Messages

16

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 27, 2018, 03:21:06 PM »

Not to mention all the insurance/safety issues. Getting into the boats always felt crazy. No other raft ride had that kind of station setup, as I recall.

I'm just surprised they are doing this so quickly and quitely. No media announcement or hints during the recent 2019 announcements. Going to be a surprise for many next year.
I guess it makes sense to start ASAP... Get as much clearing done now so there is less impact next year. And they don't want to put people off coming next season, so best to keep it quiet until at least the summer. Just feels unlike SDC for such a storied old ride to silently get the axe.

I'd still rather they worked on the entrance than the riverfront. It is a pretty tightly crowded area sometimes, but it's also nice and wooded and just has a nice feel to it. They did a good job with the area around TT, so I'm sure it will be nice.

17

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 25, 2018, 08:39:46 PM »

Intriguing. I would have assumed they would wait till next year. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

If they took it out without warning, it would be interesting to see the blow back from guests about not even getting a heads-up. Maybe it will impact their thinking about wildly replacing things.

18

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 24, 2018, 10:21:15 AM »

Grinches, everyone. 

The parade is a tight fit, but it's very fun and inventive for a park like SDC. I wish they could expand the pinchpoints just a little, and am still scratching my head over the new area that actually added a big pinch point, but oh well.

19

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: 2018 Trip Reports

« on: October 24, 2018, 10:19:15 AM »

For costumes, I don't let a few little things done for comfort get in the way of the experience. I'm glad they still wear as much costuming as they do. Shoes are practically a human rights issue these days if you are on your feet all day. Forcing them to wear uncomfortable shoes is a good way to get people to quit, or even worse - unionize. Theoretically they could provide employees a comfortable, less conspicuous shoe style, but I'm sure it's cost-prohibitive.

As for merch, it comes and goes. It's all based on whatever they think will sell, so send them your thoughts. What sells this year will impact what they have the next.

20

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Season Pass Survey

« on: October 24, 2018, 10:15:52 AM »

It doesn't sound like a bad thing to me. If you want the ability to come the entire year, get the main season pass like always. They have at least two big issues here that they want to address:
1) Weekends are outrageously crowded during Christmas. To the point that they are having to shut the gates early and turn people away. At some point you have to raise the prices to meet some kind of market equilibrium. The crowds are good in one sense, but at this point it is a traffic/safety nightmare and it negatively impacts the experiences of all guests.
2) People are always clamoring for cheaper SDC passes and tickets. The "Steal-your-dollar-city" dig has gone on forever, and with prices rising it's only going to get worse as more of the working class in this area get priced out of SDC. This is a way to address that portion of the market and make everyone happy.

21

White Water Discussion / Re: White Water Development

« on: October 22, 2018, 09:08:09 PM »

Oh wow, I completely missed when the TIF for the big water park was voted down. After the commision voted to recommend, I assumed it was in the bag.

For anyone else who missed it: https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/04/25/developer-considers-alternate-locations-water-park-after-branson-denies-tax-breaks/551358002/

From skimming some articles, it sounds like typical Branson tribalism. All the little mom and pop places banded together and kept the big players out. It will be the death of them, but eventually capitalism will run it's course and Branson will implode when younger generations turn up their nose at what Branson is currently offering outside of SDC. This would have been a game changer.

I guess that's even less pressure for White Water to change. Honestly, HFEC was probably involved in swaying some opinions as well. They are mercilessly protective of their Branson interests.

I still assume White Water can't be doing that well though... I could be wrong, haven't been by to check in years.

22

White Water Discussion / Re: White Water Development

« on: October 19, 2018, 08:47:30 PM »

So no word about anything for White Water today... If they were to get something, it would be a second announcement in either early Nov. or Spring before opening. Not sure if I see them doing that.

Something's gotta give eventually, right? The new $440+ million water park down the strip is going to start construction next year.

23

Branson Talk / Re: New Attraction for Branson. A Cross north of town on 65.

