Busch Gardens Williamsburg to Reopen August 5th for Coasters and Craft Brews Event

© Busch Gardens Williamsurg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has found a unique way to still open this summer while adhering to Virginia's order of only having 1,000 people at the park at any time.  Starting August 5th the park will be open to guests, but in a limited fashion to hold a new Coasters and Craft Brews event.

The park will feature the outdoor event in only some of the park's themed areas including Ireland, Scotland, France and New France.  Several of the park's large roller coasters, including Loch Ness Monster, Griffon, and InvadR will be open along with Le Catapult and Finnegan's Flyer.  The park will also offer a "variety of craft and local brews, savory BBQ cuisine, and more food and beverage options that will be available for purchase at select dining locations."  Several of the park's retail locations will also be open during the event.

It is almost like a combination of the special event that Knott's Berry Farm has found success with, only with a handful of rides open as well.

© Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Reservations will be required for the event and the park will follow all social distancing and sanitization efforts that other SeaWorld Parks have put into place.

The event starts on August 5th as a preview day for season members only, then it will run for two weeks Thursday through Sunday.  Thursday look to feature one reservation for a 5 pm to 9 pm slot, while Fridays through Sundays have two: 11 am to 3 pm and 5 pm until 9 pm.  With limited amounts of the park open it makes sense to get two different sets of guests into the park at different times of the day.

The park's calendar is showing plenty of operating days in September all the way through December, however it is unclear exactly how the park will operate at that time, or if it is even accurate. 

It is nice to see the park think outside the box in order to give visitors a fun experience that's within their limitations, hopefully it is a success for them.

Europa Park Opens New Version of Pirates in Batavia Family Dark Ride

© Europa Park

Ever since the devastating fire that destroyed Europa Park's Pirates in Batavia ride (and most of the Scandinavia themed area) in May of 2018 the park has vowed to rebuild the ride better than ever.  Today they made good on that promise and reopened the all new version of Pirates in Batavia to the public.  Understandably, the park is quite proud of their ability to totally design a brand new ride, featuring modern technology throughout, in a relatively quick turnaround.

The original ride opened in 1987 and featured a trip through Batavia, since known as Jakarta in Indonesia, complete with pirates battling the residents, invading the town and generally running amok in humorous ways.  Yes, there are parallels to Disney's famous Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but the Europa Park version was loved as much by fans and was sorely missed after the fire.

© Europa Park

The new version of the ride features a similar storyline, only with a bit more detail.  Now riders join "Bartholomeus van Robbemond on his search for the mystical Dagger of Batavia, the Fire Tiger.  Legend has it that whoever owns the dagger of Batavia is invulnerable," so that would be quite a find.  The additional story gives the new version of the ride some more depth.

The boat ride takes passengers through Batavia, isolated villages and jungles and includes an 8 minute long journey with over 125 animated characters along the way.  While most of the ride's inhabitants were lost in the fire, some have been preserved and placed in the new ride, giving extra fun for riders to locate.

The park has pulled out the stops and incorporated a ton of modern visual effects and lighting that works so well with large physical sets.  It's a great combination of a classic dark ride, but with a modern twist.

If you want to take your own journey on Pirates in Batavia, check out the video below!

Reduced Hours + Operating Days, Closures, No More Reservations + Halloween Events Paused

The industry is still trying to find its footing in this summer of uncertainty, and it appears as though a big part of that is scaling back operations to better fit with what has turned out to be a small demand for the amusement industry right now. 

We've seen a number of parks stop requiring reservations to visit the parks.  Dollywood stopped requiring day ticket visitors to have a reservation, though season pass holders still need them for the theme park.  A while back Worlds of Fun axed the reservation requirement, then Kings Island, Kennywood and Cedar Point followed soon after.  Dorney Park removed the reservation requirement for season pass holders, only asking single day ticket visitors to have one.  One can only assume that crowd levels are small enough that there is no need to monitor attendance with reservations.

Scaling back park hours is also becoming common.  Kings Island released their updated hours for August which will have the park closed Wednesday and Thursday, then to weekends only by the end of the month.  Closing times on Saturdays did get extended until 10 pm however.  Cedar Point will stay open daily until mid-August, then switch to Friday-Sunday operations only and right now are closed all of September aside from Labor day weekend.  Kennywood has also decided to stay closed Mondays and Tuesday in August, then go weekends only in September - and has also made it clear there will be no Phantom Fright Nights this year.  Idlewild is going even further, opening only on Friday - Sunday starting August 1st.

