2021 Crowds/Trip Reports

[Preachin_Bill]

If thurs-sun wasnt the busiest weekend, at least busiest non-holiday weekend the park has ever seen I’d be stunned. I couldnt believe how busy it was Thursday. We were there all day.

Friday we planned on going late as we always do on the friday of our winter trip. The line to get into the park was very long, and lots were full down Indian point. We stayed on indian point. We waited an hour and went back, got in fairly easily but the lines for everything were huge. (It’s impressive how long people will wait for taters or hot chocolate.)

We decided to get in line for the train Friday since the lines were so long Thursday.  It went pretty fast as there were two trains….however, at 7:15 when our train rolled in we were told that train was going to be put back for the night and they would get us on the next one. This made us have to wait another 15 minutes, and much of the line was turned away after our train left. I thought this was a poor move by SDC. People were waiting a long time….they could have filled that train for one last 7:15 run and the next one at 7:30.

We were disappointed dickens was cancelled both first shows on Thursday so we didn't get to see it. They said technical difficulties. Lines for other shows were very long until the 6:00 saloon show which was surprisingly empty due to the parade starting.  This was really a great saloon show….too bad it wasnt in the actual saloon. But they did a great job.

Crowds like this with nothing really to do but wait in line make me question whether to go back next year. Seeing things sitting closed due to staffing furthers my belief that they need to take the money they’d spend on stuff and put it toward increasing pay and maintenance to attract workers. MRF was quite an expense to be unused half the year and not work anyway.

Flooded Mine was the highlight of the trip for the family. Everyone loves it. Living nativity was good as was the aformentioned saloon show.  Lights look good but I feel like I spent most of my time trying to navigate the crowd I couldnt really take it all in as usual. Theres just SO MANY people that it seems like people are all you see.
The tree show on the hill is impressive as always  but on a personal preference level I dont care for many of the songs they use.

We didnt go saturday but they were already filling the back lots down by indian point at 12. Seemed as though they were filling those lots first.

It might be time to increase prices…. for the Christmas season at least. Demand is simply too high for people to have an enjoyable experience. It doesnt feel like I even really went to SDC.

[mg]

MRF was quite an expense to be unused half the year...

It's closed less than 20% of the season; November & December. It also had much better operations this year overall compared to 2020. I would assume that next season will be even better as things get worked out.

[Duelist]

My wife has a co-worker that was eating dinner at SDC last night when the tornado sirens went off.  He said there was no damage and it didn't even rain.  Thank God for that.  Could have been a real disaster at the City.

[runner1960]

My wife has a co-worker that was eating dinner at SDC last night when the tornado sirens went off.  He said there was no damage and it didn't even rain.  Thank God for that.  Could have been a real disaster at the City.

We were there last night when the sirens went off. It did rain where we were in the park briefly. We sheltered in the Apple butter shop. I cannot believe the people that acted like nothing was going on and refused to obey the employees directions.

[Duelist]

^ How long did you have to take shelter?  How were the crowds?

[runner1960]

^ How long did you have to take shelter?  How were the crowds?

Crowds were crazy but manageable. First parade route was about 3 deep on the square. Second parade canceled for weather. Dickens and Home For Christmas was lined up a hour early and full. Train was backed up down corkscrew around 5. It was shorter around 7. The bad thing was everybody ran for the exits after the all clear. It was a madhouse getting out. We walked to stop 2 instead of the tram. I felt sorry for the people loading. They really need a better system in a emergency.
As for the other question we sheltered for about 20 minutes. People’s phone alarms were going off 10 minutes before the park sounded theirs.
I’ll do a review later.

[sdcfan88]

So as some might remember I am a Storm Chaser for a TV station in NWA and I have been monitoring all the reports and data from the past 48 hours. Well it turns out that there was indeed a tornado near the Branson area around 7:30. (near Branson West of all places) Fortunately it dissipated before moving further east towards the park. I can only imagine what kind of disaster that would have been if it had sustained itself and hit SDC with Christmas time crowds present. These storms were moving between 40-60 MPH so there would be little time to react and evacuate the park with those crowd numbers.

I really think theme parks and stadiums need to close and completely cancel events on days where there's severe weather in the forecast. (even if SDC/Branson was on the western fringe of the outlook area)

https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSSGF&e=202112112042

[pintrader]

I really think theme parks and stadiums need to close and completely cancel events on days where there's severe weather in the forecast. (even if SDC/Branson was on the western fringe of the outlook area)

Not that I agree or disagree but that would be a hard call to make since the weather changes so fast.

