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Postby Carlo on May 5th, 2020, 7:38 pm
The phases are not clear on when amusement parks will be allowed to open. I would assume phase 4 will allow amusement parks to reopen. They will have to limit capacity but i think they will be allowed to open. You have to think that amusement park is like a mall. They have individual shops, restaurants and attractions. In each of these areas you would have to limit the number in the area at the same time. So another words lines can't be more then 50 people long, which is why they are creating some type of reservation system.

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Postby anewman35 on May 5th, 2020, 8:32 pm
Carlo wrote:The phases are not clear on when amusement parks will be allowed to open. I would assume phase 4 will allow amusement parks to reopen. They will have to limit capacity but i think they will be allowed to open. You have to think that amusement park is like a mall. They have individual shops, restaurants and attractions. In each of these areas you would have to limit the number in the area at the same time. So another words lines can't be more then 50 people long, which is why they are creating some type of reservation system.


I dunno. I think an amusement park is more like a 'festival' than a mall. It just seems very hard to imagine the park if there can only be 50 people in each 'gathering' at a time - you'd have to only let very few people in (and then is it worthwhile to even open the park?). And who's going to be keeping track to make sure? What if lots of people want food at lunch time? And I believe you'd have to wear masks all day too, ugh, no thanks.

I hope the park does open this year for those who want to visit and the employees, but going under these circumstances seems kind of miserable.
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Postby UnclePennybags on May 6th, 2020, 6:16 am
It's hard to get any solid info about Great America's likely opening date. However, getting info on Disney World or Disneyland is easier to come across.

Both of these properties are large enough that they could be placed in the last "phase" for reopening in their respective states. That is, they could be in the same class as a concert or a festival. However, the argument being made to the governors of California and Florida is interesting. If a concert or festival only allows one person to attend, has the nature of that event been transformed enough that it would no longer fall into the last phase? What about admitting two people, or three, or 10% of capacity, or 50%? Let's say you can only admit 50 people. Is that 50 people per room? Or 50 people per acre? Per square mile?

If Great America restricts its attendance enough, they could probably make an argument for reopening in June or July if they're also enforcing protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The federal guidelines *do* support opening select parks before the last phase if they can operate under strict physical distancing protocols. Illinois may fall inline with Florida and California, hear arguments for reopening Great America, and then evaluate whether the park's mitigation policies are sufficient.

If this were a legal argument, I think Great America would have a case. However, public perception and civil liabilities might also be considered. At this time, how many people would want to attend a large gathering place like Great America? Would there be enough people to provide an incentive for the park to open? If a breakout of COVID-19 cases could be traced back to Great America, to what extent would Six Flags be held civilly liable for any claim of harm? Even if Illinois gave its blessing, would the park choose to stay closed until liability risks could be diminished?

Finally, reopening before the last phase doesn't mean business as usual. From posts in this thread, I've read that Six Flags is already trying to implement policies that would be inline with what Disney is trying to do. That is, restricting attendance, temperature checks before entering the park, strict physical distancing, disinfecting seats and restraints after every ride cycle, etc. Shutting down common gathering areas would also be in the cards. That means no theater shows, and restaurants like Mooseburger or J.B.s might offer take-out only or reduce their indoor seating capacity. All of these restrictions would be in place until the last phase, whenever that happens.

So, is it possible that Great America could open this year? I'd think July at the earliest, seeing how they can't start hiring and training people until Illinois' stay-at-home order expires on May 31. However, I could also see them choosing not to open until 2021 if they didn't think they could mitigate current risks. I'm hoping for a 2020 reopening, but if the attendance restrictions become too onerous, I might just wait a year before going back to Great America.
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Postby anewman35 on May 6th, 2020, 7:33 am
If they DID open this year under very reduced attendence, I wonder if they would just be doing it to justify starting the clock again on passes and memberships (and, I wonder if those people would have any recourse, since the conditions of going to the park would be very different than what they signed up for).

