Coronavirus Impacting Theme Parks

[bjcolglazier]

7 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

I have a brilliant idea!  Let’s quarantine everyone and then take their booze away as well.  I don’t think they understand the concept of civil unrest.  
 

https://www.lcb.pa.gov/Consumers/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx
 

If this happens in Ohio.....Road Trip to Kentucky!

+ DeWine would be toast.

Groceries, "pharmacies", and gas stations will remain open. That means booze, smokes, and---I suppose---the lotto tickets are still a go. LOL. But the CDC probably recommends at least a 2-week-supply. :-)

[King Ding Dong]

3 hours ago, bjcolglazier said:

Groceries, "pharmacies", and gas stations will remain open. That means booze, smokes, and---I suppose---the lotto tickets are still a go. LOL. But the CDC probably recommends at least a 2-week-supply. :-)

Does U-Haul have trucks that big?

[MDMC01]

This is extremely relevant and extremely awesome; enjoy!

 

[King Ding Dong]

Not clicking until you tell me who this joker is.  He looks scary.  

[bjcolglazier]

14 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Not clicking until you tell me who this joker is.  He looks scary.  

It's safe. Not nearly as good as the Mariah Carey washing-hands video I saw yesterday though.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Knott's hotel and marketplace will close until the end of the month. 

[flightoffear1996]

It's just a matter of when it will open. Once the so called curve flattens I think we would know more about an open date. The more people listen to the quarantine the quicker we get to that curve. Hopefully this vaccine works but even that will take time to get to everyone. 

[King Ding Dong]

28 minutes ago, bjcolglazier said:

It's safe. Not nearly as good as the Mariah Carey washing-hands video I saw yesterday though.

Liar.  I am permanently damaged and I only made it 10 seconds.  Going to bed now.  

[MDMC01]

44 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Not clicking until you tell me who this joker is.  He looks scary.  

That would be Danny Gokey! He's a Christian singer who was some really cool songs! I saw him live at Winter Jam a year or two ago, and during his set, I cheered, cried and breakdanced. He can sing in both English and Spanish. Here's another song of his for those that are interested:

 

[gforce1994]

No school until fall for some communities.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

1 minute ago, gforce1994 said:

No school until fall for some communities.

Tbh I think that's not a bad idea. Especially if they are going to follow what the CDC recommends. That would put us right into May and that is when schools usually let out. 

[CheetahDrew]

With everything in mind it seems that the most rational line of thought would be a mid May opening so about a month delay considering the CDCs Guidance.  

 

[Shaggy]

Even if we see a miraculous downturn in infection rates before June - I’d now be surprised to see the park open then.  There are many other factors that will affect how this plays out.

First, this will instill a fear of congregation in many people for a while.  I know that even if you told me it were safe tomorrow, I’d probably still continue to isolate and avoid crowds until I formed my own peace of mind.

Second,  there’s an entire hire/rehire/training period to think about.  This is costing the park precious time to be prepping staff.  If given a green light to open by June - they still have to beef up personnel.  That could take weeks.  Granted they’ll probably have a larger volume to pull from for hires if the terrible projections of unemployment come true.

Third,  there’s going to be a large change in spending of discretionary income.  Mark my words, going forward after things (knock wood) Improve, people will be much more selective as to where they spend their money.  Typically entertainment is first non-essential to bite the dust.

Fourth, the park - like any other business - has an extremely large overhead.  To circumvent losses, they will cut spending in as many places as possible.  Ordering merchandise, food supplies, prizes, equipment, uniforms are the tip of the iceberg and I’m willing to bet have been placed on hold.  Even things like office supplies or cutting electrical use in non essential spaces come into play.  If those things come to a screeching halt, then it delays preparing the park to open at any given time.

Theres more, and I could go on and on.  But the bottom line is (as much as it pains me to say this) I’d advise most here to emotionally prepare to not see the inside of our beloved park for quite some time.  I hope that I am completely wrong, but my personal experience (and current work situation) dictates that this will be a lengthy delay.  

