Kings Dominion Goes Year-Round in 2023

[rswashdc]

Except that BGW canned year-round ops for 2023 after the trouble in 2022. I just can't see how KD can pull off what BGW couldn't.

I can imagine experimenting with a slightly extended season, but this looks like a massive overextension to me.

Target market reach might favor KD here. If the weather is bad, KD will just close and it’s mostly impacting visitors within a couple hour drive. BGW is targeting a much wider customer base that may have hotel reservations and other activities planned as part of a vacation. They are going to much more disappointed when the park closes.

 

[Zachary]

BGW is targeting a much wider customer base that may have hotel reservations and other activities planned as part of a vacation. They are going to much more disappointed when the park closes.

I actually disagree here too. BGW was very much NOT targeting a much wider customer base with their January/February operations. They were very squarely targeted at locals. Part of BGW's advantage is that they actually have a bunch of people who live 15 or 20 minutes away who can just decide to stop at BGW without any planning at all. Kings Dominion's more rural, out-of-the-way setting actually hurts it pretty notably here in my opinion.

 

[EdK]

If they're doing this just to compete with BGW that's a big mistake. I'm not sure what KD gains being open those months. We've had discussions on this forum before regarding BGW being open during Jan/Feb and that it's mostly for the locals.

 

[Coasternerd]

personally I’m glad that they are doing this. I like this park more than bgw these days. Plus, they’ll be open on the days following my bday so I’ll probably be headed there for a day trip!

 

[rswashdc]

If they're doing this just to compete with BGW that's a big mistake. I'm not sure what KD gains being open those months. We've had discussions on this forum before regarding BGW being open during Jan/Feb and that it's mostly for the locals.

I don’t see it so much to gain anything on BGW but to avoid leaking pass holders during the months they were previously closed. Basically they don’t want customers going to BGW in Jan/Feb because KD is closed and then not coming back to KD the next spring.

I actually disagree here too. BGW was very much NOT targeting a much wider customer base with their January/February operations. They were very squarely targeted at locals. Part of BGW's advantage is that they actually have a bunch of people who live 15 or 20 minutes away who can just decide to stop at BGW without any planning at all. Kings Dominion's more rural, out-of-the-way setting actually hurts it pretty notably here in my opinion.

Both Richmond and Fredericksburg are within 30 mins, so there are plenty of locals for KD. The area I think BGW has an advantage is the setting and layout is more pleasant for just walking around, whereas KD needs more of a targeted draw, though I think their food is quickly becoming a good draw in itself.

 

[bill s]

Except that BGW canned year-round ops for 2023 after the trouble in 2022. I just can't see how KD can pull off what BGW couldn't.

I can imagine experimenting with a slightly extended season, but this looks like a massive overextension to me.

The schedule I'm seeing is that BGW will be closed for 2 weekends between CT and Mardi Gras.

 

[warfelg]

This is dumb.

 

[rswashdc]

The schedule I'm seeing is that BGW will be closed for 2 weekends between CT and Mardi Gras.

I’d bet if the weather forecast is 50/60 and clear, those two weekends will quickly become bonus weekends.

 

[EdK]

What's interesting is BGW passes are good for a full year from the time you buy them while KD's are for the season. Is this just a way to get guests to buy passes earlier in the year?

 

[Mushroom]

I doubt this decision had anything to do with competing with BGW, since Carowinds made the same announcement.

Like @I305Evan said, within the past year or so, KD has hired an enormous amount of full-time employees for front-line positions like operations and food & beverage. (The rationale behind hiring those employees full-time is to reduce employee turnover and make staffing more consistent.)

With the park closed during the winter months, the park is pretty much paying those employees to do nothing. My guess is that these extra weekends will be limited enough in scale that they will only use full-time employees and little to no seasonal employees. So, for this new wintertime operation, the park will essentially be paying the same for labor that they’d be paying anyway if the park stayed closed. That’s my guess.

Supposedly, the logic behind BGW’s switch to year-round operations was to reduce losses during the off-season months. Since KD seems to now have a much larger proportion of full-time front-line employees than BGW, and since staffing is by far the biggest variable cost in operating a park, this decision actually makes more sense in my mind from that standpoint.

 

[warfelg]

I doubt this decision had anything to do with competing with BGW, since Carowinds made the same announcement.

Like @I305Evan said, within the past year or so, KD has hired an enormous amount of full-time employees for front-line positions like operations and food & beverage. (The rationale behind hiring those employees full-time is to reduce employee turnover and make staffing more consistent.)

With the park closed during the winter months, the park is pretty much paying those employees to do nothing. My guess is that these extra weekends will be limited enough in scale that they will only use full-time employees and little to no seasonal employees. So, for this new wintertime operation, the park will essentially be paying the same for labor that they’d be paying anyway if the park stayed closed. That’s my guess.