I'm hoping somebody asks the Governor for clarification of where amusement parks fall during his daily press briefing (believe me, people have asked dumber things). Hmm, maybe I'll tweet Marcus LeShock and see if he can make it happen...
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Postby CoasterNick3157 on May 6th, 2020, 10:14 am
Which probably means were screwed casue phase 4 or 5 wont happen anytime soon but we have to see

anewman35 wrote:Illinois just have gave a lot of reopening guidelines. There's 5 phases (we're in 2 now). Phase 4 only allows gatherings of up to 50 people. Phase 5 (which specifically says 'What's allowed: Conventions, festivals and large events are permitted, and all businesses, schools, and places of recreation can open', and I think the park falls into that) won't happen until there's a vaccine, a treatment, or no cases for a sustained time. And that's probably not happening this year. So...
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Postby anewman35 on May 7th, 2020, 4:32 pm
He didn't exactly give a number, but very much seems to be phase 5 (but he tried to give some hope that Phase 5 isn't quite as dire as it might seem...)

https://twitter.com/marcusleshock/statu ... 74529?s=19
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Postby CoasterMike on May 7th, 2020, 5:08 pm
Six Flags Great America NEEDS to be considered a business, a place that has thousands of people employed and a place that helps the local economy generate revenue instead of a large gathering. If the park doesn’t open this year, they will probably end up going bankrupt and may never reopen again. And IF it does reopen this year or next, expect a lot of budget cuts, many closed rides, reduced staffing, poor maintenance on the rides, stuff falling apart and not being fixed etc...
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Postby anewman35 on May 7th, 2020, 5:26 pm
CoasterMike wrote:Six Flags Great America NEEDS to be considered a business, a place that has thousands of people employed and a place that helps the local economy generate revenue instead of a large gathering. If the park doesn’t open this year, they will probably end up going bankrupt and may never reopen again. And IF it does reopen this year or next, expect a lot of budget cuts, many closed rides, reduced staffing, poor maintenance on the rides, stuff falling apart and not being fixed etc...


So what happens if they do what you say and just open it up. And then people start getting the virus there. And then even though it's still open NOBODY wants to go because PEOPLE ARE GETTING THE VIRUS THERE? That's the part of 'open it all up' that people ignore - open stuff too soon and you're just going to spread the virus and get more people sick, and then people aren't going to be going out anyway...

Lots of businesses will get hurt by this. Great America won't, long term. You notice I didn't say Six Flags Great America, because, yes, Six Flags might be in some trouble. But I feel confident in saying that the park itself isn't going anywhere, worse case scenario it would get bought by somebody else out of bankruptcy
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Postby CoasterMike on May 7th, 2020, 5:41 pm
anewman35 wrote:
CoasterMike wrote:Six Flags Great America NEEDS to be considered a business, a place that has thousands of people employed and a place that helps the local economy generate revenue instead of a large gathering. If the park doesn’t open this year, they will probably end up going bankrupt and may never reopen again. And IF it does reopen this year or next, expect a lot of budget cuts, many closed rides, reduced staffing, poor maintenance on the rides, stuff falling apart and not being fixed etc...


So what happens if they do what you say and just open it up. And then people start getting the virus there. And then even though it's still open NOBODY wants to go because PEOPLE ARE GETTING THE VIRUS THERE? That's the part of 'open it all up' that people ignore - open stuff too soon and you're just going to spread the virus and get more people sick, and then people aren't going to be going out anyway...

Lots of businesses will get hurt by this. Great America won't, long term. You notice I didn't say Six Flags Great America, because, yes, Six Flags might be in some trouble. But I feel confident in saying that the park itself isn't going anywhere, worse case scenario it would get bought by somebody else out of bankruptcy


I’m sure all parks that open this year will have a policy in place stating “We will not/cannot be held responsible/reliable should you claim to get ill while visiting our park”. They already have similar policies in place on rides such as “ride at your own risk” etc...
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Postby anewman35 on May 7th, 2020, 6:13 pm
I'm not talking about the park being sued. I'm just saying that, even when things open up, if things haven't changed and there's still thousands of people getting this (and dying) every day, a lot of people just aren't going to go. Honestly, a disclaimer saying it's not their fault would make me LESS likely to want to attend the park, not more...
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Postby JaminOut on May 8th, 2020, 12:26 pm
I’m going to have to agree with anewman here. I have a prospective internship with a park on the east coast and from the sounds of things all of these parks really want to open as soon as possible. They understand that they need to be cautious with their approach at reopening the parks, though. There are several liabilities that can fall on them either legally or in terms of their reputation with the public. Like you said Mike, these parks are a part of the community. You don’t want to lose that community’s trust.
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Postby DejaVu2001 on May 13th, 2020, 8:06 am
Six Flags has provided additional information on the Online Reservation process.

https://sixflags.com/reserve
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Postby JaminOut on May 13th, 2020, 9:05 pm
Below is a portion of a private conversation that I find relevant to the current discussion that I think we can all reflect upon given the state we find ourselves in at this moment in time.


