2011 Trip Reviews

mhguy77 · July 06, 2011, 09:24:54 AM

QuotePK was just different, they were very much absorbed in talking and joking with each other and not engaging to the riders at all.

I concur, I have felt this was the attitude for some time. They don't engage the guests in conversation, PK was also the worst offender of playing off theme music in the Q.

sanddunerider · July 06, 2011, 10:26:53 AM

It is the "kids" they are hiring, and obviously not training properly.. to The hired help it is just a summer job!

Ozark Outlaw · July 06, 2011, 12:28:40 PM

Unfortunately, management probably hires the ride operators based on ability to secure a harness rather than interacting with guest.

Perhaps Silver Dollar City could work on this issue by assigning at least one experienced ride operator to also handle guest interactions, and character development.

orient express · July 06, 2011, 01:08:42 PM

Quote from: Ozark BBQ on July 06, 2011, 12:28:40 PM
Unfortunately, management probably hires the ride operators based on ability to secure a harness

and they have started really being rough with people. never fails they always come back by after the harness is secure and smash it down on a few people. i understand why they do that but still..

How-doFolks · July 06, 2011, 07:47:22 PM

great review saloongal! very informative & kept me excited.

Junior · July 06, 2011, 09:02:40 PM

Well, the attitudes of the young kids working on park mirrors society at large...I can say this honestly...when my generation worked on park we took pride in working at SDC and very much enjoyed the guest interactions and playing characters from the 1880s. We were excited about working for the best company in town and did our best each day to provide a good time at work for guests and employees.

jmc75 · July 06, 2011, 10:04:45 PM

Now I can not speak for PK but the last couple times we have been to the park the ride operators have been great with interacting with us and my little one. I can account for the small rides at GE,FM,GG,FIH,LROFO,and most other. I wonder if sometimes it has to do with the amount of people they have in the line

Ozark Outlaw · July 06, 2011, 11:55:06 PM

Also I am assuming that the park does hire extra ride operators for the summer months? I am just guessing, and perhaps my assumption is wrong. If that is the case however, then that is probably the major contributing factor. To them it's just a temporary summer job to pay a cell phone bill.

My last experience was probably neutral. None of the ride operators really captivated my attention, but they did their job effectively, and without much fuss.

saloongal · July 07, 2011, 07:47:52 AM

Quote from: jmc75 on July 06, 2011, 10:04:45 PM
Now I can not speak for PK but the last couple times we have been to the park the ride operators have been great with interacting with us and my little one. I can account for the small rides at GE,FM,GG,FIH,LROFO,and most other. I wonder if sometimes it has to do with the amount of people they have in the line

Agree whole heartedly with you. The ride ops in the GE are outstanding. THe guy who does the "wee oo weee oo" sounds gets my kids rolling with laughter, the people back there know what their target audience is and they play to it. FITH has some of the best ride ops and the do a particularly good job of staying in character, FM same thing. I hope I didn't over generalize my statements, I should have been more direct about where I noticed the problem.

sanddunerider · July 07, 2011, 08:54:33 AM

AND if you think about it most of the operators at FITH, GE, FM are seasoned help. As well as the Train. And the saloon.

Seems like the younger crowd works at PK,WF,AP,TNT........ hmmm? maybe we are onto something here

Joy · July 07, 2011, 02:57:31 PM

Quote from: saloongal on July 07, 2011, 07:47:52 AM
The ride ops in the GE are outstanding. THe guy who does the "wee oo weee oo" sounds gets my kids rolling with laughter,

Oh, I know who you're talking about! He was operating the elephant ride when I was last there. I was enjoying his banter to the kids on the ride while I was filming my friends on the regatta.

thelarsonsix · July 07, 2011, 05:58:30 PM

Quote from: tinaalsgirl on July 07, 2011, 02:57:31 PM
Quote from: saloongal on July 07, 2011, 07:47:52 AM
The ride ops in the GE are outstanding. THe guy who does the "wee oo weee oo" sounds gets my kids rolling with laughter,

Oh, I know who you're talking about! He was operating the elephant ride when I was last there. I was enjoying his banter to the kids on the ride while I was filming my friends on the regatta.

I knew exactly who you're talking about too! Last time we were there he was running the carousel at HDH, first time I'd seen him outside of GG.

Tony from Tulsa · July 09, 2011, 10:05:12 AM

I'll keep this short. We arrived at the park last Friday at 3:00, had a blast, rode a few rides with my daughter. I rode Fire In The Hole for the first time in thirty years! Fun. Came back the next day at opening, stayed all day. Boy, was it hot!! So hot that the blacktop was bubbling up!! We paced ourselves, riding for a while, shopping for a while. We went to see the dog show, it was great! The only bad experience we had was at the Lucky Sliver Mine Restaraunt, and it had nothing to do with the food or employees. Some kid was actually picking up pieces of chicken in the buffet line, tasting them THEN PUTTING THEM BACK!!! His Mother seemed ok with this, but it obviously grossed us out completely.
After we lost our appetites, it was back to fun time. We spent a lot of time in the woodcarving area. That's something I'd really love to get into. We bought just a few souvenirs this time. All in all, it was another wonderful trip.
One side note: We ran into the undertaker (Mr. M. Balmer) again. This man is a HOOT! Whatever he is being paid isn't enough. We saw him as another (speaking) character earlier in the day and he was the most talkative, upbeat, fun person I've met in a while. What a joy it was to run into him again and get my daughter's picture with him.

Ozark Outlaw · July 09, 2011, 11:05:00 AM

Thanks for the trip review Tony!

It sounds like you, and your family had an awesome visit. Make no mistake about it, the temperature outside is hot! However, if you must be outside, you might as well be at Silver Dollar City.

I'm sorry to hear about the gross kid at the Silver Mine Restaurant, and I am especially disturbed to hear that the mother was completely condoning it.

It also looks like you met Terry Sanders, and you are right he is a hoot! By far the best character actor there in my humble opinion. He is always full of surprises, and you never know where he will pop up next, and which character he will be. Just a genuinely great guy.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

sanddunerider · July 09, 2011, 11:14:55 AM

congrats on your good trip!

thanks for the review!