This is not a full list of changes, there are more out there as well.

© Raging Waters

We're also starting to see some Southern California properties throw in the towel on the year - that is just what Raging Waters Los Angeles did today.  They do note that they are excited to reopen in 2021.  The rest of the California theme park crew, and there's a lot of them, are still waiting on the ability to open.  As we discussed some parks are finding other ways to operate, such as Knott's super popular food festival Taste of Calico which actually got extended two more weeks and is selling out fast.

© Universal

It is almost to the point where parks are having to make tough decisions regarding their popular Halloween seasons.  Just recently we saw both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood officially cancel their events for this year, with Halloween Horror Nights not taking place at either park.  Disney World has also called off Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Disneyland Resort cancelled the Oogie Boogie Bash even though no opening date is in sight for its parks.

No news yet from other park operators on Halloween, but with these big parks setting the standard it might not look to good.

Things may be a bit more quiet around this blog for the foreseeable future, as park seasons are shortened and events are cancelled - there simply isn't much to cover.  We will look forward to 2021 though!

Intamin Shares Concept Videos for New Coaster and Water Ride Attractions

This unusual summer is a perfect time for fans to do a little day dreaming about new rides that could come to their favorite park, and in this case via Intamin.  The famous attraction manufacturer has released four new videos of rides that they've cooked up.  Let's take a look.

Up first is the Ultra Splash, which looks similar to Mack's PowerSplash rides in concept.  Intamin's version uses a unique track design that is more of an I-beam than traditional track, and it supports itself all on one beefy looking base.

The ride follows similar motions to the PowerSplash, launching the high capacity boats up two vertical towers, back and forth until water fills the chamber below and the boat makes a giant splash.

The video notes that the ride offers a traveling track length of 1,722 feet, stands 121 feet tall and moves at a maximum speed of 58 miles per hour.

Up next is the Giga Splash, which uses a similar track and boat style as the Ultra Splash, but uses a vertical elevator to send boats down a giant, steep drop toward the pool below.

It looks like an updated version of the Intamin ride created for Holiday World (since removed) originally called Pilgrims Plunge.  The new version can start with a meandering ride channel before the elevator, which turns boats (that have stadium seating) 285 degrees for a nice view.

The boats head up 131 feet then drop down at 87 degrees at 62 miles per hour, over a huge air-time hill and then into a giant splash.

Here we have the LSM Vertical Coaster 47-280, a wild new compact coaster that Intamin says is the most compact triple launch coaster design in the world.

The ride features a forward, backward and forward launch to get the train heading up toward the top of the structure, at which point an extra launch boost takes place while riders are upside down.  At the crest the trains start a twisting downward "torpedo dive," soar near the station, then head up into a zig-zag loop.

The ride can handle either one trip around the track or two per cycle depending on the customer.

Lastly, Intamin released a new video for a single rail style coaster branded under the name Hot Racer.  The ride looks like Intamin's answer to Rocky Mountain Construction's single rail coasters.

They have come up with three example layouts, all of which are racing coasters with two separate tracks.  There is a small, medium and large example and the video details several new element types along with other popular ones we've seen on existing rides.

Hurricane Harbor New Jersey to Reopen This Week

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey has announced that it will reopen to visitors this Thursday, July 23rd.  The park will "operate with reduced attendance levels and in preview mode; then gradually increase attendance levels throughout the month."  The water park is located next door to Six Flags Great Adventure.

As of now, operating dates will include Thursday through Monday of each week through the end of August, plus select weekends in September.  As with all Six Flags properties, the park will employ new safety measures and hygiene protocols to keep both visitors and staff safe.

“We are thrilled to welcome families back to one of the Northeast’s most popular waterparks, Hurricane Harbor. The safety of our guests and team members remains our number one priority, and the new safety guidelines we have put in place are designed to create a safe environment for everyone,” said Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor Park President John Winkler.

© Six Flags

Safety measures include requiring advanced reservations to visit the park, thermal imaging to perform temperature checks on visitors, touchless bag checks, mobile food ordering, increased sanitization, social distancing and more.

