CP_RULES Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 So I've finally decided after living 16 years right here in good 'ol Missouri to make it down to Branson for Silver Dollar City and Celebration city. Now here's some background- My friend and I have some friends in Joplin and we plan on going down to Joplin from July 7-11. We plan on going to SDC/CC for at least one day (preferably two) during that week but I have a few questions. Now I really prefer to enjoy parks, and I'm definitely NOT one of those credit dudes that goes to a park just to get all the credits as fast as possible and get out. Keep that in mind if you're going to try to help me. Here are my questions- About how far is Branson from Joplin? Is it an easy drive or will it be a bunch of little windy 40mph roads? What day would be the least crowded at the parks during the week of Monday, July 7th to Friday, July 11th? Now I'm only 16, so I'll have to drive to Branson in the morning from Joplin, then back to Joplin afterwards since 16 isnt old enough to get a hotel room. On the days I plan on going, SDC is open 9:30-7, and CC is open 3-10. Will I have enough time to enjoy both parks in one day? Or should I go for two days? Will it be worth it to drive that far twice for the parks? Is the 3day park hopper pass worth it for $99 even if I'm only going for 2 days just so I can go back and fourth as I please to both parks? Another possibility I was thinking if I was going to go for two days besides the park hopper thing would be to just buy two separate tickets and use one on one day and one on the other. As you can see I'm just pretty confused about the whole thing, any help would be greatly appreciated. I'll probably add on to my queries later. Thanks! -Justin Seabaugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Isnt Joplin near Highway 44? If so its an EASY drive. JUst take 44 to Springfield, then take 65 South into Branson. I'm guessing two hours MAX. Super easy. During the week should be the best time to go, although I was there last Sat and Sun and it wasn't very crowded (a few people that I talked to thought the economy was having a real effect in so. Mo area). You can do both parks in one day. Get to SDC at opening, you'll get multiple rides on the coasters, and ride everything else by 4 or 5 easily (don't forget the cave tour!) Then head to CC at opening, get a bunch of Ozcat rides in a row and then take your time enjoying the rest of the park. You can definitely pack a lot of good stuff in one day easily. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP_RULES Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 What I'm worried about is how close the dates are to the 4th of July. Anyone know if this will make the crowds worse? By the way it sounds, I should be able to make it in one day. What day should I choose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Personally, I found CC to be fairly uninteresting. Ozark is great, but the rest of the park didn't impress me. SDC on the other hand was awesome, and is definetly worth spending a full day enjoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six Flags Addict Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 About how far is Branson from Joplin? Is it an easy drive or will it be a bunch of little windy 40mph roads? Joplin is about an hour west of Springfield an HWY44 is pretty much a strait-a-way so it is a very easy drive if you are used to driving on highways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I always take a somewhat scenic detour through aurora on route 13 my way to SDC, coming from that direction, and while it is windy, I personally enjoy it more than the big highways - and it saves time. The drive from Joplin to Branson is really nothing either way. If you haven't been to the parks before, you'll definitely want to stay for the second day. Actually, either way you'll probably want to stay - SDC is worth two days for me and I've been going for years. However, CC may not be worth it for you if you are not totally into rides themselves. Like others have said, while OzCat is fantastic, the rest of the park is fun but meh. You can get two day SDC tickets for the price of one here: http://www.reservebranson.com/attractions/silver_dollar_city_branson_missouri.asp?utm_source=attractions&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=SDC Oh yeah, as far as which day is least crowded - god only knows. SDC is prone to these freak crowd days, but you'll probably be OK mid-week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 CC just seemed like a permanent carnival with one kick ass wooden coaster to me. Though my experience of CC was probably a bit fuzzy after our ride on the kiddy merry-go-round. We got the teacups on that thing spinning at a revolution a second (I slowed down the video and counted). I spent about an hour and a half after that in a daze, fighting off the nausea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aslinterpreter Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Since you are 16 ad cant get a hotel, there are tons of camping areas around the cities that you could use, and that might be a lot of fun! July 4th time frame might be really busy! But again maybe not, we have been down there several times around the 4th and its hit and miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 You can do both parks in one day. Get to SDC at opening, you'll get multiple rides on the coasters, and ride everything else by 4 or 5 easily That IS the best advice you could get!! Best day would probably Tues or Wed. (don't forget the cave tour!) The cave tour is a MUST!! Do not miss it! But do it early, as the line gets long very quickly. JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Just adding my 2 cents more.....I personally would stick to the interstates and avoid those Ozark mountain roads. They're windy, often only one lane which makes its hard to pass, and there is often construction going on in July. 44 and 65 are two of the very best highways in the whole state (and trust me, Ive driven them ALL many times). And adding to Carnage's issues with CC: it is a nice, small park. It just doesnt have a lot of totally original stuff to do. Ozcat is great, and the other rides are fun at night. I would recommend eating some good diner type food at the Last Chance Diner as a nice capper to your day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceySue Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I live in Joplin, and my family has