Kings Dominion delays opening of Soak City

[BoddaH1994]

[IndyGuy4KI]

That is a shame, It seems Bush's waterpark Water Country is opening next weekend. What are they not offering at KD that Busch is offering for employees?

https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/water-country-usa/

[JimParker85]

Another blow for KD. Their calendar this season is so sad, they have fallen so far behind that even Six Flags America could be perceived to have passed them. And is that free spin still sitting in the parking lot? My god, what a shame for a park with so much potential and natural beauty, plus a solid top 3 coaster lineup. 

[SnakePlissken]

That calendar is almost as bad as Dorney's. What the heck is going on? Parks are gonna be packed this year. Spring has already been nuts so far. Some of these Cedar Fair parks should have opened up in March like they normally do. Some Six Flags parks did and Dollywood did.

[coaster sally]

48 minutes ago, JimParker85 said:

Another blow for KD. Their calendar this season is so sad, they have fallen so far behind that even Six Flags America could be perceived to have passed them. And is that free spin still sitting in the parking lot? My god, what a shame for a park with so much potential and natural beauty, plus a solid top 3 coaster lineup. 

What's the third behind I305 and Twisted Timbers?  Rest of the rides there are trash besides Grizzly.

[JimParker85]

Dominator

[SonofBaconator]

39 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

What's the third behind I305 and Twisted Timbers?  Rest of the rides there are trash besides Grizzly.

Please don't derail this thread.

I feel like this park is transitioning in terms of how they operate. They're not really competing in any capacity

[CoastersRZ]

I have a feeling that Cedar Fair was playing the park operating calendars conservatively.  I think that if the demand ends up being there, that they may expand their operating hours/add more days in the back half of the season.  Especially if things with Covid continue to trend in the right direction.

Kings Dominion was probably having a hard time securing enough guards in a timely manner.  I am fairly confidence that Cedar Fair trains their guards to the Ellis and Associate standards, which requires several training classes to complete.  I agree with Brad though, what is Busch Gardens offering their employees that they do not have staffing issues?  Unless they will have staffing issues once they open, which Kings Dominion is hoping to prevent by delaying the opening by a few weeks to avoid having upset customers.

[JimParker85]

BGW has been doing a limited park offering, and really struggling with guest satisfaction. If you pop in on BGWfans forum, they have a lot of regulars on there who posted detailed updates during Spring Break that painted a very frustrating picture. 

The bigger comparison to me is Six Flags America. They opened at the beginning of March and seemed to have the park running better than ever. I watched videos from multiple enthusiasts who praised their experience at SFA in the Spring. In the past, pretty much every coaster channel on youtube was almost completely negative on SFA. It was very surprising. I just think KD is being left behind, and keeping a small and relativity inexpensive coaster sitting in pieces in their parking lot for 2 years can't be a good sign either.