Masks are required for a visit to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor New Jersey, but not required to be worn while on waterslides, water attractions or pools.  The park will open with as many attractions, food and retails stands and amenities as possible, with more coming online as the season progresses.

Reservations to visit the park are already available through their website.

Hong Kong Disneyland is Closed Again, Sesame Place Sets Plans to Open

© Hong Kong Dineyland

Hong Kong Disneyland was one of the first theme parks to close due to COVID-19, back toward the end of January.  It then reopened in the middle of June as one of the first in Disney's portfolio to welcome back visitors, but now due to new restrictions put in place by the Hong Kong government, it is once again closed.

The park officially closed again in the middle of last week as Hong Kong has seen increasing COVID-19 cases and is taking immediate and serious measures to stop that.  Per this news article, the area has seen 1,500 new cases since January, leading to the park's closure (and many other social restrictions).  Considering that a great number of states in the U.S. are filing way more cases than that per day, it isn't hard to figure out that Hong Kong is not messing around.

The closing of Hong Kong Disneyland does not have an official end date, and comes the same week that both the Disneyland Paris Resort and Walt Disney World in Florida were welcoming back visitors.

© Sesame Place

Pennsylvania's popular children's theme park, Sesame Place, has announced that it will reopen on July 24th.  While late in the summer, the park's water activities will certainly be welcomed by visitors as it has been one especially hot summer in the Northeast.

The park, as with other SeaWorld Entertainment properties, will have a full set of changes in place to operate in a COVID-19 world.  These measures include temperature checks for visitors and employees, mandatory face masks for those age 2 and older, social distancing protocols throughout the park, increased cleaning and sanitization and many changes to food and beverage services.  You can read through the park's full set of changes at this link.

In order to reduce interactions the park is also keeping several of their shows, their daily parade and some character interactions either restricted or closed.

Earlier this year Sesame Place announced two new attractions, a small family ride and a toddler play area, for the park's 40th birthday celebration.  Neither of these attractions are listed as part of the park's offerings, so it appears as they have been delayed or cancelled.

Knott's Berry Farm Currently Holding Taste of Calico Special Event

© Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm, along with other theme parks in California, still are not allowed to open to provide guests a typical theme park experience.  Several have begun to find other ways to still provide visitors with a fun and meaningful experience that fits with the health and safety guidelines provided by the State.

We first saw Six Flags Discovery Kingdom reopen as the Marine World Experience, fitting in as an outdoor zoo experience which is allowed.  Now we have Knott's Berry Farm reopening part of its park for a "limited time outdoor food and retail experience" named Taste of Calico - also an event that works with current health guidelines.

With no end in sight of the issues surrounding COVID-19, I think that we will see more parks begin to think outside the box to come up with ways to attract visitors in a safe manner. 

© Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Ghost Town is the location for the Taste of Calico event, one of the themed sections of Knott's Berry Farm.  The purpose of the event is pretty obvious, allowing "guests to be able to take a nostalgic stroll through the streets of Calico, sample unique Knott's culinary creations including boysenberry specialties, visit local crafters and shop at our unique stores."

To attend the event you have to purchase a tasting card online, there are both regular ($25) and junior ($15) cards available, and each allows for 5 tastings.  To keep things safe, there is a strict number of tasting cards sold to make sure there is plenty of room to properly social distance while at the event.

© Knott's Berry Farm

It looks like there are a ton of tasty treats available as a part of Taste of Calico.  As one would expect there are a lot of boysenberry flavored items, everything from boysenberry BBQ to a boysenberry smoothie.  There are also several craft beers and other beverages available.

The retail portion includes a lot of unique vendors as well, including Honey & Bee products from Flores Honey and Miss Doolittles which has "princess goodies" of all kinds.

The event already started this weekend and quickly sold out on Friday and Saturday.  Taste of Calico will take place tomorrow along with next weekend, July 24th 25th and 26th.

La Ronde to Open to Visitors on July 25th

© La Ronde

We are getting into a phase of the summer where it seems less likely that parks that have not been able to open yet will do so.  However La Ronde, Six Flags' Canadian park, has announced that it will start its season on July 25th.  Operating days at the start (July 25th, 26th, 31st and August 1st and 2nd) will be only for season pass holders and Members.

The park will initially open with very restricted maximum capacity and then gradually increase the total amount as time goes by.  Like all other Six Flags parks there will be a full set of COVID-19 related safety precautions set in place, including the use of reservations, required face masks, social distancing and more.

