Virus Impact on CP

There's an image circulating on Facebook that both Orion and WindSeeker have been testing at Kings Island

Ive been sitting here watching Valravn cycle on and off this afternoon. Plus several carpenters working on Blue Streak. There's some life in and around the park today. Still only yellow train on MF.

Even if it's an incredibly limited ride lineup or they do end up pulling the plug on the season, they have given it their all to do as much as they can. I applaud them for that, and I can't imagine how much sadness there is for what should have been the season of a lifetime.

It makes sense that we are starting to lose fairs now, even though late July is a long way away. Those fairs rely on an insanely large number of contracts which can only be modified or broken with adequate lead time. Given that our government leaders have left every form of entertainment in a state of legal limbo with no resolution in sight and no promise of any information whatsoever anytime soon, decisions have got to be made. And while it is highly likely that by fair time it might be possible to hold the fair in a somewhat normal fashion, we have no way to know that now. So...it's time to stop the bleeding.

We are watching as the State incompetently and possibly completely destroys an entire industry.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Cedar Point and Cedar Fair as a whole are strong enough to get through this if Ohio doesn't allow them to open up this season even if most other states do.

It would have been a Funtime era Geauga Lake or Coney Island Ohio that would have potentially been destroyed by this.

Given the importance of Cedar Point and Kings Island to Ohio's economy (not to mention the critical local importance they play), I would certainly hope they are working on working something out.

With nearly everything else cancelled I maintain that these parks that are able to open are going to see high demand, especially given attendance limits. Looks like Universal Orlando is looking to open June 5 to the public after a 4 day soft open.

RideMan said:

We are watching as the State incompetently and possibly completely destroys an entire industry.

What does this even mean?

Iron Dragon and Corkscrew were cycling today. Rougarou and GateKeeper have trains on transfer. There were also crains near Gemini, so that could have been either Gemini or Slingshot.

Soft open 3rd week of June. Full open 4th week of June Hotel Breakers Rooms reservations are available June 15th.

Where did you hear that? Was there some sort of email sent to guests with resort reservations? Or just making a guess based on availability of bookings?

No matter what happens this summer, Cedar Point and Kings Island will survive. They are big enough, profitable enough, and perhaps most important independent enough that when the State gives the green light and gives them a way to get their rides inspected, they can open up and do their thing.

Fairs, on the other hand, are an entirely different animal. A fair board determines the time and place for the event...and that's pretty much all they do. Organizing a fair means coordinating between all the associations that participate, the carnival operator, and the tens, hundreds, or thousands of individual concessionaires who rely on these seasonal events for their livelihood. We are now far enough into the Spring that decisions must be made about how these late summer events are going to be held. Whether they will be held. What they will look like. And what contracting companies are going to be there.

But while there are committees discussing how to make schools and colleges work in the Fall, restaurants and barber shops are already re-opening, retailers are back in business and we now know that bowling alleys and miniature golf courses can reopen next week, there has not been one word about outdoor amusements of any kind, the amusement ride inspection program in the State has apparently fallen into utter chaos, and there has been no guidance whatsoever regarding the fate of an entire industry. In the total absence of planning or information, fair boards are having to make the decision *now* to scrub their late season events. That leaves a number of shows and vendors quite literally without a season. And without a season some of these smaller operations simply will not survive.

Planning for the amusement industry restart should have been done a month ago, with only the timeline left open, and even that should have some targets. This is a State regulated industry that by its very nature is not ready to restart and can't open on cue as a lot of businesses can. The lack of information and action from the State pushes the timeline back even farther, and while there may be no problem holding an event like the State Fair in late July or early August, with no guidance as to what the regulatory environment is going to look like, the only low-risk option is to cancel. And about the time the State wants to promote its fairs and festivals again, there is going to be nothing left of the industry that supports them.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Good post about the fair process, agreed it’s a shame. CP is getting ready to open, and they will sooner than later.. The governors office is working in conjunction with these industries, just because there’s no official announcement doesn’t mean there’s not a set date (that may have to be postponed due to unforeseen matters) that the industry is planning for. Some of the insular opinions on here disregarding the predicaments of others for political posturing and pushing economic turmoil to that end is the antithesis of what I believe the ‘home to the biggest fans of the best amusement park in the world’ is meant to be. It’s supposed to be the fans of CP celebrating and discussing the past and future greatness of a place that is special to us all. Using the park in some perverse political chess match doesn’t hurt either party, it only hurts the community that survives of it and the people that love it.

