Coronavirus: Impact on Theme Parks
- Thread starter JammyH
- Start date
Yeah Uber is a possibility. This weird Skandanavia resort Marine hotel I've looked at is about 1 mile ish / 2.2km away from Energylandia. But really not sure you can actually walk that or if it is safe. It only just opened a few weeks ago going by booking.com
There seems to be a hell of a lot of new hotels and chalets etc sprouting up in that area but unclear what the pedestrian infrastructure is like.
It opened about last Summer, I've stayed there in October. You can walk to the park, although ~5 minutes will be on a road without a pedestrian path; this road is barely used, so we had no issue here.
We ended up driving the other days, but only because a friend thought it would be a good idea to wear brand new shoes... but he kept on walking in the park
Thanks for the tip.It opened about last Summer, I've stayed there in October. You can walk to the park, although ~5 minutes will be on a road without a pedestrian path; this road is barely used, so we had no issue here.
We ended up driving the other days, but only because a friend thought it would be a good idea to wear brand new shoes... but he kept on walking in the park
Nicky Borrill
Strata Poster
I know it, looks nice and it’s easily walkable to somebody who walks around a theme park all day, just a slightly longer walk than Western camp, but only slightly... And of course it’s absolutely safe
Edit: Nevermind ?? Trax has you covered
Edit edit: you should probably start a thread in trip planning Andrew, I know this was never your intention when you mentioned it, and it's far from my place to ‘back seat moderate’ but seems like there may be a few who can help you plan with tips for this trip
I can’t decide where I want to go either, if anywhere at all.
My original plan was portaventura, but I’d advise to stay away from there right now as Barcelona is going into lockdown I believe due to a surge in cases and portaventura is literally so close to there... so probably not wise. I’m not sure if the park will stay open in the event of a Barcelona lockdown though?
Corona risks in Poland are similar to the Uk if that’s a big factor for you about where you want to visit.
If you end up going to energylandia I also recommend half a day at zatorland if it’s open
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Just had a positive thought about Covid- it probably means the death knell for VR. I felt it was being phased out anyway, but there’s no way people will want to put those “dirty” headsets on and parks won’t want the added time and expense to keep them clean.
It seems like such a dumb idea to me on a coaster. I had two rides on Crazy Bats last year. The first ride I totally didn't enjoy because I was worried my headset was going to fly off. The second one I managed to not worry about it. The animation is ok and funny but I just don't see the point. I would prefer that coaster endlessly with a few wind machines and a couple of disco lights for sure. Maybe a music track too so like Vogelrok.
Derren Brown was better than I expected to be fair and I could imagine that being a one off thing for one season at Halloween if it can be done on the cheap but it's worthless as a big ticket experience if you can have a coaster for that money you'd probably want to re-ride.
If Covid 19 kills it off on coasters that is good but Crazy Bats is still running so not sure what is going on at Phantasialand right now with that. Maybe no VR?
If Derren Brown never re-opened I wouldn't cry over it. Maybe Derren Brown would but he most likely doesn't care. I can't see how that could be adjusted to do without VR. Whatever money they'd have to throw at it would be a waste.
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Crazy bats is running without VR at the moment.
Europa park is running its VR attractions again now but they are up-charges so it is more viable for them to run these as there are less people wanting to ride with the VR option.
CSLKennyNI
Giga Poster
It's temporarily running without VR for now by choice of the park (whether risk, cleaning costs, extra staff costs, better utilising disinfectant supplies or for a higher capacity to avoid the big queues it was attracting last year).
Europa Park are still using VR but then they do have more resources and as the inventors of VR on Coasters I imagine they wouldn't want to be seen not using it. The new free roaming VR attraction at the resort YULLBE is also still planned to open within the next few months. Certainly its been interesting to see that public interest hasn't died at EP. Of course it has a low throughput (more so now with covid restrictions) but EuroSat VR is still proving popular despite the 6 euro upcharge. There been a few days with queues up to 40 mins long.
I certainly think we will see less of VR in parks overall for some time. Although as the technology develops and new/better ways of using it come along I'd not be surprised to see a comeback one day. If anything in many cases it was introduced to early with the quality not being impressive enough yet.
Indeed it could come back if the technology improves and is less intrusive.
There was a big faff about VR in the early 90s and it sort of went a way for a long time until it was far more viable for the home market.
