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Not to derail this thread any further, but a huge part of the problem is there not anything actually tough about them. They exist, and some businesses (like Knotts when they were open for all their food festivals) do great at enforcement, many others don’t. The Southern California region on its own has a population that is larger than all but the state of Texas. The odds of being able to contain a virus in the region are zero given that millions of those people work “essential” jobs and there are probably another million who still believe it’s a hoax. Masks help and we respect all park rules here. End of story. That being said, it is absolutely fair to criticize how our Governor has put all businesses at a huge disadvantage by rewriting the guidelines a few times with no prior input. Changing from tiers, to colors, and now to a regional system without notice makes it almost impossible for any park to invest in trying to create new experiences like Knotts had done with the “taste” events.

Toughest mask mandates in the country for months and months. When will masks start working?

Well....first I am hoping and praying to return to my dream job of playing piano at WDW, a job I held for 21+ years. If that happens (hopefully spring-ish), here are my plans: IDEAL: CoasterStock at KI in May. I planned on going last year but...well...you know. CoasterMania! at Cedar Point in early June. Already booked my Breaker's Hotel room! Fingers crossed Denver in mid June to graduate with my master's degree from Univ. of Denver. And since I'm there, Lakeside, Elitchs (if it's still open) and MAYBE a trip up to Lagoon before flying back home. Virginia maybe July-ish. Need to get to BGW and KD to ride their new stuff! Cleveland in August for my nephew's wedding. Which means more CP (I do have a Platinum Pass!) October Knott's Scary Farm/Disneyland REALITY Putting it out there for the universe to hear me! Make it happen! AND WEAR A F*CKING MASK!!!!!!!!

Man I might have been wrong on a previous subject. Oh well some times it's good to be wrong.

These are all some great plans and it's encouraging to see how smart and realistic all of you are!

Courtesy of Hershey: Knoebels: All photos taken from their respective parks FB pages. Will add more as I find them.

I'm just planning things for later in the summer and fall, so I don't think there's a huge gap between idealistic and realistic here. Got a cottage booked for Knoebels again at the end of August; that's the really important one, and I'm fairly sure things will be at least semi-normal by then. I really want to get out to Indiana Beach and show them some support too. Other than that, I'm figuring I might just save up my vacation time and travel money for fall and see how many halloween events I can get to. With the air miles I have saved up now, it's pretty much anything goes there. I'd love to see SFFT for Halloween. Maybe Knotts too, though I'm leanings towards saving that for when I can be there for the Boysenberry festival.

Things are not looking too good for re-opening either. Come on vaccine! Daddy needs his shot, so he can get back to coasteering.

Ideal: Germany - Because I'll say this every year until I get to finally go. I doubt '21 will be the year, but I can dream, right? NE Trip (PA, NY, NJ) - I wanted to go this year but didn't get the chance, obvi Florida - Kinda in the middle of Ideal and Realistic. Since I'm moving and it would be too far for me to drive, I'd have to fly, but flights are pretty cheap. As far as places I want to fly to in '21, FL takes backseat to CA, but FL would be my second choice. Realistic: SFStL - It'll be my home park Worlds of Fun - not too far, plus I've never been so I want to go SDC - It's pretty likely that I'd make a point to visit SDC at least for Christmas, and it's not too far Kings Island - I'm sure I'll have to go to Ohio for some reason, but if not, I'll make it a point to go anyway, especially if KI does Haunt this year! Cedar Point - Very likely that we'll visit Toledo, and CP isn't too far out-of-the-way California - Very realistic for me to visit the state, whether it's realistic for me to visit the theme parks or not depends on what the state is going to do Other parks in the Midwest - Usually I throw in a couple other parks into my year that are within a day's drive of where I live, so there are a fair amount of Midwest parks that would be realistic for me to visit.

Ideal: Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream for a fair price Six Flags Great Adventure Halloween Horror nights in Orlando Busch Gardens Williamsburg for their food and wine festival Realistic: Nickelodeon Universe will probably raise their prices even more I don't plan on going to any parks at the moment, I've already decided on not renewing my Universal Orlando passes and I wouldn't have renewed my Cedar Fair passes in hindsight but I'm really happy I had dropped all the dining passes when I renewed for 2020 last year. I'm keeping our Busch/SeaWorld and Six Flags passes but that's mainly because I'm locked into cheaper prices than if we cancelled and then bought new ones in the future. I'm not buying dining passes for Six Flags for next year though and was able to get a refund for them for 2020 since we hadn't been to the parks at all.

I don't think Cedar Point could pull this off even if they did it well but that event had no chance to succeed anyway because it was the worst thing ever.

Top Thrill Snowplow

It just goes to show, you can't totally judge the finished project, by the concept art. This looks wonderful! And with it's surrounding setting... just beautiful. It's also interesting to see, that they've kept the original castle shape (sort of) in the form of a silhouette in the artwork for the 15th. Just found another gorgeous photo of The Castle on the net. It`s nice that you can also see a bit of IAsW over in the background, there.

