Numbers today

[sirwillow]

Heading out there today with my daughter.  Optimistic it will be a light crowd today.

[HumphreyHawk]

Final number for sat 23,500.

That is 2x the population of the city of Branson (est 11,800 in the city, 83,000 metro).  Easily making SDC the largest city in the area for a few hours a every weekend.

[Gilligan]

SirWillow, did you have a good time?  Hubs and I went, and it was great.  Parking lots were full, and no handicap parking was available, but it didn't really seem that crowded.  The longest line I saw was for kettle corn and the curly potato things on a stick.  We walked on the last train ride of the day.  It was edgy leaving, but people in line to buy things were intermixed with people trying to exit which slowed things to a crawl.  I overheard an employee with a clipboard talking to other employees telling them they'd be giving up their parking area today and needed to be in Branson West for pick up to work.  With weather in mid 60's I predict today will be a cluster.

[sirwillow]

SirWillow, did you have a good time?  Hubs and I went, and it was great.  Parking lots were full, and no handicap parking was available, but it didn't really seem that crowded.  The longest line I saw was for kettle corn and the curly potato things on a stick.  We walked on the last train ride of the day.  It was edgy leaving, but people in line to buy things were intermixed with people trying to exit which slowed things to a crawl.  I overheard an employee with a clipboard talking to other employees telling them they'd be giving up their parking area today and needed to be in Branson West for pick up to work.  With weather in mid 60's I predict today will be a cluster.

We had a great time.  Saw and did everything that we wanted to with no problems- Dickens, Saloon, Nativity, Outlaw Run, Powder Keg, Wildfire and more. Didnt' have problems with the crowds as they were quite manageable.  But you could also tell that they were getting ready to be huge later on this week. With many schools out starting today, yes, it's getting ready to start the ugly packed season where every day will be like last Saturday. Probably our last visit for the year.

[History Buff]

I overheard an employee with a clipboard talking to other employees telling them they'd be giving up their parking area today and needed to be in Branson West for pick up to work.  With weather in mid 60's I predict today will be a cluster.

Wait a cotton-pickin' minute!!!  Don't the citizens just live there?  Why would they even need a parking lot?

[Okiebenz]

Heard the count was 14175 at 4:30 today.

[Okiebenz]

We left about 5:20 and there was a line of cars circling back in past lot 6 to loop back around to try and find a spot. 76 was a parking lot all the way back up to the overlook just outside of Branson.

[sanddunerider]

WOW!!   Schools out + nice weather + Christmas at SDC  = PEOPLE!!!

as of 6:00,  over 20,000 people..

[shavethewhales]

It sounds like absolute insanity out there right now. All lots are full and people who have been in line for two hours are being turned away. This isn't the first time this year either...

Something has to give here. Why are they spending so much on this new coaster when customers can't even get into the park? They need to be thinking about parking garages... But the road needs several more lanes and an actual interchange as well like DW has.

Just madness. I don't think it's even a good thing to be this busy at this point either because so many customers are ticked off.

[DianaGail]

Anna has a double ear infection so we didn’t go.  Thank goodness we didn’t.

[Okiebenz]

I heard they were hoping to hit 11k today. I guess they beat that!

[Okiebenz]

They did have a post on their FB page about the lots being full, and they were getting slammed with a bunch of upset people who have been stuck in traffic for 2-3 hours trying to get it.  Looks like they removed the post.  It looks like the out of control crowds are starting to cause them to get a lot of bad reviews.

[sanddunerider]

Yes, Expecting 11,000 people....  LOL.  SURPRISE!!

Friends of mine in the Branson area were posting and making comments about the 2-3 drive wait line as well...  (so much for the new hiway work on 76 fising that problem, lol).

No info on how long wait was "after" they got parked, and were able to get into the park...

FINAL Number for Thursday..... 24,000 people..!!    ...    (i am a little surprised at 4,000 people going in after 6pm.)

[mhguy77]

 So how much would it cost at Christmas to rent the Grand Palace parking lot and run a few busses between?  Its a good distance but I am trying to think of a closer spot to park lots of people.  It is out of hand on busy days and I am not the only one on this board that has done a U'ey on 76 because of the crowds and difficulty I knew I would find on the end of the road.  Great for SDC to be packed but not so good for customers.  They are going to have to do something to break people up when they get in the park.  Spread them out.  Christmas in MidTown assisted to clear the square, I remember not being able to walk through when the tree was "playing" this year not such a problem.  If they could get them to keep spreading out. 
Parking is a problem but when you pack the park like sardines the experience suffers.

[Pudgy Jones]

They need to invest in electronic messaging boards over Hwy 76 to update people on conditions. Once people make the turn onto Indian Point Road, they are stuck. At least if they could warn people on 76, they could have the option of going elsewhere.

I know it seems counter-productive for a business to turn customers away, but in a situation like this I would rather turn them away once rather than turn them away forever with a bad experience.