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[sanddunerider]

nice pics...

[Swoosh]

PTR from 11/23 An Old Time Christmas
http://midwestinfoguide.blogspot.com/2016/11/an-old-time-christmas-sdc.html

Great pics Swoosh!

nice pics...

Thanks guys.

[mhguy77]

SWOOSH

Glad you post, I dont get out as often as I used too.
Helps to keep me up to date. Thanks

[Coaster]

Quick Review:

Enjoyed a nice day at SDC on Saturday with some friends. The park was crowded but manageable...much more enjoyable than last year's experience during Christmas when we literally were shoulder to shoulder. The lower crowds had to do with the light rain throughout the day, combined with wind and cold conditions.

We got rides in on all the major rides, except PK. Longest line of the day was FITH (probably 15 minutes). We watched Christmas Carol, Living Nativity, and the tree lighting. I love A Christmas Carol at SDC. It really is one of the best shows I think you'll ever see at a theme park. Tradition to see it every year. The parade was canceled because of the rain but that didn't disappoint me that much. I think the parade is a little overrated.

I love SDC at Christmas because they stay true to their Christian heritage so well. You will not find this at another theme park in the world. I appreciate it so much.

We hope to make it back one more time this year to watch It's a Wonderful Life. It just didn't work out in the schedule because we were at the park with friends who had never been to SDC before. We had other things to show them! Their review of their first visit to SDC? Purchasing season tickets for 2017!

[Preachin_Bill]

A trip review from last week, Thursday 12/8 and the night of Friday 12/9.
A great couple days at Silver Dollar City.  Much more enjoyable than last year's Christmas trip or the one a few years ago when we made the mistake of going on Thanksgiving weekend.
It was cold for Southern Missouri but not for where we come from so we loved it.  Many of the rides were shut down, a little disappointed I couldn't ride Outlaw Run in the dark again, but oh well the weather makes it feel more Christmas-like.
A few of the highlights worth mentioning:
-Flooded Mine was in excellent shape and it was great to see.  The warden's projected face in the entry was working again and talking and it was great to listen to--almost wish there was a line so I would have had an excuse to stay longer.  The whole ride looked great and the music worked.   Wonderful Experience. Will write a letter commending them.

-Fire in the Hole que sound was working and louder than it's been for me in some time.  It was plenty loud to hear and understand.  Ride was good but could use a little love.

-The city looked great with all the lights.  Saw the discussion on the other thread about LED vs traditional lights.  IMO as long as they have a mix it's wonderful.  Nice to have the soft glow with a few bright LED trees that pop out at you.  I am guessing they will eventually go all-LED, but I hope not.  Soft glow fits the city better, but oh well.

-First time having the wassail and I must say it won't be the last.

-Hit Dickens right away on Thursday and there was an immediate line.  Got great seats just by walking to the other side of the center isle, everyone is too lazy to walk around from the entrance!  What an amazing show.  I know some people here are tired of it, but not me.  It's a yearly tradition.  SDC does as good or better, yet original, an interpretation as any play or movie does of the book.  Full audience, standing ovation.

-Train was excellent.

-Transportation to and from the lots was MUCH improved over last year and even this summer.  It was EXCELLENT.

-Was again constantly reminded that SDC values the true meaning of Christmas, which is part of what makes the city special and worth driving back to season after season.

Now the not-so-good....
-The Mollys Mill buffet wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.  First time having a buffet at Christmas at SDC, and I was disappointed.  The turkey was not good.  But oh well, lesson learned, I don't go for the food anyway although it is usually a pretty good bonus!

-A few rude cashiers, which is not the norm of the "citizens" of SDC.  A younger gal working at Eva and Delilahs, and the guy working the Wassail stand.  Not good representatives of the city.

-The Salloon show was good, but it wasn't near as good as years past.  The older gentleman who usually plays Charlie wasn't there Thursday, let's just hope he had a day off.  The whole crew wasn't really into it except one gal.

Another great trip at our magical city.  Sad it's over, but can't wait for summer.