What I specifically hope is that everyone on these boards shows some decorum should there be an extended delay in opening, even after the virus has subsided.  If it takes weeks, months, a year before the park opens then everyone should understand it’s due to the ramifications of a situation that is completely out of our hands - and theirs.

My heart breaks for everyone this touches.  Especially those whose personal welfare and income depend on it.  I am a praying daily for an end to this - it’s truly a nightmare on all sides.

 

[King Ding Dong]

32 minutes ago, gforce1994 said:

No school until fall for some communities.

Whats funny is most of the headlines I saw went something like, "Newsom: No School For Rest of Year" and my adrenaline of doom hit me. It has only been 2 days, I can't handle 10 more months of the boys home. 

Then I realized it meant school year. 

[gforce1994]

Some parks are firing their workers, so they can obtain unemployment benefits. 
This is going to be a long summer.

[coaster sally]

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2020/03/16/disney-other-theme-park-closures-may-be-extended.html

Dennis Spegal says memorial day at best.

[KIngs island lover]

1 hour ago, coaster sally said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2020/03/16/disney-other-theme-park-closures-may-be-extended.html

Dennis Spegal says memorial day at best.

WDW opens JULY 1st

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Just now, Kings Island lover said:

WDW opens JULY 1st

source on that?

[Browntggrr]

In this unprecedented time, it is hard to predict what is going to happen 2 days from now let alone 2 weeks or 2 months.

Could CF reimburse the money spent on season passes?  Perhaps.  It's really hard for them to make a decision due to so many parks spread out across the nation.  One park may not be affected in PA while another park in CA may not open at all.

I believe they will end up giving a discount in 2021 to season pass holders that paid for the pass in 2020 based upon when the pass holder "home park" opens.

It may not be a perfect solution, but it's hard expect perfection in this difficult time of uncertainty.

Stay safe & healthy my friends!

 

[KIBOB]

For those asking how Cedar Fair may handle season passes, I just copied the following from Knott's site (keep in mind, Knott's is open year-round):

Quote

Your 2020 Season Pass and Season Pass Add-Ons are valid for the duration of the season it was originally purchased for. Additionally, for existing 2020 Season Passholders who are unable to use their pass during our temporary closure, we will extend your pass by the number of days Knott's Berry Farm is closed. 

*emphasis added*

https://www.knotts.com/park-update

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

3 minutes ago, KIBOB said:

For those asking how Cedar Fair may handle season passes, I just copied the following from Knott's site (keep in mind, Knott's is open year-round):

*emphasis added*

https://www.knotts.com/park-update

Knott's is open all year so it isn't really a problem. KI isn't open all year so they would have to extend the season by the amount of days the parks closed or honor the passes in 2021.

[thekidd33]

28 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

source on that?

There isn't one because they've never said that. They are offering refunds for trips booked through June 30th though. 

[disco2000]

10 hours ago, Shaggy said:

Even if we see a miraculous downturn in infection rates before June - I’d now be surprised to see the park open then.  There are many other factors that will affect how this plays out.

First, this will instill a fear of congregation in many people for a while.  I know that even if you told me it were safe tomorrow, I’d probably still continue to isolate and avoid crowds until I formed my own peace of mind.

 

 

Depending on how long this thing lasts, many may desire a refund for that very reason (whether it is granted or not is a different story).  It is a strong likelihood now that my family's platinum passes will not be used for other parks this year as spring breaks were when this was going to be utilized, and the desire to rush to the home park when it opens is now greatly diminished.  I know many that are of the mindset now that they will only visit a park this year because they already spent their money on the pass and want to get their "money's" worth.  I know many that are now not going to buy a pass this year and sit it out...