I finally was able to sit down yesterday evening to write up the trip report of my first visits to Kings Island and Cedar Point. Especially as @JJLehto was asking about both parks. You can check out the full report here: https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/reopening-in-ohio-cedar-point-and-kings-island.44317/
Here's the lead, which focuses on the "how are Covid protocols"? moment.
To not bury the lead, here's the quick TL;DR of my experience:
For those also looking for a bulleted list of Cedar Fair's specific Covid-19 actions:
I can't recommend Neck Gaiter's enough to coaster folks as a comfortable/all-day wearing mask option that sits light on your face, extremely breathable, and (depending on the option you get) can be made of "Coolwick" fabric that will feel cool-to-the-touch. I've worked with Neck Gaiters for years, especially back in the day when I worked in outdoor education and high-ropes climbing courses as a way to both shade from the sun and stay warm during the winter. Quick tips for Neck Gaiter options if you're shopping:
Here's the lead, which focuses on the "how are Covid protocols"? moment.
To not bury the lead, here's the quick TL;DR of my experience:
- Covid-19 protocols worked - Social distancing, mandatory mask wearing, and other precautionary steps were well implemented, and not too cumbersome at the end of the day.
- Bad park experiences were due to lack of new staff experience - Make no mistake, even a seasoned ride op has to adapt to all new requirements of cleaning and precaution; it was clear (at Cedar Point specifically) that ride staff still need more experience under their belt... which makes sense, given it being the second week of the actual season.
- Yes, you can wear a mask all day - lack of preparedness and ensuring you have a comfortable mask is on you, not the park.
- Yes, I plan to head back soon - and will feel very confident in my safety.
For those also looking for a bulleted list of Cedar Fair's specific Covid-19 actions:
- Mandatory reservation of visit, at least one day prior, with staggered entry scheduled throughout the day. Around 10,000 allotment per day.
- 6-foot distancing in all queues, both considering front to back and side-to-side.
- Mandatory mask wearing at all times, with some "relief areas" if folks need to take a breather.
- For high demand rides, access passes issued to spread out queuing throughout day.
- All food areas very spread-out for seating, very minimal indoor seating/dine-in option (if any).
- Rides often utilized 1 row or 2 seat-offset design for spreading.
- Frequent and often disinfection/wipe down of rides.
I can't recommend Neck Gaiter's enough to coaster folks as a comfortable/all-day wearing mask option that sits light on your face, extremely breathable, and (depending on the option you get) can be made of "Coolwick" fabric that will feel cool-to-the-touch. I've worked with Neck Gaiters for years, especially back in the day when I worked in outdoor education and high-ropes climbing courses as a way to both shade from the sun and stay warm during the winter. Quick tips for Neck Gaiter options if you're shopping:
- Here's my specific spec of Gaiter; I've used and loved Buff brand for years: https://www.rei.com/product/146017/buff-coolnet-uv-multifunctional-headwear
- DO NOT GET THE WINTER-GRADE GAITERS - they're typically made of merino wool or warm-inducing material. You will be miserable.
- Some Gaiters have a built-in sinch for tightening if needed - I personally prefer the straightforward material so I can more easily manipulate.
- Having a tough time keeping the gaiter tight to your face? You can roll over the top portion of fabric, or even double the entire gaiter over for a tighter fit.
Munchy Road Hippopotamus
Mega Poster
I'd be upset if DBGT didn't re open as despite many trips to Thorpe whilst it's been there and queuing multiple times I've never actually managed to get into the show building!!!!
It will be worth doing once but after that you won't mind if Covid 20 or Covid 21 takes it down.
Hope you get to try it.
cookie
Giga Poster
Well, Tivoli and Bakken were both big messes on Monday.
I found that the virtual booking system at Tivoli falls apart with huge crowds (Daemonen ran only one train and had a two hour wait constantly) coupled with the confusing decision to still force people to wait in huge lines to ”check in” which I feel defeats the whole purpose. Social distancing was non-existent at both parks and letting anyone in whenever they want is a huge mistake IMO. Even the employees didn’t seem to take the idea of protecting themselves all that seriously.
Then again, they weren’t that different from Copenhagen as a whole which seemed to act like there wasn’t a deadly disease still on the loose. Only place that felt remotely safe was the airport.
