Author Topic: 2011 Trip Reviews  (Read 158631 times)

Ozark Outlaw

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #345 on: July 31, 2011, 12:32:14 PM »
It’s good to hear the Moonlight Madness reviews! I haven’t heard anything overwhelmingly negative which is a huge contrast from last year’s pop music fiasco. :P

rubedugans

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #346 on: July 31, 2011, 01:47:35 PM »
Two options...

Shoot it at the sensor on each boat....

The other one I know of raises your score...but I am not telling that one!

Duelist

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #347 on: July 31, 2011, 03:21:45 PM »
Two options...

Shoot it at the sensor on each boat....

The other one I know of raises your score...but I am not telling that one!

Sounds like a new game: "What in the Mine?"  :D
I'm Your Huckleberry

sanddunerider

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #348 on: July 31, 2011, 05:32:10 PM »
i am glad this years sounds so much better than last year..

MM last year had a lot of BAD reviews.!

palallin

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #349 on: August 01, 2011, 02:39:16 PM »
Well, the wife and I had a great kidless visit this past weekend.  My trip review for the previous weekend was pretty lengthy.  I just want to make note of a few impressions and some peculiar events here.

First thing Friday (12:30), we went to the Culinary School to reserve my Sweetie a slot for 11:00 Saturday.  The poor ladies there had to really struggle to make it happen.  I don’t know whether the computer was not working right, they were inexperienced, or something had changed.  They tried looking my wife up by her season pass, but it didn’t work, so they had to enter everything manually.  It was no big deal (if a little time consuming), but it seemed an inordinate amount of trouble when a handwritten name on a paper schedule could have done the same thing.  My wife was VERY pleased with the experience on Saturday, and I got to sample the pizza and the pasta-thingie they made.  Quite good!  Love the school house, BTW!!  Great showcase for the local craftsmen!

Poke Salad Mary’s needs a sign helping folks to find it ;-)

Watched some guest crafters at the woodcarver’s shop.  One will be at Wilson’s Creek in a couple weeks, so we’re looking forward to seeing her work again when we can get away from our unit.

We ate supper by the waterfall behind the Lumbercamp.  The ambient air temp must have been at least 15 degrees cooler than on the other side of the building.  Great place to eat on a hot day (or any day).

It’s just TOO easy to fill a bucket at Phoebe Snapps!

Ate the buffet again on Saturday morning.  It is great food and economical.

Some of the music at the gazebo at various times during the day gave us heartburn (and, judging by the expressions of the faces of the people running the sound in the booth, them, too).  I can’t stand hip-hop under any circumstances (horses for courses), but it is just plain WRONG at SDC.  Clogging?  Great Stuff!  Hip-Hop Dancing?  Not so much.

Hannah’s just makes the best ice cream in the world!  I refuse to admit in public (or, at least to my kids) how many scoops I had!

We saw the Mad Scientist show.  What a hoot!  GREAT way to get kids interested in something more substantial than iPods and computer games.  Talked to David Willie afterward and got his card.  The boys will have science projects to do this year, and we have some exciting ideas!

Late Saturday, a thunder shower rolled in, and, just as we were 5 minutes or so from boarding the boat in TLRotO, they shut down the ride, giving us the option of hanging around.  Five minutes later, however, we all had to evacuate.  So we spent the time at Hannah’s, the candle shop, and the furniture store.

I asked the guy in the furniture store if I got a free bookcase for finding the secret compartment without help, but I didn’t come home with one.  Darn!

Spent some time chatting with a new engineer on the Silver Dollar Line as we waited for the rides to start back up.  Nice young man.  Turns out we know some of the same trains ;-) We managed to get on the first train ride after the all-clear (not counting the test run without passengers).  One lady was very unhappy about the walking stick hanging onto the underside of the station roof, was convinced it would fall on her and, oh, I don’t know, eat her or something.  Kept going on and on about it.  I almost wished it would have dropped on her, just for the entertainment (not a charitable attitude, I know, but some people just need to get a grip).

When I gave Alfie some pocket change, he yelled, “Hey, Ralphie!  It’s working!”  Whole train load got a kick out of it.

Not knowing exactly when we’re gonna get back, leaving the park Saturday evening was a great deal harder than it had been the previous Saturday.  Bad case of post-SDC Blues.

sanddunerider

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #350 on: August 01, 2011, 02:52:07 PM »
sounds like a great trip//,  But you forgot to mention anything about the........


wait for it.....


here it comes.....


you know i have to ask......


