On December 22, 2018 the family and I took a trip to see the Christmas show on the Showboat Branson Bell near Branson, Missouri. I found a great deal on Groupon that helped us get a great price.
Overall we had a great time watching the very talented dancers, singers and musicians. The meal was tastey and well balanced, not too much or too little. The boat was clean and well maintained with a friendly staff and crew.
When we arrived we went ahead and purchased a free refill cup and proceeded with Hot Chocolate fill ups.
We then proceeded to boarding and took a few good pictures in the little onshore downtown area.
After boarding the boat we found our seat. We had about 30 minutes before preshow so we explored the boat. This also included a trip to the gift shop in the front of the boat. Since we went so late in the Christmas season, we purchased shirts and a tree ornament for discounted prices of 75%.
The preshow was about to begin at noon. So we headed back to our seats. The seats were a bit close and cozy but not terribly cramped for us as we had end seats.
The preshow began while the crew served the meal.
The main section consisted of a main floor level and was encircled by three levels of balcony seating.
The entire boat experience was about two and a half hours from the time preshow began. The Showboat paddled across Table Rock lake for about two hours of that time.
I didn’t even notice when the boat launched until I glanced over to a window and the shoreline was moving. So there really isn’t a concern for motion sickness unless you go on deck during the thirty minute intermission between the pre-show and the main show.
The pre-show consisted of some comedy, some magic and a dash of singing. The meal consisted of roast beef, chicken breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, a roll and lemon icebox cream pie.
After pre-show and the meal we had an intermission to do more exploring.
After the thirty minute intermission the main show began. It consisted of music, clogging, dancing, singing, comedy and some magic. It was a great show. It even included a moving stage component. The singers were very talented. I truly enjoyed it.
On the way out of the park we filled up in hot chocolate again.
My advice is to look for coupons or discounted tickets and purchase them. It is a great show and boat ride. But for a family of four it would be pricey without discounted tickets.