 

23 minutes ago, KIBOB said:

For those asking how Cedar Fair may handle season passes, I just copied the following from Knott's site (keep in mind, Knott's is open year-round):

*emphasis added*

https://www.knotts.com/park-update

 

Well, considering they have been offering the "buy a pass for next year and get in the rest of this year free" promotion that has started in August that essentially has given a new pass holder 5 months for free, I think it is existing season pass holders turn to get in on that promotion and if this thing goes until June or July then we should get this year and the rest of next year on our 2020 pass .  

I do know that the "get in the rest of this year free" pass promotion has ticked off lots of existing season pass holders that didn't renew because they paid for the whole year only to see someone be given half of 2019 for free and fill the parks with crazy attendance levels.  I know many that skipped buying a pass this year and figured CF would offer the same promotion this year, so they would just visit KI from August on this year...just like the rest of now apparently.  I know many that are now glad they skipped.

Under the Knott's situation, IF they implement that chain wide, then a platinum pass will have various ending dates based on parks that didn't open on time.  It will be interesting to see how they handle that because I do not think the current pass holder software gives them this flexibility.  For the parks that are open year round and they extend a pass into January, that is a simple process as the rest of the parks are closed anyway (but the pass would be valid for all parks until the new date, they are just closed lol)...

But then how does that work for a Knott's pass for 2021.  Say Knott's is closed for two months, will a renewal by 2021 then be prorated to cost two months less?

It will be interesting to see how companies deal with this...

[KIBOB]

1 minute ago, disco2000 said:

 

Depending on how long this thing lasts, many may desire a refund for that very reason (whether it is granted or not is a different story).  It is a strong likelihood now that my family's platinum passes will not be used for other parks this year as spring breaks were when this was going to be utilized, and the desire to rush to the home park when it opens is now greatly diminished.  I know many that are of the mindset now that they will only visit a park this year because they already spent their money on the pass and want to get their "money's" worth.  I know many that are now not going to buy a pass this year and sit it out...

 

 

Well, considering they have been offering the "buy a pass for next year and get in the rest of this year free" promotion that has started in August that essentially has given a new pass holder 5 months for free, I think it is existing season pass holders turn to get in on that promotion and if this thing goes until June or July then we should get this year and the rest of next year on our 2020 pass .  

I do know that the "get in the rest of this year free" pass promotion has ticked off lots of existing season pass holders that didn't renew because they paid for the whole year only to see someone be given half of 2019 for free and fill the parks with crazy attendance levels.  I know many that skipped buying a pass this year and figured CF would offer the same promotion this year, so they would just visit KI from August on this year...just like the rest of now apparently.  I know many that are now glad they skipped.

Under the Knott's situation, IF they implement that chain wide, then a platinum pass will have various ending dates based on parks that didn't open on time.  It will be interesting to see how they handle that because I do not think the current pass holder software gives them this flexibility.  For the parks that are open year round and they extend a pass into January, that is a simple process as the rest of the parks are closed anyway (but the pass would be valid for all parks until the new date, they are just closed lol)...

But then how does that work for a Knott's pass for 2021.  Say Knott's is closed for two months, will a renewal by 2021 then be prorated to cost two months less?

It will be interesting to see how companies deal with this...

In my opinion, I think it would make the most sense for the pass to be extended into the following season for the number of closed days at the park of purchase, which would also work for platinum passholders. My wife and I have platinum passes purchased from KI. Under this model, our passes could be extended into KI's 2021 season as a regular gold pass, but not necessarily at other parks. I'm not sure if the season pass software can do this either, but as a Software Architect by trade, it probably wouldn't be a difficult feature to add to the system. 

On the other side of the coin, many of us are concerned about how the park closures will affect Cedar Fair financially. I honestly couldn't care less about the stock price, but if the company is running on fumes from lack of patrons, this could certainly impact the level of operations at the parks. As such, I personally would like to see them place a limit on pass extensions. I know we will all have different opinions on this, and that is perfectly ok. In the end, while we all want to be back in the parks we love so much, I'm sure we care just as much if not more so about the fiscal viability of the company that owns and invests in said parks.

