Search

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

Its been rather slow the last few days. Saturday the crowd levels were rather low considering it was beautiful and the weekend. The craftsman are wonderful and the music really hit the spot. But it always does. It has been a great time to visit the city. So if you get the chance come on out!!

[chittlins]

shooting for next sunday and again at Christmas and we have decided to take a break from the city next year vpass wise.

[History Buff]

We arrived before Opening Ceremony, Saturday, and walked straight to OR.  We stood in line and were to be on the third stage for our first ride on OR.  The railroad nearby was experiencing maintenance and that stalled OR for a moment since they were working so close to the coaster track.  I would have managed it differently, but it didn't delay us for long.  The restraints weren't a problem us.  As for the ride itself, I consider it a unique experience - unlike any coaster I have ever ridden - and it is my new favorite, beating out TGS, but maybe just because TGS doesn't last long enough.  I must admit, I was looking for OR to disappoint me, but it did not.  Perhaps people just think the lines have been long, this summer, since the clocks in the queue tend to chime every few minutes instead of on the hour (and yes, I realize it's just a sound effect and not the actual clocks).  I was also pleased with the ambience of the queue, and noticed that even the big industrial fans were covered with wood and slats to keep them from being glaringly out of theme.

The crowd was barely over 10K, and we walked onto any ride we wanted with very little wait time.  The only thing we didn't get to see (that we wanted to see) was the trick riding.  I did not want to wait in line that long for a 20-minute show.  Instead, we crossed the park to see Sons and Brothers 45-minute music show in the Opera House.  The show would have been more enjoyable if they hadn't stopped after every song to introduce the next song and try to be funny.  I would have like the more in a 30-minute presentation.

I have let the toy store get by with out-of-theme merchandise in the past, but the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun music attracted me to the One Direction stuff.  I hope the Citizen standing nearby heard me when I expressed my disgust!

At one point, we were in GE and found ourselves hungry.  I noticed a new skillet being touted in the Path Finder, one with pulled pork being offered at the rib house.  I had seen and smelled it earlier and made up my mind that it was calling my name.  Crossing the park, my mouth was ready, and my guts were preparing to pay the price.  Alas, the skillet was covered and fireless.  Upon asking about it, we were told there were not people in the City to keep this skillet running.  I was highly disappointed.  I realize it was a business decision, but this was the one food advertised in the Pathfinder, and I felt like they didn't follow through with the advertising that said it would be available for lunch and dinner.  We ended up eating in the Mine with no other diners in the room with us.

We haven't stayed around for the evening show in several years, but decided we would.  I enjoyed the first half, but did not like the second half nearly as much, though Holy, Holy, Holy was absolutely beautiful and tasteful (not overblown like the rest, in an attempt to keep crescendo-ing to the end).  I am not, and never have been a Tracy Heaston fan (Don't hate me.) since I can't even identify most of the tunes he plays due to all the pounding notes in between the melody.  He does fine on playing with the band, though, and I recognize that he has a talent that few of us could ever dream of.  Besides, he does not appear to be enjoying himself; again, I realize that perhaps that is his schtick.  The comedienne also seems to try pretty hard, but I saw pretty much the same show when I was at a chuckwagon show in South Dakota, last year - almost to the letter.

Exiting the City was easy since the crowd had been so low.  One thing I noticed:  years ago, after the Branson Brothers or the Rodney Dillard shows, the long walk to the parking lot was done in virtual silence, with very low voices if any, while we listened to the crickets and frogs, but now the crowd loudly talks on the way to the front.  I wonder what is different to cause that.

[U Smell Smoke]

Was anyone at SDC yesterday during the power outage?  How was it handled by the park?

[sanddunerider]

A lot of people complaining about the power outage sunday... lasted a couple of hours or so midday...  with all the booths, and the singing continued acapella, I think it would have been nice for a change to walk around with no background noise..  There would be so much to do this time of year...

[mhguy77]

Was anyone at SDC yesterday during the power outage?  How was it handled by the park?

It wasn't handled well at all.