Jacuzzi???? ;) ;) :o :o :o

palallin

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #351 on: August 01, 2011, 04:27:42 PM »
 :D  Ooops!  Sorry:  the report SHOULD be complete, after all.

Well, it didn't pan out.  By the time we called to upgrade our reservations, some family doing a reunion had snapped up all the jacuzzi suites  :-[ :'( :-[

There wasn't even room in the pool for us!   >:(

Oh, well:  the IMPORTANT part of the trip was very nice.

sanddunerider

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #352 on: August 01, 2011, 05:52:52 PM »
LOL!!!  tough break!  well better luck next time!!

Thanks for the complete review...

shavethewhales

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #353 on: August 09, 2011, 12:11:31 AM »
Had a great time at SDC this past weekend, but man, the park sure needs to work on their communcation issues and bad-weather procedures.

Got to Deer Run Hotel on Friday night so I could get up in the morning and catch the first shuttle of the day directly to the park. This may be one of the last times we stay at this hotel though. Nothing was too terrible about it, but for the price, it doesn't seem like the place is as up to snuff as it used to be. It was noisy, a bit dingy, and the rooms still look like they haven't been updated since the late seventies. It's not like being close to SDC helps that much anymore anyway since you can no longer really walk to the park from the hotel. Might have to try Eagles Lodge next time instead.

Anyway, onto the park: Saturday started out fantastic. Waited around in the main square for the hour before opening and headed down to PK at the gate drop. Got in a few rides before the crowds got there, then headed over to FITH for a ride there. I noticed that the Fireman's Cemetery is open again, and the graves look like they've been repainted. One of the old theming pieces nearby, a stagecoach, has also obviously been fixed up. Noticed more new props in FITH, but they might have been from last year's renovations that I didn't catch. The ride looks better than ever, but it is definitely very bumpy still. Hope they can work on that next somehow.

After that I wandered over to Half Dollar Holler to see it for the first time. Man, I'm impressed as usual. I know we all miss the quite hollow that used to be there, but you've got to admit the tree houses are really well done and fit the area cozily without making it too crowded. The architecture is playful, but not so much that it jars with the surrounding buildings and scenery like GG. I really appreciated the wood-shingle roofing. It's also a heck of a lot bigger than I expected. Looks like the kids really enjoy it.

Headed over to the Grand Expo next. The place keeps looking better every year as the trees continue to grow out and make a new canopy. I still shake my head when I reach the back though - a little more spacing between those back 4 rides would have gone a long way to reduce the "Six Flags" feel back there, but that's an old complaint...

Rode TNT. Still ticked about them doing away with the backwards cars, and I'm also disappointed at how rough its gotten again. At this rate I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they took it out for the new GCII. It holds a ton of nostalgia value for me, but it's quickly becoming less "special" in the park's line up of rides. I noticed they gave it it's own theme song though.

Spent a lot of time around the old homestead, watching the new log cabin craft, petting animals, and talking to the guy at the steam-powered lathe who told me all about how it worked. They had a really sweet old blood hound stationed there as well who just loved to be pet.

The train ride has gotten better than ever IMO. Seems like they're putting more effort into the skit, and the new sound system sure works a lot better. Had great performances both times I rode.

Don't have too many other notes that I can think of at the moment as far as specific rides are concerned. However, I do have a major bone to pick with the park concerning severe weather. The first storm of the day started at about 6pm when the clouds suddenly moved in and a massive storm developed out of nowhere with torrential rain and a short burst of hail. I rode it out in the second story of the lumbercamp eatery. My mother, however, was taking a bus back into the park at the time. The driver stopped at the entrance and everyone stayed on of course, as the hail was just getting started. He waited there a few minutes, then he simply started driving off again. My mom had to stand up and shout, "excuse me, but aren't you going to let us off?", apparently he was kind of rude and clueless and acted like he couldn't see why a bus load of people with little kids didn't want to step out in a hail storm. When it turned 7 and the shops started to close, there was apparently some confusion a bit of anger as shop-keepers had to boot hundreds of people out of the shops and into the rain. Luckily it tapered off pretty quick, but it took the park over an hour to open the rides and attractions back up.

