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Park opens all year around?


Would you/or do you like your home park to open all year around?  

45 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you/or do you like your home park to open all year around?

    • YES
      30
    • NO
      15


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I'm not sure if this topic has already been brought,

I'm sure it has... but I haven't seen it.

 

How do you guys feel about parks thats open all year around?

 

Far as me, I would hate for my home park(KD) to open all year around, nothing to look foward to, IMO. I love the intisapation and suspense

on off season till the end of march, I run to the park opening day.

Like I wonder how the guys at SFMM, Univeral, etc.

feels about this.

 

Another thing, I always wondered about..

How do they progress with rehab, new attractions, etc.

Are certain attractions taken out, certain parts of the month.

This topic really has my mind blown, lol.

I know its possible, because it happens.

I just want to know how.

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Yes, I hate the offseason and would love to go to my local parks all year. I don't care how cold it is. I rode Steel Force last weekend when it was 42 out and it was cold but I still went back for another ride and would even ride in the 30's. All you need is a warm coat, a sweatshirt, jeans, gloves and maybe a hat and you are all set.

 

Hershey is less than 2 hours away from me and they are open in December but it's almost all kiddie rides and some flats, no coasters open. It's a nice way to break up the offseason but it is like torture being in the park seeing all the coasters and not being able to ride them.

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My homepark, and workplace is open year round. Attractions close typically in the off season for scheduled maintenance. It's a small world, for example has been closed since January for a massive rehab but will open just in time for the holiday season. Haunted Mansion closes at the end of the summer when the season is dying down for its scheduled maintenance and yearly Nightmare Before Xmas theming.

 

My ride never seems to get extensive refurbs but I'm sure one is on the way.

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I can't stand the off season. I love being able to watch everything being built for the new year in person. Also I hate having to be re hired every year. Actually we used to stay open later in the season when paramount still owned us, and we could still do it if cedar fair wanted to. It's fun to ride Afterburn in 30 degree weather.

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Far as me, I would hate for my home park(KD) to open all year around, nothing to look foward to, IMO

 

Even if they really wanted too I don't think KD ( or BGE ) could be open year-round thanks to Virginia's Blue Laws.

 

A few years back I was listening to a local radio talk out of Harrisonburg, VA ( WSVA-AM 550 ) and the host was talking about Virginia's various Blue Laws that were still on the books in the state and one of them they mentioned was the one that required amusement parks to be closed in December and January. Why that is I have no idea.

 

I do know that back in the 1970's ( and I am sure it was the case before then as well ) in Virginia carnivals were NOT allowed to be open on Sundays. Of course this law didn't apply to amusement parks like KD, BGE or even the long defunct parks like Ocean View, Buckroe or even Lakeside in the Roanoke area. I also believe the law didn't apply to the State Fair either.

 

However one Virginia amusement park that wasn't allowed to open on Sundays was the now defunct Virginia Beach park Seaside. Reason being ( my guess ) was that Virginia considered that park nothing more than a carnival. Since Seaside didn't have a coaster and the rides were just standard carnival rides ( Ferris Wheel, Tilt-A-Whril, Scramber..etc..) I can see how that "no Sunday" rule applied to them. However sometime in the late 70s either that Blue Law was either dropped or simply not enforced as Seaside started to open on Sundays and it became more common place to see carnivals open on Sundays. Again the purpose of all of this..I have no idea.

 

But going back to KD & BGE, the "can't be open in December and January" law I am surprised that is still on the books unless it was dropped within the last five years. But then again if it is on the books, with as much power KD and BGE has I am sure they could change it but since they are already closed anyway I guess they look at it like "why bother?" anyway.

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I kind of love the off season. I anticipate the opening of the new season like a kid would with christmas. With a park being open year round would take away the enjoyment of knowing summer is not far off. The weather up here in Cincinnati gets pretty cold in Jan and Feb.

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The smaller parks need time off for maintenance and upkeep...they don't have the 24-7 workforce of Disney or Universal. Plus a lot of parks couldn't stay open year-round due to cold weather.

 

Dollywood lacks about two months from being open year round now, but as a result the rides have started having more downtime during the operating season since there's not enough time to work on them when the park is closed. This year like 5 of the major rides weren't ready to go on opening day, plus the park hadn't had a chance to landscape the areas around the new walkway.

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I don't think that law applies anymore, I was reading that BGE is considering opening in December 2009

http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/Forums/index.php?showtopic=364

 

Even if that law was still on the books I highly doubt it would be enforced at all. With the way the economy is and with state budgets being as tight as it is , it would be very very foolish on Virginia's part to say to BGE ( or KD for that matter ) "..sorry but you can't be open".

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Theres a big difference between going on coasters when its 35-40 degrees than when its 0-20 degrees. Parks can and are open when its 35 degrees out, a lot of us have been on coasters at freezing type temperatures, but no one in their right mind would go to a park when its 0-20 degrees out. Theres no way a park in the midwest/northeast should be open in December-February.

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Well, the park closest to me has closed this year (The New Metroland) and that was open all year round, but that was a indoor's park, and the other closest to me is a Seaside Park and barely ever open during the on season never mind all year round.

 

I would like to see Flamingo Land to open all year round but then again, it is a zoo as well as a theme park and some animals wouldn't be fully adapted to the British winter weather.

 

Lightwater on the other hand would be able to stay open all year round, there's nothing really stopping them from doing that and I would like to go on The Ultimate in the snow, that would be fun.

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As much as I say I hate the offseason, it is just fine in my eyes. Around my area the parks are usually open from April to October, and seven months is certainly enough time to spend money and get my fill of coasters.

 

The offseason is a time for resting, working, going to school, enjoying the hollidays, etc. As I look out my window at snow right now, I have no real worries about not riding a coaster for five months or so.

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I would love it,

but..

1.It would be very cold. A lot of the merchandise/foods at CW would have significant decline in purchases, no need for a coke from the machine in December!

2. Canada's Wonderland had a better maintenance team,

as was said before, Universal and Disney can afford these people. So they have no need for any work to be done in an off-season, or an off season at all for that matter!

3. I'm sure ice on brakes would NOT be good.

 

Blame Canada!

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Since I live in southern California, all the parks around me are open year round. Most of them are open every day during the traditional off-season as well (except major holidays). However, I think it would be better if they had a partial off-season between early Jaunary and mid Febuary. The park wouldn't necessarily need to close down completely during this time, but could be open just weekends or only have part of the park open while work is being done on the other part. This would probably reduce downtime during the season dramatically.

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I HATE the off season. I have nothing to do & with GADV being my home park the waiting to ride El Toro & Kingda Ka during the November-March period is a nightmare. I'm addicted Roller Coasters & nothing else really interests me. During the off season I attempt to play video games, pinball & I sleep most of the time. I forgot to mention I hate cold weather. On Sundays I watch the EAGLES but thats about all I do in the off season. I'm in winter drumline but I'm getting a job to make some money for next season & the West Coast trip so I'll probably not do drumline because of all the time it takes up. Off Season for me=

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Its more love hate. Ive worked at both an all year park and a park with a 4 month off season. Yes its nice to ride all year long, but remember all coaster trains need a yearly rehab. Rides like at SFDK ( V2 and Boomerang ) only have one train. So a 4 month rehab shuts down the ride, but the rest of the park is open, when normally this would have been done in the off season. Some parks have 2 trains for their Boomerangs ( Knotts ) and so their downtime for rehab is minimal. But back at the kingdom, ive seen several TR's where people complain that Roar and Kong run only one train. Well that's a sacrifice we made to keep the park open year long.

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