by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:05 AM ET, Sat May 16, 2020
Theme park fans desperate to feel an adrenaline rush again won't have to wait much longer, as Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, announced it would reopen to the public on June 17.
When the park opens its doors next month, guests will be required to purchase date-specific tickets online and have their pass in hand at the time of entry. The facility will only operate at 50 percent capacity during the first phase of reopening.
Holiday World Season Passholders will be able to access the park days ahead of the general public reopening. Officials also said the Splashin' Safari water park would be the next to open no later than July 4.
"We want to make sure everyone who shows up gets to enter the park," Holiday World President Matt Eckert said in a statement. "While we know some complexities are going to be necessary, we want to try to keep this process as simple as possible. If you have a Season Pass or a ticket with the date on it, you're all set to come enjoy the parks. It's that simple."
Visitors to the park will be asked to use Holiday World's new virtual queuing protocol, the inLine Reservation System. Guests reserve their place in line through their smartphones and are called to come to an attraction when their turn is approaching, minimizing wait times and keeping people separated.
The park will offer barcoded wristbands if a visitor doesn't have or want to use their phone.
Other health and safety measures being implemented at Holiday World include a total of 90 Hand "Santatizer" Stations, increasing sanitation procedure frequency and adding sanitation processes for high-touch point areas, including attractions.
"It's important that we open slowly and safely, so we want to make sure we have Holiday World operations finely tuned when we open Splashin' Safari," Eckert continued.
On Thursday, The Walt Disney Company announced it had reached an agreement with its employee union on a new set of health and safety guidelines to protect workers from coronavirus, the latest step in bringing back guests.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
