Crowds This Year At SDC?

[leeannwriter]

We made our first trip to SDC this year for my son's birthday on March 21 and the park was amazingly crowded. Now we're hoping to go this weekend - Friday or Saturday - for World Fest but I wondered how crowded has it be on days when the weather is good?

The day we were there it was wild - long, long waits for rides, etc.

Anyone know or care to guess?

[rzrbkman]

Originally Posted by leeannwriter

We made our first trip to SDC this year for my son's birthday on March 21 and the park was amazingly crowded. Now we're hoping to go this weekend - Friday or Saturday - for World Fest but I wondered how crowded has it be on days when the weather is good?

The day we were there it was wild - long, long waits for rides, etc.

Anyone know or care to guess?

I've made it a practice for years to try to avoid Saturday visits to SDC as I have always heard how crowded it has become but unless things change, this Saturday me, my wife and our 2 toddlers that we are trying to adopt are going to go as the weather is supposed to be wonderful. We are planning on taking the advice of others and are planning on being at the park as soon as it opens in order to beat the mid-morning traffic. I'm assuming that the terrible gas prices will keep a few people that travel long distances away so that may keep the crowds down some.

[Branson Queen]

We were there this weekend. Right now is a big time for school field trips. We were there on Friday, April 18 and there was bus, after bus, after bus of students but the lines were not too long. When we talked with a couple next to us at the resort, they said Saturday was more crowded than Friday and there were buses of Boy Scouts there for the day. On Sunday when we were heading out (the weather was beautiful) it looked like it was going to be another busy day at SDC. I think it will be busy but not too busy to be enjoyable. Have a great time!

[leeannwriter]

Thanks!

Sounds like it will be busy but not so bad that we can't have fun!

Now if I can just find a motel.........

[rzrbkman]

I am going to try to focus this trip on the toddlers getting to have all the fun they want at the play area and there will be other times that just me and my wife or Dad go back to SDC on our own and we can focus on our fun at that time.

[Melle94]

I was at SDC parts of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I didn't think Friday was very crowded. The weather was a little cool. We arrived at the park about 1 on Saturday and did have some traffic on Hwy 76. We took 265 from town to get out there and didn't have any traffic on 265. Saturday was very crowded. There were lines for everything! Sunday was much better. The weather was beautiful and it didn't seem to be as crowded. I would suggest going on Friday, especially if you are going to see any of the shows at SDC. If there are lots of kids, most of them will be riding rides. Have fun!

*Michelle*

[jbzmom]

We were there last Saturday. They said there were 18,000 in attendance. I would guess between 50 and 75 school buses were there.

I hate going on Saturdays, but there was a music festival going on at C of O for school bands from Thursday through Saturday and mine son's band played on Saturday and they went to SDC afterwards and of course he wanted to go hang with his friends.

I took the seven year old and it was miserable. The lines to wait for shows were already filled at more than an hour before the shows.

Luckily we ate before we arrived, because those were long lines too.

It could have been worse, but I just don't like to go when it is like that.

[rzrbkman]

Originally Posted by jbzmom

We were there last Saturday. They said there were 18,000 in attendance. I would guess between 50 and 75 school buses were there.

I hate going on Saturdays, but there was a music festival going on at C of O for school bands from Thursday through Saturday and mine son's band played on Saturday and they went to SDC afterwards and of course he wanted to go hang with his friends.

I took the seven year old and it was miserable. The lines to wait for shows were already filled at more than an hour before the shows.

Luckily we ate before we arrived, because those were long lines too.

It could have been worse, but I just don't like to go when it is like that.

OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YYYYYYYYYeah!!!! I forgot about Band and Choral Days at C of O. If you can avoid going to SDC that Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each year, by all means do so as it will be crowded.

[hhawkins]

We are planning to so this Saturday. I hope it will not be to bad. The wife is due Aug 1, so we want to go while she is still able to get around okay, and avoid the HOOOOOTTTTT summer heat.

[SuperSteve]

You know, we just need to make a calendar so we won't have to keep answering these questions over and over again. I'm actually planning on writing one up for my website soon, but who knows how long that will take.

[midnite_cruzer]

It's always been my experience - growing up in Bentonville - that on Sundays,the true tourists tend to be just arriving or just leaving, while only the locals (Joplin/Springfield/Fayetteville/Bentonville) tend to actually be at SDC. Does that tend to ring true to anyone else?

[bransonframer]

My thoughts are that crowds will be UP this year at SDC.

