What was that like?Ī: It was a baptism by fire. Q: You arrived here in October and - bam - just weeks later the park had to make a major holiday adjustment. It’s a different experience, but we try to make it as pleasant as possible. We can’t currently operate the park 2019 style. Unfortunately it’s not like it used to be. It’s an escape for our guests and it’s a big responsibility for us. You can only do so much Netflix, right? We offer an opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy a day in this gorgeous California sunshine.
So I think our impact is huge - especially when out-of-home entertainment options were few and far between. Generally speaking, what role do you think this and other parks play in our lives?Ī: Our job is to offer a memorable day for our guests. Q: A lot of theme park junkies were deprived of their “fixes” during the pandemic. And, wow, there definitely was a pent-up demand for them. But thrill rides are the Six Flags brand. As we’ve seen, they’re a big part of Discovery Kingdom. What was the feeling around here?Ī: It was very, very exciting. Here, Durette talks about adjusting on the flying, teamwork, the thrill of roller coasters and why animals are so therapeutic: That had Durette’s team scrambling to redesign the attraction to entertain guests while in their cars - complete with millions of twinkling lights and festive music. But four months later, it reopened with an animals-only “Marine World Experience.” Then, in December, just as organizers were preparing for their annual “Holiday in the Park” walk-through celebration, a surge in infections triggered shelter-in-place orders. Like other California theme parks, it was shuttered in March 2020.
Throughout the pandemic, Discovery Kingdom also has been a model of reinvention. Watch: Giant slide in Detroit goes viral with its wild rides
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