Living Life During a Pandemic: The Amusement Park edition

In an ongoing series, thus report details going to Kings Island during a pandemic. It also assued you have a knowledge of the park as this will be about what is different.

Preparing to go to the Park:

As wit most major entertainment attractions these days, the park is operating on an advance timed ticket reservation system.  Getting a reservation was quite easy.  They put a health screening applet on the My Kings Island app.  You need to fill it our the morning of your visit to activate your ticket.  It's three simple questions, the same things every business is posting: have you had these symptoms, been in contact with anybody with covid, an have you had, or being tested for, or suspected you may have covid.  All that done, head to the park.

Entering the park,

 the lines to get in start down the middle of the parking lot.  As you approach the park staff will direct you to one of several white screening tents. White tents are good.  Social distance markers mark the queues, and when you get to the head of the line, the first worker asks you the same health questions, pass that test, the second worker takes your temperature with the contact less forehead thermometer. They have fans in this area and the temperature checker is halfway through the tent, so you some time to cool down.  Get past that and you can go on to security, fail that and its the red tent for you. The workers i the area are using both masks and face shields maybe even gloves, as they are most in risk of dealing with a covid positive guest.  

Security is much the same as it has been, as is the front gate.  Come to think of it, nobody checked my reservation.  Inside there are no park guides, there a QR code to get a park guide, and a gigantic map you can take a picture of. 

In general:

 All waiting areas have social distance markers. Some portions of the park have directional arrrows, please keep to the right hand side of the dividing line.  Not all restrooms are open, those that are have a dedicated staff member who is cleaning almost between every flush.  Barrier shields have been placed around work stations when feasible, such as cashiers.  If paying cash, they have turned to a European tradition of using a money tray. You put your money on the tray, they take it, make change, and put your change on the tray, so you don't have to touch hands. Masks are mandatory except at a table eating, while eating or drinking on the midway (and even then you are to mask between sips/gulps), on water rides where they can pose a safety hazard, or in three designated mask-free zones.  Smoking is no longer permitted.  Guest mask usage - while everybody does have a mask on, some are being worn in totally ineffective manners, and being removed if they think there are out of sight of a worker. Surgical masks and neck gaiter seem to be the most popular I noted in some rides operator kits, there appear to be a supply of simple disposable masks in the case something should happen to yours.  This was sitting right out at the exit to White Water Canyon where a soaked mask could cause a safety hazard.  I;m surprised the water ride operators did not explicitly tell you to unmask while on their rides for this reason.  I didn't realize I was still masked on Congo Falls until the wave of water hit my neck gaiter.  

Rides in general:

 Height checks are being done by using the height stick and an orange carpenter's triangle to get the measurement. The triangle is cleaned between uses.  Lines have distancing markers, guests obeying of such is mixed.  (Though this seemed to get better during the day) Most if not all rides are now assigned seating and dismissed exiting to reduce mobbing.  When practical they are having you check your own seat belts and restraints while they watch.  It's not every cycle - but on a routine basis trains and ride vehicles are cleaned and disinfected.  

International Street:

The gift shop between the front gate and locker rental is closed, things seem pretty normal except for distancing markers around lockers, the rental center, height check station and fast lane.  

The various shops and eateries along I-Street have designated entry and exit doors, social distance marking in check out lanes, and more clerks helping you find sizes to minimize merchandise you are touching.  You are asked to only handle items you intend to purchase.   Places with indoor dining have posted guest limits, and these areas have people at the doors counting.  While there are no big shows there an impromptu show just outside Showplace.  

Of special note on International Street - Tower gardens is a mask free zone, I failed to look at what precautions are going on with the Carousel, but I do know Tower is only allowing one social group into the elevator at a time.  They may also be controlling how many people are up top.  I also noted there is a guard station posted outside First Aid to pre-screen people before they go into the First Aid builidng.  This area also has one way markings. 

Action Zone

Restrooms are closed - signage tells you restrooms are available at the front gate and by Racer.  During my visit Invertigo was closed, so I can't comment on that.   

Rope and stanchions and one way signage have been added to Ice Cream Zone.  I did not venture back to Bat, but I was surprised to see Skyflyer open.  I thought those had been grounded nation wide - something about figuring out how to safely sanitize the harnesses between guests and not risk the integrity of the harness.  i'm guessing they have that sorted out.

Congo Falls - rows 2 and 3 are closed, no pairing of social groups.

Delirium and Drop tower - seats are closed to allow spacing of riders.Looks like 1 open, 2 closed?

Banshee - looks to be business as usual here, no pairing of riders in any row, but it looks like all rows are open.

Timberwolf - look closely while riding Congo Falls and you can see the front plaza Christmas tree from WinterFest.

Oktoberfest

No shows in Festhaus, a 350 guest seating limit.  The arcade games have been removed to allow further spacing of tables.  In the rows of long wooden tables, every other pair of benches have been removed to promote social distancing. The doors towards action zone are exit only.  No live entertainment. 