Once the sun dropped, people POURED into the park to ride rides. Wildfire's queue stretched all the way to the entrance of the American Plunge. I don't know how much of the station they had open, but either way, that's a heck of a queue for that ride. Somehow the other rides weren't near as bad though. I got in a couple rides on PK in the dark which were amazing, especially with the backdrop of a huge line of lightning and thunder that was rolling in. Some of the best rides I've ever had on it.

About 9:45, the rides shut down again as a second line of storms moved in, this time much larger. This is where it really struck me how odd it is that SDC still has little more than dingy queue fences at the front tram-drop off and not any type of shelter at all. Hundreds of people had to stand there in line for the trams and buses in torrential rain and very close lightning strikes. I ended up waiting under the little employee awning with a few other guests - that's the only shelter in the entire area after you exit the marketplace! In 50 years, have they not thought to put in a little shelter at the main tram waiting areas? I would have hated to see what would have happened if it started hailing again right then, with all the little kids around. There was a whole lot of cursing directed toward the park that night...

Sunday was a lot less crowded. Not much else to say about it. Both days were crazily hot though, probably my hottest visit to SDC. I was grateful for Tom and Huck's Riverblast, and once again sorely missed Splash Harbor.

Junior

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #354 on: August 09, 2011, 07:45:08 AM »
Nice review!
"Howdy there folks! My name is Junior Dugan, and I'll be drivin' your diving bell!"

sanddunerider

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #355 on: August 09, 2011, 08:01:52 AM »
Nice!  sounds like a good trip for you,

 sorry i missed you sunday morning, But had a little trouble getting motivated sunday morngin after doing driving to branson, and then doing 2 shows  Maybe next time.

shavethewhales

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #356 on: August 09, 2011, 07:53:37 PM »
No problem sanddunerider, there's always next time.

I got my photos up here: http://sdcfans.com/photos/feat/19/

I had to be selective since I took so many this time, but there's still 3 pages worth.

Ozark Outlaw

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #357 on: August 10, 2011, 12:22:00 AM »
Awesome trip review shave! :)

It’s good to know that with the improvements last year, and the recent renovations at the cemetery, that Fire in the Hole is here to stay for several more generations! As time marches on, you never know when a theme park will rip out a classic.

You brought up some really great points about Half Dollar Holler. From the beginning, I asked myself will it keep with the theme, and will it fit into an already crowded area? You answered both of those questions spot on. It is nice to hear that Half Dollar Holler is such a welcomed addition to the park.

Thunderation is definitely a classic. I couldn’t imagine them removing it anytime soon. It works so well for the area. Although, it is for sure Thunderation’s turn for some updates, and improvements. No question about it. I’m indifferent when it comes to the backward faces cars as I never rode them anyway.

You mentioned the train ride was better than ever, and even included a new skit. Could you elaborate? Someone mentioned a week ago, or so that the “ma” part was left out, and the skit seemed rushed. What was your in depth take on it?

In regards to your mother’s tram ride, perhaps the driver wanted to take everyone back to their cars figuring they didn’t want to go into the park anymore? :P

Also, I can understand the confusion with the shops, especially if it is raining. Most people probably don’t realize that everything but the rides close during Moonlight Madness.

And too, I agree that the Marketplace exit area needs a better shelter area. I suppose Silver Dollar City just assumes guest will stay inside the Marketplace until the weather passes.

Overall, it sounds like you had a great trip despite the rain! You took some great pictures. My favorite was of the squirrel that plopped flat onto the ground. :D

Thanks for sharing! ;D

shavethewhales

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #358 on: August 10, 2011, 11:50:41 AM »
You mentioned the train ride was better than ever, and even included a new skit. Could you elaborate? Someone mentioned a week ago, or so that the “ma” part was left out, and the skit seemed rushed. What was your in depth take on it?

Thanks Ozark

The skit is the same as always, but with minor ad lib changes as usual. It never seemed rushed to me, though I never heard them do the "ma" bit. They did do a few other bits that were new though, can't remember them specifically. Overall the whole thing felt like it went at a natural pace and was clear, friendly, and fun - exactly as it should be.

biscuitcreek

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Re: 2011 Trip Reviews
« Reply #359 on: August 12, 2011, 05:51:49 PM »
I think the tram waiting area could be much better, too.  It's also miserable in the heat of the summer when the temps are high and the sun is beating down (NO SHADE) and you have to wait 30 minutes for a tram.