© La Ronde

"La Ronde is a much-beloved summer tradition for many Quebecers, and we look forward to welcoming them back to the park as we introduce new safety procedures for everyone's protection.  The health and safety of our guests and team members remains our number one priority," said Park President Janine Durette. 

Like nearly all Six Flags parks, La Ronde's new-for-2020 attraction, Vipere, will not be opening with the park and has been pushed to 2021.

New Plan Formed to Reopen New York's Fantasy Island Amusement Park

© Empire Adventures

The sudden closure of Western New York's Fantasy Island Amusement Park earlier this year left many fans of the property sad and disappointed.  The park has a history that dates back to 1961, meaning at this point it had been enjoyed by generations of visitors, making it a summertime tradition for many.

While the park has been mostly cleared of rides and definitely will not return exactly as it was in 2019, a new plan has been put together to reopen the park, possibly as soon as next year.

Empire Adventures is a group of individuals dedicated to reopening the park, and between them have a lot of history with both Fantasy Island and amusement parks.  However, there will be a lot of investors and help needed to get the park back up and running.

You can read more about Empire Adventure and their plan on their website - they currently have a several phase plan to reopen the park.  If it works out, rides could be added back to the park and opened as soon as 2021.

The group currently has a letter of intent with the company that owns the land under the park, and is working to grow their plan through additional investments using a grassroots style.  They even have a Go Fund Me page up right now.

The park is home to the Silver Comet, a Custom Coasters wooden ride that opened in 1999.  It is still standing at the park and Empire Adventures plans to reopen it along with the park.

Mystic River Falls in Preview Mode at Silver Dollar City + New Ride POV

© Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City has not delayed their new for 2020 mega-attraction, Mystic River Falls, and is just about ready to open it to the public.  For right now, the park is doing previews of the ride for lucky visitors who are in the parks, and social media is buzzing about what a great attraction it is.

The ride replaces the park's former river rapids ride with a more modern version that includes a dramatic vertical lift hill that stands 82 feet tall and the tallest drop on a ride of this kind in the Western hemisphere.  Mystic River Falls represents a $23 million investment, part of an overall $27 million expansion this year.

The ride and its surroundings are beautiful, and I'm impressed by the speed of the river at various points through the ride.  Looks like a blast!

While many are traveling less this summer, you're still able to experience all that Mystic River Falls offers through a new point of view ride video that the park has released.  Check it out below!

A Look at Dorney Park's Opening Week of the 2020 Season + What's New This Year

© NewsPlusNotes

To say that parks are having an unusual year in 2020 is an understatement, and we've all been closely watching to see just how they adapt to a "new normal" in light of the current global pandemic.

Dorney Park soft opened a few days this past week for season pass holders, and today was their official opening day for all ticket types.  The park has made a dramatic set of operational changes that are similar to other amusement parks - all in the name of safety surrounding COVID-19.  We'll be seeing them in this update, but the full set is available on their website.

I got to visit the park and see how things were going and to be honest I am quite pleased.  I felt safe while visiting, and these days that is a very important factor.

© NewsPlusNotes

When you arrive at the park the friendly parking attendant will inquire if your party has masks, and also if you've made a reservation.  I also noticed that parking is now only $10, which is at least half of what it was last year.

Once parked you make your way to the entrance and there are two sets of tent structures set up that allow the park to do thermal imaging of visitors to check for anyone with a high temperature.  The tents have big fans in them and honestly it was so hot today it was kind of a nice place to hang out!

After that is the security check, where I did not have to take anything out of my pockets so it was super fast and easy with no line.

© NewsPlusNotes

Also of note, the entire park is now non-smoking and vaping this year.  Makes sense considering the pandemic, I've noticed other business types that still allowed smoking in certain areas doing the same.  If you want to smoke at the park, the above area is located in the entrance plaza, outside the main gates. 

© NewsPlusNotes

The park's operations right now only include the rides in Dorney Park.  It is important to note that Wildwater Kingdom is not open.  There may be different ride closures each day, as the park works through various challenges that are unique to the 2020 season.  On my visit White Water Landing, Meteor and Possessed were not in operation.

