coasterdude5

My Lumberjack's experience wasn't the greatest, but I ate there after a storm shut down most of the park. And I had one of the last slices (which had probably been sitting out for at least an hour). Obviously I need to give it a second chance, although even hotter and fresher I'm not sure it would be one of my favorites. I always tout the park's food when talking to others. But honestly I've never had anything at the park that blew me away (except the cinnamon bread, of course). The chicken sandwich from the new food truck was one of the best things I've had in recent years. Admittedly, I haven't tried any of the sit-down restaurants. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong. When at a park, I prefer to get something a bit quicker to allow for more ride time. So far, the chicken tenders, pizza (from the other place) and burgers have fallen flat for me. Now that I'm living closer to the park and going more often, I'll have to pay Aunt Granny and Miss Lillian's a visit.

1. Lightning Rod 2. Outlaw Run (very, very close second) 3. Goliath 4. Storm Chaser It's hard for me to rank Storm Chaser with the other three since it's the only Iron Horse of the bunch. And on top of that, it's so different from the other three in its layout, size, elements, etc.

Oh no no. According to this thread there are NO PR nightmares and saying anything negative is insulting and whining. This park and RMC has gotten the biggest "get out of jail free" card on this NOT DEBACLE.

So has this reached "debacle" level or do we need a few more setbacks?

Well if they had not gone bankrupt and had put wave turns on new coasters like Tennessee Tornado, it probably wouldn't have hurt very much at all. But who knows That was my thinking, especially with their ties to Alan Schilke. Tennessee Tornado is one of my favorite loopers, and I can only imagine what Arrow could have done today with advancing technology (and financial stability).

Weird. I tried it on multiple devices and it wasn't there, but it is now.

No "LR is closed" alert on the website (at least not on mobile). Hopefully that's a good sign!

That could mean something, but they were also on hand in uniform two weekends before its "grand" opening (right after the flood). They were rotating them around different rides. But in this instance hopefully it means they're on standby in case it opens earlier than expected.

Chaos at Opryland USA. It was one of my first coasters and one of only two of its kind in the world. From Thrillhunter

^ Wow, wow...wow. Amazing. Hopefully Thrills in the Hills offers similar views.

I don't understand why discussing this debacle (which it is) makes people so uncomfortable. We all have differing opinions and perspectives — that's what makes (or used to make) discussion forums like this so interesting. But surely there are less stressful topics to follow. Believe it or not, the majority of members on this forum do not find a bunch of negative and bitching posts as "so interesting". This isn't sharing opinions or perspectives; this is complaining and bitching constantly that the ride has had issues or the park pr staff isn't doing their jobs. There has been a lot of grandstanding going on in this thread so it is only natural that you will get responses like coasterbill that are sick of the constant negativity. And let's be honest..a debacle? Ring Racer was a debacle. Just to be clear, I am not saying you can not make negative posts. You can continue to make your posts complaining about the park as long as you do so in a respectable manner towards members of this forum and park staff. Just don't be surprised that you will get a response by people who choose not to pick apart every negative thing that happens in life. "Debacle" is the only word that came to mind, but I will certainly swap it with a word you find more fitting. I've never seen a new coaster plagued with this many problems (launch delay, flood delay, recall delay, burning motor delay, etc.). Couple that with the shoddy communication and misinformation, and that's what I would call a "debacle." But I suppose I need to review the Ring Racer thread. I've maintained respectful (yet critical) dialogue throughout this whole...ordeal...so I'll assume that you aren't clumping me in with the "negative and bitching" crowd. I'm aware that there's been plenty of that since all this began. But it seems that any posts deemed critical are automatically labeled entitled/whiny/etc. and thrown to the side. Dollywood is one of my favorite parks in the country, but that doesn't mean I have to discuss it while wearing my rose-colored glasses. I'm not writing a puff piece. But what's even more frustrating than the "bitching" is sifting through the people "bitching about the bitching." That's what fueled my original comment. But I'll just ignore those from now on. Now, back to that cinnamon bread.

