You realize even cutting hours open back that issue still exists. If 20% capacity means you bring in $2 mil, but to operate costs $5mil, you still lose money.
COVID-19 & Coasters: Coronavirus Impacts on the Amusement Industry
- Thread starter GrandpaD
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You realize even cutting hours open back that issue still exists. If 20% capacity means you bring in $2 mil, but to operate costs $5mil, you still lose money.
Multiple masks will be needed for day in the park, especially in the summer. The masks will get soaking wet from sweat and breath. Face irritations will occur. I have multiple masks now that I have to rotate through during the day, because of sweat and its not even hot yet.
I meant that only about 20% of the population visits a theme park EVER, and not that within a year. The range of possible variation is increased as people may "get around" to do things. Even if only 20% looking for something to do actually go, that might be an increase.
As to limiting capacity, there are many times they're below 20%, so if somehow they can spread it out it could work. My concern is it will be restrictive or add cost but can see the justification. 20% is a big increase from when I go to KD and about the max. for BG.
As to masks, July ouch, I don't know if I'll do it.
As to limiting capacity, there are many times they're below 20%, so if somehow they can spread it out it could work. My concern is it will be restrictive or add cost but can see the justification. 20% is a big increase from when I go to KD and about the max. for BG.
As to masks, July ouch, I don't know if I'll do it.
My bad, misunderstood what you meant there.
The thing is, in a normal operating season there are also days that their capacity is much higher and it balances out the low capacity days. For parks you could be talking about 2-4 months of operating at less than 50% capacity but need the staff for cleaning reasons of a 80-90% capacity day. Parks are really going to need the accountants to sit down and do the math of the value of opening vs staying closed. I'm not sure how much capacity and staff they will need to make it work, but there's a high likelihood that if income will be outpaced by spending to where their monthly deficit will increase, then they won't open. Yes, the income from 20% capacity is greater than 0% capacity, but if that means daily spending goes up 3, 4, 5 times as much, it isn't worth it to open.
I hope you're talking going to a park, not wearing one in general. The slight discomfort of a mask in 90 degree heat is worth it to me if it means an end to this sooner.
Surveys are interesting, but i don't know how accurate. Just look at the beaches, they got packed immediately. I think plenty of people are willing to take a chance. Right or wrong.
The beaches that are packed are the very few that are actually open. Open all the beaches and individual beaches will be far less busy. Same issue with parks and trails. The ones that have remained open are far busier than they would be normally.
If one theme park opens when everyone else stays closed, then they may very well see a surge in attendance.
I kinda think that could really depend on the park more than tourist vs pass heavy. I would wager most CP/BGW pass members don't live close to the parks by enough that a majority would go. But a park like CarWin/Knotts/SFMM that are right in the city with a high percent of their pass holders likely within a 20/25 mile drive would be active.
I think BGW has a majority of passholders within a short drive.Look at preview days....they are swamped.
1 - Depends on what you consider a short drive. I'm a single mid-30's guy that it takes 75-90 minutes to get there and consider that quick. A family of 5 might consider that same drive long.
2 - Just because preview days are swamped doesn't mean they are all within a 20 mile radius.
One thing to keep in mind with these parks talking limits on 50% and 75%. Most parks operate at those capacities daily anyhow. For example say park XYZ has a max capacity of 80,000, most days they see 30,000 to 40,000 attendance except on Christmas week, July 4th things like that. So in theory when parks open they could see a normal attendance day and still be under those regulations of 50% capacity by the numbers.
They are also less staffed on those 50-75% days, and to adhere to the regulations it's going to take a lager staff than you would normally have at those levels. The question they can answer that we cannot, is would they profit enough off of those days to make it worth the risk of opening.
I know these are artificial numbers, but let's just say it took 2,000 staff members to effectively run the park at 50% capacity. Now with the regulations it takes 3,500 staff members to run the park at 50% capacity in order to sanitize things, ensure people are distance. Keep in mind there would be numerous other things we haven't talked about that need regulated. Like locker use. Do you ban that? Ok so what do people do with bags? How do you replace that income? Do you have 2-3 people per ride stand there and sanitize them? Ok how much does that job pay? Would locker usage be high enough to pay those people?
I dunno the answer to that. That's what companies and scientists and accountants are working on.
I know these are artificial numbers, but let's just say it took 2,000 staff members to effectively run the park at 50% capacity. Now with the regulations it takes 3,500 staff members to run the park at 50% capacity in order to sanitize things, ensure people are distance. Keep in mind there would be numerous other things we haven't talked about that need regulated. Like locker use. Do you ban that? Ok so what do people do with bags? How do you replace that income? Do you have 2-3 people per ride stand there and sanitize them? Ok how much does that job pay? Would locker usage be high enough to pay those people?
I dunno the answer to that. That's what companies and scientists and accountants are working on.
The capacity caps will predicate pre-selling tickets and I’d assume reservations by pass members, at least on busy days. You wouldn’t want customers driving to the park to find out they can’t enter at all that day. This should make capacity and labor management a bit more predictable.
I know numerous families that live in Va Beach and Smithfield and Suffolk who regularly go to the park and are passholders. I am exactly 90 miles from Kings Dominion and we go there at least once every couple weeks and dont consider that a long drive. You also have to think about how many preschool passes and fun cards are sold. I do agree once summer hits many people in the park are from out of town but those people are just replacing the locals. Many people dont go to the park as much in the summer because of the increased out of town crowds. Could be this season there will be more locals in the June July August months.
This might preclude a need for limiting hours the park is open or sectionalizing which parts are open at different times. The sanitation needs alone are going to be extensive and it’s hard to do everything at once without massively increasing staff.
I think you are way over estimating how many extra employees they will have working. I think they will have the same employees that run the rides wipe them down half assed between rides. I will give this example....my local Food Lion they wipe each self checkout between each customer. But there is still only one employee for those 4 registers and that is the person that in addition to helping customers is the one also cleaning the registers.
Eddited to add....the lines at those self checkouts are considerably longer than normal even though the store isnt that busy. I think the lines for rides will just be that much longer at the park.
Do you really think BGW will care about that? Look at how many nights they turn people away from HOS and CT and care less that they have drome from Northern Virginia.
To add some actual numbers to the conversation, here's a graph from a 2019 Cedar Fair investor presentation.
The graph claims to show that regional parks, at least in the CF chain, are fairly robust in the face of a normal recession. Obviously this isn't a normal recession since there's also a stigma about going to high-capacity public places, but maybe the economics of the recession won't be as bad for the parks as some might think.
The graph claims to show that regional parks, at least in the CF chain, are fairly robust in the face of a normal recession. Obviously this isn't a normal recession since there's also a stigma about going to high-capacity public places, but maybe the economics of the recession won't be as bad for the parks as some might think.
Ok? Going during regular times is one thing. People are altering their travel behavior and we don't know what that's going to look like. Just because someone drives 90 miles to a park when there isn't a pandemic going on doesn't mean they will when one is going on.