Negative experience? 
Arrived at the city with Brother and Sister in Law with Buddy in tow. Pulled in 10 min to opening.  Paid for 2 showed 2 seasons passes and stopped in the breezeway between the HH and SDC to the anthem.  EVERYONE  stopped and put their hands over their hearts.  I was impressed, not a soul in sight moved during this few moments.  Maybe during our times of national and world tribulations trials we are taking our liberty and freedom seriously.
Walked in into the park and decided to get the OR out of the way.  Walked down and see people leaving from the path near the ride.  They said " Its all down, every ride in the park is down, having electrical problems."  At this time I looked over at the Lost River to see it was not running at all.  I decided we would wait it out so we walked around and looked at the crafts, talking to the vendors about their wares.  It was very enjoyable. 12:00 PM, no rides running and now shops are saying that they are being told to turn down the registers as the power may go out 100%.  We continued to walk and look and enjoy present company.  1:05 Lets eat.  Stopped at the rib house and ate lunch lingered and finally heard the whistle blow on the train.  I said 'Guys lets go see if they are firing up OR.  None of our guests had been on the ride and this was the main reason ( and crafts festival) that we were there.  We walked up and met 2 employees at the entrance to the walkway and they said 3 rides are up, they are slowly bringing the rides up on line, I asked if OR was going to be up they said no" 
We decided that 3.5 hours of waiting was enough.  The train and riverblast were running,  That was all.
Call me a mastermind but I would think to open a kids ride and then open the ride most people had as #1 on their list,  in fact the ride voted #1 best new ride would be second, but that was not the SDC plan.  We were not not happy and decided to leave the park, the coments were,' they got my preferred parking money, they got my lunch money and I got nothing in return.'
On our way out we stopped by the Lye Soap booth and I asked how long ( in the season they would have lye soap,  The response was " Probably the end of this booth in 2 weeks"  “There are only 3 people that know how to run the booth and after the main lady ( retiring in 2 weeks) is gone that will probably be it, closed for good.”
You better buy your Lye soap now!
It’s really nearing the end of the SDC I know.  It has become so corporate that they are losing their roots.
After buying a few logs of lye soap I talked to the Guest relations.  They said they did what they could and the power outage caught them by surprise.  I asked why when I was entering the park I was not warned.  2 of us had passes and the others had paid.  They said they were just really in a jumble trying to communicate and they didn't know what was happening at the time.  They were notably displeased with my questioning to their less than valid excuses.   I asked where the signs were that told what would and would not be running that day and they said at the front where the tickets were sold, I asked why they were not up that day.  Again they said " we will try to do better next time, " This made me feel dismissed.  The person behind the counter said '" well bring me your receipt for lunch and I will give you a coupon for a replacement meal, I responded I didn't keep my receipts from meals.  She wote me up a Good Neighbor Policy Coupon that said " Power out, was unhappy, was told right away"  I have no idea who was told right away or how she even thought she would know but I walked away thinking I know this park is changing quickly and not for the better.  Frankly the folks in Customer relations didn’t have their heart in it, there was no empathy at all.
I said ' you know you took our money and did not say a word and at 10 min to park opening the rides were or should have already been firering up and had had the trial runs.'  Somebody; many people knew of this problem at that time but you took our money and didn't say a word.  They looked at me in confusion, I explained  that where I am from when you are taking the money for the movie ticket you tell the customer that the speakers do not work in the theater. 

This was  a badly mishandled problem that I think showed that the morale and trying to do the right thing by the customer is really down at SDC.  I am not feeling the love.

Not one time this year have I gone to the park to ride the new coaster that there hasn't been a problem with a ride, every time there has been a significant disruption with OR if it has run at all.   If they are changing the park to a 6 flags format they better figure out how to keep the rides going, without the lye soap lady ext. they will have nothing to offer.
So the seasons pass I have held for the past 15 years are in doubt.  I am seeing a great departure from the things that made SDC special and made you feel like you were welcomed and taken care of.    I am quickly losing interest in a once great experience.

[Sungod]

Yeah I had a problem with not a single citizen mentioning that the power was out. We arrived a litte before 11am. Got a cinammon role before going to check out the stunt show and trick riding show. We didn't realize that the power was out until we got to thunderation on our way to echo hollow. I think the staff did a nice job explaining the situation, it's not their fault but it would've been nice to be told as you are walking in. I think TnT opened shortly before 2. The stunt show was entertaining but the trick riding show was pretty lame. Outlaw run opened around 3:30. While in line at that time they announced that powderkeg was open. It probably helped that it was a gorgeous day and tempers weren't as short as they are on hot days. Ona side note regarding OR. My 6'8" frame fits with room to spare.

[mhguy77]

Well I am glad it wasn't just me.  They are offering a product and they are responsible to stand up and tell you when said product is not available.  It taints the shine on the park when you spend half of your day waiting around for something that doesn't occur.

[sanddunerider]

MH, sounds like a poor trip all around for you!

PTB for sure could have handled it better, you have given the best example of how it was NOT handled right..

The worse part is there is no way for them to follow up on paid tickets and try to offer them "reimbursement", and for sure no way to make it up to SP holders wanted to ride and enjoy the other benefits..

[mhguy77]

Well Sandune you hit it on the head.  They could have handled this differently.  The previous member experienced the same thing I did by not being told.  I cant help but think they just " didn't" say anything. Hoping the power would come up soon but they lost that bet.
  Good customer relations should at the forefront include telling the truth to your customers so they know what to expect.  They did not do this at all and then got snarky about it when called on the carpet.  No it is not the citizens fault the power was down, not even the PTB fault.  But ultimately the way this was handled was the fault of the PTB.  I frankly would have probably been ok to walk around and just look at crafts had I been told that the amenities were not being offered.  I would have been warned what to expect.  The fact that this was not disclosed makes me think I wasted half a day instead of going into Branson and shopping or whatever my guests wanted to do.  Because we were not told there was admission money waisted.
As I say this is a sign of things to come I am afraid.  SDC needs to go into PR mode and start to take care of their customers and also there employees, its showing that these folks are not being taken care of.
I would like to be specific about what I was told by employees but this might put some of the minimum wage jobs in jeopardy and I don't want to effect these folks negatively. 