© NewsPlusNotes

As with most parks, there will be changes nearly day to day as everyone continues to adapt to what are the best and most safe practices.  The pandemic disrupted a great deal of the time that the park usually prepares for the season and I'm honestly happy they were even able to open at all.  Whether or not the water park is able to open remains to be seen, so Seaside Splashworks may be a new for 2021 addition.

Also of note in the above photo, a nice new carousel horse topiary can be seen just after you enter the park.

Getting through the entrance turnstiles is also very quick and easy, as making a reservation and purchasing tickets beforehand means all you have to do is open the Dorney Park app and have your reservation scanned, and that's it.  There are some changes like this that may have been forced by the pandemic, but they sure make a lot of sense and I wouldn't mind seeing them stick around in the long term.

Also, no park maps this year as it's just one less thing for people to touch.  Plus, the Dorney Park app has a very detailed park map that's honestly way more efficient than a paper one.  And I adore printed park maps so that's a lot coming from me!

© NewsPlusNotes

If you need to exit the park and come back in you can stop in at one of these stations right by the exit to get a ticket to come back in.  The process is most important for those who purchased one day tickets online, as season pass holders can just have their pass re-scanned when they come back in.

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

Social distancing is a very important part of a visit to... anywhere right now, and Dorney Park is on the same page.  They've cleared the midways of various stands and other items to make as much room as possible for guests to move around.

I'm not sure if this is a part of it, but as seen above the park has moved the entrance to the park's Antique Carousel to the side of it closest to the Funnel Cake building.  The former entrance area is now the exit, which means less people in the area of the entrance gates.  A smart move, helping to keep people spread out.

© Dorney Park

All buildings have very clear signage showing where to enter and exit, and those with more than one door have a dedicated entrance and exit area.  The signs on the doors of the Funnel Cake building are an example of that, though every single place you go inside at the park is the same way. 

© Dorney Park

The park also has plentiful seating for guests, and they're all spread out to make sure there is proper social distancing in place.  In the case above, Dorney Park has even stored the classic cars out front of Coasters to make more room for comfortable seating that is safe.

It actually seems that there is more seating than ever before, perhaps a result of the additions that were made last year for Grand Carnivale.  The park has made the most of not being able to hold that event this year in that sense.

© NewsPlusNotes

It is also pretty easy to remember to keep your distance from others with a little help from the park, which has placed plenty of these ground markers all over the place. 

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

And if you're not looking down enough to notice the distance markers, the park also has plenty of signs out reminding all guests of their Stay Safe rules.  Plus, there are recordings (definitely Tony from Cedar Point) that are occasionally played that remind guests that "we're all in this together" and go over the requirements for a safe, fun day.

© NewsPlusNotes

Rides are pretty much why we came here though, and the park has done their best to figure out a way to let people enjoy them safely and keep their distance.  For example, the Wave Swinger has had many seats removed so that guests aren't too close to one another.

Other rides limit parties to one seating area, have closed off rows to allow distancing, and other tactics - each ride is different so the park is doing what makes the most sense on each.  For roller coasters, the goal is to keep people six feet apart so on some that means every other row, and others every third row.

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

Here are some example photos from Steel Force.  The entire queue is marked at six foot intervals to show visitors where to stand.  And the rows in the station are clearly marked so you know which are open and which are unavailable.

Obviously the closed seats result in reduced capacity, but the park has reduced overall capacity as well and so that means less people in the park, less people in lines.  There were anywhere from zero to about five minute waits when I visited, so no issues there.

Rides also go down at regular intervals for full cleaning of the trains, seats, etc.  Since this is all very new that process could be changed in the future as Dorney Park (and all parks) are looking for the best method to let people enjoy rides quickly but keep them clean and safe.

Obviously patience is an important part of a visit to an amusement park right now (or the grocery store, Old Navy, or anything at all) and if you have it, you're actually able to have an enjoyable time easily.

© NewsPlusNotes

Wearing a mask to an amusement park isn't the most fun thing on earth, but personally I'd like to protect my fellow humans so I keep it on.  Yes, it was a sweaty experience in there and today it was sunny, about 91 degrees and very high humidity.  The park gets this, so when it becomes too much there are several Relax Zones in the park where you can sit down, enjoy a giant industrial fan that blows at you, and have a drink from a couple of water stations.  Perfect idea!  I've seen other rest zones on social media at parks, but the giant fan plus the water is a huge bonus.

