COVID-19 Impacts on Kings Dominion
- Thread starter belsaas
- Start date
Not opening the water park would definitely keep the crowds down in the summer for social distancing and make hiring a lot easier for KD. Considering they’ve already extended passes into 2021 it seems like anything this year is a bonus for guests.
I know of a few different gym pools in Virginia that have opened up as part of phase one and are using every other lane and reservation systems. It’ll be interesting to see how some parks may try to enforce social distancing in water parks due to the close proximity of some attraction and since guests won’t be able to wear face masks.
I'm guessing that unless there's clear division, such as lap lanes, it'll be damn near impossible to control the flow of people in pools. However, slides may be ok if choline is strong enough?
People should be able to reasonably social distance in pools so long as capacity is managed. Slides should be fine as well, as chlorine is meant to kill most viruses and bacterias, though tube slides may want an expert opinion brought in regarding air circulation.
The main concern I would have in Soak City would be the bath houses. They aren't very clean and air flow isn't very good in them. The outdoor changing rooms should be fine, but those probably don't have sufficient volume for any kind of crowd.
Curious if Cedar Fair does the same thing in Virginia, given what is/isn't included in Phase 2. Or perhaps they are limiting it to Ohio given two parks in that state...
Cedar Point, Kalahari Resorts, Kings Island file suit against Dr. Amy Acton
Cedar Point, Kalahari Resorts, Kings Island file suit against Dr. Amy Acton
fox8.com
I’d imagine lawsuits are based on how much the parks think they are being jerked around by the state and the state being wispy washy on reopening dates. Announcing new phases the day of or a few days before isn’t realistic for a large operator to react to. A better example is the solid date that Md gave to parks two weeks out, so parks there can plan their operations and staff up.
Every day Cedar Fair is closed costs them millions of dollars, so at some point lawsuits start making sense if the state isn’t a reliable partner.
Every day Cedar Fair is closed costs them millions of dollars, so at some point lawsuits start making sense if the state isn’t a reliable partner.
A million a day, not millions a day. I’m not saying it’s sustainable, but we shouldn’t be exaggerating the numbers.
Cedar Fair made about $1.4B in revenue last year. That works out to about $4M per day and probably closer to $7-8M per actual operating day.
That’s potential lost revenue not actual financial losses (how I believe most people will interpret “costs”). I get your argument and I get your point completely—just wanted to set the record straight is all.
Yes, it's top line revenue shortages of millions per day. No business can run for long with revenue zeroed out, so revenue is the major concern right now, costs are secondary.
It's a similar reason why startups focus on revenues and not as much on profitability. You can't get to profitability without revenue.
Cedar Fair has made it clear to their investors that they expect to be able to stay above water even if the total shutdown extends into late 2020.
There are a ton of reasons why Cedar Fair would want to get some of their most profitable parks back online sooner rather than later, but they're not facing financial ruin if they have to wait another few months.
Things are bad—really bad—but we should avoid painting the situation as more dire than it currently is.
I concur they are not facing financial ruin, but every day they are closed is millions in revenue that they can't easily get back, which has both short-term and long-term financial impacts. While small delays may seem like no big deal, they actually impact a company such as Cedar Fair pretty intensely - e.g. having to push out capital projects or keep employees furloughed longer.
Curious if Cedar Fair does the same thing in Virginia, given what is/isn't included in Phase 2. Or perhaps they are limiting it to Ohio given two parks in that state...
Cedar Point, Kalahari Resorts, Kings Island file suit against Dr. Amy Acton
Cedar Point, Kalahari Resorts, Kings Island file suit against Dr. Amy Actonfox8.com
To elaborate on what @warfelg said, Kings Dominion’s Director of Finance, Owen Matthews, is representing the park on Northam’s task force for reopening businesses. I assume he’s also representing the interests of similar tourist attractions, including BGW, throughout the state.
I can’t say for sure, but I my impression is that things haven’t been nearly as diplomatic in Ohio. DeWine has publicly stated that he has no interest in reopening their parks anytime soon. Maybe DeWine isn’t wrong - but I don’t think it’s shocking that a business, with its natural priority being its own self-interest, is taking action for its own benefit.
Correct, no one from BGW named on the list at:
Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam - April
Governor Ralph Northam, 73rd Governor of Virginia
www.governor.virginia.gov
but there is the caveat on the webpage of:
In addition to the task force, Governor Northam and his administration have continued to consult with numerous businesses, labor, public health, trade, and professional organizations.
So the governor or someone from his office has almost assuredly been in contact with BGW about their plans, but it safer to say that Cedar Fair (via Owen Matthews) has an "inside" track on BGW in this respect.
In the category of biggest load of BS I have seen today, "lawsuits played no role in governor changing his mind"...
DeWine: Kings Island, casinos can open on June 19
Just how open is Ohio as its leaders ease restrictions aimed at slowing the novel coronavirus' spread?
www.cincinnati.com
In the category of biggest load of BS I have seen today, "lawsuits played no role in governor changing his mind"...
DeWine: Kings Island, casinos can open on June 19
Just how open is Ohio as its leaders ease restrictions aimed at slowing the novel coronavirus' spread?www.cincinnati.com
Unless DeWine has a long, documented history of bold-faced lies that I don't know about, just assuming he's not telling the truth here seems really shitty to me.
It was rumored that he had an announcement about parks in the works for like a week+ now—something he basically says flat-out was true in the quote for the article above. Why isn't it believable that he's telling the truth here? Everyone is so quick to assume malintent, but his story is perfectly plausible.
One would think a park headquartered in Ohio would be aware of plans in the works. And it seems awfully convenient the updated plan was released less than 24 hours after a lawsuit was filed. Companies don't file lawsuits without doing due diligence. As such, the statements strike me as similar to those about corporate execs leaving companies immediately to spend more time with their families.