I've posted an official Old Time Christmas update here -> http://sdcfans.com/gallery.php?g=15
Of note:
- The parking lot is still iffy, but at least lot AC is now open... mostly.
- The Big Skillet is back! There was a fire a couple of weeks ago and it was removed for a short time.
- Wow, I couldn't believe how much the dug out of the Landing for the 2010 Splash Battle ride. You'll be able to spit from the train onto the ride once it's complete, that's how close it is to the station.
- Possums!
For being Black Friday, it wasn't terribly crowded, but it's always hard to tell because of the way crowds are managed at SDC. Anyone have an official number?
^Cool! Thanks for the update and pics! I love the new portrait in Grandfather's Mansion! :D
The big skillet was there the day before Thanksgiving, so it's at least been back by then.
I am going this weekend. I can't wait. I am taking a friend that has never been to SDC. I know she will love it.
^This is a great festival for newbies! It's priceless to watch their faces as they see the park decked out for the season! :D
Quote from: oklaSDCfan on December 02, 2008, 05:18:25 PM
I am going this weekend. I can't wait. I am taking a friend that has never been to SDC. I know she will love it.
What? You're not going to KC for the ballgame?
Thanks for the pictures Steve!! They were great!
Had a Great time at SDC this weekend. With over 21,000 people in the park there were no bad lines to wait in unless you wanted to see a Christmas Carol but even that line I only waited 20 min. I had heard people complain about the parking and the new roads but I really never had any problems with that. We parked in Lot C and had no real waiting for even a Tram. They were so ready for the crowd that they had the Frisco Silver Dollar Line leaving every 10 min. We rode every ride we wanted several times. Heck I think we rode FITH 20 times. Thanks Copper for the last ride.... It was the highlight of my trip.
My friend said on Saturday they had 20,000 people there by noon, and he had to park next to the Notch Inn (some people had to park in Branson West). It took him an hour to leave the park by bus at 9:00 p.m.
I posted this under the wrong topic on Saturday night- I wasn't too happy at the time. I'm calmer now. I heard that the park can accomodate 25,000. I do not want to be there if there are that many people there:
"Okay, so SDC had over 20,000 people in the park on Saturday. Are they so stupid as to think that they handle that many people? Do they think that an hour wait to leave the park, not load onto a tram, but to exit from the Christmas tree to the exit turn stile is acceptable? Do they think that it is acceptable to host a special guest company and cancel two of the Nativity shows as a result? Saturday was a monumental blunder for SDC. Hopefully, they will learn from this terribly executed day."
Quote from: saladdays on December 02, 2008, 01:37:10 PM
The big skillet was there the day before Thanksgiving, so it's at least been back by then.
Hey there Saladdays, I was there on Wednesday too!!!!
By the way, the new linticular portraits (I saw at least two) in Grandfather's Mansion are very cool!
Quote from: betamike on December 08, 2008, 05:55:13 PM
Hey there Saladdays, I was there on Wednesday too!!!!
;)
I'm going on the 20th, just praying it won't be freezing. Think i'm gonna go through marvel cave for the first time in my 10 years of SDC..ing
^Enjoy Marvel Cave. It really is a wondrous place, not to mention the entire reason SDC was built in the first place. :)
Yup, just gonna get past all my phobias and feed the love of history...I think
We took over 300 pics this past weekend in Hi-Def. Will try to sort through those and get an update up mid-week. The light photos turned out amazing.
Question as I scope out a spot for the parade- Does it start in Grand Expo area both times or during the second parade does it start out at fire in hole and travel back to grand expo?
It starts at GE both times. Unless you've got young kids with you, I actually suggest skipping the first parade, then getting a spot close to GE for the second one. It's really tough to get a view of the first parade, but everyone leaves afterwards so the second one is great, especially closer to the GE where there are less people. You get a lot more handshakes from the characters. ;)
We even did the first one by the GE, and it was still not bad crowd-wise.
I remember probably 2 years ago being a little disapointed at the parade, but I don't remember much about it so...maybe I wasn't that disapointed, anyway, the lighting ceremony for the tree is always pretty amazing.
THE 20th-AANNUAL "AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS" AT SILVER DOLLAR CITY
Photos taken December 13th, 2008
See the entire update here: http://www.midwestinfoguide.com/festivals/christmas/night08/
"Gift of Christmas Parade"
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/2.jpg)
"Blue Christmas" Tree
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/7.jpg)
Kringle Krossing
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/11.jpg)
Toy Store Passing
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/12.jpg)
Geyser Gulch
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/15.jpg)
"Christmas on Main Street"
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/30.jpg)
"Christmas on Main Street"
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa109/Dustijn/ptr/otc/32.jpg)
*An Old Time Christmas started in 1988 as the "12-Days of Christmas"*
^Wow! Those pictures turned out great. Thanks for the update!
Just got back to the cabin a little while ago- temp when we left OTC as 12 degrees. Plus side was no one in the park really from 6:30 on. It was so cold the restrooms in Molly Mills were frozen- got to go through the kitchen to use other restrooms. Also credit card machines affected by cold in hospitality house and not reading credit cards correctly and some phone lines down.
I am staying at the Wilderness at SDC and the today the lady called an extension that gives immediate attendance figures- at 1:30 there were 431 people in the park with 8,000 plus estimated- I don't think they got close to that. The day before (Saturday) the estimate was for 13,000 and they had over 18,000. If only we could dial up that extension.
Great pics Swoosh! How do you get those great pics? Know matter what program I use on my camera my pictures always wash out and only show a hint of lights. I always want to take a picture of my kids around the lights and use the picture of them as our Christmas card, but with my lack of skills the pictures might as well be in front of our modest lights instead of SDC's magnificent display.
On the 20th we sat in line for an hour and 45 minutes to see dickens and it was about 14...degrees...blech..but TOTALLY worth it. I've done lighting for 3 different professional productions of the show and the SDC was the most enjoyable i'd ever seen, far as it may be from traditional, it was great. Then we took the last ride on the FSDL...I can't imagine how "Grandpa" sat out there for the shows, but all I could think was...lets see just how fast the nativity story can be told...not that fast apperently
Phew, I have got to read my posts before I post them, this is my second time editing
^I've seen Dickens many times, and it never gets old. It's a fantastic production!