[Gilligan]

I have only had to use the Customer Relations at the little house a few times.  Each time was a bad experience.  I don't know what it is about that place, but it is v.e.r.y. slow, and I haven't run into anyone exceptionally friendly working there.  Have never met an unfriendly citizen anywhere on the park. 

Sand, you're probably right - there isn't anyway to follow up on paid tickets, but if someone takes the time to make a complaint to Customer Relations, then I don't see why those people couldn't be handed a free ticket for another day.  Or, comp a dinner ticket to The Mine Restaurant, etc. for SP holders.  Not everyone is going to take the time to make a complaint - they will just leave the park unhappy.  I think they should at least try to fix it for the few.

[chittlins]

Well Sandune you hit it on the head.  They could have handled this differently.  The previous member experienced the same thing I did by not being told.  I cant help but think they just " didn't" say anything. Hoping the power would come up soon but they lost that bet.
  Good customer relations should at the forefront include telling the truth to your customers so they know what to expect.  They did not do this at all and then got snarky about it when called on the carpet.  No it is not the citizens fault the power was down, not even the PTB fault.  But ultimately the way this was handled was the fault of the PTB.  I frankly would have probably been ok to walk around and just look at crafts had I been told that the amenities were not being offered.  I would have been warned what to expect.  The fact that this was not disclosed makes me think I wasted half a day instead of going into Branson and shopping or whatever my guests wanted to do.  Because we were not told there was admission money waisted.
As I say this is a sign of things to come I am afraid.  SDC needs to go into PR mode and start to take care of their customers and also there employees, its showing that these folks are not being taken care of.
I would like to be specific about what I was told by employees but this might put some of the minimum wage jobs in jeopardy and I don't want to effect these folks negatively. 

At least they spoke English, there's was a time around 07 an 08 that there were quite a few eastern Europeans and Asians working that had a  minimal grasp of english. Several of the ride operators in the GE were hard to understand.

[sanddunerider]

Ok chittlins, you opened the door...  Now I am going to walk through it..

The last 3 times I have been at the park, except for Terry and the little blonde gal greeting the trams.....

The first person I saw/met is a little oriental lady, probably in her late 40'-50's, dressed properly holding a camera. Asking if you want your picture taken....  Problem: Very hard to understand..  '

Here is my problem, if she cant speak fluent English, have her work somewhere else in park..  not the very first person I see..  I don't think there were very many oriental people in the Ozarks in the 1880's  .  could be wrong, but that just seems to be the wrong person greeting everyone headed into the city...

OK! let me have it.. I am sitting down and ready.!

[History Buff]

Apparently there were Asian folks in these here hills...but only during certain weeks in April and May.

[Hatfield McCoy]

Ok chittlins, you opened the door...  Now I am going to walk through it..

The last 3 times I have been at the park, except for Terry and the little blonde gal greeting the trams.....

The first person I saw/met is a little oriental lady, probably in her late 40'-50's, dressed properly holding a camera. Asking if you want your picture taken....  Problem: Very hard to understand..  '

Here is my problem, if she cant speak fluent English, have her work somewhere else in park..  not the very first person I see..  I don't think there were very many oriental people in the Ozarks in the 1880's  .  could be wrong, but that just seems to be the wrong person greeting everyone headed into the city...

OK! let me have it.. I am sitting down and ready.!

Okay, I will bite.  (Sarcasm on) The camera in her hand was probably a dead give away that taking pictures was her gig.  Isn't it irritating when someone trying to get a foot hold on the "American Dream" puts a damper on our entertainment...the nerve.(sarcasm off)

My take, and I am not blasting you Dune, but a little broken English from an obvious immigrant who is not above an entry level job is great.  She is doing things right.  She is working the job she was assigned, with a pretty great attitude I might add.  I would much rather her learn English on the fly while greeting and taking pictures that rifling through the safety manual while loading me on the "Outlaw Run" to my impending doom.

Also, if Silver Dollar City had been a real city in the 1880's and the "Frisco Line" had actually been built through it, you can bet there would have been Asian and Irish people that stayed around after they build that sucker at slave wages.  Not that I am defending her need to be in theme as she is a real person in an imaginary theme park city.

On a side note two of my kids are Korean and love going to the park.  I hope they aren't throwing off the theme.  I know that isn't what you meant, but we need to be careful and not lose sight of the fact it is just a form of entertainment.

You can stand up now.  

Mhguy,  I hate it that your day was bad.  Businesses in general lose out on a chance to take a bad day and make it into an opportunity to show they really care about their loyal customer base in cases like this far too often.  The PTB should have realized that MAJOR damage control protocol was in order, and IMO if refunds for the paying guests could not be handled, then extra "bring a friend" passes were definitely in order.