VF15

Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds. Running a lot better with the new ex-Vortex trains.

Thunderhawk’s new paint scheme, looks great. Source: Camille Jourden-Mark (GM of MA) on Twitter.

Looks like Thunderhawk will be receiving a paint job with new colors.

Worlds of Fun has announced their operating calendar for 2021, they will be bringing Haunt back but they are not having Winterfest this year, I wonder why that is and what it could mean for other parks’ Winterfest.

Deleted

I’m hoping Herschend will at least be able to improve the park’s operations. When I visited KK in 2019, I though it was a good looking park with a great ride lineup, but operations left a bit to be desired. One train running on all coasters despite relatively long lines, and service was a bit slower than you’d expect. Overall, I expect Herschend to be a positive change for the park going forward, I look forward to seeing any improvements they make.

I’m thinking about taking a trip to SFOG sometime in March or April, likely on a Saturday. This would be my first visit the park. I see they’re open 11am to 8pm those days, is that enough time to ride all of the coasters at least once or would I probably need to get a Flash Pass? Any other tips for visiting the park?

Looks like Conneaut Lake Park has filed for bankruptcy.

Looks like Magic Mountain is going to be used as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site. https://www.hometownstation.com/santa-clarita-news/community-news/six-flags-magic-mountain-announced-as-covid-19-vaccination-site-362857

Looks like Winter Chill Out will still be happening this year. https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog/2021-winter-chill-out

I’m thinking about taking a Florida trip this fall (October or November) with Busch Gardens Tampa being part of the trip. I’d probably be at the park on a weekday, I assume those aren’t that busy compared to weekends? Also wondering if they usually have any rides/coasters down for annual maintenance around this time, as I’d hate to go when a ride like Kumba or Montu is closed.

Racer 75 (Rebel Yell) at Kings Dominion last night.

I was looking into possibly booking a stay at Hotel Breakers for next year on the park website, and May 27th (Thursday before Memorial Day) was the earliest date that you could make a reservation for. Looks like CP could be opening a few weeks later than usual in 2021?

I’m hoping to take a trip to Canada’s Wonderland in July or August if the border reopens before then. Aside from that, I’m planning on going to some parks that I’m a few hours away from but haven’t been able to visit yet (Six Flags Over Georgia, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, etc.), as well as a Cedar Point-Kings Island trip and maybe a Florida trip later in the year.

They’re back at it again.

Thunderhead at Dollywood in mid-October.

At the rate we’re going now, I’m afraid things won’t look much different at parks for at least the first half of 2021. With a vaccine expected sometime in the next several months, hopefully that will allow restrictions to be gradually eased, but I expect most parks probably won’t be back to 2019-level normalcy until 2022.

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point on Labor Day.

Thinking about taking a weekend trip to Dollywood in October, any recommendations for hotels in town for someone on a budget ($80-$90 a night or less) but aren’t completely terrible?

If a vaccine and/or effective treatment for COVID becomes available before the end of 2020 and enough people take it, I think there’s a chance we could have a relatively normal summer at the parks next year. If that doesn’t happen, then I worry next summer may look fairly similar to this one. I’d bet most if not all parks will be open next year regardless instead of the hodge-podge of open and closed parks we’ve had this year.

I’d be sure to head right to Maverick right after the gates open since Maverick passes can run out quickly, but overall it’s a very doable plan.

If you head straight to Vengeance after the gates open, you should be able to get passes for all three rides. If you happen to miss out on a Millennium pass, they distribute more passes at 3:30. They do allow walk-ups until noon, and they may allow them for the last hour (7 to 8) if the line isn’t too long. Don’t know for sure if they accept late passes during normal ops but they will take it later if there’s any downtime during your time slot.

Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer today.

Kennywood has announced that their last operating day in 2020 will be Labor Day, September 7th, due to continuing uncertainties about COVID-19. https://www.kennywood.com/calendar

Steel Vengeance a few hours ago.