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.