My thinking is that even though many people complain about the ticket price, it remains the best bargain in town. Where else can you go and be entertained for an entire day (say 8 hours) for $60? That's less than $8.00/hr. Most shows are about 1.5 hours and cost $40. Thats about $26/hr. Over three times the bang for the buck at SDC. Of course this doesn't include concessions, but won't you be buying meals at nearly the same price as the park elsewhere in town?

Throw this logic on top of the fact that money is tight for many. It's not just some myth created by the media. It's a fact! I think it might actually be WORSE than the media is portraying. And, I think it might be worse in our neck of the woods than people are willing to admit.

So, all of a sudden, a day at SDC seems like a pretty good idea. We'll see if I'm right in my thinking after the season ends, but it sure seems to me like traffic on the strip is considerably light for mid-late April.

[rzrbkman]

Originally Posted by bransonframer

My thoughts are that crowds will be UP this year at SDC.

My thinking is that even though many people complain about the ticket price, it remains the best bargain in town. Where else can you go and be entertained for an entire day (say 8 hours) for $60? That's less than $8.00/hr. Most shows are about 1.5 hours and cost $40. Thats about $26/hr. Over three times the bang for the buck at SDC. Of course this doesn't include concessions, but won't you be buying meals at nearly the same price as the park elsewhere in town?

Throw this logic on top of the fact that money is tight for many. It's not just some myth created by the media. It's a fact! I think it might actually be WORSE than the media is portraying. And, I think it might be worse in our neck of the woods than people are willing to admit.

So, all of a sudden, a day at SDC seems like a pretty good idea. We'll see if I'm right in my thinking after the season ends, but it sure seems to me like traffic on the strip is considerably light for mid-late April.

I totally disagree with you on the thought that crowds will be up overall. As long as gas prices are on the rise, budget-responsible people are going to make several cuts in their entertainment choices in order to have enough money left over for food, shelter and transportation costs. There are many visitors to Branson who don't keep a running balence on their credit card, but instead pay it off each month and they will do whatever it takes to keep from adding interest costs to the rising price of everything else. In my opinion, 1 day visitors will be down in number and the people who have the best deal of all, season pass holders, will probably make a few less trips to SDC. For example I am a strong Arkansas Razorback fan but I have already cut out all my trips to Fayetteville this spring to see the baseball team play as I am saving my sports entertainment funds for football season.

I also must disagree with you on the food prices as I can find comparable food that is found at SDC at much cheaper prices around the Branson area. In my opinion, all of the food choices at SDC seem to be very good and well prepared but a family of four can usually eat much lower in price, similar food outside SDC. We try to snack at SDC and eat a meal outside SDC and I know many other people who do the same.

SDC is a wonderful place to go to but just as I love watching my Arkansas Razorback sports teams play, I also realize that unpopular cuts have to be made and I feel that if I make some of the cuts now, there may be enough entertainment money to last through the Christmas season, my favorite time of year at SDC.

[OkieAnon]

Originally Posted by bransonframer

My thoughts are that crowds will be UP this year at SDC.

My thinking is that even though many people complain about the ticket price, it remains the best bargain in town. Where else can you go and be entertained for an entire day (say 8 hours) for $60? That's less than $8.00/hr. Most shows are about 1.5 hours and cost $40. Thats about $26/hr. Over three times the bang for the buck at SDC. Of course this doesn't include concessions, but won't you be buying meals at nearly the same price as the park elsewhere in town?

Throw this logic on top of the fact that money is tight for many. It's not just some myth created by the media. It's a fact! I think it might actually be WORSE than the media is portraying. And, I think it might be worse in our neck of the woods than people are willing to admit.

So, all of a sudden, a day at SDC seems like a pretty good idea. We'll see if I'm right in my thinking after the season ends, but it sure seems to me like traffic on the strip is considerably light for mid-late April.

this is pretty much the discussion my family had earlier this year when discussing should we buy season passes again or not. SDC is the same thing each year do we want to go -- vs -- the value of the ticket.

in the end we decided on buying the season pass, we figured we could spend 2 or 3 days this year at SDC or see a couple of shows with the same money, the pass just seemed the better bargain for time-entertainment value.

[Janet89]

Did anyone else get a survey via e-mail? My son has a season pass, so it was in his name, but I filled it out. It was asking questions about how many times we planned to visit, how high gas would need to be when we started altering our vacation/travel plans, etc.