XS NightClub said:

Soft open 3rd week of June. Full open 4th week of June Hotel Breakers Rooms reservations are available June 15th.

Then why have people had their reservations cancelled as late as 6/21?

RideMan said:

We are watching as the State incompetently and possibly completely destroys an entire industry.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I've got loads of respect for you Dave, but blaming government for this, or at least this particular complaint, is myopic. I think just about every piece of guidance I've read has stated that large crowd type events will be the very last thing we should be considering to reopen. People are still upset at Clearwater Beach for those images of kids during spring break when officials failed to close their beaches.

You have major league sports talking about coming back...but to empty stadiums. I just don't see how a County/State Fair can even be on anyone's radar at this point. We are just now, in late May, entering Phase 1 in most parts of the country. Any transfer of the disease today won't be picked up by health care officials until June 6th or so. So, let's say the second week of June we start looking at the data to determine if we are ready to go to Phase 2. Phase 2, according to the President's gating criteria, is still recommending people avoid social settings of more than 50 people when social distancing isn't practical.

So, let's say we reopen mid-June. We start the monitoring all over again. Someone picks up the virus in mid June, evidence of spread isn't picked up until July. We start all over again.

And this timeline is assuming that everything goes perfectly. And, here's the thing. Just because the governments says you CAN reopen doesn't mean everyone will. And, even if everyone opens, will people come? There is a private health club next door to my office. The owner tells me he has no idea when he will reopen, even after he is given the ok to do so. If only 30 to 40% of his membership comes back, he can't reopen. He can't staff up and then see limited revenue or he is going to go bankrupt. How in the world will the fair be able to make those determinations?

And, candidly, there are greater priorities. State and local governments themselves are facing a financial crisis. (Though I guess the President's idea of us all filing bankruptcy is one way to go). I don't know the circumstances in Ohio but here in Florida we have some local governments who are dealing with serious fiscal emergencies. Staff layoffs and furloughs are only beginning to take shape. I don't know how much time Ohio has to dedicate to the fair when they are dealing with some real crap right now. I'm not saying it isn't important, but lots of things are important right now.

XS NightClub said:

Soft open 3rd week of June. Full open 4th week of June Hotel Breakers Rooms reservations are available June 15th.

Source?

DeWine has not in any capacity given the green light to amusement parks. Meaning the June timeline you’ve given is a slim possibility.

Where did you get your info from?

After State approval the last piece of the puzzle is thousands(?) of employees to actually run the park. Other than that one Live-E guy here that claimed he was called back weeks ago, anybody hear about that? On the CP subreddit some claim to have received calls asking if they are still willing to work but no start date has been given. I haven't seen any KI seasonal employees claim they have even received a call.

An accelerated training schedule may be possible but a June opening seems really tight.

Here is a WSJ piece on super spreading events vie apple.news so it isn't behind a paywall. Does not address amusement parks directly but does the yelling and screaming that are very much a part of parks.

https://apple.news/Ad_MhhiS4SKWVFWLPoOG0jA

I'm using the Giant Wheel as my barometer, since it's visible on the webcam. When they start putting the cars on the Giant Wheel, I'll know an open is not too far behind. Not sure if they'll start putting the cars on before they announce anything, though.

I'm not sure what it is about Giant Wheel specifically that makes anyone draw conclusions one way or the other. If the park does open in the coming months, it will almost assuredly not be operating all rides. And also, we've seen that the park is preparing some other rides, so putting the cabins on seems entirely practical, if that is one of the rides they intend to run. But in terms of a timeline, I don't think it means anything. In any case, I'll continue to use the park's announcements as my barometer as to when they will re-open.

Chief Wahoo said:

And, candidly, there are greater priorities. State and local governments themselves are facing a financial crisis. (Though I guess the President's idea of us all filing bankruptcy is one way to go). I don't know the circumstances in Ohio but here in Florida we have some local governments who are dealing with serious fiscal emergencies. Staff layoffs and furloughs are only beginning to take shape. I don't know how much time Ohio has to dedicate to the fair when they are dealing with some real crap right now. I'm not saying it isn't important, but lots of things are important right now.

This right here is why I think fireworks and other things are beginning to get canceled. Even though social distancing may be practical. They could just tell everyone that no setting up chairs in fields and parking lots would be allowed and that you need to stay in your vehicle to see fireworks. But with budget issues, I'm sure putting on a fireworks show isn't cheap.