Cedar Point is... half open.

Cedar Point is open for the season, but is it really?

Cedar point is officially open for what is left of the Summer 2020 season, but the parks has opened missing almost a dozen rides.

Famous for roller coasters and thrill seeking, Cedar Point has currently closed five of their seventeen coasters.
Blue Streak, Gemini, Top Thrill Dragster, Wicked Twister and Rougaou are not operating and likely won't for the rest of the summer season.

Surprisingly, this closed coaster list includes the famous 'Top Thrill Dragster' or as many refer to it  'The Lawn Ornament'.  A coaster notorious for downtime and closing due to weather (winds) but also a huge crowd favorite since opening in 2003.

Cedar Point is blaming capacity and the limited season for the closures. However, Cedar Points  sister park Kings Island has everything up are running, including at least two rides Cedar Point has closed. Rumor has it that it's the utter lack of foreign staffing that's harming the park, not capacity limits. Cedar Point is also famous for bringing in overseas help for the busy summer season, to staff the park. With the US boarder (along with most of the world) closed right now, the park simply can't get enough staff to keep their ride collection operating.

It's not only the roller coasters which are suffering from lack of staffing- Flat rides have been gutted including the famous 'Antique Cars' and "Cedar Downs Racing Derby'.  Also on this list of closed flat-rides are Frontier Fling, Joe Cools Dodgem School, Monster, ALL of Planet Snoopy, SlingShot, Super Huimalaya, Waver Swinger and WindSeeker.

So if your planning to go to Cedar Point this short season, please make sure you check to see what rides are currently operating.

Disney Slashes Reservations, Hotels, Dining and FastPasses

The new 'Disney World Resort' in a post COVID19 world will have a new look and extremely limited service, reservations and options for guests.


Honestly, I'm not sure what the world expected in a post-plague world but it seems that the changes coming to Disney World are not what the public expected.

Today details dropped from Disney World in regards to exactly what changes would be happening around the resort. The changes are massive, and from dining plans to FastPasses, the world will not look the same when it reopens and likely not for a long time.


Full Stop on Sales
Reservations and Ticket Sales are gone. Disney has decided to currently halt all new ticket sales and reservations for the resort. The parks state this is to help accommodate those who have already repurchased or moved reservations due to the closure due to COVID19. Meaning you cannot currently reserve a hotel room, purchase a package or buy a ticket to visit any Disney World park now or for the current future.   Only existing reservations will stay in place, with no word on when things may resume.

Yes, you read this correctly: You cannot currently buy a ticket to visit Disney World.


Booking Window Cuts
The normal booking period for Disney is normally 180 days in advance, in this new world that time has been slashed and is now currently only 60 days in advance.


Extra Magic Hours Halted
Disney has stated any and all previously planned 'Extra Magic Hours' are halted and will not be used in the forthcoming reopening.


Dining Reservations and Plans Slashed
Disney stated today that all current dining plans and dining reservations are cancelled. You can't make, book or otherwise use dining reservations previously made at the parks. Those with a dining plan will no longer have that option and will need to make other arrangements.
You can re-book some limited dining experiences within a 60 day window.


FastPasses Suspended
The FastPass system is fully suspended. Until further noticed, the current system of FastPass+ will be suspended to allow for all additional line space to be used to accommodate social distancing.
No more FastPasses.


Magicband Sales Halted
Disney has suspended and removed all sales of MagicBands for the foreseeable future. Only current orders or already shipped MagicBands will be received.


Experiences Cancelled
Disney has cancelled all "high touch experiences" within the parks. Meaning make-over experiences like 'Bibbity-Bobbity Boutique' are closed. Along with this the parks stated that playgounds. golfing and character experiences are also unavailable to guests.


These details were released and clarified in the last two days. With these new and massive changes to the park the landscape of Disney World continues to evolve in this pre-reopening phase. The reservation system for visiting the parks has not yet been released, details of that are expected to drop in the coming dates.

For more details, you can read all the changes on the Disney World information page.

Coronavirus and Amusement Parks- What will re-opening look like?

 Amusement Parks, Coronavirus and Re-opening.. oh my? 

 Nothing is normal and nothing will be the same for a long time. So how is this going to effect the summer season? 





 Amusement parks and theme parks across the country are starting to prep for reopening and what is left of the summer park season. With announcements beginning today and more expected to break their silence in the next week.

 As of 5/21/20, several parks have announced opening days including Six Flags Great Adventure and Holiday World. With social distancing in place, face masks required and dozens of new sanitation rules in place- the changes to your summer park fun are going to be massive. It's now time to take a look at what this strange, new amusement park world is likely going to look like.

Kentucky Kingdom- One Step Closer with Job Fair

 Kentucky Kingdom takes One Step Closer with Job Fair.

 In just 140 days Kentucky Kingdom plans to re-open an amusement park which has been shuttered since 2009, when Six Flags abandoned them.

 This weekend the park is moving one step closer to their big re-opening, a Job Fair. On Saturday, January 4th the park is holding a massive job fair to staff hundreds of positions around the park from Food Services to Management. Things are looking up for the park and hundreds of potential employees.

 Kentucky Kingdom is asking anyone who may be interested to read the information sheet (I've posted a copy here) and fill out an application online. You can read the full descriptions of positions and information for what you'll need here- Employment at Kentucky Kingdom.

 The park is also working with the "Mayors Summer Works" program to help teens 16-21 get and hold summer jobs. They have a separate application at the bottom of the website.

 In a time when jobs are getting scarce, it's always great to see anyone having these large job fairs. It's also exciting to see the park getting on their feet and fighting the odds against closed parks never re-opening!

Kentucky Kingdom Re-Opening News- Ride Cost/Refurbishment Breakdown

 News today from the New Kentucky Kingdom Park. Screamscape is reporting that cost documents to re-open and re-furbish the current rides has come to light. In addition to this, they've also found another document which shows the 2014 'New Ride' cost. It looks like this once abandoned Six Flags Park will finally be getting the love and attention it badly needed.

 According to the documents, they're spending $3.7 Million of their $43.5 Million dollar budget on 'Ride Repairs and Upgrades'.  While this may not seem like a lot, Kentucky Kingdom hasn't been non-operational as long as other previous Six Flags properties (like New Orleans). 

 The Park plans to open in May 2014. Also during this year they'll be spending an additional $10.5 Million on 'New Attractions' as seen below in the price documents. These are reported below as a Giant Swing Ride, A 6 Lane mat slide and a 'Steel Coaster'.  You'll also notice they have 2015 and 2016 items listed. A new 'water attraction' and more importantly a new start for the coaster "Twisted Twins".

 It's nice to see the park putting work in and trying to make it a great place. We wish them all the best and hope to visit next season!

(Click to enlarge the images)

Both Images from Screamscape