Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread

[Jaykethekid]

People are talking about how trimmed the first drop is... Time will tell how it operates in three months when there are real riders, but for now it seems like the big first drop may seem like kind of a dud - for the front cars at least. I think coaster enthusiasts will quickly learn to head for the back and it will be plenty thrilling in those seats.

 

I suspected all along that it wouldn't be that intense. People make too much out of a little spinning. Other than the first drop, which will apparently be neutered, there are no obviously intense elements on this ride. The first launch might have a nice push to it, but less so than PK. We'll see what it actually feels like, but I think a lot of people will be surprised by how "mild" the ride actually is, compared to how it's been presented. It looks really imposing, but they stopped short of making it actually crazy.

 

Ultimately I think it will be a really fun ride, but I think it will have an identity problem among the GP. It's going to be tough to get anyone on it that isn't a fan of thrill coasters, but actual thrill seekers may be disappointed that it isn't as wildly thrilling as it seems.

 

I guess I should add though that it could feel a lot more intense than it looks. I'm ready to try it out.

Im with you on that. If you look at SDC's social media pages, all the comments about the ride are for the majority constant complaining that the ride will spin wayyy too much. Everyone in the comment section, besides the few and far between coaster enthusiasts that claim this will be the best thing since sliced bread, says this ride will be too much for them. But many also say that the ride would be great if it didn't spin. I feel that it may take a bit of time for the GP to warm up to the ride, but once they do, it may become the next Wildfire for the GP.

 

I also agree with what you said about the drop. It does seem like the front and the back will offer drastically different experiences due to the trim. Though, im sure thats the consequence of having such a long train and a smaller, but steep drop. The front definitely will get a weaker experience on the drop, but the hang could be interesting. Imagine sitting backwards in the first car and the spinning around to face straight down the drop. That could be quite fun. The back seat is definitely going to be the place to be as it looks like it gets whipped like mad down that drop. This ride definitely isnt about intensity, but the section after the loop with the twisting airtime hill, zero g, and another ejector hill looks quite strong. Who knows how it will ride though.

[sdcfan88]

I too was not so keen on the concept when it was revealed but I have since warmed up to it. However, while this was already mentioned by other folks on a couple other forums I do think they need to eliminate that section where the train comes to a full stop mid course if they are not gonna build a show segment around that launch. It seems that would really kill the pacing of the ride experience.

[Jaykethekid]

I too was not so keen on the concept when it was revealed but I have since warmed up to it. However, while this was already mentioned by other folks on a couple other forums I do think they need to eliminate that section where the train comes to a full stop mid course if they are not gonna build a show segment around that launch. It seems that would really kill the pacing of the ride experience.

That too. The least they could do is add some themed audio during the stop and launch. Just stopping, sitting, and doing nothing is kinda a buzzkill.

[legoerosion]

I too was not so keen on the concept when it was revealed but I have since warmed up to it. However, while this was already mentioned by other folks on a couple other forums I do think they need to eliminate that section where the train comes to a full stop mid course if they are not gonna build a show segment around that launch. It seems that would really kill the pacing of the ride experience.

 

A show building with a portal-like theming on the inside which looks like you're currently traveling through time would be great!

[Nrthwnd]

^ With the recent postings about (what I'd call) vertical transfer tracks, this building looks like (to me)

this very structure might be part of this coaster. It would be in the lower area/floors, below the actual track,

which then plunges out of the station building.

 

And if I am wrong, so be it.

[EliHorton]

Oh my God. I tried to go to SDC tonight. My boyfriend and I were going to go see the lights. So, we were going south on 76 from Branson West. We saw the line of cars about a quarter mile away from the entrance and decided that maybe we should wait. So we went straight through that intersection. The line of cars coming from Branson was HORRIBLE! It stretched a mile past Shepard of the Hills! We thought the line would maybe get shorter after a while so we went to Steak'N'Shake. After that, we went and got in line. After waiting for about half an hour, we decided to give up and I did a U-turn in the middle of 76.

Instead, we went to the Branson Landing and then Bigfoot on the Strip. The people at Bigfoot are so nice! Though I think part of the reason they were so nice is because they know I'm dear friends with one of the other workers. The Gravity Bomb is insane! It was kind of funny, my boyfriend has never ridden a drop tower before, and he grabbed on to my arm as soon as we started to fall.

