Canobie Coaster

So are the Fun Spot parks and Minnesota's Nickelodeon Universe the final parks to remain open (for now)?

Are the only remaining US parks that haven't announced a closure yet the indoor Nickelodeon Universe parks?

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is closed through the end of March per their Facebook. Seems to be chainwide at this point.

Six Flags Magic Mountain is closed through the end of March per their Facebook. Seems to be chainwide at this point.

I'm stunned how quiet the Legoland chain has been through all of this.

Looks like Six Flags America is postponing their opening day, which was originally set to be March 28. Per CBS Baltimore: https://www.google.com/amp/s/baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-closings-six-flags-america-suspending-operations-delaying-opening-date/amp/

I think the more interesting thing at this point will be which parks don't shut down.

^ Remember, this is the new and improved Jungle Cruise that shows you the 9th wonder of the world, the underside of water!

^ And Disneyland Paris announced they're closing the same dates as well- March 15 through March 31. Per cnet: https://www.cnet.com/news/disneyland-disney-world-disneyland-paris-closing-through-end-of-march-amid-coronavirus-fears/

Looks like Disneyland Paris already changed their plans and now will be closing the parks from March 15 to March 31 just like Walt Disney World. Per cnet: https://www.cnet.com/news/disneyland-disney-world-disneyland-paris-closing-through-end-of-march-amid-coronavirus-fears/

That's interesting to see the approach taken here to control the capacity of each ride/building compared to Disneyland.

Following Disneyland's closure, Universal Studios Hollywood has also announced they're closing from March 14-27. Per NBC Los Angeles: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/universal-studios-hollywood-closes-over-coronavirus-fears/2328004/

Following Disneyland's closure, Universal Studios Hollywood has also announced they're closing from March 14-27. Per NBC Los Angeles: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/universal-studios-hollywood-closes-over-coronavirus-fears/2328004/

