Planet Snoopy Expansion
- Thread starter b.mac
- Start date
Evan said:
This is as big as I can get it, but it looks like WoodStock Whirlybirds is now being installed.
Well, not that I made any wagers on which ride would be installed first; but, I had a feeling Whirlybirds would be near the top of the list. One reason that this ride is one of the first to go up, is that the park is reusing the concrete pad/foundation from the previous ride (Tree Swings). All the other former ride pads/foundations were demolished. So there is no need to pour a new concrete foundation for the mini-teacups.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the new SweetFrog frozen yogurt shop at Kings Dominion has their own Facebook site. They have a small photo update of the conversion of the former Kiddie Arcade and Woodstock Express/Ghoster Coaster/Scooby Doo ride photo booth & exit.
Based on the current photos (almost a week old), I am not sure if Sweet Frog is taking the whole building or just part of it. If the Woodstock Express ride photo booth and exit stays, then SweetFrog will probably occupy 2/3's of the existing building.
A couple of pictures show where the outdoor seating will be. But, those photos also give you a close up view of the eastern part of the Planet Snoopy construction zone. The Facebook link is below
http://www.facebook.com/SweetFrogKingsDominion
Based on the current photos (almost a week old), I am not sure if Sweet Frog is taking the whole building or just part of it. If the Woodstock Express ride photo booth and exit stays, then SweetFrog will probably occupy 2/3's of the existing building.
A couple of pictures show where the outdoor seating will be. But, those photos also give you a close up view of the eastern part of the Planet Snoopy construction zone. The Facebook link is below
http://www.facebook.com/SweetFrogKingsDominion
Alpenghöst said:
Racist? I was alluding to cups used by Chinese and Japanese to hold hot Chai. They don't have handles. Hence,the reference to Woodstock Whirlybirds teacup cars being handle-less as opposed BGW's teacups representing the European variation of cups with handles. Me thinks someone is reading WAY to much into this discussion!
P.S. Plus, a teacup could certainly be molded/crafted to look like birds nest.
I think mwhinva just beat Alpenghost's trolling with facts. That may be a first.
Kiddie rides take no time to assemble. Once the foundation is in, it just takes a couple of days to install it (not including electricity). Woodstock Whirlybird seems to be pieced together in 3 or so days. the electronics are not really much since it only spins. So only about 2 motors will be needed to be hooked up and such. The main area is already has pavers being put down also.
Zachary said:
As of today, the construction crews have 5 weeks before the park opens on Friday, March 29th to finish the area.
In my mind, that is cutting it close. Course, we can only see a very limited area within Planet Snoopy in "real time". Just Woodstock's Whirlybirds (teacups) and Snoopy's Junction (Kiddie Train). Everything else is out of camera range. All other updates, video and photos, are nearly two weeks old.
It would be nice to see the webcam re-oriented or re-located to show the other areas under construction as the construction wraps up on the 2 rides above. Save the finishing touches, on those rides, as a surprise for opening day. The most time consuming, as far as construction goes, would be Snoopy's Rocket Express (elevated monorail). Multiple vertical supports & sections of track to install over nearly 1 acre.
Another ride that might have a long prep time is the Balloon ride. That attraction is to reach a height of 43 feet. So, that might need a larger, deeper concrete foundation and a longer time for the concrete to cure.
The Kings Dominion stated on their Facebook page this afternoon that the new rides continue to arrive and to expect a new photo album next week.
I wonder if the park will ask the construction contractor to work overtime in March if they start running behind? Instead of working 5 days a week, they would put in a 6 or even 7 day work week for the next 3 or 4 weeks in March before the park opening. Course, some things like curing concrete you can't rush.
It could be that Kings Dominion will just go at the construction pace they are currently going and if anything is not ready for opening day weekend, (rides, walkways, structures), they will just block it off and open it up within a week or two.
mwhinva said:
That sounds like a terrible way to execute a grand opening. If they know they can't finish in time for the park's opening, I'd expect that they'd announce an official opening date for the area within the next two or three weeks. Opening piecemeal would be a massive PR blunder.
I don't see them to not open Planet Snoopy with the park because it's one thing to not open a section of the park, but it's another to not open up the only kid section of the park. It would be a major loss of the park if it doesn't open with it. Families won't be able to bring there kids because they will not be able to do anything.
Evan said:
I did not mean the whole Planet Snoopy section would be off limits. Maybe a couple of attractions or a couple sections of walkways would be closed/blocked off, **IF** a construction delay occurred.
In the Cedar Fair chain, Kings Dominion is the 5th park to get the Planet Snoopy renovation/expansion. Cedar Point started this makeover in 2008 when they converted one of their 2 kids areas into a Planet Snoopy. That was followed by Dorney Park, Worlds of Fun, and ValleyFair in 2011. All of these parks had roughly the same construction time frame as most of the new construction did not happen until the beginning of the new year.
(I do not count the Peanuts theme rename of existing Nickelodeon/Hanna-Barberra rides at the legacy Taft/KECO/Paramount parks in 2010. That was simply done due to dropping the licensing for those intellectual properties).
These parks had a Peanuts themed area already (Camp Snoopy?). In 2011, that whole section, in each of those parks, was renovated and expanded by keeping some existing legacy rides and adding 7 to 9 new ride attractions; BUT, I believe one of those parks, (maybe 2?), had construction delays due to severe weather. Their Snoopy Rocket Express and one or two rides around/underneath it were not ready, and therefore closed, on the park's opening day weekend. The remaining rides & attractions were open (75%-80%).
Again, I am expecting all of Planet Snoopy at Kings Dominion to be available on opening day as far as pathways and rides. There might be some minor finishing touches that could need to be finished during the spring weekdays the park is closed. I would not call it a disaster, if worst came to worst, and a couple pathways/rides are not ready. But, given that the park is opening for the season Easter weekend and all of the following week,(most area schools are on spring break), there is a strong incentive to get the construction done.