« on: October 19, 2018, 08:36:43 PM »

^You can make your points without bashing those who follow religion. We need to keep it friendly here, even if we disagree.

24

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: Six BEST Rides at Silver Dollar City

« on: October 19, 2018, 08:35:41 PM »

Welcome John! Great videos, thanks for sharing. Love the production quality and there's a lot of really nice scenes of general SDC ambiance that most reviewers skim over.

25

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 19, 2018, 12:42:31 PM »

Heh I was right on about the Pumpkin Festival and it's presumed location. It will be a good fit for GE.

lol, yeah and I was right about them doing a "year of shows", though it wasn't much of a leap from the teasers and previous year's of emphasis. 

I would guess that the Woodland Hike thing at GE is going to be a small trail around the perimeter from the gate at the insect rides to the gate by the elephants. If you look on google maps you can see where it could go, though the topography is a little steep at certain points. This will probably be something like a trick or treat trail or maybe just a bunch of pumpkins in the woods.

26

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 19, 2018, 10:46:03 AM »

The Lost River thing is certainly a big rumor at the moment, as are some other things. We'll see what happens with that later in 2019. I presume there will be walls up in August if that pans out.

As for crafters, they probably have to get more nuanced with them due to declining quantity and quality of actual crafters. People don't necessarily want to park it at SDC for a month or more anymore. Focusing on bigger names on a weekly basis may be a good strategy. Gives them more spotlight.

27

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 19, 2018, 09:49:40 AM »

AWESOME. This is everything I wanted from a year dedicated to shows. If I were in charge, this is literally exactly how I would have laid it out.

The new pumpkin festival sounds like it has been well thought out and isn't just DW's Luminights plopped into SDC. I love the emphasis on daytime crafts and the new Lumberjack show with the pumpkins being a nightly thing.

The new summer broadway style show has me super excited as well. Like I was saying earlier, I want to see more of these really well produced shows at SDC. I'm excited to see how another big non-Christmas show will do.

As a Bluegrass fan, Bluegrass Nights has me excited. I hope Ricky is coming back for this. I know the Country nights will be popular as well.

AND they're keeping Wonderful Life? Cherry on top.

Honestly, I might end up at SDC 10+ times next year... not a small feat for me since I live ~4 hours away and have to get a hotel or camp.

28

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 17, 2018, 09:25:55 PM »

What if it's a bunch of shows: New Festival of Wonder headliner, big summer series, maybe Ricky Skaggs coming back for Bluegrass and BBQ, and then the Wonderful Life replacement. Didn't they have a rock concert this summer that was pretty well attended? Plus you have the big Christian bands for the young Christians weekend. Could be a "year of shows" just like the year of food and the year of crafts.

I'll hold out a little hope for something to be announced ride-related, but I was never really expecting much for 2019. If they add a ride, chances are it will be for young kids. I think the big rehabs will cost enough and be extensive enough that it will take till 2020 for the first one to open, even if they start working on it in 2019.

29

Construction/Rumors / Re: SDC's 2019 Project(s) and Park Developments

« on: October 17, 2018, 02:23:22 PM »

lol, I just realized how long it's been since I even thought about White Water. This SHOULD be a year for them to get a new attraction. It's been forever, and it's presumably an "off" year for SDC.

As for the rumors of a water ride at SDC being replaced... we'll see. I'd be surprised if they announce that this week since you don't want people to skip a year to come back when the new ride is ready. That's why they always keep mum about new coasters even when they are half-built a year in advance. Plus, I am still thinking they might go a different direction and rehabilitate something else, like FM or FiTH.

We're probably just going to get show/festival announcements, but there's some possibilities here.

30

General Silver Dollar City Talk / Re: SDC announcement on friday

« on: October 16, 2018, 08:12:03 AM »

Wasn't being testy, it's just part of standard forum procedures to direct people into consolidated threads. I'm sorry if I came off that way.