Coronavirus Impacting Theme Parks

[flightoffear1996]

Do you think the temperature screen will be here to stay?

[bjcolglazier]

10 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Do you think the temperature screen will be here to stay?

Forever? No way. You mentioned a few posts back "now that covid is here to stay"...also something I highly doubt. The short-term will depend on the efficacy of the vaccines coming. Long-term life goes on. The masks will go away, the temperature checks will go away, the every-other-row seating will go away. The airlines are already getting rid of leaving seats open right now so I'm kinda surprised KI is still sticking to that. Things are already ebbing slowly towards prior normality even in the face of climbing infection rates. That's a pretty telling omen I think.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I think the saying covid is here to stay is that covid will likely become a virus that we learn to live with like the flu. That doesn't mean we'll be taking these precautions like wearing masks, social distancing, and banning mass gatherings forever, but that just means that the virus will still be around. It will depend on vaccines and treatments. 

[jimlaheyscar]

Looks like Carowinds is going to try a Christmas event.  Rumors suggest a Nov 20 opening with Afterburn, CS and Ricochet open and a focus on food.

[Outdoor Man]

33 minutes ago, jimlaheyscar said:

Looks like Carowinds is going to try a Christmas event.  Rumors suggest a Nov 20 opening with Afterburn, CS and Ricochet open and a focus on food.

I heard that too.  Kings Island could have done Winterfest.  95% of the human body is covered (gloves included) anyway- and face coverings are generally included as well.

 

[Winterfestguy]

Strange as the Carowinds webpage advertises Winterfest returns in 2021 - guess will see if that changes in the next few weeks -

 

[disco2000]

^Since in all likelihood it would be a scaled back version of what they offered at Winterfest, I could see them simply call the event something else like taste of the season or something so that people recognize it is not the Winterfest experience, similar to how KI and CP are not doing Haunt, but instead doing Fall Fest... plus they are stringing lights....

[gforce1994]

49 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

^Since in all likelihood it would be a scaled back version of what they offered at Winterfest, I could see them simply call the event something else so that people recognize it is not the Winterfest experience, similar to how KI and CP are not doing Haunt, but instead doing Fall Fest... 

Absolutely. Furthermore we’ve seen Knott’s do food festivals, and be successful at pulling them off.

[CoasterFan3180]

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.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

1 hour ago, CoasterFan3180 said:

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.

He said that the last thing he wants to do is shut things down again, but wouldn't rule one out. 

[FUN&ONLY!]

It looks like Carowinds will have Winterfest or something similar! I would think that Kings Island would also hold a winter event this year if Carowinds is holding one especially being a larger park and already being open, but with it being this late into the season and no work being done at all, I don’t see it happening. They usually already have the fountains drained and the Eiffel Tower closed by this time every year for Winterfest.

[jimlaheyscar]

Carowinds winter event is official now. 

https://www.carowinds.com/play/events/taste-of-the-season

[gforce1994]

Utah is now extremely low on ICU beds.

Meanwhile at Lagoon, these were the lines:

Source(https://twitter.com/kazweida/status/1320511164225261568?s=21)

Compare those lines with the ones from KI

Its sad other parks are not taking COVID as seriously as CF is.

 

 

[alsoran]

On 10/28/2020 at 10:20 AM, gforce1994 said:

Utah is now extremely low on ICU beds.

Meanwhile at Lagoon, these were the lines:

Source(https://twitter.com/kazweida/status/1320511164225261568?s=21)

Compare those lines with the ones from KI

Its sad other parks are not taking COVID as seriously as CF is.

 

 

Not to burst any bubbles, but how many outbreaks from those parks that are not being as cautious?  

[gforce1994]

[flightoffear1996]

I think right now the virus is beyond containing.  At this point we are going to have to let it run its course unfourtnaly.  Closing down and issue mandates is only delaying getting our normal back.

[silver2005]

The 'normal' that was pre-covid is gone IMO, even when we're through with it.  