Walk. Walk everywhere. Then walk some more. Do laps around the park between rides. I typically rack up 7-10 miles when spending a full day at a park (or so the Fitbit tells me). But walking around all day makes me pretty hungry, so I usually smuggle in a protein bar or two (Quest bars FTW) to keep me full throughout the day. Then I'll splurge on lunch or dinner inside the park (or outside if time permits). I typically don't try to eat healthy when at a park because YOLO, right?!? Greasy, calorie-laden park food is fine every once in a while. But I realized after a summer spent down the street from SFGAm that I needed to lay off the funnel cake supreme sundaes. Soda may not be the best thing to drink, but the belief that soda (caffeine) dehydrates you is a myth: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965 But of course water is the best option. And drinking it throughout the day will also help keep hunger at bay. And regarding diet soda, research on that is mixed. At the end of the day, a zero-calorie Diet Coke is far less likely to put weight on you than a 140-calorie regular can of Coke is. When people think because they had diet soda at dinner they can eat half of a cake is where the problem comes in. I've lost and kept off about 30 pounds, and I drink way more diet soda than I should.

I don't understand why discussing this debacle (which it is) makes people so uncomfortable. We all have differing opinions and perspectives — that's what makes (or used to make) discussion forums like this so interesting. But surely there are less stressful topics to follow.

The cinnamon bread is still the best ride at Dollywood, so don't set your Lightning Rod expectations too high.

But that's not an excuse. As inconvenient as that communication may be, sending pertinent information to the public-facing PR team is important — especially now that the coaster has "officially" opened and people are expecting it to be open. Of course, there is no need to go into specifics as to what the problems are or divulge more technical information than necessary (like why did the park name drop RMC on the website alert? 99% of visitors to their website likely have no idea who/what that is). Everyone on the park side needs to be on the same page so that incorrect information isn't relayed to the public. That's for everyone's benefit. I have an incredible amount of respect for the park's PR team — they do an outstanding job. Having worked in a similar capacity in my last job, I know and can empathize with the stress of dealing with an impatient/uninformed public.

I'm still playing around with the coaster builder. Slowly getting the hang of it: Maybe if Arrow was still around they'd attempt a wave turn. One can dream!

There's no telling. But I think part of this poor handling may be that the park (and possibly Hershcend as a chain) has never dealt with such a complex situation like this before with a new ride opening. It's been a perfect storm of massive proportions — and I doubt the park has prepared for this sort of "crisis" PR situation. And if they have, that preparation certainly isn't showing.

You're on the wrong side of the state for good barbecue.

Could it possibly be that they are just incorporating more effects to the launch? Peeling out hot rods can create quite a bit of smoke, and that would be the exact spot on the coaster where an effect like that would take place. Just a thought. Not 100% sure whether or not you're being serious, but I don't think they would add anything that might be construed to the general public as a legitimate malfunction, especially after a well publicized recall.

This comparison may help: http://www.coaster101.com/2016/01/29/smoky-mountain-alpine-coasters-comparison/ I really hate this for Dollywood and RMC. I do recall seeing the LSM fins steaming as I approached the launch the first time I rode it (but that may be normal, I've never seen them that up close before).

Can anyone confirm that all RMCs are down today due to the same train-related issue? https://twitter.com/lsnowden5/status/744214182682304512

That's hyping a (very major) ride whose closing had already been announced. This is basically hyping an announcement of a ride closing. It's a bit different. But buzz is buzz, I suppose.

I've never seen a park "hype" a ride closure like this before. I find it a bit bizarre. Perhaps it's all a joke. One can dream, as I really don't want to see any of the 30+ year veteran attractions leave.

Yeah, you can see it here: But anytime I hear someone try to make a deal about a "swaying coaster," I just direct them here: http://www.coaster101.com/2014/05/28/coasters-101-roller-coasters-sway/

I live, and have always lived in georgia. Oppressive heat?! Dude, if you can't stand in sunlight for 20 minutes...I'm not really sure what to tell ya. Hit the gym and chug some gatorades. I've lived in Tennessee for the majority of my life. As I said in the post you quoted, I prefer the heat. I'm used to it. But I'm not the only person at the park. There are those who may not be acclimated to the higher temperatures, especially if they're not from the area. And last weekend temperatures across the state were not typical of late spring. And that doesn't even take into account the poor air quality that accompanied the heat. Your suggestion to go to a gym and chug Gatorade makes zero sense in the context of this exchange, so I'm going to assume you have no idea what you're talking about.