Supposedly, the logic behind BGW’s switch to year-round operations was to reduce losses during the off-season months. Since KD seems to now have a much larger proportion of full-time front-line employees than BGW, and since staffing is by far the biggest variable cost in operating a park, this decision actually makes more sense in my mind from that standpoint.

I get this and is likely too some of the issues with BGW. But as others have said, KD doesn’t really have the indoor infrastructure to make this work.

Off the top of my head getting Action Theater to be something is needed. Maybe do something with FOF to make it work better year round. Boo Blasters getting an update is needed.

I know I know I know what will come with this next one but: if a park wants to be year round they should look into heated pathways. Not propane heaters but under the walkways. Duquesne University did this on their main walkways and even with a foot of snow on the ground the air around the paths are 66 degrees. Even done with just IS and CAG that can give a nice area of relative warmth. O

 

[Mushroom]

I get this and is likely too some of the issues with BGW. But as others have said, KD doesn’t really have the indoor infrastructure to make this work.

Off the top of my head getting Action Theater to be something is needed. Maybe do something with FOF to make it work better year round. Boo Blasters getting an update is needed.

I know I know I know what will come with this next one but: if a park wants to be year round they should look into heated pathways. Not propane heaters but under the walkways. Duquesne University did this on their main walkways and even with a foot of snow on the ground the air around the paths are 66 degrees. Even done with just IS and CAG that can give a nice area of relative warmth. O

I wouldn’t be surprised if KD goes more in the direction of what others suggested in this thread: extending the operation of some of Winterfest’s non-Christmas attractions, like the ice skating rink and the igloos.

Besides, KD actually has significantly more indoor restaurants than BGW. Whereas BGW only has the Festhaus and Grogan’s Pub (if that one even counts), I can think of at least 6 at KD.

 

[rswashdc]

I get this and is likely too some of the issues with BGW. But as others have said, KD doesn’t really have the indoor infrastructure to make this work.

Off the top of my head getting Action Theater to be something is needed. Maybe do something with FOF to make it work better year round. Boo Blasters getting an update is needed.

I know I know I know what will come with this next one but: if a park wants to be year round they should look into heated pathways. Not propane heaters but under the walkways. Duquesne University did this on their main walkways and even with a foot of snow on the ground the air around the paths are 66 degrees. Even done with just IS and CAG that can give a nice area of relative warmth. O

I think both BGW and KD see that Jan/Feb have some nice 50/60 degree days and are looking to take advantage of those and get a good size crowd to the parks, vice worrying so much about the really cold days. Being closed from Jan-Mar gives the parks no opportunity to make money on those nice days, whereas scheduling them in can provide a revenue stream that otherwise wouldn’t exist and offset some full time employee costs.

 

[warfelg]

I wouldn’t be surprised if KD goes more in the direction of what others suggested in this thread: extending the operation of some of Winterfest’s non-Christmas attractions, like the ice skating rink and the igloos.

Besides, KD actually has significantly more indoor restaurants than BGW. Whereas BGW only has the Festhaus and Grogan’s Pub (if that one even counts), I can think of at least 6 at KD.

I tend to forget about those from just wanting to sit inside.

I think how much do they charge and what do they do with passes (iirc as you pointed out) really matters here. It’s got to be good value for the limited ops. Heck I even wonder if they would plan on running no rides, only do them if it’s nice enough, and take a fair like approach to cost. Free to get in but pay for each individual thing, pass holders don’t have to pay.

 

[Crunchewy]

It's too bad Grain & Grill doesn't have an indoor seating area. That's the main place I like to go now, but if it's really cold out I'm not going to sit outside and eat/drink. Maybe they can put in a big tent and tables and heaters? Not sure if there's space for that, though.

 

[Coasternerd]

Could they theoretically enclose the base of the Eiffel Tower to have tent like walls, and make that “indoor seating” that they could heat, on 3 sides, and then the elevators have their own section?

 

[horsesboy]

Could they theoretically enclose the base of the Eiffel Tower to have tent like walls, and make that “indoor seating” that they could heat, on 3 sides, and then the elevators have their own section?

Theoretically they could be I think there are better option. One being going back to the the idea of porch seating above Grain and grill it would be easy to enclose that seating and great it. That combined with a heated tent placed on the patio would likely meet the need.

 

[R75]

As much as I want to like this idea and hope it works, operating in January and February seemingly works so much better at BGW than KD for a variety of reasons. One of the factors that makes BGW being open in the first couple months of the year interesting is the theming associated with celebrating different holidays (Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day, specifically). I just don’t know how KD can make something like WF or a derivative of it interesting for several months without attempting to replicate something BGW has done well the past couple years with less thematic elements as a park.

 

[EdK]

I heard an announcement on NPR that KD is open year round. Not sure it's news so KD probably paid for it.

 

[horsesboy]

I heard an announcement on NPR that KD is open year round. Not sure it's news so KD probably paid for it.

It's been on a couple local news broadcast so I wouldn't rule out that it was covered as news.