

It was also out of the control of the customers. It wasn’t their fault. I personally was happy with the extended 2021 pass as many people were, but there were people that could not use a pass in 2021 and they deserved a refund if the pass was unused It’s just not high ethics to keep someone’s money without providing a service or good.

Btw. An ethical business offers refunds (even prorated is ethical). Keeping people’s money when they don’t get what they expected is NEVER good business in the long run. just like 2020. They did not give refunds when they could not provide what was expected. They carried it over to 2021 and some people may not have been able to attend that year

It's also worth mentioning that Dollywood is operating DAILY Jan 1 to Jan 7 2024 for the end of their Christmas event. I saw some posts online about how much people thought a CF/SF all park pass should be? They were giving prices like $250, which is only slightly more than a Dollywood, Hershey, etc one park pass. The customers that CF and SF have decided to cater to with their virtually all-thrill-and-kiddie lineup of attractions is bringing the kind of customer that wants everything for nothing...... I have a 2024 CF all park pass with meals and drinks that i paid appx $375 for through Canada's Wonderland. I don't attend these parks as much as i used to, but i will get my money's worth out of it with at least 10 visits. However, that is ALL that i will spend at a Cedar Fair park in 24 because of the unethical way they do business (namely ghost weather closures for low attendance) and because of their current philosophy to cut cut cut. I am in driving distance of Dollywood and will probably spend $1,000 plus there next year. $234 for the gold pass, eating every time i go, even merchandise (i found a great wallet there last visit). They don't mysteriously close due to low attendance and blame the weather, so i know i will get to do what I am planning when i go there. I will gladly spend money there because they provide a great product. Their employees are VERY friendly. When a park can provide a full working schedule 10 months of the year and treats their employees right (back to the ghost weather closures which cut employee hours), they can retain good employees and enough of them to keep everything open. I visited in Sept on weekdays and the ONLY thing closed in the ENTIRE park was ONE restaurant ONE day. It's also wonderful to be able to visit a park on Spring, Fall and Winter weekdays. I find that Dollywood attracts a diverse crowd that comes for the shows as well as the rides. On these off season weekdays, half the crowd is there for the shows and there are no lines for the rides. Quality experience because they are smart enough to appeal to a more varied, higher spending crowd. They have obviously figured out how to use their facility 10 months of the year while Cedar Fair and these other chains leave them sit empty the majority of the year. I think CF, SF, and SEAS are very BAD investments right now if one if playing the stock market, because they have NO long term growth plan. Only milking what they can out of current customers through cost cutting to meet their short term profit goals. Cedar Fair was initially a great thing for the Taft parks but the wrong people have moved up the ranks and have no idea how to grow a business. This merge is a desperate last attempt at cost cutting (it will eliminate jobs so it is also pure greed at the expense of the employees). CF is not a well managed OR ethical business.

Dollywood also does not offer a cheap meal plan as well.. In fairness, you get what you pay for. This is one reason that Kings Island and Cedar Fair Parks are being run so poorly these days. I have said this before. The company has sold these cheap season passes and these cheap meal plans so long that now their low spending customers expect it. Plus, they came most of their attractions at this low spending market. So their only solution to make money is to cut cut cut since the revenue is not high enough. Cutting services and benefits. It’s just leaving to further attendance increases. It’s a downward spiral that started with their low season pass, and meal plan prices. I personally would rather pay more and get a better product and treated better. The cheap season passes is the reason that a Cedar Fair thinks they can pull antics like closing the park early for low attendance. Their thought process is that the season pass holders are going to renew regardless of how they treated because of the low price It’s obviously failing shown by the lower attendance

https://hfe.widen.net/s/hm2pjhbzhb/24dw_opcal_festivals Dollywood has posted their 2024 schedule. They are operating almost daily except for five day weeks in April and August. There are only 21 days that they are closed next year between March 8 and New Year’s. And 3 of those are Thanksgiving/Christmas. Their shortest operating day is nine hours long now This is an expansion over the 2023 schedule where they were operating at least five days a week and the shortest day was it eight hours it sounds like they’re doing something absolutely right to grow their schedule while these other mismanaged theme parks are cutting their schedules. They run their business with ethics towards the customers and employees.

Boy Cedar Fair/6 flags has it all figured out don’t they? Cut cut cut operating hours and days. But somehow Dollywood can stay open almost daily from March until the end of December. Maybe because they cater to customers other than Thrillseekers that can attend when school is in session. They also seem to know how to treat their employees much better than Cedar Fair. I’m not cutting their hours with ghost mystery weather closures.

This event has had almost the same exact (BAD) entertainment since its inception in 2017. I don’t mean the performers. I mean the production. Almost every show is low production value of high school quality. They did add the parade at one point and added the (bad) Swinging show last year to replace the (bad) Peanuts Spectacular They are dropping several of their low-quality in investing in this about to make it grow Most likely because it’s just regurgitating the same season pass holders from summer This is my favorite time of year to go to the park. Definitely not because of the shows but because of the lights Hopefully they don’t continue to cut and kill attendance until this event doesn’t exist anymore Cedar Fair’s financials were not good this quarter. They are losing attendance. They brag about their profits because they’re cost-cutting. But that’s just a downward spiral. That will continue to decrease attendance. It’s a shame this company has got to this state because they were doing things so well in recent years I actually used to make a point to spend money at Winterfest every time I went because I enjoyed the event so much. But Cedar Fair has prove themselves unethical, so I will not spend a dime over my season, pass there. I’m sure they put a bad taste in other peoples mouth with some of their antics. Their per capita spending is down as well But one should not expect a lot from an unethical company, that does not treat customers AND employees with respect

I don’t believe Cedar Fair has any concern for shade coverage. They often don’t even fully shade their queue line to make it miserable to wait in line on a hot day. even a Kings Dominion, which is absolutely gorgeous because of the tree cover they have been cutting down trees, one by one each year and not replacing them They also just leave stumps. It is not that expensive to have someone with a stump grinder come in. As many trees as they cut down they should have their own stump grinder.

Plant trees in the barren inner park. There are trees surrounding the park but not many left in the park.

Mystic Timbers effects are VERY low tech. It does not take much effort to maintain those. That tells you how much effort they put into maintenance of theming. It’s a shame because they have been doing a rather good job with theming. That’s good the Mystic Timbers truck headlights are out though. They used those contemporary super bright bulbs that are not only blinding, but also out of theme. Although the entire truck is out of theme being a 60S truck

What are they supposed to do? Operate as scheduled and give their employees. They’re scheduled hours. Again they aren’t closing because of torrential rains or tornado warnings, etc. They are closing for low attendance and using the weather as an excuse. It has stopped raining anytime this has happened to me. Dollywood does not do this if it rains they stay open in Dollywood closes is dangerous weather such as a snow storm That’s because Herschend has ethics, and knows how to treat their employees. Cedar Fair is an ethical. There’s a reason that person can operate almost daily 10 months of the year. They know how to treat their customers and employees