[Duelist]

We got to the City around 11:30 on Saturday December 17th.  Parked as one of the first 20 vehicles in Lot 3.  Immediately got on a bus and got through baggage check and turnstiles very quickly.  The temp had dropped to near freezing so we went directly to Thunderation with about a 20 minute wait.  One of the line workers told us they were 1 degree away from closing.  We got in 1 ride then they did close.  Rode the Flooded Mine then got in a ride on Fire in the Hole.  Was going to watch the 2pm show at the Saloon but it was cancelled- not sure if that was lack of crowd or something else.  Ate Apple Dumplings (which they were selling at 3 different locations) then got in line for the train.  Line was backed up to the top of the corkscrew path but we managed to get on the second train ride of the day.  Rode the Shootout 2 more times and then went looking in shops.  Of course almost all rides were shut down due to the low temps and light freezing rain falling through the day.  Ate Salad/Dessert bar at Reunion Hall- 7.99 for all you can eat which isn't bad considering my wife got a Salad at Lumbercamp in October and it was 8.00 by itself.  We planned on going to the Dickens Show and Frontier Follies after our early dinner but was told the park would be closing at 5:45 due to weather coming in.  We went for another quick ride on Fire in the Hole and walked around looking at lights and drank some Wassail.  Saw some friends from church that got there around 4:45 and only had an hour to do anything.  They said that they were in line for the train but they shut it down before they could ride.  With our Season Passes we weren't really out any money but I would imagine they were some very unhappy customers with the early closing.  Branson ended up getting around a half an inch of snow.

[HumphreyHawk]

My final trip review of 2016:

Hit the park on Wednesday 12/21 around it's 1pm opening.  Weather was brisk in the 50 to 40s but really perfect for this season.  We used our final 'bring a friend' passes and toured the park with another family with kids all around the same age.  So we had 4 adults and 10 kids ages 13 to 18 months.  Ended up being one of the better SDC experiences ever!!

Highlights:
Kids love TnT.....bigger kids rode it at least 6 times....once at first then 4-5x in the dark.  All but one adult and the littlest one ended out riding at least once.  It is such a great family ride and extra fun in the dark
I took a few of the braver kids (none of my own:() to do the giant swing, OR, and PK....it was fun to see them ride them for the first time
I got to ride PK right at sunset....Such a beautiful site to blast off toward a gorgeous sky and skyline....really an incredible experience.
FL, GE, and FM where big hits with the kids - those sections and ride are so important to families with little ones - kids loved getting to ride them with friends

Other Notes:
That clearing is huge!!!  Pics don't do it justice.  The ravine between TnT and EH has sooooo much potential.  Footers are all over the place.   It's pretty obvious that those green pinic table area will have to go.  I hope the park creates another place like it because it's one of only a couple spots in the whole park a family like ours can sit together to eat outside of a resturant.
Saw "Wonderful Life" - thought is good....cast was good....nothing negative to say except I just wasn't into the story or the music that much
Park was pretty busy but not too crowded....most rides where running well and the kid areas where not too overloaded - nothing more depressing for a coaster rider than to spend 30-45min waiting for your kid to ride the frogs before you get to go to the coasters...lol

Lowlights:
Missed the Saloon Show, FiTH, and Train   schedule just didn't work out
Wildfire was running only one train and operations was dragging....line as out the station and up the hill.  Timed it that only one train was leaving per 10 mins....had to abandon ship on it:(  First time I'd been where PK was running better than WF
No apple turnovers at the end of the day but the worst part of the whole trip.....I WITNESSED AN ELDERLY LADY PURCHASE THE LAST CINNAMON BREAD OF THE DAY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!!!  I thought of offer her $10 bucks for it.....guess I shouldn't wait till 8:30pm to get it.  Not sure if we'll be back next year so it might be a long wait till I get it again:(

[Gilligan]

Sorry about the cinnamon bread.  That's just awful!

