Wisconsin Dells Advice » Dells Army Ducks

Wisconsin Dells Ducks Are Operational

Dells Advice — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:38:25 +0000

The hints of nice weather we’ve had over the past couple of weeks have convinced the operators of the Original Wisconsin Ducks and the Dells Army Ducks to start offering tours for the 2009 season. At this point in the year, they aren’t offering continuous tours as they typically do during the busy summer months. The Original Wisconsin Ducks are running 4 tours a day at 11:00 A.M., 12:00 Noon, 2:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. The Dells Army Ducks aren’t operating on a set schedule. They’ll take any group of 6 or more out right away. If your group has less than 6 people in it, you’ll need to wait until more people show up.

Lake Delton still hasn’t gotten to its normal water level, so both ducks tour companies aren’t venturing into the lake yet. Both ducks tours do include rides on the Wisconsin River, however. The filling of Lake Delton is weather dependent, so the more rain the Wisconsin Dells area gets, the sooner it will be back to its normal water level. When I spoke to Lake Delton Village Clerk Kay Mackesey last month, she told me that they anticipated that the lake would be completely filled sometime in May. The heavy rains that the Dells area has gotten this week certainly will help move the filling along. Both ducks tours will take passengers in the area of the Lake Delton breach and over the new Highway A that was constructed after it was destroyed last June.

If you are planning on going on a Dells duck tour this spring, the best advice would be to call ahead. The Original Wisconsin Ducks can be reached at 608-254-8751 and the Dells Army Ducks can be reached at 608-254-6080.

Channel 15 in Madison had a report recently on the opening of the Original Wisconsin Ducks and the status of the filling of Lake Delton. To see the news report, click below.

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Wisconsin Dells City Pass Updated for 2009

Dells Advice — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:14:43 +0000

The popular Wisconsin Dells City Pass, which debuted last year, is back again for 2009 with a couple of changes to the program. The 2009 pass features 12 different Dells attractions (up from 9 in 2008). The price has increased from $79 to $99, although passes for senior citizens aged 65 and older and children 42″ or less are reduced to $89. There have also been some changes to the participating attractions this year. The Rick Wilcox Magic show is no longer participating, and there are four new participants. The list of participating attractions is as follows:

Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Riverside & Great Northern Railway (new for 2009)
Dells Army Ducks
Christmas Mountain Golf
Dells Comedy Club (new for 2009)
Wisconsin Deer Park
Mark Twain Boat Tours
Chalet Lanes Bowling (new for 2009)
Shipwreck Lagoon Mini Golf
Top Secret
Wild Thing Jet Boats
Castle of Terror & Haunted Crypt (new for 2009)

Although the $99 price tag might seem high, it can be an incredible value if you take advantage of all of the offerings. The pass won’t be available for use until May 23rd, however it can be purchased anytime on the Dells City Pass website. I will certainly have more to say about the City Pass as the summer tourist season comes closer.

Discounted Dells Attractions this Weekend

Dells Advice — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:37:36 +0000

As a part of the Autumn Harvest Fest this weekend, there are several top notch Dells attractions that are offering Buy One Get One Free admissions during the festival. In order to take advantage of these deals, you need to have the Autumn Harvest Fest brochure to present when you buy your tickets at the attraction. The brochure is available to print online here.

I spoke with a representative of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, and she wasn’t sure if printed copies of the brochure would be accepted by the different attractions. Not to be concerned though, since brochures are available at the Visitors Bureau’s offices located at 701 Superior Street in downtown Wisconsin Dells. The Visitors Bureau is open from 8:30 – 5:00, 7 days a week.

A full list of the attractions can be found on Page 7 of the brochure linked to above. Some of the more notable attractions offering Buy One Get One Free admissions are:

Chula Vista Lost Rios Water Park
Cold Water Canyon Golf Course
Dells Army Duck Tours
Dells Comedy Club – Wild 4 Hypnosis Show
Dells Mining Co.
Ghost Out-Post Haunted House
Haunted Mansion
Kalahari Water Park
Mark Twain Boat Tour
Old River & Totem Pole Mini Golf
Paint It! Pottery Shop
Timber Falls Adventure Park
WildThing Jet Boats

Also listed on Page 7 of the brochure are several attractions offering 20% off admission. Not as good as Buy One Get One, but still a pretty good deal. If you would like to see the full list of attractions offering discounts this weekend, click on the link above.

Wisconsin Dells City Pass – is it worth it?

Dells Advice — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:12:40 +0000

New for 2008 is the Wisconsin Dells City Pass, which allows buyers of the pass access to 9 different attractions over a 3 day period for $70. Is it worth it? It depends on what your plans for your trip to the Dells are, but I think it is a great deal. Once you activate your pass, you have 3 days to visit the following attractions:

3 days at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park ($120 value)
1 ticket to the Rick Wilcox Magic Show ($29 value)
1 ride on the Dells Army Ducks ($21 value)
3 days of golf at Shipwreck Lagoon ($24 value)
1 ride on the Mark Twain Upper Dells Boats ($21 value)
1 admission to Top Secret ($12 value)
1 ride on the Wild Thing Jet Boats ($21 value)
1 admission to the Wisconsin Deer Park ($10 value)
1 greens fees at Christmas Mountain Golf ($55 value)

The total value is $313, for $70. Not bad. There are a couple of restrictions. First, the tickets to the Rick Wilcox magic show are limited to 50 per show available starting at 6:00 PM. I can see this being a popular attraction and having trouble getting tickets during some of the busy nights during the summer. You can upgrade your ticket for $18.86 (why not $19??) and avoid having to sit in the City Pass cheap seats. The other restriction is at Christmas Mountain, where tee times are only available after 11:00 and you must rent a cart.

With the amount of competition in the Dells, businesses need to think of unique ways to get people to come and spend their money with them. This is a great way to get new customers. By buying the City Pass, I would get a chance to try some of the things that I probably wouldn’t otherwise do – like Top Secret or the Mark Twain Boat Ride. If you were going to be doing some of these activities anyways, like the Ducks or Mt. Olympus, why not spend a little extra money and get access to even more Dells attractions. It will be interesting to see how this program is received this year. I predict it will be a huge success, and you’ll see competing programs in the future.

Check out the Wisconsin Dells City Pass website for more information.

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