The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has announced the launch of its 15th anniversary celebration and the opening of the Castle of Magical Dreams, both starting on November 21st, 2020! The resort will also launch the "A Disney Christmas" special event on the same day. Starting November 21, 2020, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort will enter a magical milestone, as it officially celebrates its 15th anniversary with the opening of the reimagined castle – the Castle of Magical Dreams. On the same day, the resort’s “A Disney Christmas” special event will kick-off to bring even more happiness to guests. Welcome the Castle of Magical Dreams – filled with hopes and dreams from our cast and community Inspired by 13 stories of beloved Disney Princesses and Queens, the Castle of Magical Dreams offers something special for every guest with its many towers and spires embracing iconic patterns, textures, colors and ornamentation unique to each story. When the reimagined castle opens to the public – the first of its kind in Disney’s history - not only will it be a living centerpiece of Hong Kong Disneyland, but it will also act as a shining beacon of courage, hope and possibility to all guests. Guests will be able to admire these features both up-close and afar, against the idyllic backdrop of the lush landscape of the surrounding mountains. As part of the castle’s magical transformation, the resort invited guests, cast members, community partners and Disney friends, including Mickey Mouse, to share their own dreams and wishes on “magical dream cards.” These cards were collected in a treasure chest and lifted to the top of the tallest tower in the castle. This act symbolizes the rebirth of the castle through the power of everyone’s aspirations, ensuring that the heart of the resort will always be filled with hopes and dreams. Witness the castle’s magical transformation This is the first time in Disney history that an existing castle has undergone such a grand transformation. To mark the occasion, guests can visit the “Building a Dream: The Magic Behind a Disney Castle” exhibition, and embark on a visual journey that goes behind the magic, discovering the Walt Disney Imagineering process of reimagining the beloved castle, and gaining insights into the transformation from concept and design development, to the innovative building techniques, interpretation of the Disney Princesses and Queens’ stories in partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, and upcoming entertainment offerings. Starting the same day, a special “Glimpse into the Magic” tour of the Castle of Magical Dreams will be available to guests. This tour allows guests to venture through the castle, whilst being guided by an audio narration from local celebrity and Disney fan, Karena Lam. “It’s a very immersive tour which allows guests to appreciate the architectural designs of the towers, turrets, domes, spires and finials, and see how their various colors, icons, patterns, and cultural features were inspired by the Princesses and Queens,” Lam shared after experiencing the tour. Virtual countdown to the 15th anniversary launch To celebrate this historic milestone, the resort is launching a 15-day countdown to the 15th anniversary celebration from November 6 on the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort official website. This virtual countdown to the launch will also be available on the resort’s Instagram account (@hkdisneyland), inviting guests from all around the world to join in the celebrations. Special limited-time “Magic Access” Re-join Offer From November 3 to 30, 2020, lapsed Magic Access members can enjoy a limited-time “Magic Access” Re-join Offer* which entitles eligible guests to a 15 percent discount on the membership price, with one complimentary food and beverage item and one complimentary merchandise item. For details, please visit the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort website. 15 Years of Magical Dreams Since its grand opening, Hong Kong Disneyland has been a place where countless dreams have come true, and even more dreams will become a reality in the years to come. To celebrate the park’s 15th birthday celebration, guests can gather even more joy and wonders at the entrance of the park with a limited edition 15th anniversary-themed button, which will be distributed to guests on November 21, while supplies last. *This “Magic Access” Re-join offer is only applicable to Magic Access memberships which expired on or before October 3, 2020. This offer is not applicable to senior Magic Access Membership Card purchases, existing Magic Access members, Magic Access membership renewals, Magic Access certificates or ticket upgrades.

Disney just released a gor-geous photo of the new Castle (of Magical Dreams), scheduled to "Officially Open" during the Resort's 15th Anniversary, starting later this month!

Disney has officially announced that Disneyland Paris will be getting one of Europe's largest solar panel installations, with the first phase to be completed in 2021! https://disneylandparis-news.com/en/one-of-the-largest-european-solar-canopy-plants-coming-to-disneyland-paris/ ONE OF THE LARGEST EUROPEAN SOLAR CANOPY PLANTS COMING TO DISNEYLAND PARIS Ambitious solar energy initiative will reduce Val d’Europe local territory emissions of CO2 by 750 tons per year, marking a new milestone in Disneyland Paris’ environmental commitment. On World Energy Day, Disneyland Paris announced the phased development of one of the largest solar canopy plants in Europe – together through a co-investment with French company Urbasolar – as part of a continued commitment to environmental stewardship. Located at the resort’s main guest parking lot, the project will contribute to the reduction of Val d’Europe local territory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximatively 750 tons of CO2 per year* while providing additional guest enhancements, including shade and shelter from direct sunlight, rain or snow. Construction began in July and is expected to be completed in 2023, with a first milestone for the first phase in spring 2021. “Environmental innovation and stewardship are a tradition that began with Walt Disney himself, and this ambitious solar power project is the latest in our commitment to the environment at Disneyland Paris,” said Natacha Rafalski, President of Disneyland Paris. “It is our responsibility as a business and leading tourist destination to contribute to the long-term sustainability of our resort and the region through environmentally responsible practices.” The solar power plant at Disneyland Paris is in collaboration with French company Urbasolar through a co-investment and will encompass 17 hectares (42 acres) of solar canopies, using 67,500 solar panels for a production of 31 gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/year). While this is not only allocated to the resort, it is technically enough renewable clean energy to account for about 17% of the resort’s current electricity consumption and equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a city with about 14,500 inhabitants**. Once the full project is completed, a section of it will light up at night in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head, visible from the sky. For more information on Disneyland Paris environmental efforts, visit: https://disneylandparis-news.com/en/our-commitments/environment/.

...and I just found two photos released by Disney, on the Beauty/Beast Attraction! This is the unload area of the attraction. The "Be Our Guest" part of the attraction. And you can see Belle at the end of the table!

Compliments of lake compounce.