On top of all that, Bakken just felt dirty and unclean. What even happened there? I've visited many times throughout the years, and I don't remember it ever being that bad. Tivoli was like a five-star resort in comparison.
I’m probably not returning to either park as long as their current protocols are in place, which given that they’ve been open for nearly two months with no sign of stopping means it’ll be once the pandemic is over.
I found that the virtual booking system at Tivoli falls apart with huge crowds (Daemonen ran only one train and had a two hour wait constantly) coupled with the confusing decision to still force people to wait in huge lines to ”check in” which I feel defeats the whole purpose. Social distancing was non-existent at both parks and letting anyone in whenever they want is a huge mistake IMO. Even the employees didn’t seem to take the idea of protecting themselves all that seriously.
Then again, they weren’t that different from Copenhagen as a whole which seemed to act like there wasn’t a deadly disease still on the loose. Only place that felt remotely safe was the airport.
On top of all that, Bakken just felt dirty and unclean. What even happened there? I've visited many times throughout the years, and I don't remember it ever being that bad. Tivoli was like a five-star resort in comparison.
I’m probably not returning to either park as long as their current protocols are in place, which given that they’ve been open for nearly two months with no sign of stopping means it’ll be once the pandemic is over.
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Frist voices here that think lifting the travel restrictions was a mistake. While we had around 100-150 new cases per day a month a go the number is up to over 500 yesterday. Also in headlines a pupil visiting grandparents in Serbia got infected there and after returning to Germany infected many more attending a birthday party. Neighbor was two weeks in Greece on Crete and he said there were nearly no restrictions in place and the locals doesn't seem to care - he said he and his family were only visiting the beach and eating in their room for fear of infection - only in the airport theere were some safety measures.
I still hope visiting some German parks in September but its more than likely that by that time might have the fallout from the summer tourists and having a new full lockdown by then. If that happens I assume international travel will be restricted until there is a vaccine - latest predictions for that are mid-late 2021.
I still hope visiting some German parks in September but its more than likely that by that time might have the fallout from the summer tourists and having a new full lockdown by then. If that happens I assume international travel will be restricted until there is a vaccine - latest predictions for that are mid-late 2021.
Just over 500 cases a day for a population of 83 million is not a lot at all. In the UK we have a higher 7 day average than Germany and our population is smaller. And when you look at countries like Spain, Netherlands, France, Belgium, they all have higher 7 day averages when scaled to population than Germany. The only EU country actually making better progress against the virus is Italy, so I really wouldn't panic so much if I were you.
If cases go above 1000 a day then there is a cause for concern.
I think you should be ok for September, Germany has a robust testing and tracing system and a strong mask policy, something a lot of other countries don't have, which will keep infection rates low. I would only worry about a second lockdown in the winter when we also have the flu going around, that's when the healthcare system could be overwhelmed.
There's also a couple of vaccines, Oxford in particular that I know of, which are looking promising for end of this year. Not worth being too optimistic or pessimistic about them but if successful early next year would be possible for vaccine distribution. It is completely possible we will all have to sit through another lockdown, but chances are it won't be until October-november time, so I think you would be ok for parks in September.
I'm also hoping to do some parks in September when the rush has died down and people have gone back to school etc, hopefully they will be a lot quieter than they are at the moment.
Dar
Hyper Poster
Fake news. America already beat the virus, it's over, it has disappeared.
Is Blackpool still the leader in terms of following guidelines? Got a birthday visit this weekend, not bothered about masks or anything just want to avoid the "it's a conspiracy" troglodytes as much as possible
Is Blackpool still the leader in terms of following guidelines? Got a birthday visit this weekend, not bothered about masks or anything just want to avoid the "it's a conspiracy" troglodytes as much as possible
rob666
Hyper Poster
Pretty good last weekend, but it was difficult to keep distance due to the numbers on park.
Masks rule upheld on all the rides, managers checking the queues from a distance, but the queues got long!
Park too crowded for this old man by noon on Sunday...but I usually only visit for a couple of hours on summer weekends.
Weather forecast might be on your side regarding crowds!
Masks rule upheld on all the rides, managers checking the queues from a distance, but the queues got long!
Park too crowded for this old man by noon on Sunday...but I usually only visit for a couple of hours on summer weekends.
Weather forecast might be on your side regarding crowds!