[JimParker85]

Pretty much all parks in Western Europe are now closed once again or will be by Thursday in the case of the UK. Blackpool I saw cancelled the entire holiday schedule even though the UK lockdown can end as soon as 12/2. It's all sad, but a 2 year duration of this situation, which now seems more likely than not, is going to really hurt the industry and probably be the end of at least a few parks. It's hard to put into a fair context in comparison to all the deaths and cases from Covid, but it still really sucks. 

[flightoffear1996]

5 hours ago, JimParker85 said:

Pretty much all parks in Western Europe are now closed once again or will be by Thursday in the case of the UK. Blackpool I saw cancelled the entire holiday schedule even though the UK lockdown can end as soon as 12/2. It's all sad, but a 2 year duration of this situation, which now seems more likely than not, is going to really hurt the industry and probably be the end of at least a few parks. It's hard to put into a fair context in comparison to all the deaths and cases from Covid, but it still really sucks. 

Possibly but from what I have been reading and seeing there is a vaccine right around the corner. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

1 hour ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Possibly but from what I have been reading and seeing there is a vaccine right around the corner. 

Even when we get a vaccine, it's going to take months if not another year to distribute it and plus you have to get enough people to take it which seems like is going to be a problem since there are a lot of people who say they aren't getting it. 

[Thabto]

I don't feel safe getting something that is rushed out when a normal vaccine takes over a decade to perfect. There is a flu shot but there's still alot of people who get the flu and some even though they got the shot. So, a vaccine isn't the answer to end this. I think it's possible that there will just be a standalone vaccine for just 1 year with COVID-19 being integrated into the years flu shots going forward. We now have an FDA approved treatment with Remdesevir, which I think is a safer bet since that's been around for a while. I'm sure more effective treatments will become available as time goes on. 

[flightoffear1996]

10 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Even when we get a vaccine, it's going to take months if not another year to distribute it and plus you have to get enough people to take it which seems like is going to be a problem since there are a lot of people who say they aren't getting it. 

I don't disagree with any of what was said but it gives people a choice at least having a vaccine.  We get a flu shots every year and we have never gotten the flu knock on wood.  I beleive you still can get it but symtptoms will be more mild. 

[CoasterFan3180]

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.

[CoastersRZ]

No real surprise on the minimal capital expenditures for 2021.  Still kind of surprised they aren`t trying Taste of the Season at Kings Island.

[Pagoda Gift Shop]

I would have to think that goal #1 for 2021 is just to open every park in some capacity.  Even then, that might be very challenging to achieve.

[Maddog]

Wow, I didn't expect the average in-park spend was ~$50 per person (well, in a non-COVID situation).  Shows there is a lot of money flowing through those gates that has nothing to do with the entry cost. 

Those Fast Lane passes are pure profit, I'm sure CF will be itching to get them resurrected in 2021.  

 

[IndyGuy4KI]

I thought you could purchase a FL at KI this year?

[Thabto]

I hope at the very least access passes (at CP) are gone and they fill rides to capacity again. Many airlines have stopped leaving the middle seats open and that's in a very confined space so I don't see why it can't be done on outdoor coasters. 

[WhatTheBlazes]

1 hour ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I thought you could purchase a FL at KI this year?

I am not sure when FL sales started back up, but Sunday they were being sold for $100 when we got to the park at around 11:30

[JimParker85]

I don't see a way they'd be able to sell one day FLP at Cedar Point next year if they are forced to operate in the same way with the half full trains, top 4 access pass and 30 min interval clean and run empty (which was much more time consuming than the Kings Island method). On all 4 of our visits, 3 of which were mid week in August before end of daily ops, lines for pretty much everything were late august/halloweekends Saturday levels. If they added in a large volume of Fast Lane instead of the tiny amount of pre sold and all season that we experienced this year, the in park experience at CP would be even worse than it was for standby line guests this year.