If you had a direct hit on a stadium, theme park, or any large event with casualties then people might say we need to do something.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and it seems it takes something like that for people to act on it.

[sdcfan88]

I really think theme parks and stadiums need to close and completely cancel events on days where there's severe weather in the forecast. (even if SDC/Branson was on the western fringe of the outlook area)

Not that I agree or disagree but that would be a hard call to make since the weather changes so fast.

If you had a direct hit on a stadium, theme park, or any large event with casualties then people might say we need to do something.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and it seems it takes something like that for people to act on it.

Yeah sadly that is what it will probably take and it will happen eventually. I have seen firsthand what these storms can do and skeptics will sing a different tune when they eventually see it for themselves. Just ask the people of Joplin.

[Duelist]

^ Though it would be very disastrous I guess they weigh the odds of actually getting hit by a tornado (very slim) against closing for the day.  We talked on this site after the Joplin tornado about where would be a good place at SDC to shelter.  Sorry to get off topic for this thread but since the tornado warning did happen while the park was open Friday night I thought I'd bring it up.  https://www.sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=1612.0

[sdcfan88]

I'm sorry for doing the same as I just wanted to express my concerns considering the proximity and timing with Friday nights event. I fear it would generate really bad publicity for the park if it were to happen one day considering their crowd management. Schools have adopted this measure with delaying or cancelling class on potentially bad severe weather days in recent years so I don't see why stadiums and theme parks shouldn't follow this example.

On a side note I have apparently started up a sh*t storm over on Toilet Paper Residue (as Swoosh likes to refer to that place as) over this. lol

[cowboy]

I can understand where you're coming from, and I can also understand the other side as well from a business/reality side.

When I go to parks/sporting events/festivals during watches or potential weather days, I personally keep an outlook of the weather and when the time of the outbreaks are anticipated to occur we have left or in the process of leaving. Most of the meteorologist, especially for the days of a severe outbreak, let you know that storms are probably going to occur during a certain time period.

People have to be accountable for themselves to a degree as well. However, there does need to be a bit of responsibility on business, which is why you'll see rides not operate in some weather conditions, etc. And to your point, Just look at the ducks for an extreme example of when a business should have ceased operations - but didn't.

Maybe in the future, as the time for storms draw near, our phones could send us out an alert to be aware that severe weather with a potential tornado index of 4 is developing and you should begin plans to seek adequate shelter.

Jay

[sdcfan88]

And to your point, Just look at the ducks for an extreme example of when a business should have ceased operations - but didn't.

Along with Joplin I wanted to bring that up over on TPR but I no longer have the energy or time to argue with them over there since they want to laugh at me and call me a "Karen". (how mature) The bottom line is between Joplin a decade ago and the Ducks incident being fresh in my mind I would really hate to see SDC share the latters fate with a weather related incident causing mass casualties. Apparently thats a difficult concept to grasp over there so they gotta resort to childish name calling and projections putting words in my mouth.

EDIT: lol they banned me, we dare not have dissenting opinions 

[legoerosion]

It was a mess on Friday night when the warning went through. All of us were waiting for them to call for a phase 3 (take shelter) but they called it several minutes after everyone got the warning, which caused panic. It was difficult to fit 15,000 people in the shelter places, with 250 people being crammed beneath the marketplace. I'm hoping with their infrastructure plan(s) that they put more shelters in place, I think this year with Wildfire's roof being damaged and Friday is a wake-up call to them

[sdcfan88]

It was a mess on Friday night when the warning went through. All of us were waiting for them to call for a phase 3 (take shelter) but they called it several minutes after everyone got the warning, which caused panic. It was difficult to fit 15,000 people in the shelter places, with 250 people being crammed beneath the marketplace. I'm hoping with their infrastructure plan(s) that they put more shelters in place, I think this year with Wildfire's roof being damaged and Friday is a wake-up call to them

Yeah I recall you currently work there? I really do hope too they take these recent close calls as a hint to take better precautions in the event the worst case scenario one day happens. It wasn't long ago Branson itself had a tornado go right down the strip but thankfully it was during the off season. Yes the likelihood is considered a rare probability but it can still happen at any time of the year.