[shavethewhales]

The cinnamon bread is one of those things that should be fairly easy to make at home... if you know what you are doing and have one of those little bread makers. Otherwise, cinnamon pull apart bread recipes can get pretty close: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pull-apart-cinnamon-bread.html

Wildfire's operations were a joke toward the end of this year. I saw the same 10 min dispatches on both of my visits during Christmastime. I know one of the trains is riding worse than the other as well, so maybe there are maintenance issues cropping up and they are trying to slow down so they can limp to the end of the year before they overhaul the trains? The long season is rough on them.

[Injun Joe]

Injun Joe here making up for lost time with my first Christmas visit and second visit in the same year (a first for me), after a very long hiatus (see my last post, a trip review from June). So I arrived shortly after the 1pm open on Dec 8th, a frigid but dry day.   I believe it was well below freezing from open to close, the train was open but the tram from the lot was more than enough wind in the face for me.   That's ok,  I was here for the other stuff.

First stop: the leather goods store for the exact hat I was looking for, at a very reasonable price too!  Next off to the Dickens show. 

Wonderful!  A standing o from a very near full house.  Next, I headed towards the J-j-jimmy Stewart show.  But first I wondered into the Christmas tree ornament sales building.   This was awesome.   It was very crowded and I didn't have the time to peruse all the trees carefully,  but I found some cool ornaments for my Texan sister from a western tree, and an exquisite nativity carving in a branch.   Plus some Santa earrings for my niece.  I downed a tasty hot dog and quickly chilled fries outside the Hall and then headed inside.

I'd never been in the Heritage Hall.  It appears to be a little more flexible than the more luxurious opera house.   Once again, another nearly full house.  This production was also well received.  I enjoyed the slightly abstract set and the moving ending,  but liked the Christmas Carol just a bit more,  this time anyway.  I'd gladly watch both again. 

Afterwards,  I wandered a bit heading to the square looking at the now lit lights, which were amazing.   I missed the tree lighting,  but got some pictures and headed down to the Outfitters for a knife for my nephew.   Time was flying by and I decided to forego the saloon show for another time and instead catch the last nativity show (I don't recall the proper name). I tried a cookie s'more from across the way while waiting for the parade. The roasted marshmallows frankly, would have been better alone on this cold eve.   But the parade coming down heart attack hill was cool enough to warm even a penguin's spirits.  I absolutely loved it.   It moved a little briskly but on this night,  no one was complaining.  I just wish I had more time!  I could have went inside somewhere and ate something good!   Most people started heading for the exit around this time it seemed (oh 630ish I'd venture).

As I headed to the Riverfront Playhouse, I saw the show at the Dockside was going on despite the sub freezing temperatures.   Understandably, the crowd was nearly bigger on stage.   I felt really bad for the performers.   Strangely, I didn't feel such for the outside shopkeepers,  although in retrospect,  I really think they should have just closed and cancelled the stuff outside.  Earlier I noticed the children's show at the Boatworks going on and thinking those must be some snotty nosed brats by now.   I guess I'm just a pansy nowadays,  but seriously,  it was collllllld.

I stopped in the White River Mercantile and the two nice ladies helped me pick out a nice gift for my niece.   At the Huss Gallery, I found a nice print to have personalized for my folks for a very nice price.   I was sorry to hear the artist,  Mr. Ron Huss, had passed away last year.   Hopefully,  they find someone to carry on the trade,  as a painter at work would be cool to witness. I had it sent to the front and headed to the porch at the Playhouse where a meager crowd was waiting.   

After being let in,  we waited in relative (to the opera house and heritage hall) cold as an intimate crowd of about 50 trickled in for the last performance of the day.  I thought the show and performance,  though awfully short,  was great.  There was quite a bit of good stuff going on here,  but 15 more minutes of material wouldn't have killed anyone. The theatre itself,  which I had also never entered was pretty awesome too.   The pews were nice and comfy.

Quick stop for some apple butter and t.o.e. jam (tangerine, orange, elderberry) for mom.  LOL.  And another quick stop for some genuine SDC taffy for the office. (They scarfed it down). A bit of perusing at the HH waiting for my print and then thankfully,  a bus this time back to the lot.

I always wanted to do a shopping spree at SDC and I left with many of those brown bags I love.  Overall,  just a great time for about 7 brrrrrrriliant hours of SDC.