The path around the lake is divided into one way halves.  

Viking Fury - sporting a new paint job and about every other row closed, no pairing.  Riders are asked to check their own lap bars under the supervision of a ride op. Riders dismissed by row at end of ride.  

Adventure Express - every other row closed, self check of lap bar and seat belt. 

Tower Gardens - a Relax Zone - mask free zone.  

The Coca Cola Freestyle is closed. The Jacobs Ladder game wasn't even setup.

Coney Mall -

Racer - every other row. Self check of lapbar and seatbelt. 

Did not ride Monster or Scrambler but all seats appear to be open. 

Dodgems, - fewer cars on the floor - and does the new signage look sweet at night.

Coney Arcade - limited to 30 guests at a time, and just like the casinos every other game is turned off. 

Games - most games have a shield the worker can stand behind whent hey need to talk to the players.   Not many people actually playing games, but lots of balls, so maybe balls go into a used bin.  In fact many games were closed. . 

Flight of Fear - did not ride, but I noted they are using the old Firehawk queue to limit time spent in the indoor queue area.  

Orion - this is the weird one - while every row is open, on odd numbered rows, only the two inner seats are -open, and on the even numbered rows, only the two outer seats are open.  This means they can pair singles in the even numbered rows.  Also for some reason, this ride they are not dismissing by row, insteaed everybody mobs the exit just like old times.  The main queue area is socially distanced, yet it's taking two guards to enforce it. To keep the line at bay a virtual queue system "Access Pass" is in effect.  You go to the ride, and there is a tent just under Racer where you get a ride ticket.  The ride tiket has a time slot on it.  Now you don't get to ride at that time slot, you get to enter the queue at that time slot.  You are supposed to only take one ticket per guest per day, but I don't see any enforcement mechanism.   They have stopped selling new Fast Lane armbands for the time being, but those with vouchers or season long Fast Lane can still use it, I had one from the President's Day sale, and I redubbed it the "I want to ride Orion Pass"  - managed 8 rides on it on Fourth of July.  Could have had more, but I'm a whole park person, and that insane hear was zapping my energy faster than a smart phone battery.

New Meteor Canteen looks good and the whole area has really been pulled together under the Area 72 branding. 

Coney Treats - the self service drink stations have been removed, order from an attendant.

Near Zephyr. there is a lawn sprinkler, set on heavy, that seems to be intentionally pointed at the walkway - and many found much needed relief.  

Zephyr - many of the swings have physically been removed from the ride, so while I can say every seat is open, this is both true and misleading. 

Juke Box Diner- the Freestyle machines have been replaced with traditional self service fountains.

Antique cars - look normal

Windseeker - was busy seeking the wind when I was back there - also read Closed.

Shake Rattle And Roll - normal, dismissed exiting, self check bar and belt.

Back Lot Stunt Coaster - every other row - self check bar.

The plaza in front of Backlot is a Relax Zone, but there is also a masks required route to get to the ride so those that don't feel safe in the mask free zones can still get to the ride. 

The midway path from Shake Rattle and Roll to rivertown has been divided into one way halves.

Rivertown

Another of the misplaced(?) lawn sprinklers is right across from Rivertown Pizza, and it soaks you even better than the one in Coney, not that I performed careful experiments for my readers (>) 

The self serve drink station near Beast is closed, and refers you to Rivertown Pizza.  

Beast Arcade - 10 people inside at a time.

Beast- every other row, self check belt and bar, dismissed exiting. To give you an idea of how long this takes - Beast was only running two trains, and stacking.

White Water Canyon - one social group per raft.  I was alone, so yup, I went out as a raft of 1.  Which was fine becuase it let the operators on the water cannons focus all their energy on getting me drenched, which in 100 degree days, was just fine by me.  And you know I never before noticed how nice Mystic looks while riding the Rapids ride.  Manily because I rarely ride the rapids ride.   

Train - they have three coaches on the train, every other row closed.  Due to small crowds they were saying to leave 3 rows empty between social groups.

Brewhouse - socially distanced line to get in.  Both the host and cashiers are behind sheilds.  Approx 150 seating limit. They ask you to exit through the doors nearest Diamondback. 

Mystic - every other row closed, dismissed exiting.

Race for your Life Charlie Brown - one social group per log.

Diamondback - every other row closed, dismissed exiting.

Self serve drink station at this end of Rivertown was open.

Planet Snoopy

Everything looked to be open, closed off seats.  

I rode the Flyers which ran an normal, - they have you self check the belt, but they still have to release it themselves.  

Surf Dog - one social group per row, row 2 and 5 may be closed. Self check bar.

Woodstock Express - assigned seating, every other row, self check bar and belts, dismissed exting. 

Boo Blasters - Another odd one.  what happens is they load a car - one social group per car, when ti comes back the riders get out then they clean the guns, this takes a while so that car goes through empty.  As the empty clean cars come back, new riders are loaded in. The whole ride moves at the slower speed associated with when they would have special needs riders.  

Soak City - Closed