I was extremely disappointed in Silver Dollar City on 5-31-09. I want to warn anyone who is thinking of driving any distance to visit this park to think twice.
On 5-31-09 my friend and I paid full price to enter the park. We were not told about any attractions being unavailable when our tickets were purchased.
We decided to ride Wildfire but no luck, it wasn't going to be running that day. We then decided to look around the gift shop next to Wildfire. The young woman at the shop was being unnecessarily brusque to any visitors who approached. We next noted that the Saloon Show's next show time was the next day. (This was at 1:00 P.M.) We tried to ride Fire-in the Hole also to learn that it was also out of operation indefinitely. The same thing happened at the Giant Barn Swing, The Wilderness Waterboggan, and Thunderation-all not running and would not be for the rest of the day. The train wasn't looking good, either. A group waited on the platform for about 10 minutes with the train sitting there, no employees in sight, until the employees finally appeared and decided to run it again. Other rides may also have been out of service that day, we did not check all of them.
Indications were everywhere that Hershend Corporation was taking advantage of their employees and guests by not having adequate staff on duty. I understand that everyone needs to cut back where they can but there is no excuse for Hershands to abuse their employees by requiring them to do more than one job while only paying them for one. Hershends have a history of employee abuse before the economic crisis. I also find it hard to believe that the Hershend family could not afford to operate the park more effeciently than was done on 5-31-09.
When my friend and I arrived the temperature was approximately 90 F. After we walked half a mile, in the heat, up a grade, in fresh oil, we were forced to stand in the sun on the asphalt for 15 minutes waiting for a tram-no canopy, no bench, nothing.
Inside the park, we repeated the standing in the sun 15-20 minutes, this time to purchase a small lemonade for $4, because despite the long lines only one employee was being allowed to work in the lemonade stand.
Silver Dollar City has misters for people waiting in lines on hot days, but were not using any of them that day.
The park would not give a refund or even a raincheck
I just don't want what happened to us to happen to anyone else. Silver Dollar City is not the only attraction in Branson. If you decide to approach them do so with caution.
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