Cedar Point, other parks, face daunting opening-day challenges during coronavirus pandemic

SANDUSKY — The queue for Cedar Point's newest coaster, Steel Vengeance, frequently topped two hours last summer, with fans lined up shoulder to shoulder while they waited for 2 1/2 minutes of high-flying fun. A packed roller coaster queue is perhaps the antithesis of social distancing, and a problem that Cedar Point, and other amusement parks, will have to address before they're able to open for the season. Cedar Point, celebrating its 150th year in 2020, initially planned a May 9 opening day, which has been pushed back indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Cedar Point announced that season passes for 2020 would also be valid in 2021, a tacit admission that the park may not open for a while. Some have speculated that Cedar Point, as well as numerous other parks nationwide, may not open at all this season. "I don't think I've ever seen this type of concern and fear in our industry, even around our worst recessions and 9/11," said industry consultant Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati. "2020 is going to be the worst season that our industry has experienced since the Great Depression." Any significant delay in opening would be a major blow to the economy in Sandusky, which relies on sales and tourism taxes paid by visitors to the region. "We're talking to Cedar Point regularly and we're monitoring the situation just like everyone else," said Sandusky City Manager Eric Wobser. "I don't think there's anybody who wants to rush this in a way that is unsafe. Everybody is waiting to see what happens. That's the hardest part." Officials from both Cedar Point and Cedar Fair, the parent company of Cedar Point and Kings Island, declined a request to be interviewed for this story. Other parks, too, are struggling with how to handle the many complicated issues related to operating during a pandemic, from keeping visitors 6 feet apart, hiring and training employees, maintaining food service and more. Walt Disney World in Florida closed last month and remains shuttered indefinitely. Kings Island, near Cincinnati, was scheduled to open earlier this month and debut a massive new coaster, Orion, but remains closed until further notice. Kennywood, near Pittsburgh, remains closed indefinitely, as well. Speigel, a former general manager at Kings Island, said the guest experience at amusement parks this year will be dramatically different from years past. "I believe that the future of the theme park, as it relates to operations and design, will never be the same," he said. Among the possibilities: Fewer guests admitted; visitors required to submit to a temperature scan before entering; guests guided through the park in a way to assure social distance; reservations required for rides; ride queues spaced out like they are at grocery stores now; disinfectant required between ride cycles. "We're going to have to rethink the whole thing," said Speigel. "We're not at the point yet where we have all the answers. But we know this — it's going to slow down the guest experience greatly." Speigel expects that both Cedar Point and Kings Island will open this summer. When pressed, he predicted a June opening for both Ohio parks. A stay-at-home order, issued by Gov. Mike DeWine, remains in effect through May 1 in Ohio. The governor said Thursday that the order would be lifted gradually; it's not clear how quickly businesses will reopen and how soon residents will be encouraged to move around the state. "It's really hard for businesses to plan what to do right now," said Melinda Huntley, executive director of the Ohio Travel Association. "They know they're going to have to make changes. They don't know what those are." Regional amusement parks may take their lead from the Disney corporation, which is also in a holding pattern until Florida and California lift stay-at-home orders. The company's parks in Europe and Asia remain closed, although some resort properties at Shanghai Disney Resort reopened last month, with a variety of restrictions. Guests, for example, must undergo temperature screening procedures before entering the resort area, must wear a mask during their visit, and present a clean bill of health (loaded into a digital QR code) to enter dining venues. Robert Niles, editor of industry publication Theme Park Insider, said parks in the U.S. will likely come up with different rules based on where they're located. "If face coverings, temperature tests and social distancing are required, as California's governor is talking about, then the parks will have to find ways to support those," he said. He added: "Even if some states don't enforce the strict requirements that others might, parks still will have to be sensitive to what the public wants. If parks can't help people feel safe when they visit, people won't come. Ultimately, parks have to do what it takes to get people to visit. If that means a new focus on making people feel comfortable in a post-COVID world rather than just building a new coaster, then parks will have to invest to find out what that means and how to deliver it." It's not just health issues that are posing challenges to theme park operators. They also have to worry about hiring and training employees, without knowing when they will be needed. Cedar Point, in particular, is likely to face some difficulties. The park typically hires more than 1,000 international students through the State Department's J-1 Visa program, which is currently on hold. A delayed opening may make it hard for the park to hire college students, as well, who may commit to other jobs earlier in the summer. Speigel, however, said that the large number of restaurant and other service-industry employees who have lost their jobs in recent months might be able to boost Cedar Point's workforce. Other concerns include sourcing food for restaurants, retail merchandise, cleaning supplies and other items that might be in short supply. All of this uncertainty has led to major volatility in the stock market. Cedar Fair's stock price has dropped dramatically in the past two months, from $54 per share in mid-February to a low of $13.45 in mid-March, rebounding to $22.95 in mid-April. Stock prices for Disney, Universal Studios, Six Flags and Sea World are all down substantially, as well. Cedar Fair Thursday announced a series of cost-cutting moves, including reducing capital spending by $75 million to $100 million in 2020, cutting executive salaries by 25-40%, and suspending the company's quarterly dividend. Cleveland-based analyst James Hardiman, with Wedbush Securities, told Barron's this week that regional parks have a tough road ahead. "The outward messaging includes optimism — you know, May time frame [for reopening], maybe June — but I think behind the scenes they're trying to insulate their businesses to handle a much longer shutdown. I think they're at least preparing for a scenario in which theme parks don't open this year. I think that's seen as more of a worst-case scenario, but I think that's at least on the table right now." Speigel offered a slightly more upbeat assessment for the rest of 2020. Despite the many challenges ahead, he remains confident that both Cedar Point and Cedar Fair will survive this crisis. "Are they in trouble? Yeah, but they'll be able to get through this," said Speigel. "The good news is our industry has always been very resilient and we have bounced back very quickly once we come out of the turmoil. The question is: When do we come out of the turmoil?" ——— ©2020 The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Visit The Plain Dealer, Cleveland at www.cleveland.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.