season passes to SDC and CC. I agree with what most people have said, but I would like to suggest getting to CC at dusk/dark. If you are there in July, it will be HOT. Whenever we've gone at CC opening, I always seem to get a headache. There is a lot more shade at SDC. If you go during the week, lines should not be a huge issue. We went to CC two weekends ago, and Ozark Wildcat was a walk-on all night. We often eat a light dinner before we go into CC. I would suggest if you are there at closing anyway to check out the laser and fireworks show before you head home. Hope you have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP_RULES Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 Thanks for all of the advice everyone, especially savethewhales for that link. Driving on highways or really any road isnt a problem for me, so that wasnt really the issue. The issue with going two days was having to drive back and fourth twice which would waste a lot of gas, even if I do get 40mpg on the highway. That two for the price of one thing might help though. Maybe I'll just get that thing and then got to CC just one day and decide if I want to buy another ticket to go two. Thanks again for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 That two for the price of one thing might help though. Maybe I'll just get that thing and then got to CC just one day and decide if I want to buy another ticket to go two. You may want to check your options once you get there. Starting at either park, you may be able to buy a single-day ticket when you first arrive, then upgrade to the park-hopper or two-day ticket before you leave. That way you can enjoy the day, manage your time (if the need arises) and decide later in the day if you need to upgrade. JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 That two for the price of one thing might help though. Maybe I'll just get that thing and then got to CC just one day and decide if I want to buy another ticket to go two. You may want to check your options once you get there. Starting at either park, you may be able to buy a single-day ticket when you first arrive, then upgrade to the park-hopper or two-day ticket before you leave. That way you can enjoy the day, manage your time (if the need arises) and decide later in the day if you need to upgrade. JJ Not sure what you mean by "starting at either park", considering SDC closes around the time that CC opens... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldJJman Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Not sure what you mean by "starting at either park", considering SDC closes around the time that CC opens... Sorry. My goof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rba13 Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_%28A_to_Z%29/Stocks_S/threadview?m=tm&bn=14252&tid=27358&mid=27358&tof=4&frt=2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 ^By far one of the better things I've heard about Shapiro. SDC is definitely the type of park he should try harder to mimic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 ^By far one of the better things I've heard about Shapiro. To be honest that doesn't really tell me anything about Shapiro. It just says he's visiting his competition to see how they operate. Which every major company does. Doesn't mean that he's going to run things like SDC does. Though hopefully he sees what SDC does well, and applies that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP_RULES Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 Alright so I've got a major update with whats going on. We plan on heading to Joplin for the week of August 3rd. We are only going to go to Branson for one day. Two days just isn't an option due to gas prices. What I need to know is what will be the least crowded day on that week (Sunday-Sat)? I also need to know if there is a place to buy cheap bundled tickets for ONE DAY to both parks. The least I can find is a 3 day pass, and we definitely don't need that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 Alright so I've got a major update with whats going on. We plan on heading to Joplin for the week of August 3rd. We are only going to go to Branson for one day. Two days just isn't an option due to gas prices. What I need to know is what will be the least crowded day on that week (Sunday-Sat)? I also need to know if there is a place to buy cheap bundled tickets for ONE DAY to both parks. The least I can find is a 3 day pass, and we definitely don't need that. Not trying to be a wise guy, but why do gas prices affect the number of days that you stay? The drive from Joplin is still the same.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP_RULES Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 Not trying to be a wise guy, but why do gas prices affect the number of days that you stay? The drive from Joplin is still the same.... I'm 16, the friend I'm going with is 16. That means we cant get a hotel. If we go for two or three days, that means we have to make the 2 hour drive from Joplin to Branson (and back) twice or three times. There goes a few tanks of gas. No thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 ^ Got it. I was just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 If you're hardcore about finding a way to spend two days (which you may be after spending the first day at the park). You could look at spending the night in the campground or at at KOA. Between the choices of Sat. and Sun. I would choose Sun, though don't expect it to be that much different - at least in the afternoon. Early sunday mornings are usually pretty awesome; you'll be able to ride PK several times without waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyJ Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 ok..made a mistake in typing UGH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyJ Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Couldn't your parents call up a hotel/motel directly by phone ( not online ) and make the reservation for you? I remember when I was 16 and group of us ( all the same age ) got a hotel room at a Holiday Inn right next to Carowinds and Heritage USA . Holiday Inn as I remember had no problem letting us stay there as long as we had a parent pay for the room in advance. Of course maybe this rule changes from state to state but then again this was back in the 80's so perhaps things have changed since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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