[Jaykethekid]

Oh my God. I tried to go to SDC tonight. My boyfriend and I were going to go see the lights. So, we were going south on 76 from Branson West. We saw the line of cars about a quarter mile away from the entrance and decided that maybe we should wait. So we went straight through that intersection. The line of cars coming from Branson was HORRIBLE! It stretched a mile past Shepard of the Hills! We thought the line would maybe get shorter after a while so we went to Steak'N'Shake. After that, we went and got in line. After waiting for about half an hour, we decided to give up and I did a U-turn in the middle of 76.

Instead, we went to the Branson Landing and then Bigfoot on the Strip. The people at Bigfoot are so nice! Though I think part of the reason they were so nice is because they know I'm dear friends with one of the other workers. The Gravity Bomb is insane! It was kind of funny, my boyfriend has never ridden a drop tower before, and he grabbed on to my arm as soon as we started to fall.

Yeah the employees at Bigfoot are extremely nice. Every time I have gone, I’ve bought a single ride ticket for the Gravity Bomb drop tower (slingshot was closed every time we went due to wind). Even though it was a single ride ticket, they let me go as many times as a I wish. The last time I was there I got 7 rides on it without getting off. I could’ve got more but my neck was hurting because of the strong deceleration on the drop tower. The employee said it was like a 6g deceleration. I’d take that with a grain of salt, but it’s certainly very forceful.

[sdcfan88]

Another teaser clip was released:

[Dombot]

Yeah, okay, this is gonna be nuts.

[EliHorton]

Oh my God. I tried to go to SDC tonight. My boyfriend and I were going to go see the lights. So, we were going south on 76 from Branson West. We saw the line of cars about a quarter mile away from the entrance and decided that maybe we should wait. So we went straight through that intersection. The line of cars coming from Branson was HORRIBLE! It stretched a mile past Shepard of the Hills! We thought the line would maybe get shorter after a while so we went to Steak'N'Shake. After that, we went and got in line. After waiting for about half an hour, we decided to give up and I did a U-turn in the middle of 76.

Instead, we went to the Branson Landing and then Bigfoot on the Strip. The people at Bigfoot are so nice! Though I think part of the reason they were so nice is because they know I'm dear friends with one of the other workers. The Gravity Bomb is insane! It was kind of funny, my boyfriend has never ridden a drop tower before, and he grabbed on to my arm as soon as we started to fall.

Yeah the employees at Bigfoot are extremely nice. Every time I have gone, I’ve bought a single ride ticket for the Gravity Bomb drop tower (slingshot was closed every time we went due to wind). Even though it was a single ride ticket, they let me go as many times as a I wish. The last time I was there I got 7 rides on it without getting off. I could’ve got more but my neck was hurting because of the strong deceleration on the drop tower. The employee said it was like a 6g deceleration. I’d take that with a grain of salt, but it’s certainly very forceful.

Yeah. We rode probably just like six times. It is so much fun. I'm so glad that we have a Soaring Eagle drop tower here in Branson! It even just looks awesome being right on the strip. Branson looks amazing when you are going south on 76 from Branson West because you get a good view of everything in Branson from the top of the hill.

 

Also, Time Traveler looks so fun! I can't wait to ride! And I can't wait until they release a full testing video!

[Jaykethekid]

Okay, yeah It's taking those elements a lot faster than i expected. That drop is going to be insane in the back and look at that airtime twist into the turn. Definitely looks like its not going to be as forceless as people often are making it out to be.

[CaptainUnknown]

The back row will likely go down that first drop backwards. If there's as much as in the teaser...

 

BACKWARDS EJECTOR AIR!

[prozach626]

I'm not jumping to any conclusions. I remember first hearing that Fury looked slow on video. I also remember Mako's testing video of what appeared to be a coaster full of ejector air, prior to the ride trimmed for opening. Only time will tell. (pun intended)

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Having seen it in person, the video does make it look faster than it really is. Should be fun, glad to see a POV, if only a teaser.

[Vonni]

How has attendance been at the park during these brutally cold temps?

[Shavethewhales]

Pretty low. I think the new record this year was 26,000 in one day (but not all at once). Most good weekend days saw at least 19-20,000. The last few days have been just a few thousand. When it gets below freezing all day they start counting by the hundreds. Basically just a dinner crowd.

[prozach626]

I would imagine the park doesn't turn a profit when the crowds are that sparse. If the park were owned by Six Flags Corp it would announce that it was closing within a few hours of operation, with about an hour notice.

[DoinItForTheFame]

We went last year when it was below freezing (Not on purpose) and there was actually a surprising amount of people there. A LOT of people were Christmas shopping! Obviously none of the rides were open, but there was still a decent amount of people in the park.

