[RiDeWaRrIoR]

The park has added 13 additional days to the calendar this season. An additional week in August and 8 days in November.

August 19th-23rd 10am-8pm
carolina harbor 12pm-5pm

November 2,9,16 10AM-8pm
3,10,17 10AM-6pm
8,15 9AM-5pm

[Carowindsman]

Only question I have about that is did they hire a bunch more people? Also could we be turning into a full time park?

[tarheel1231]

I imagine the new employee dorms definitely helped with securing more employees, but I doubt the park is going full time. At most, maybe a week or two is added to March as well.

[Christopher Mallis]

Hopefully these added weekends will stay unlike the 2 they added last year that got removed. I’ve always thought about carowinds becoming a full time park (heck we almost are cause we only have 2 months and a half of an off season). I think it’s possible but won’t happen.

[Grobble]

Surprised they would add the extra fall weekends now & not wait to see what attendance is like first during the fall. The additional weekends essentially bridge Scarowinds to Winterfest. Cedar Fair could transfer internationals from Cedar Point which ends operations on October the 27th. They could then work these extra weekends & thru Winterfest. All this becomes easier with the new dorms, which have been or are being built at many parks in the chain.

Overall good to see parks adding hours b/c many chains are chopping hours, especially Six Flags which have cut 1hr off almost every park in the chain during the main season. Parks like SfGAm weekdays were 10pm close last year, scheduled 930pm originally this year & now are closing 9pm. SFNE is closing 830pm weekdays(friday 9pm) from 10pm close last year. The only CF park to chop was Cedar Point during Cedar Point Nights(july thru mid Aug) which will not be open till 12am Su thru Thurs like in the past, but will still do 12am Fri/Sat

[Glitch99]

Seems like a really quick turnover to switch from all Scarowinds to all Christmas/Winter Wonderland/whatever it's called the very next weekend? Or will there be a couple generic weekends in between?

It makes sense for them to just remain open, I can imagine it's hard to "fire" everyone after 10/31 then a few weeks later try to re-hire a full staff for the holidays. I doubt the park will make any money in November, but incidental spending (food, etc) should cover the incremental costs of being open. And even with reduced days/hours, it will allow more staff to maintain continuous employment through the fall.

Isnt the additional week in August just restoring the week that was cut from last year?

[Grobble]

Seems like a really quick turnover to switch from all Scarowinds to all Christmas/Winter Wonderland/whatever it's called the very next weekend? Or will there be a couple generic weekends in between?

I would bet on generic weekends & progressively each weekend if you went they would be taking SCaowinds stuff down & be putting Winterfest stuff up.

It makes sense for them to just remain open, I can imagine it's hard to "fire" everyone after 10/31 then a few weeks later try to re-hire a full staff for the holidays.

I think using the internationals may play into this. The parks getting dorms, except CP have Winterfest. CP has of a bunch of internationals that could be distributed to the parks that are open Nov & Dec.

[quote="Glitch99"
Isnt the additional week in August just restoring the week that was cut from last year?
[/quote]

It will be interesting to see if any other CF parks extend hours. Preliminary report thru July 4th weekend across the chain showed Revenue up 16M, but attendance flat. So, people that go are spending as in park & out of park per caps were up 3%. Carowinds might be having good attendance & they are trying to mill it an extra week in August.

[Coasterphreak]

Only question I have about that is did they hire a bunch more people? Also could we be turning into a full time park?

Carowinds will never be a "full time" park because it would mean they have to pay overtime after 40 hours.

[Justin]

Carowinds has been looking scarce during the week this summer. I like going after work because the sun goes down and it starts to cool off. I enjoyed the sights and sounds like previous years when the suns down. They had that dance party thing at the front main stage. That was really fun. But this year it feels extremely depressing. Majority of things are closed, they got rid of that dance party in the front of the park, and the entertainment is mediocre. OH, and the water park is closed an hour earlier this season than last year. There definitely is not a vibe this year. I like a vibe; I expect a vibe! Lol

I'm assuming its a staffing issue since all the kids nowadays don't want to work and try to do youtube videos to make money.

[Coasterphreak]

Carowinds has been looking scarce during the week this summer. I like going after work because the sun goes down and it starts to cool off. I enjoyed the sights and sounds like previous years when the suns down. They had that dance party thing at the front main stage. That was really fun. But this year it feels extremely depressing. Majority of things are closed, they got rid of that dance party in the front of the park, and the entertainment is mediocre. OH, and the water park is closed an hour earlier this season than last year. There definitely is not a vibe this year. I like a vibe; I expect a vibe! Lol

I'm assuming its a staffing issue since all the kids nowadays don't want to work and try to do youtube videos to make money.

No, the problem is that even McDonald's pays 9 an hour, you get overtime after 40 hours, and you don't have to stand in the sun (or pouring rain) while you deal with cranky customers.

Chick Fil A pays 11-12 in some parts of town, depending on how hard up they are for employees at that location.

Cedar Fair still thinks they can staff the park paying 8.50 and make people work ten to twelve hours at a stretch with little more than a lunch break.

[sorashaun]

Knott’s is the only year round park in the chain and is also the most-visited, so it’s highly unlikely we will ever be year round.

I don’t think an extended calendar would be in place if crowds were “scarce”.

[BS1983CLT]

Those 13 extra days will help increase the parks overall yearly attendance!

Once they achieve the record attendance for the park, this is something they can use to their advantage with the investors...

All positive signs...

[Distopia]

Knott’s is the only year round park in the chain and is also the most-visited, so it’s highly unlikely we will ever be year round.

I don’t think an extended calendar would be in place if crowds were “scarce”.

Don’t ya know how rough the weather has been.....

[BrianH1970]

Those 13 extra days will help increase the parks overall yearly attendance!

Once they achieve the record attendance for the park, this is something they can use to their advantage with the investors...

All positive signs...

That park will be seeing my wife and I on several of those dates, so we'll be doing our part to bump up attendance.

[Lit]

More days for me to abuse the Dining Plan. COUNT ME IN!!!