show lengths / plans for our first trip to Branson

[luckyc]

Hi all,

This is my first post, tho' I've been haunting the forums looking for Branson info for quite a while. My husband and I (late 40's) are planning our first trip in mid October. We'll arrive late Saturday and leave early Friday. We've made reservations at the Dollar Saver motel based on some board posts recommending them. We don't need a fancy place, as long as it's clean and quiet. Any concerns about the hotel?



Here are our tentative show plans:

Sunday noon - Branson Belle showboat, 8 pm Kirby/Bambi

Monday 3 pm Acrobats of China, 8 pm Duttons

Tuesday 2 pm Comedy Jamboree, 7:30 pm Noah

Wednesday 10 am Red, Hot, & Blue, 3 pm Celebrate America, 8pm Hamner Barber

Thursday 9:30 Yakov , 3 pm Jim Stafford

My problem is that I can't seem to find out how long the shows last. Are they 1 hour, 2 hours? How early should we arrive before the show starts? How far in advance should we purchase tickets - a month, a week, or when we arrive? Another concern - I'm a plus size gal, and don't do stairs very well. Are the seats going to be comfortable or am I in trouble? I think I saw a post about Noah having no elevator for the second level. If so, is there a lower level seating area anyone can recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help,

luckyc

[ashbris]

~~Welcome to the Board!~~ Personally, I don't know anything about the Dollar Saver, but if it has good reviews, it is probably okay. Most shows last right about 2 hours. Sounds like you have some good shows lined up. As far as seats go, that will depend on each theatre. I think most places have seating like the movies, so if you are comfortable when you go to the movies you probably won't have a hard time. Maybe you could ask the theatres when you make your reservations about their seating? I would reserve my seats as soon as I knew my plans were definite.....you never know what tour buses will come in and wipe out the first few rows.

[DaveInTulsa]

Wow, that's quite a lineup of shows. I don't think I'd want to see that many in such a short time. Don't forget the fire and water show at Branson Landing. It runs every hour in the evening and it's free.

[nannac]

Wow! Love your show list. We always get our tickets and reserve the seats as soon as we get to town. We like to get to the shows early, maybe 45 minutes early, so that we can look around in the shops, and get settled in. Many shows have pre-entertainment before the show. Since the Branson Belle is your first show on the list, I would probably make reservations before going to Branson. That is a real popular show, and it gets booked rather fast. Hope this helps. Have a fun trip to Branson.

[TravelAgtSteve]

As far as comfortable seats for plus-size folk, I can only speak on Kirby, Noah, and Celebrate America.

Noah's seats are quite comfortable - there is seating on the floor as well as stadium-style seating in the back that goes up to the second level. Many attendees find the stadium seating to be best for views and etc., but if you are on the floor as far back as you can be you should still have a good view of everything.

Kirby's auditorium is on a slant, and there are stairs you'd have to take to get between the lobby and the seats, but they're not too bad as long as you're not going up and down them every five seconds. The seats can be tight if you're right down in front, but they're not so uncomfortable you can't enjoy the show.

Celebrate America is in the Mansion Theater - like Kirby, there will be some steps between the lobby and the seats, but they're very very few and the incline is not as steep as Kirby's. I do not think you will really notice them. The seats themselves are comfortable, but might be a bit tight at first, but like Kirby, it's not so uncomfortable you can't enjoy the show.

[Suselit]

I love your show list, too.
You are going to have SO much fun in Branson.
Welcome to the Branson Board...so glad you posted.

[teacherkim]

Just to add to those who already gave you some information:

Duttons -- no stairs, although there is a sloped walk up to the theater from the parking lot. They usually have a golf cart driving around to shuttle people up the hill, which is so nice.

Comedy Jamboree -- no stairs

Red, Hot and Blue -- there is an elevator you can take up to the theater level. Inside the theater there are 3 steps to get you to the seats.

I don't remember stairs at Acrobats or Hamner Barber, but it's been longer since I've been to those theaters, so I could be wrong. Have a wonderful trip!

[luckyc]

Hi,

Thanks so much for making me feel welcome. I really appreciate all your replies. Theater seating works fine for me, so that's a relief. I can handle a few stairs, it's just a whole staircase that's daunting.

It probably does seem like a long list of shows, but since it's our first time we want to see everything!

Thanks again for all the info, I'm taking notes!

luckyc

[twbass]

Noah does have an elevator but it's a little out of the way so I'd ask at the ticket counter. We used it for my elderly mother and we sat in the last row of the upper level and the view was great.

[lucyann]

Is there going to be time for shopping in there somewhere?

[Tams]

Because Branson offers so much more...I only do one show a day and then sometimes 2 a day....because I feel I will be running around theater to theater...October is a beautiful month to be outside some...you need to Ride the Ducks...have lunch at Danna's....I would go ahead and order tickets and maybe cut some of the shows back so you can shop the speciality shops like Grand Village and while there have lunch at Hard Luck Cafe, waiters sing to you...so show and lunch in one...


Enjoy your time there...

[okfarmerswife]

Just thought I'd chime in since several have voiced their opinions that you're fitting in too many shows. My opinion is that you can never see too many shows in Branson! My husband and I usually always see at least two a day when there and most days we fit in three shows. That is what we go to Branson to do! I have visited both larger malls in Branson, the local craft malls, and several other antique shopping places and simply have not found the shopping to be that spectacular to miss a show for! Have a great time! Oh, and I don't recall there being any stairs to deal with at Acrobats of China.

[shis1]

If I were going to purchase any tickets before arriving in Branson, the one show I would do that at would be Noah. Earlier in the summer they were having large crowds, don't know about now, but I'd go ahead and reserve the tickets if that is a show you definitely don't want to miss.

[luckyc]

Hi,

Several of you have mentioned we may have too much scheduled. We live in a metropolitan area with every major store available + outlet malls. If there is a shop with local items, we might be interested, but otherwise I doubt we'll be shopping a lot. But if you had to drop a show, would you drop Celebrate America or Red, Hot & Blue?

I'm pretty sure we're going to have all our show tickets purchased before we leave home. But do we need to start now, or is 3-4 weeks in advance soon enough? My husband's dad and my mom are both in their late 80's, and we're the ones to call in an emergency. I hate to buy tickets, then have to cancel the trip and be out a bunch of money.

Thanks so much,

luckyc

[shis1]

I"d say 3-4 weeks would be ample time! But the 2 that I would be sure and do within that time frame would be Branson Belle and Noah. Some shows will reserve tickets without requiring a credit card at the time --- others will not. I've not purchased Branson Belle and Noah tickets, but I'm betting they will require payment at time of reservation.