Worlds of Fun: Miscellaneous Reflections

I realize I haven’t blogged as much recently about Worlds of Fun as I have at other times during their season, so today, I am going to put up some miscellaneous thoughts about recent goings-on at the park.

Let me start by commenting on last Saturday during the storm. People don’t always act reasonably, logically, or in their best interests when threats come upon them. Yet during the lead-up to the storm, and during the storm, the directions and information from Worlds of Fun and its staff was proactive and protective of its guests. The various places we took cover during the various stages of the storm had guests who weren’t always listening or responsive to the instructions of the staff, yet the staff managed to keep the necessary control to keep everyone safe.

When we emerged after the storm had calmed, to see the scenes of destruction: trees topped, decorations moved long distances, we realized how rational and necessary the park’s steps were.

And by the time they opened on Sunday, while not everything was repaired, they managed to have everything so you didn’t realize just how much damage there was to trees and property within the park.

Now, yesterday evening, Friday night, something was really out of whack for getting into the park. We arrived at 7 p.m. and parked in the Oceans of Fun parking lot. The lot was maybe a little bit less than half full, and there was no line of cars entering the parking lot. Yet when we got to the top of the stairs at the edge of the parking lot, we saw a VERY long line waiting to get into the park. The line was thick, and extended all the way from the security booths, up to the top of the stairs, and thus along the fence at the edge of the parking lot, until it extended beyond the Mamba in Worlds of Fun. There seemed to be no crush of people between the security booths and the ticket scanners, and people were passing through.

We had already gone by the line of cars backed up all the way down Worlds of Fun Avenue waiting to get into the park, so we knew it would be even worse trying to get to the main entrance. So we just went home.

Today, now I was particularly recognized by several people as a regular “park denizen”. Three different staff commented that I had cut my hair. The one scanning my pass into the park congratulated me on having entered the park for my 102^nd day.

I also actually walked by Paisano’s Pizza in Europa when it looked open: staff was there and there was actually food behind the glass for purchase.  But I still couldn’t buy lunch there. No one was available to run the register to sell the food.

The street of shops in Americana are already “beginning to look a lot like Christmas”, with the decorations already going up for WinterFest, and the music from the speakers playing Christmas Carols.

At supper time, I tried to fill my all-season bottle at the Refresh station in the Orient, but was told it had just closed, yet I could get it filled at the MarketPlace in Americana. But when I got to the MarketPlace the door was open, but there was no staff available. There was a couple there asking if I was the staff, so they could pay for the bottled water they were trying to purchase. We finally decided they could check at the information booth across the plaza. I filled my bottle and went back to the Refresh Station at the Orient, and informed the staff there that the MarketPlace was open and unstaffed. The one associate immediately confirmed another staff was covering for her, and darted off to check on the MarketPlace. Kudos to her for showing such responsibility.

But that story followed an earlier one, where I had just entered the park at 5:21 p.m. and tried to purchase something at Chickie’s and Pete’s, only to be told they were closing at 5:30 p.m. for the Overlord’s Awakening. When I asked why they were closing one hour and thirty minutes before the awakening, they mentioned that the parade was being moved up to 6. Yet our checking on Facebook and the WOF website could find nothing about the time changes. I am not sure where the park is putting these necessary change information, but our inability to find it was inconvenient on our schedules and plans.

So, the park gets very good marks on several important things, yet also lacking on some important communication updates.

I would also mention that we renewed our season passes for 2018 finally. I tried to purchase the season drink bottle, but could only find the season drink plan online. I purchased it, hoping it actually was the season drink bottle.  We will see what happens when we try to use it next year.

Finally, below are the usage stats, to date, for this year’s All Season Dining Plan: