They could go the Knotts Berry Farm route, especially considering they are the same company.
COVID-19 Impacts on Kings Dominion
- Thread starter belsaas
- Start date
I think a bigger positive for KD had been how much wider their entry gate area is - but if they only open I-Street and PS they get none of the larger attractions, which is what they're more well known for and base their marketing upon, IMO.
Problem is that they have many more options for guests to flow other than a giant circle with a path cutting down the middle (and the dead end that's Festa); so my guess is they'd have to do a lot of barricading pathways in any case.
However, since they have proven with WinterFest they can handle a mostly outdoors limited attractions event with barricading pathways, it's conceivable that they can make it work for summer somehow.
Problem is that they have many more options for guests to flow other than a giant circle with a path cutting down the middle (and the dead end that's Festa); so my guess is they'd have to do a lot of barricading pathways in any case.
However, since they have proven with WinterFest they can handle a mostly outdoors limited attractions event with barricading pathways, it's conceivable that they can make it work for summer somehow.
The main issue getting to KD's bigger attractions is it requires opening up wide swathes of the park to get to them (Dominator excepted). Maybe they could do TT via Old Virginia, but that's a long path that will likely have very little open. Planet Snoopy is attractive as the rides don't require as much staff to run and you bring in a demographic that usually spends money inside the park, something that isn't guaranteed with bigger attractions.
I guess the net positive is that opening anything this season won't cause issues with passholders trying to figure out what they can do in 2021 assuming they're open then.
It would be a lot easier to do Dominator and maybe the two water rides in Old Virginia, vice trying to route everyone to the back of the park. If the staffing is feasible and Grizzly is ready to go, that could be an option as well, since that can bring in the go-karts and skyflyer which bring in ancillary revenue.
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It’s my understanding that KD does not have any immediate plans to begin spinning up operations to facilitate a reopening while the 1000 guest cap in place. Might it happen at some point? Certainly—just won’t be soon.
Think of it more as using the largest path ways. The distance from the gate isn't going to make a difference. TT, Dominator, Apple Zapple, Racer is a good group of 4 to have.
Anyone else hoping they've been secretly reprofiling Grizzlys track this entire time and replacing the trains with Phoenix style trains? ? I know the second half of that is a pipe dream.
I really can't see KD opening with the 1,000 limit. KD has less financial bleed since they don't have the animal care to worry about and they have also already extended passes through 2021 so there is less pressure on that end.
Bingo. Plus, with fewer hyper-local guests, Kings Dominion has to supply more to justify visitation to begin with. Additionally, can you imagine if KD announced a partial reopening with half a dozen rides and a ticket price of $45? They’d be laughed out of the room.
BGW is well positioned for something like this and has a financial and political incentive to try it. KD’s is facing minimal pressure and the environmental factors acting against them are notably higher than in Williamsburg.
KD would probably have to charge more in the $20-30 range realistically for such a small event, though I still think they would have decent attendance from the NOVA and Richmond areas.
A big reason for doing this is as an operational demonstration to the governor, not necessarily to make a bunch of money. One thing I’ve noticed throughout is Northam likes to take his time and get his toes wet before committing further and bigger. Showing the parks can handle 1000 people without an outbreak for a few weeks is the kind of action that can lead to loosening of restrictions on capacity to get the parks further open.
A big reason for doing this is as an operational demonstration to the governor, not necessarily to make a bunch of money. One thing I’ve noticed throughout is Northam likes to take his time and get his toes wet before committing further and bigger. Showing the parks can handle 1000 people without an outbreak for a few weeks is the kind of action that can lead to loosening of restrictions on capacity to get the parks further open.
Screamscape this morning reporting that all Cedar Fair parks that have not opened yet including Kings Dominion are giving up opening at all in 2020. If this is accurate that's a major bummer. What. A. Year. A full year where Kings Dominion was closed and Busch Gardens was mostly closed. Never thought I'd see the day. I hate COVID-19 and how stupidly our country is handling the situation so much.
On the other hand at least none of us have to experience walking through Safari Village with no Crypt, no Volcano and absolutely nothing in their spots in the park.
On the other hand at least none of us have to experience walking through Safari Village with no Crypt, no Volcano and absolutely nothing in their spots in the park.
I would think with KD that Cedar Fair would have to be reactionary to what happens in VA and with BGW. If the governor gives the go ahead at some point for higher capacity (e.g. 50% similar to other states), they wouldn't want BGW being the only park open for several months and have them peel away a bunch of season pass holders.
Seems odd that they may be giving up this early. I guess we’ll find out for sure on Wednesday in their Q2 earnings call if this is true.
Hopefully some version of Halloween Haunt and WinterFest can happen this year, even if it’s modified like Six Flags is planning on doing.
Hopefully some version of Halloween Haunt and WinterFest can happen this year, even if it’s modified like Six Flags is planning on doing.
Wasn’t CF one of the chains that was expressing the fact that they needed a 3-4 week lead time to open up? Hopefully they are talking a regular season and not special event. But if they haven’t started prepping and that timeline is real then I’m not shocked.
The big difference I'd like to point out between BGW and KD is that BGW has the fortune of being located in a populated, suburban area. They can easily fill the park with 1000 guests who live within a 10 minute drive of the park. The value proposition of their 4-hour morning/evening "event" makes sense, since it's mostly for locals who want to swing by the park to fill an evening.
KD, on the other hand, is located in the middle of nowhere. The park is in an unincorporated town in Hanover County and is surrounded by farmland, not homes and neighborhoods; pretty much everyone visitng KD has a sizable drive up or down I95 to make. I live about 25 minutes from KD, and I'd bet that I am relatively close to the park compared to most of its guests, even its regulars and passholders. Considering the hassle and planning needed to travel to KD, I don't see enough people being able to justify the trip in order to fill the park with 1000 guests each day.
Every year on my last visit of the season to KD, I always pause for a second in front of the entrance to soak it all in one last time - the fountains, the Eiffel Tower, the lights, the music. It always makes me a little sad to say goodbye, but I always know I'll be back in a few months. Little did I know in December 2019 then that it might be more than a year before I'd be able to take in that view of my beloved home park again.
KD, on the other hand, is located in the middle of nowhere. The park is in an unincorporated town in Hanover County and is surrounded by farmland, not homes and neighborhoods; pretty much everyone visitng KD has a sizable drive up or down I95 to make. I live about 25 minutes from KD, and I'd bet that I am relatively close to the park compared to most of its guests, even its regulars and passholders. Considering the hassle and planning needed to travel to KD, I don't see enough people being able to justify the trip in order to fill the park with 1000 guests each day.
Every year on my last visit of the season to KD, I always pause for a second in front of the entrance to soak it all in one last time - the fountains, the Eiffel Tower, the lights, the music. It always makes me a little sad to say goodbye, but I always know I'll be back in a few months. Little did I know in December 2019 then that it might be more than a year before I'd be able to take in that view of my beloved home park again.
KD's location isn't that bad. It's under 30 minutes from both Richmond and Fredericksburg and much of NOVA is little more than an hour. I'm sure if KD put out a half day event with decent attractions for 1000 guests they'd sell out quickly. Winterfest is an evening only event and there's got to be well over 1000 guests on most any given evening.