[larrygator]

I would imagine the park doesn't turn a profit when the crowds are that sparse. If the park were owned by Six Flags Corp it would announce that it was closing within a few hours of operation, with about an hour notice.

 

I don't understand why this is a bad thing. Businesses operate to make money.

[Kevin Long]

I would imagine the park doesn't turn a profit when the crowds are that sparse. If the park were owned by Six Flags Corp it would announce that it was closing within a few hours of operation, with about an hour notice.

 

I don't understand why this is a bad thing. Businesses operate to make money.

 

well that is true, but imagine if you went to the movies and you were the only one there. An announcement comes on and they said "Hey we are going to lose money cause there aren't' enough people at this showing, so we will only be able to run 35 minutes of this movie sorry for the inconvenience, thank you for visiting our theater and hope to see you again soon."

 

it becomes a concern when a "event/experience" purchase becomes a bait and switch to the purchaser. you pay for a full day at a park, you want all the time you are paying for. Barring dangerous situations (I guess extreme cold could qualify) simply not making money should not be the patrons fault. Reducing their experience when they are paying full price, because of operational planning errors on the parks part is not fair.

 

I think that was his point (beat to excess by me)

 

Kevin

[prozach626]

Don't get me wrong. I understand the purpose. However, I can't say I particularly enjoy being in that situation as a consumer. I could go into my story about when SFGam shut the park down with an hour notice, despite the weather starting off crappy and ending up good by the time of the announcement. This was disappointment for us since we made the five hour drive to the park.

 

When the weather is bad a park closing is completely understandable. When the policy is used as an excuse for poor attendance, despite the park opening when the weather conditions were drastically worse at the time of park opening, that strikes me as bad customer service. From what I understand this is common place with Sf Corp.

 

At King's Island a terrible thunderstorm rolled in over three hours before the park closed. The park stayed open and ran Flight of Fear and the haunts, despite the continuous downpour and frequent thunder and lightening after the initial bad storm. This is an excuse where I would have been more than understanding if the park closed, especially when the Doppler looks bad. However, the park stayed open even despite a few hundred people remaining.

 

At Busch Gardens in July, a bad storm rolled in around 4pm. It poured constantly for well over an hour and again when the storm was finished there were probably a few hundred people remaining in the park. The weather was mostly clear until closing time and all of the rides were able to operate without interruption, so the park remained open. I have heard of instances like this where SF closes, despite clear weather after the storm and hours of operation remaining, because it was an excuse to save money. Imagine what a buzz kill that would be if it was the one day your family went to the park and you rode out the storm, or if you traveled hours to visit.

 

SF has proven itself with its new business strategy to focus on more cost effective rides AND more cost effective customer service. It's the new budget brand Walmart park. I'm completely OK with that, because I keep realistic expectations when I visit, but it doesn't change the fact that their customer service as a whole is far from Herschend parks.

[larrygator]

With any outdoor experience, the buyer needs to be aware that weather can affect the event. When Six Flags greatly reduces hours (for weather or other reasons) their policy it to hand out free tickets. However, if you read the back of any amusement park ticket or the signs at ticket booths, or the legal on websites you are agreeing take your chances with the weather.

 

Every enthusiast knows they are taking a chance when they travel to visit a park in bad weather. Sometimes you come home bragging about all the marathoning and sometimes it is not in your favor.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Pretty low. I think the new record this year was 26,000 in one day (but not all at once). Most good weekend days saw at least 19-20,000. The last few days have been just a few thousand. When it gets below freezing all day they start counting by the hundreds. Basically just a dinner crowd.

This is true, but the days I've been when it's that cold they've filled 5 parking lots after dark. Lots of people coming to see the lights. These people also buy hot drinks, browse the heated gift shops, etc. They don't publish spending per guest, but I'd guess it's pretty good based on what I've seen. They may not have as many guests as they would like, but as long as those guests spend money, they can make a profit.

 

With any outdoor experience, the buyer needs to be aware that weather can affect the event. When Six Flags greatly reduces hours (for weather or other reasons) their policy it to hand out free tickets. However, if you read the back of any amusement park ticket or the signs at ticket booths, or the legal on websites you are agreeing take your chances with the weather.

This is wise, and I agree with what you're saying. SDC is one of the few parks that actually does give rain checks. If the rides can't run for more than 90 minutes, they'll give you a free ticket good any day the rest of the season, and this late in the year, it's good any day through the rest of next season. They totally don't have to do this, since as you say guests should know the weather going into it and accept that, but they do it for great customer service.

