Virus Impact on CP

Last weekend wasnt nice at all at the park. Highs around 60 and a very stiff NE wind off the water made for a miserable time around the peninsula.

KI went live this morning with passholder only reservations (8750) and opening day has not sold out yet. Apparently WoF did sell out opening day by this point.

Per FYE on FB, the max capacity at KI through the reservation system is capped at about 14,000 per day. 2,000 per time slot.

They went through the morning 2000 pretty fast from what I was looking at.

You mention time slots, so does that mean as a passholder and stay in Breakers, I can't be in the park all day?? I understand making reservations, but I assumed reservations were for entire day. Any word on when we will be able to make our reservations for our August trip?

You are allowed to stay until close. The time slot thing is to stagger arrivals.

Per KI FAQ, once you are in the park you can stay for the rest of the day. They are using arrival times to prevent congestion and meet state requirements when people come in for the day it seems.

If you are staying in Breakers (or any other operating hotel on proerty) you are guaranteed access to the park, any day after check in for sure, I haven't gotten a good clear answer about the day of check in. Passholder or not, you go to the front desk and let them know the days and they link it to each ticket/pass from when I spoke to the hotel.

I see that today Kennywood announced that they will be open weekends in October, but that it will be an extension of their summer operations and they won't host their Phantom Fright Nights. Disney has also cancelled Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I wonder if CP will follow suite and remain open through the fall, but cancel Halloweekends?

I can see that making sense in light of everything going on. Would also allow them to get more of a general crowd that normally avoids the halloweekends activities to make up for summer? Not sure what the cost/benefit on that would be though. Probably some practical regulation concerns as well.

Do people not go to the park because it is Halloweekends? Or do they not go to the park during Halloweekends because of the crowds?

I don't understand not going to the park because of the Halloween stuff. My son and I are complete sissys when it comes to scary stuff. We still go during Halloweekends because we can very easily avoid the scary stuff.

Well going into some of my personal background while trying to skirt the politics it can drag in as much as possible, because I don't want to get any of that going on here. I grew up in religious communities that generally avoided halloween festivities for various reasons. And I'm sure some parents just don't come that time of year as they may feel their kids aren't ready for that environment. I personally try and understand where they all are coming from generally speaking, and as a Christian I have some insights into that particular mindset, but at the same time I'm right there with you Shades, I can avoid the scare zones while other people can enjoy those. And subsequently I can get some shorter lines on those magnificent pieces of kinetic architecture that I'm sure most of us enjoy in one form or another. XD

Also based on comments and messages I've seen here and elsewhere I'm positive some people avoid the park for the crowds that halloweekends can bring in, and I have had some peak weekend trips where the lines are crazy long in the evenings once halloweekends ramps up. So while I have no numbers to back this hypothesis up; I'd be pretty comfortable in saying that the dynamics of the park would change substantially enough, in everything from crowd densities to practicality of current policies in regards to this pandemic, that it could strongly effect how they operate the park that time of year; based on what they have to ensure and what the financial/policy outlook is.

But that's just my silver rounds on the matter. I know we have a huge community here that could add additional experiences and information I certainly don't have on hand.

...I haven't gotten a good clear answer about the day of check in. Passholder or not, you go to the front desk and let them know the days and they link it to each ticket/pass from when I spoke to the hotel.

For the day of check in it will work just like any other day; you can make a reservation if you wish, but you need a ticket (or pass) for that day.

That's some good knowledge right thar. Thank you much.

The way they describe access on day of check in was odd.

Agreed, especially when so many guests have a neurologically-ingrained method to their visits. Even though the reservation system is laid out in detail, no doubt many guests will be taken off-guard that they won't be guaranteed access the day they arrive.

Then again, we'll see how well it gets spelled out once they go live. I can't speak for everyone, but my conversations with the park regarding our reservations and how this will all work have been very clear and honest.

So, I'm assuming at this point that the idea of "ride reservations" is not becoming a thing.

Precisely, when I've talked to the very friendly and helpful associates they have been as clear as can be. Only seems liker there is some minor information they don't have or can't share yet when it comes to the finer points but I may not have asked the right questions.

But that assumes everyone pays attention, which I will be the first to say I don't always do well. And then the confusion can set in. Especially will all the "noise" in the day to day.

I'm really holding out on a ride reservation roll out, from the back end if they can get the in app food orders working then ride reservations should be easier. In a way perhaps the food ordering system is a plug and play test of the tech of sorts, technically food ordering is a harder system if it's doing what I think it is. The largest caveat with ride reservations at this time is the entrance of the line (unless they combine it with fast lane in some way, boy can I see that ruffling some feather) would have to be equip with some sort of station to interact with either the guests pass or phone to "arrive" at the ride at their allotted time (I'm thinking a CF/CP equivelant of the Disney Magic Band using a QR/barcode if I understand the DIS system correctly). And that would require computer installs, which based on their comment about the pass-holder scan lane at tollbooths at WCO, could be an issue. A stop gap measure would technically be to have the ops check peoples phones but that just sounds like a headache in so many ways I doubt anyone in management is evening tabling the idea.

I can see them cancelling Halloweekends in favor of regular operations this year. As insanely crowded as the park gets during the Fall there’s no benefit in taking a risk of anyone getting sick because you’re squeezing thousands of people through a haunt. Which sucks because it’s my favorite time of year to just walk the park and enjoy the decorations and atmosphere.

Bonus weekends return! Joking but yeah it seems like an easy call to just continue standard ops in September/October with maybe just some decorating from stuff already on hand. WinterFest the next question for the parks that do it. Grabbed a July 4th 1030am slot at KI this morning about 20 minutes after the went available. About 60% of the slots on the 4th were taken today from what I can see. So far its the only day at either KI or WoF with a close after 7pm.

What I'd also like to know is, if we stay on-site, do we get to enter the park when gates open? I'm sure they'll stagger the crowds for entering the park each day. I just made reservations yesterday for LP.

I could see resort guests getting the first time slot, otherwise they will likely assign times when you check in.

Rocket that is a brilliant question, I would hope so. Now that I think about it maybe they still do some form of early entry for the resort guests? Say 30-45 min (although I could see an hour depending on open time and how long they expect the inprocessing to take). Not to ride per say but just to give resort guests the first opportunity to process into the park each morning before the first time slot. That of all things definitely wouldn't be difficult. I'll have to remember to have my friend or I ask next time one of us check with the breakers.