“It is well-known that we live in a hyper-politicized society and being vocal about our personal beliefs is deeply engrained in our culture. In modern times, the political polarization has divided us as a country and given the false narrative that you can only be on one of two sides on any given issue. As a result of this cultural mark in our society, our politicians, media outlets, neighbors, friends, and family have become more brazen in their beliefs or given “agendas.” Though it is immature and irresponsible to create false political narratives, stirring controversy in society for personal gain, this concept has become all too familiar. Unfortunately this is what happened with COVID-19.

Our country politicized the virus from the beginning, labeling it a hoax, making racist connotations, and ignoring prominent professionals who are experts in their given capacities. It is for this reason that the virus in the United States has far surpassed its presence per capris as compared to most other countries around the globe. COVID-19 is a prime example as to why our individual opinions do not matter and that we should not listen to politicians or TV show hosts, but rather look to the scientists, doctors, and other health professionals as to what we as a global society need to do to overcome this new and unprecedented challenge.

Civilized conversations can come about on these topics, but what is the point if conversations are based on feelings, personal opinions, or talking points from those who have little credible experience in the given topic? We as a community must come together and listen to the leaders of the appropriate organizations (governmental, non-profit, and scientific) and work as one unified force to succeed in vanquishing societal threats. This cannot happen when we attack each other or our institutions because we “believe” or we “feel” that the decisions being made are not just.

Many countries are finally relaxing restrictions on social activity only because their people worked together to overcome the challenge. In America, it is. it the same story: We continue to fight, protest, and refuse to follow research-based guidelines. As a result, we must remain under restrictions for a longer period of time, will see higher case amounts, and experience more deaths than we otherwise would have if we just listened to the warnings.”


Relaying politicized phrases and words do no good in these conversations. I have found this to be a common trend on forums, comment sections, and conversations in which civil discussions spiraled out of control. Let’s avoid any hot-button words or phrases in an attempt to respect each other’s perspectives - no matter how limited or broad they may be. We must understand that we do not know everything there is to know about any given topic and the information we gain come from different sources. Some sources may be more accurate than others, so let’s keep an open-mind regarding each other’s thoughts and try to understand where the other party is coming from and re-evaluate of our source is not only credible, but justified in the view it is giving. It is important to separate fact from opinion as one is supported by research (not small-sample, but widespread) and the other is supported by emotions pulled from individual experience.
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Postby SFGAM_Hog on May 13th, 2020, 11:36 pm
I think a lot of us would really appreciate if we just talked about the park here.

What do you all think of the reservation thing?? I’m worried how well this will all be taken care of by Six Flags...whenever it happens.


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Postby Carlo on May 14th, 2020, 12:30 am
Reading the FAQ. It appears they are going to require face masks and everyone is required to pre buy their tickets online or have a season pass. This includes parking for people who do not have a parking pass. It appears they are going to scan your ticket at the parking entrance and if you do not have a reservation they will make you turn around and leave. Also note only one reservation can be made at a time. So for passholders that means we can not make another reservation until the first one is complete. Also there is going to be some type of penalty if you no show for your reservation.

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Postby UnclePennybags on May 14th, 2020, 1:20 am
Carlo wrote:...Also note only one reservation can be made at a time. So for passholders that means we can not make another reservation until the first one is complete...

Hmm, the way I read the FAQ, Passes and Memberships can have as many simultaneous reservations they want, but the automated system can only handle one at a time. You'd have to call Guest Relations to schedule more.
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Postby UnclePennybags on May 14th, 2020, 1:30 am
SFGAM_Hog wrote:...What do you all think of the reservation thing?? I’m worried how well this will all be taken care of by Six Flags...whenever it happens.