Thanks for another great day (and night!),  HFE.  I'll post more later about the rest of my trip to Branson in that thread,  including the breathtaking newly remodeled IMAX theater and the film I saw there,  Ozarks Legends and Legacy plus my trip to the top of the wheel!

[sanddunerider]

Looks like a great trip, good report, thanks

[cowboy]

Just a quick review of our trip on Dec. 26th and a few notes.

1. The park had a large crowd, but it wasn't so large that it was miserable.
2. Wildfire had a very long line, used upstairs queue, was out the door....but kids wanted to ride, so we stayed in line. The line moved, but we waited over an hour. The ride itself felt much better and smoother than when I rode this summer....no headache this time.
3. Flooded Mine line began at the train station, but moved quickly, seemed to be a popular ride that day.
4. Outlaw Run had a little trouble in the early part of the day, but was running two trains at night and there wasn't a line. I can't express how awesome this ride is at night when you are completely blinded by the darkness. This was my best coaster ride ever.
5. The sausage in the calico skillet was awful - it was bone dry and something was just off (seasonings, texture, something wasn't right).
6. The candle shop seemed very bare - not much holiday selection of items and stock was very low. Are they doing something with this shop?
7. The welding shop was bare of Christmas items too. We've purchased quite a bit of decorations from this shop in the past, but there wasn't much of anything left on Dec. 26th.
8. I heard SDC staff talk about how many guest they are turning away from "It's a Wonderful Life" - they were saying they turned away over 400 people at the last show.

Oh, and I left my sunglasses on top of the cubbies at Thunderation.........after a while I realized what I had done and went back, they were still there! But I think that commends the cliental that visits SDC. I have had items stolen from me in other parks, and here, I've never had a problem......even when I tempted fate with my own stupidity.

Overall, our visit was a great one. We rode all the rides we wanted to, shopped all the shops we love, got some great after Christmas deals, etc......just didn't have time for any shows this time around.

Jay

[shavethewhales]

Interesting that both Wonderful Life and Flooded mine seem to be randomly popular one day, then deserted the next. Though with it being cold that would help out both.

Waiting in line an hour for Wildfire is something I'd do for pure nostalgia at this point. That only happens what, like 5 times a year?

[sanddunerider]

Just a quick review of our trip on Dec. 26th and a few notes.

1. The park had a large crowd, but it wasn't so large that it was miserable.
2. Wildfire had a very long line, used upstairs queue, was out the door....but kids wanted to ride, so we stayed in line. The line moved, but we waited over an hour. The ride itself felt much better and smoother than when I rode this summer....no headache this time.
3. Flooded Mine line began at the train station, but moved quickly, seemed to be a popular ride that day.
4. Outlaw Run had a little trouble in the early part of the day, but was running two trains at night and there wasn't a line. I can't express how awesome this ride is at night when you are completely blinded by the darkness. This was my best coaster ride ever.
5. The sausage in the calico skillet was awful - it was bone dry and something was just off (seasonings, texture, something wasn't right).
6. The candle shop seemed very bare - not much holiday selection of items and stock was very low. Are they doing something with this shop?
7. The welding shop was bare of Christmas items too. We've purchased quite a bit of decorations from this shop in the past, but there wasn't much of anything left on Dec. 26th.
8. I heard SDC staff talk about how many guest they are turning away from "It's a Wonderful Life" - they were saying they turned away over 400 people at the last show.

Oh, and I left my sunglasses on top of the cubbies at Thunderation.........after a while I realized what I had done and went back, they were still there! But I think that commends the cliental that visits SDC. I have had items stolen from me in other parks, and here, I've never had a problem......even when I tempted fate with my own stupidity.

Overall, our visit was a great one. We rode all the rides we wanted to, shopped all the shops we love, got some great after Christmas deals, etc......just didn't have time for any shows this time around.

Jay

Nice trip it sounds like, considering the crowd that day,...

[Preachin_Bill]

The bad thing about not waiting in line is you don't get to see all the theme stuff.
I can go gawk at it, but then I just look weird...