Disney’s Hollywood Studios- Rise of the Resistance Indiana Jones Adventure is one of my favorite rides in the world. To have a wild dark ride with imposing set-pieces based on one of my favorite film franchises was a dream come true. It would take something truly special to top Indiana Jones Adventure. But Disney did it with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. And I was torn if I wanted to wait until the ride’s operational issues were sorted out. On one hand, the lottery boarding system seemed like a nightmare. On the other hand, I was fearful some effects could be scrapped much like Indiana Jones Adventure (remember the dry ice?). A lack of will power won out, so I found myself pulling into the Hollywood Studios parking lot at 5:30 AM. 5:30 am Seeing this many people 1.5 hours before park opening brought me back to Japan. Did I have to be there that early to get a boarding pass? No. I just needed to be in the park by 7. So why was I there that early? To rope drop Slinky Dog Dash. One of the side effects of Rise of the Resistance’s virtual queue opening with the park is that early morning walk-ons are a thing of the past. Not only was I on the second train of the day, but I also rode it three other times throughout the day. I was lucky enough to find two FastPasses and also hopped in line right before closing. The light package around Slinky really is fantastic. 10 minutes after park opening, Slinky's line was already back to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. And there were no gaps. The line was solid from Slinky's entrance all the way to Little Mermaid. This face gets me out of bed in the morning. Weezy is fine, but really we want Slinky to sing to us in his raspy voice. Experiencing Slinky Dog at night is a must. You could say he gets turned on. A Canobie Coaster approved butt shot of Slinky. I also rode all my usual favorites like Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. I also made sure to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid. One, I remembered it being a good show (and it was). But more importantly, it was the fastest way to use all three of my FastPasses and start rebooking the better Tier 1 rides. I've stayed at far worse hotels. This one actually has a semi-operational elevator. Toy Story Mania, causing tennis elbow for Disney fans since 2008. This ride is super unrealistic. You can never hit 57 mph on a LA highway. The Little Mermaid probably has my favorite music of the animated Disney films. Ursula looked even creepier on-stage than she did in the film. I also tried out Alien Swirling Saucers. It felt like a PTC Crazy Daisy crossed with a whip. But enough dilly dallying, here are my thoughts on the Big Kahuna- Rise of the Resistance. Rise of the Resistance Boarding Passes I had two days at Hollywood Studios. In the days leading up to my trip, I was getting nervous. Boarding passes were disappearing in less than a minute. That left very little room for error for a technology glitch. I had practiced the technique to join a boarding group back home. I had the best luck if I clicked “Find Out More” at exactly 7 am. However, I almost got screwed on Day 1 since Disney opened the boarding groups a minute early at 6:59. Luckily I heard all the cheering behind me, so I realized something was amiss. I scored group 62. By 7 am, Rise of the Resistance was already onto back-up groups. Yikes! On Day 2, I somehow got the first boarding group of the day! And I realized I had a major advantage over everyone else. Since I was a single rider, I was able to skip the “Select Your Party” screen. When you’re competing against thousands of other guests, those milliseconds count! I won the game of fastest finger. So here’s my strategy. - Have the My Disney Experience app open on the home screen. - Use LTE/data. Don’t trust the overloaded Disney network. - Click Find Out More immediately after (but not before) your phone switches over to the park opening time. If Join Boarding Group isn’t lit up, hit back and try again. Don’t try refreshing. That didn’t work for me. It’s also worth noting that Disney doesn’t drop the rope until after the boarding group madness is complete. And that’s smart. I can just imagine the carnage of a stampede of people staring at their phone screens. It was an early morning, but it was worth it to avoid this sign. Rise of the Resistance- Experience Spoilers This goes without saying, but there will be spoilers! Rise of the Resistance is continues the trend of Disney attractions having well-themed queues. The queue is themed to the base for the resistance. Star Wars fans are sure to geek out at all the paraphernalia- thermal detonators, flight helmets, etc. Seems like the perfect hideout for a rebel base. Eventually you reach the first pre-show. For my early boarding pass, I walked right into the pre-show. For boarding group 62, I had to wait maybe a half hour. After I’ve seen a preshow once, I sort of wish I could walk right onto the attraction. I already know the plot, so I’m ready to ride! But on Rise of the Resistance, I would be mad if I skipped the pre-shows. They are essential parts of the experience. You are truly transported into a full Star Wars story! This pre-show set the tone for the level of immersion throughout the attraction. After being debriefed by an impressive Rey hologram, you re-emerge into the daylight and are ushered onto a transport shuttle. Staff members tell everyone to hold on, but I sort of chuckled figuring that was just for show. But I was wrong! The transport is actually a restraintless motion simulator! This was combined with some impressive animatronics and show scenes that unfolded out every window of the transport. It was a complete sensory overload. Rise of the Resistance is two rides in one. I was not expecting that! The Admiral Ackbar wannabe looked amazing. Eventually your ship is caught by a Star Destroyer’s tractor beam and you’re detained by the First Order. I expected the back door of the transport to open, but much to my shock, the same door we entered reopened to reveal a gigantic ship hangar. The reveal was magical. Shots of this room have unsurprisingly gone viral. The grandeur of the room with the spaceships, window into space, and 50+ Stormtroopers is overwhelming. Pictures do not do the grandeur of this scene justice. The First Order officers then shuttle you into a hallway where you’re grouped for your interrogation. These cast members were extremely intimidating and made the experience authentic. They were 100% into their roles. Anyone expecting the usual chipper Disney employees will be in for a rude awakening. I dare you to touch the computers. I double dog dare you. The second preshow takes place in this odd V-shaped room and I strongly recommend you to stand towards the back. I was in the front on my first ride and missed a few effects, including the one that leads to you boarding your escape pod and the main ride system. Am I supposed to be scared of General Hux? By this point, you’re been in preshows for about 12-14 minutes. That shows the level of immersion Disney was targeting with this attraction. And it culminates in an incredible trackless dark ride with so many mind-blowing animatronics and special effects. The first room showcases the range of motion on the vehicles, as you dance about the Star Destroyer. This room is reminiscent of the first room on Antarctica, but thankfully the ride that follows actually has theming. The whole experience is very tense since you’re being hotly pursued from start to finish. You’re attacked by laser blasts, lightsabers, and even the Force. All the effects are extremely well executed. So many mind-blowing effects around every corner. In terms of my favorite scenes, four come to mind. The first is the AT-AT scene. The sheer size of the walkers is mind-blowing. I knew they’d be huge, but I wasn’t expecting them to be that large. It’s something only Disney could pull off. The second is a sequence where you’re dodging turrets firing into space. These turrets move forwards and backwards, so the ride vehicle has to strategically dodge them. This is something that could only be done with the trackless ride system. This felt straight out of a video game having to dodge the turrets. The third is the final Kylo Ren sequence. The range of motion on the Kylo animatronic is stunning and I love the effect where he’s blasted into space. It all comes together so seamlessly. Both Kylo animatronics looked incredible! The fourth is the finale. Rise of the Resistance is listed as a thrill ride. Everything up to this point, is mind-blowing. But none of the motion comes close to a Dinosaur or even a Spiderman. But then the finale happens. You’re loaded into an elevator and drop maybe 40-50 feet. This drop is comparable to a drop track on a roller coaster or even a plunge on the Tower of Terror. My stomach dropped both times. And without any pause, the vehicle then transitions into a motion simulator segment. Being able to effortlessly switch from a trackless ride system to a drop tower to a motion simulator in a 10 second span certainly caught me off-guard. The awesomeness of Rise of the Resistance makes the wasted potential of Antarctica even sadder now. End Spoilers Overall Rise of the Resistance was everything I could have ever wanted…and then some! The length and quality of the experience is unmatched by any other theme park attraction. Each element comes together seamlessly to deliver a one-of-a-kind experience. Rise of the Resistance is the best attraction Disney has ever made. It’s also the best dark ride in the world. And I’d also slot in ahead of a few coasters in my top 10. That’s how special Rise of the Resistance is.

Parque Warner Madrid has decided to close down this weekend due to the coronavirus. From the banner on their website:

It would have been cool to see it testing, but I missed it by a few days. The ride looks great!

From what I've seen, it seems like parks are skating by the fact their gatherings aren't confined to one single building much like a sporting event or a conference. But given the hype and fear around coronavirus, I expect there to unfortunately be some park closures in the near future as pressure mounts.

As others have said, Six Flags America isn't the best park. However, if you have a membership, I've never seen that place have any sort of queues so it is possible you could make a quick stop for the coasters if you drive right past it. The park's atmosphere may not be the best, but they do have some decent coasters.

Hmmm flights are really cheap down to Florida now and I have the option to rebook for free thanks to everyone's favorite virus.

Well that escalated quickly.

Box

Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland

4 avocados for $5.

Six Flags has one of the best weather policies in the business. It's their attendance policy that can give me concern on harsh days. Thanks! Only a few more weeks until they reopen.

As far as I can tell, the 2020 CoasterMania ERT schedule isn't out yet. This could mean those two rides are part of the morning ERT.