I don't think Six Flags will mess this up. My understanding is that you will not only schedule a day, but also a specific time, at which you'll be expected at the front gate. There won't be a line at the front of the park. I assume people will just hang around in the parking lot until their scheduled time.
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Postby anewman35 on May 14th, 2020, 2:53 am
UnclePennybags wrote:
SFGAM_Hog wrote:...What do you all think of the reservation thing?? I’m worried how well this will all be taken care of by Six Flags...whenever it happens.

I don't think Six Flags will mess this up. My understanding is that you will not only schedule a day, but also a specific time, at which you'll be expected at the front gate. There won't be a line at the front of the park. I assume people will just hang around in the parking lot until their scheduled time.


I do. It's one thing to have rules, it's another to actually enforce them. What happens when groups of teenagers who think this is all a joke start showing up, not social distancing with no masks? Does Six Flags do anything about it? I've seen how well they can run food service or a ride, and that doesn't give me too much confidence they can handle this in a manner I would consider acceptable.
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Postby locklin78 on May 14th, 2020, 7:25 am
SFGAM_Hog wrote:What do you all think of the reservation thing?? I’m worried how well this will all be taken care of by Six Flags...whenever it happens.

I don't even go and get a haircut, I think parks can wait...
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Postby Tardis1972 on May 14th, 2020, 3:57 pm
anewman35 wrote:
UnclePennybags wrote:
SFGAM_Hog wrote:...What do you all think of the reservation thing?? I’m worried how well this will all be taken care of by Six Flags...whenever it happens.

I don't think Six Flags will mess this up. My understanding is that you will not only schedule a day, but also a specific time, at which you'll be expected at the front gate. There won't be a line at the front of the park. I assume people will just hang around in the parking lot until their scheduled time.


I do. It's one thing to have rules, it's another to actually enforce them. What happens when groups of teenagers who think this is all a joke start showing up, not social distancing with no masks? Does Six Flags do anything about it? I've seen how well they can run food service or a ride, and that doesn't give me too much confidence they can handle this in a manner I would consider acceptable.


I think it’s simple what they will do to any groups that aren’t following those rules. Kick them out of the park or don’t even let them in at all.
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Postby anewman35 on May 14th, 2020, 4:17 pm
Tardis1972 wrote:I think it’s simple what they do to groups that aren’t following those rules. Kick them out of the park or don’t even let them in at all.


Just like they do with line jumpers, right?
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Postby Tardis1972 on May 14th, 2020, 7:21 pm
Alright fair point even though I don’t think that’s quite a fair comparison. Line jumping is an issue at just about every park. Also Six Flags clearly states that’s it’s the guests response to report any line jumping.
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Postby anewman35 on May 16th, 2020, 11:48 pm
Tardis1972 wrote:Alright fair point even though I don’t think that’s quite a fair comparison. Line jumping is an issue at just about every park. Also Six Flags clearly states that’s it’s the guests response to report any line jumping.


A scenario: you're just walking down the midway. Some group comes up too close to you and they aren't wearing your masks. What do you do? Talk to them? (maybe putting yourself in more danger?). Track down a security person and see if they take I seriously? Run the other way?

Basically, I don't trust the other people going to the park to all follow the rules (you hear stories of people at stores fighting over mask rules, etc) and I don't think Six Flags Security will go out of their way to make them, which puts everybody at risk. I hope I'm wrong. We'll see, if it ever actually opens.

And you're probably right about Line Jumping not being a fair comparisons, because Line Jumping doesn't really ultimately matter. This could be a lot more serious.
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Postby Tardis1972 on May 17th, 2020, 12:08 am
I would just ignore them and walk the other way. I’ll let someone else inform park security about them. It doesn’t really matter since I wouldn’t plan on even going to park immediately if it opens. I would want to wait until all the info is available of how the park is dealing with social distancing. Even then I would limit myself to only two visits a month.
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Postby JT2002 on May 25th, 2020, 12:47 pm
CEO came over to the park the other day. Had a meeting with management and they figured they'll need 3,000 people in the park to break even. Also they're working with the governor's office to figure out a plan to reopen. They'd probably need a month to get ready though. Not sure if they've made a final decision yet on the season.
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