I'm also happy to report that the vast majority, I'd say around 80%, of visitors were properly wearing masks.  That was one of my larger concerns (not only for the park, but everywhere), and the ones who had pulled them down appeared to have done so due to the high heat/humidity combo, not in blatant disregard for the rules.  And I did see employees asking guests to wear them properly, which is a great move in my opinion.  Also, employees were 100% on point with mask wearing and safety.  Kudos to the park on their training initiatives.

I think that generally wraps up most of the COVID-19 changes in place, though I may be forgetting some details.  Now, on to some other changes I noticed.

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

Late last year the American Coaster Enthusiasts designated Thunderhawk as one of their International Roller Coaster Landmarks, given to rides of great significance in the history of coasters.  The park is celebrating the honor with new signage along the ride's path, noting that the coaster is now in its 97th operating season.  Only three more until 100!  Quite a milestone for old Thunderhawk.

© NewsPlusNotes

Center Stage has received some major renovations, and while it still has the same name it's now much more a beer garden atmosphere than a typical theme park musical review locations.  The bench seating has been removed, replaced with great high top tables, plenty of new theming, plants and festive lights.  It looks really great!

The area is central to many of the food stands in the lower part of the park so this is a nice place to chill and have a meal.  There is live entertainment here this year, The Uprights are a dueling piano show that changes theme constantly throughout the day adding tons of variety.  Crowds were loving the change and I can't agree more with them.

© NewsPlusNotes

The lower part of the park has seen other changes as well.  The former burrito location (and rotisserie before that and pizza before that) is now a funnel cake and ice cream stand.  This move allows for these amusement park classics to be presented much more efficiently... also indoors with air conditioning!

© NewsPlusNotes

Additionally, Center Stage Snacks now also offers both fresh lemonade and ice cream on one side of the operation.

And here is why these moves have taken place:

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

Dorney Park has done a little deconstruction in terms of older food buildings that were probably showing their age and just needed to be retired.  The first photo is the location near Dominator's entrance where the lemonade and funnel cake stands were, now an extension of a large green area that divides the midway.

The second photo is where the old soft serve ice cream stand was, which has also turned into more green space.  This one gives a nice view of the Sea Dragon in operation as well!

© NewsPlusNotes

Also, because inquiring minds may want to know, the former Stinger plot, rumored to be home to the park's next big roller coaster, is still just an empty field.  If you ride Steel Force you can see some weird circles in the area, suggested to me as soil sample locations, but I think it could just as easily be something left over from when the Monster Trucks were here last year.  Time will tell.

© NewsPlusNotes

The 2020 season will be one for the history books, no doubt, not just for Dorney Park but all parks.  There's still plenty of fun to be had at the park!  Just be sure to take your good friend patience along with you, and I think things will be just fine.

Michigan's Adventure + Six Flags Great America Opening Only Waterparks Soon

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair's Michigan's Adventure has announced that they will open the property's water park, WildWater Adventure, on July 16th.  The first day will only be for season pass holders, then starting July 17th all ticket types are welcome.

At the same time of this announcement, the park has also made it clear that the rides in Michigan's Adventure will not be operating in 2020.  The park has always had a much shorter season than the other Cedar Fair parks, closing out the season at the end of summer, so in that regard this makes sense.

The parks that have opened ride-only operations appear to be having light attendance - not only for Cedar Fair - so the method of opening a water park only makes sense to me.  It's been a rather hot summer so far in many parts of the country, so perhaps there will be a larger draw for the water attractions rather than steel rides.  Also of note, I am not sure and did not research whether Michigan and Illinois are allowing theme parks to open, it could be that only water parks are allowed at this point.

WildWater Adventure at Michigan's Adventure will require a reservation to visit, and the park will follow the same standards that other Cedar Fair parks have employed - including mandatory face masks.  Right now the park's hours reflect operations Thursday through Sunday only, 11 am to 6 pm each day.

© Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America is going with a similar plan as it has announced opening Hurricane Harbor Chicago starting on July 20th.  The park will be open only for season pass holders and members from that date until July 26th.  Starting July 27th the park is planned to open to all ticket types.

The safety standards set in place at other Six Flags parks that have already opened will be used at Hurricane Harbor Chicago.  Guests must make a reservation to visit ahead of time, wear masks and practice social distancing while at the park.

Hurricane Harbor Chicago was set to debut a brand new water roller coaster, named Tsunami Surge, which has now officially been delayed until the 2021 season. 