[prozach626]

With any outdoor experience, the buyer needs to be aware that weather can affect the event. When Six Flags greatly reduces hours (for weather or other reasons) their policy it to hand out free tickets. However, if you read the back of any amusement park ticket or the signs at ticket booths, or the legal on websites you are agreeing take your chances with the weather.

 

Every enthusiast knows they are taking a chance when they travel to visit a park in bad weather. Sometimes you come home bragging about all the marathoning and sometimes it is not in your favor.

Yeah, I still totally understand that, Larry. I guess we just have differences of opinion on what we feel is considered good customer service. Unlike a lot of consumers, I can comprehend that a consumer - business relationship has to be mutually beneficial to survive. Regardless, I'm thankful the chain is doing well and has found its niche.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Trip Report: An Uncontrollable Urge for a Teenage Riot on Blue Monday

 

The offseason has finally come, but I had an uncontrollable urge to visit Silver Dollar City one last time, and I want to tell you all about it. Yep, that's right, I went to a theme park in January! It was a high of 20F today, so no chance of any rides being open at Silver Dollar City, but the park was still open and had a special lineup of shows for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

 

Maybe it was time travel, maybe it was dyslexia, but instead of the 1890s, it was the 1980s at Silver Dollar City. There were probably more employees than guests in the park, but the few of us who braved the cold were treated to a super fun day. I keep saying that this is a park where you can ride nothing and still have a blast, and they keep proving me right. It's got style, it's got class. It's so strong I can't let it pass.

 

yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeah yeah!

 

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am home again.

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am whole again.

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am young again.

However far away, I will always love you.

 

First show of the day was Biff Barker's New Year's Radio Show. The Saloon was dressed up like a 1950s radio station. Yes, it's totally out of theme for Silver Dollar City, but they're breaking theme just for the last two days of the season. Get over it. The show felt very Dollywood to me, and they even had old timey commercials in it. I've been to the Grand Ole Opry (R.I.P. Opryland), and it felt a lot like a smaller version of that show. It only had a cast of four, the scenery and props were minimal, which would make it very cheap to produce. It was still fun and cheesy in an SDC way, and even had a Time Traveler related surprise.

 

Well, we found a little place that really didn't look half bad

I put a quarter right into that can, but all they played was disco, man

But that's all right, 'cause we're looking as cool as can be

We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out

We're gonna rock this town, Make 'em scream and shout

We're gonna rock till we pop, we're gonna rock till we drop, we're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out

Well, there's a real square cat, he looks a 1974

We're gonna rock this town, we're gonna rip this place apart!

 

I went out into the bitter cold once again, but only to make my way to the Riverfront Playhouse for juggler Albert Lucas. He put on a good show, very entertaining and very hard to photograph.

 

Those who came before me

Lived through their vocations

From the past until completion

They'll turn away no more

And still I find it so hard to say what I need to say

But I'm quite sure that you'll tell me

Just how I should feel today

And it just feels like spinning plates....

Ooh, good job catching that last one was from 2001.

Congratulations to you.

 

Now to get some good eats from the park whilst I still can. Not much was open today, but they did have one skillet place. Awesome!

 

Look at you with your mouth watering

Look at you with your mind spinning

She's just the skillet, the food U want

 

Next up was a concert by Members Only, a local 80s hair cover band (and the inspiration for the 80s music theme to this report). They played all the earworms:

 

"Jump"

"Any Way You Want It"

"Jesse's Girl"

"Billie Jean"

"I Love Rock and Roll"

"Footloose"

"Don't Stop Believing"

 

By now you should realize that I love 80s music, but clearly more on the side of new wave than hair bands. Still, it was a fun concert, and they really did a great job imitating the style, not just musically but also with stage presence and antics. It was great fun. Billie Jean was probably the song they played the best.

 

Say it, don't spray it

Spirit desire

We will fall

Everybody's coming from the winter vacation

Taking in the sun in an exultation to you

You come running in on platform shoes

With Marshall stacks to at least just give us a clue

Ah here it comes, at least it's someone I knew

Teenage riot in a public station

Gonna fight and tear it up in a hyper nation for you

Now I see it, I think I'll leave it out of the way

 

There were two other shows, one a gospel trio and one a Christian rock group. Barf. So the only thing left was to get some cinnamon bread!

 

This is the bread, the bread U want.

 

Now I know all you readers of TPR know good music, so you of course know all the references in this trip report, but just in case any of you need a refresher, here's a bibliography: