KarlaKoaster

Oh wow, Plopsaland is literally 3 hours away from my house and I didn't even realise it. I'm the worst enthusiast ever.

Thanks for the mini-review. I have to say this isn't a ride which has really interested me much but not sure if that's just because I don't know much about it and it's been off the radar for me, or because it's just a powered coaster which nowadays isn't super exciting as a ride system. This is nothing against family coasters because a lot of them are tons of fun. Does it duel all the time or just when you're lucky? I've not seen any POVs yet.

I don't think it's necessarily controversial, I think most people would agree we can't just keep everything closed while the virus exists as the best case scenario says it's going to be around for at least the rest of the year and worst case that it will be around in some form for ever. But likewise there's a lot of concern that if you rush reopening, it could cause a second wave and mean things have to close down for even longer, causing even more economic impact. It's such a fine line.

Sorry for the double-post but here are some photos. Hopefully this source is OK. I've also embedded a video. Source: Amusement Insider

Yes, absolutely they will. Even ignoring the money they're hemorrhaging now, a lot of parks rely on being busy to survive and there is a lot working against them even once they reopen; loss of visitor confidence, decimated international tourism, capacity limits, difficulty in putting on seasonal events, loss of corporate events and functions being just a few examples. Many smaller parks will struggle, and many chains will have to make difficult decisions.

Wow. This de-escalated quickly!

Yes, I'm loving the look of this one. It will be interesting to see what shape the top hat takes as we're starting to see a lot of interesting transitions in and out of them lately. The inline twist and the little speed hill before look really fun, and the sightline across the lagoon with the Discovery Center behind should be a great photo opportunity. It should be a pretty fast coaster too because there's nothing of much height after what appears to be a very tall tophat. I was getting fatigued with the number of screens at Universal too (I think rides like Forbidden Journey and Transformers get the balance just right, but Fast and Furious etc were extremely lazy additions), but I feel Universal wanted a lot of quick wins while Universal Creative focused on Epic Universe and the more-recent additions. Most of the new additions at Epic Universe look like they're going in the right direction too.

Ah thank you! I guess that will be in the concrete area near the top left? And I guess that this will be another new area!

The second family boomerang is snaking around on the left of this image - I missed it the first time too!

The new Aqualandia area is looking rather nice. There is what looks to be some red track lined up against the trees to the top centre-right - is there another coaster I've forgotten about? I guess the land behind Aqualandia (as we look at it in this image) will be the next to be developed. Source: https://www.facebook.com/fomocoaster

It's normally a false economy to build a big new ride to celebrate an anniversary as the marketing efforts for one will come at the expense of other. It makes sense to just do generic decorations/celebrations on an anniversary year because it makes something out of nothing - Disney are experts out of this having also celebrated 35th and 45th anniversaries, neither of which are particularly notable. Disney are obviously opening a ton of new things for their 50th, but in this case I think these rides were always part of their masterplan as they step up their response to Universal, and in their case it makes sense to package it up as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

A moving melodrama by Europapark explaining the reopening measures they have put in place (turn on subtitles if required). One of the things I found interesting is that you now have to pull down and check your own restraint for obvious reasons. This is one of three approaches I've seen so far from different parks in Europe (other methods being to use a tool to check and also just having the member of staff kitted out with a face shield/PPE)

The last time I visited WDW they were quite sloppy with making sure the exit doors were closed before the entry doors were open which kind of ruined the illusion!

Cost savings maybe?

We probably need more information to make an informed reply. Have you been before? Where are you travelling from? How would you be going there? How long are you planning to visit for? All these things matter because if it's your first visit or you are travelling a long way, there is more at stake - both in terms of your enjoyment but also the risks of going and the costs if things don't work out. If I were local and had visited the park many times before, honestly I would go. But if I were travelling a long way for my first visit, I absolutely would not.

It isn't a lift in Walt Disney World, but the one in California is as the show building is behind the berm/railroad (ditto Paris) No (Sorry bootymix96, I somehow missed your post where you had already answered. Nice first post!)

Alton Towers have announced the new measures they're putting in place in order to reopen the park. All pretty predictable stuff apart from the fact masks are encouraged (not required), staff checking restraints will be in full PPE, and that riders will be grouped by household. The absolute earliest they will be able to open is 4th July which is when the government here have said the hospitality industry might be able to reopen dependent on the infection rate, number of new cases, hospital admissions etc. - Advanced booking is required for all guests, capacity will be reduced - Temperature checks will be taken at the entrance and for staff - Masks will be encouraged but are not required - Markings in queues, toilets and communal areas to encourage social distancing - Extra hand sanitisers around the resort, particularly around ride entrances/exits - Frequent cleaning of high-contact areas - Employees will wear full PPE (presumably face shields etc) to check restraints - Riders will be batched as household groups with gaps in between each row On the last point, in the UK, only people in the same household can be within 2m of each other. This means if a group of friends visit together, you will have to remain 2m apart from each other, and also not be able to ride together. This hasn't really occurred to me until now. I've not actually seen my friends for 3 months now so I hadn't even considered this.

I think it's already been removed from Skyline Park. There was also a dueling version added to Mirabilandia which had a lot of technical problems.

From what I saw they were trying lots of different formations (and types of masks). I think the best option for four-across seating would appear to be alternating rows, filling however many seats with each party (so if it's a party of four, the whole row would be occupied), but obviously the parks know best.

Oh sorry I missed that Satans Hockey, I will update my post now. Thanks for the correction.

Seaworld hoping to reopen on June 11th Seaworld is planning to reopen on June 11th according to their presentation to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force meeting today. There was nothing too unsurprising in that rides will operate with reduced capacity, masks will be required, markings will emphasise social distancing in queues and around viewing areas. The waterpark will also be reopening as the CDC say there is no link to the virus being spread in treated water. Full live stream (skip to 1:05:00 for Seaworld presentation)

Walt Disney World Plan Phased Reopening from July 11th 2020 - Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom open July 11th - Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15th - Character meet and greets, parades, and fireworks will temporarily be suspended - Reservations will be required - Proposal approved by the task force, will now be reviewed by Orange County Mayor - If approved, Governor Ron DeSantis will then vote "Jim McPhee, Senior Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World, formally presented Walt Disney World's reopening proposal during this morning's Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force meeting. According to the proposal, Walt Disney World would begin a phased reopening for parks beginning July 11th. Magic Kingdom and Disney's Animal Kingdom will open on July 11th, and Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios will open on July 15th." From: https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/walt-disney-world-presents-proposal-to-reopen-parks-beginning-july-11th/ Full live stream:

Haha you beat me, I was just about to post the same. I love how it looks like they're putting their arms up If only all test dummies could look as cute as this. And riders too, in fact!

By reducing the park capacity, using keep right markings at bottlenecks and closing narrower paths (or converting them so they're one way). It seems easier to do in a theme park than it does in towns. It's difficult, there will be certain situations I guess where it isn't possible, but this is what we've been seeing elsewhere.

To be fair to CF they can knock it out of the park sometimes with ride presentation - I love how Fury looks with the whole neon honeycomb aesthetic. Orion definitely looks to be a lot more pared down in this respect, though, but I'm looking forward to seeing it in real life.