For now the park appears to be saying that the theme park is remaining closed at the moment, I'm not seeing them list that it definitely will not open in 2020 as Michigan's Adventure said.

Worlds of Fun Ends Reservations and Reduces Operating Days

© Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun was the first large Cedar Fair park to open this summer, and as of this week has made some changes to their operations that are noteworthy.

I had a feeling that after some of the large parks opened we'd see changes in response to consumer demand, especially with regard to hours and operating days - though I wasn't sure in which direction exactly.  Obviously there have been a lot of very small changes as the parks have learned how to open in a COVID-19 world, but Worlds of Fun has now implemented two large modifications.

First, the park has stopped using their reservation system to track attendance to limit ahead of time the overall number of visitors in the park on any give day.  The use of reservations was a change that many parks have implemented, and while I'm not sure if Missouri is requiring reduced attendance at this point or not - it seems that the park isn't concerned about hitting any given maximum. 

There have been many reports online of the park being quite empty on some operating days, and depending on what their given maximum capacity is I guess they're getting no where near it.  So far from it that they're comfortable assuming they probably won't hit the limit.. and now are advertising no reservations needed to visit.  Of course, I guess if they do have a limit and hit it they'd have to turn away guests at the entrance, something they'd never want to do no doubt.

© Worlds of Fun

Second, and more telling of the reason for change number one, Worlds of Fun has revised their operating calendar to reflect that starting next week they will stay closed Monday through Wednesday.  That means they will operate only Thursday - Sunday for the rest of the summer... as of right now.  The daily hours of 11 am to 7 pm have stayed the same.

If the park was operating at such small capacity that they needed to close three days a week then I'm thinking that crowds were considerably smaller than expected.  Even on prior earnings calls Cedar Fair noted that most parks are profitable at much smaller attendance levels than we might think, so for them to bag three days a week to try to remain profitable then things must be slow.

In the end it is what it is, this is really a lost summer anyway, and I have a feeling that if cases continue to trend upwards, and the water parks attached to these parks are not opened, that this type of change will be common in the coming weeks.  On the plus side, if you visit you may have the smallest wait times you've seen in a long time!

Adventureland Iowa Makes 2021's Dragon Slayer Official

© Adventureland

Welp, this wasn't much in the way of a grand announcement, but Iowa's Adventureland theme park has made the addition of Dragon Slayer, an S&S 4-D Free Spin roller coaster, official.  The ride will open in 2021 per the video that Adventureland released on Facebook:

There's not too much information in it however, basically there are shots of an existing 4-D Free Spin, Batman the Ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, with some unique editing as well.  The ride had previously been discovered to be coming since track pieces, easily identifiable as Free Spin track, have been arriving at the park for a while now.

The park is removing their Dragon roller coaster in order to add the Dragon Slayer.  The ride will feature bright red track and silver supports.  We're assuming the coaster will be the same layout as the ones at the Six Flags parks, which means it will stand 120 feet tall.

It's impressive for the park to be moving forward with a new coaster considering the pandemic, it is a hopeful sign of the future for the park!

Dutch Wonderland to Open, Kennywood Delays Reopening

© Dutch Wonderland

Happy 4th of July everyone.  Please make sure to stay safe today!

We continue to watch as parks announce reopening plans, and in some cases delay or cancel them.  A little of both again today.

Dutch Wonderland, located in Pennsylvania, has announced their plan to reopen to guests on July 14th for season pass holders, a period that will last through July 17th.  Starting July 18th the park plans to be open to all visitors.

The park will follow its sister parks changes in terms of COVID-19 prevention and safety.  This includes a reservation system to control attendance (which will go live soon), social distancing throughout the park, increased sanitization standards and more.  Face masks will be required for a visit.

The park has all this information, along with guest and employee responsibilities, listed on their website.

© Kennywood

Kennywood had planned to open this Monday for the first time this year, but due to spiking numbers of COVID-19 cases in their county, they have had to delay the reopening.

Allegheny county, where the park is located, has set in place a one week stay at home order, which also included closing indoor dining at restaurants, casinos and limiting gatherings to 25 people.  Potentially this means the park's opening may only be delayed by a week, but it has been proven that anything can happen in 2020!

The delay also includes Kennywood's sister waterpark, Sandcastle, which was also scheduled to reopen.