[gforce1994]

44 minutes ago, KIBOB said:

In my opinion, I think it would make the most sense for the pass to be extended into the following season for the number of closed days at the park of purchase, which would also work for platinum passholders. My wife and I have platinum passes purchased from KI. Under this model, our passes could be extended into KI's 2021 season as a regular gold pass, but not necessarily at other parks. I'm not sure if the season pass software can do this either, but as a Software Architect by trade, it probably wouldn't be a difficult feature to add to the system. 

On the other side of the coin, many of us are concerned about how the park closures will affect Cedar Fair financially. I honestly couldn't care less about the stock price, but if the company is running on fumes from lack of patrons, this could certainly impact the level of operations at the parks. As such, I personally would like to see them place a limit on pass extensions. I know we will all have different opinions on this, and that is perfectly ok. In the end, while we all want to be back in the parks we love so much, I'm sure we care just as much if not more so about the fiscal viability of the company that owns and invests in said parks.

But if one has an internship in the summer and only uses the pass for the summer season, a pass to a park opening up mid August has no value to them.

[gforce1994]

What KI should do, imo, is that if they open in August, make Orion passholder only. Allowing passholders to ride the ride will possibly make the passholders feel the pass was worth the money, while ensuring that Orion operates for those who want to ride it. Then 2021 comes and you can advertise it as a new ride.

[disco2000]

5 minutes ago, gforce1994 said:

What KI should do, imo, is that if they open in August, make Orion passholder only. Allowing passholders to ride the ride will possibly make the passholders feel the pass was worth the money, while ensuring that Orion operates for those who want to ride it. Then 2021 comes and you can advertise it as a new ride.

Yes LOL because Fast Lane historically hasn't been valid on passholder only events!

[gforce1994]

6 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Yes LOL because Fast Lane historically hasn't been valid on passholder only events!

I’m serious. The challenge is CF and KI need to make guests feel like they got an amazing deal. If they don’t roll over passes into 2021, they need to make guests satisfied that their money was well spent, in order to ask them to spend another several hundred dollars on a pass, where it is now been proven in the eyes of the general public that even with buying a pass doesn’t guarantee a full summer of admissions, even though this Coronavirus, was a one-in-a-billion event.

[disco2000]

1 minute ago, gforce1994 said:

I’m serious. The challenge is CF and KI need to make guests feel like they got an amazing deal. If they don’t roll over passes into 2021, they need to make guests satisfied that their money was well spent, in order to ask them to spend another several hundred dollars on a pass, where it is now been proven that even with buying a pass doesn’t guarantee a full summer of admissions. 

Oh I know, and so I am I.  I would love to not have to compete with Fast Lane users to ride Orion...one of the beauties of pass holder preview day is we are all considered "equal" in terms of waiting in line! 

[King Ding Dong]

My situation is potentially a bit more complex because I renewed through Canada's Wonderland to take advantage of the exchange rate and I couldn't take advantage of the fall renewal perks at CP or KI anyway.  Not a lawyer and especially know zero about Canadian laws, but I presume whatever they do with CW pass-holders will have to abide by Canadian laws.  That outcome could potentially be different than for those with US park passes.  Who knows. 

There is more that we don't know than we do know about how everything is going to play out so I really get why CF has not rolled out a plan yet.  It would have to be this giant flow chart with all the IF (this happens) THEN (this occurs.) branches and they still couldn't cover every possible contingency.  In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they don't put out a plan until at least one of the parks is cleared to open.  

Another thing to keep in mind the govt report that got leaked yesterday assumes 18 months of rolling outbreaks.  Meaning the virus could be choked out in a particular area, restrictions are eased and then at some point later it flares up again in that area and then we are back to restrictions.  If CF did roll out some sort of plan right now, more than likely circumstances would change and then they have to go through it all again.  Better to just wait.