HTF

Don't expect much of anything this week outside of a few runs. Your not going to see a lot of extended testing until they turn it over to operations. Right now it's one test and then break out the computers.

Saw my tweet got quoted here so thought I'd better chime in. Anything I tweet is second hand info and sometimes even more diluted. I tweet a lot of rumors cause they're fun and sometimes even inspire hope lol. With that being said the chances of me riding LR next week are less than 1 percent.

I'll be there next Wednesday and Thursday for the first time in years. How have waits been during the week? As for LR I'm keeping a very positive vibe about it opening next week

Most logical direction at this point is the removal of the current launch system for one from another company. I'd imagine a lot of the hardware and launch mechanics itself had to be ordered which is why we didn't see anything happening for a while. So if this is the case, were now going to witness all elements of the launch be removed, and then replaced. All new wiring and computers to integrate with the ride system, and then testing. Another thing to think about is if they are indeed replacing the entire launch system in favor of one from another company you better believe Dollywood paid out the rear for it. They want LR up and running much more than any of us. Its a biz and they're losing money everyday without it operating.

DD will never happen at HW due to space constraints within the park. That ride takes up so much land and if you've been to Florida you know it attracts a fraction of the crowd it used too. These days it just doesn't have the appeal like it did when it was the main attraction in Merlins Woods.. As for dueling again aye.. But who knows until the next major refurb/rebuild comes hither..

You may have just caught it on a bad day or got a bad train. I rode RRR about 15 times in a row (thanks single rider line!) on my visit to Orlando last fall and it was very smooth and comfortable. I was also bummed to see the Hulk in pieces but I am very excited for the rebuild. 15 times!!!! Good Lord!! I think whats even more shocking is your 39 years old!! I'm 31 and my body is like get me the hell off of this thing now! Respect..

Perhaps they are waiting for parts from another company or better yet a RUSHED ORDER of an entire launch system.

I envy those who will make the trip to experience this opening day / week. But on a serious note is anyone who is shelling out thousands to experience this park fear it won't be ready or not at 100%?

We've booked our cabin for May 15-22nd and was hoping to get some advice from those who know Dollywood on here. We chose this week as school is still in session and its the last week of the year before the park is open 7 days a week. We plan on taking advantage of the evening access on Wednesday night and then being there all day Thursday. Does anyone know what type of crowds to expect during the week this time of year? In addition does anyone have any info on their Bluegrass and BBQ Festival? Finally does anyone have any basic recommendations for Dollywood? Any basic tips, tricks, or must do's, must eats?. I've been to Dollywood but its been about 10 years so a lot has changed. We're hosting 4 generations of family from 5 months to 85+ years of age so any info would be greatly appreciated.

There are first for everything.. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Given the youth of RMC they were probably looking to give a younger and probably cheaper company a chance and it backfired. In the end Dollywood will have an amazing year and RMC is a company that is really turning heads in the industry. The only people that are essentially screwed because of this whole ordeal is Velocity. This was a big opportunity for them and they blew it, big time. Hopefully someone gives them a chance again down the road if they decide to try this again.

Dollywood employs over 3500 people... This would equate to roughly 3 tenths of 1 percent... SHUT DOWN THE PARK WE AIN'T GOT NO ONE WORKING HERE TODAY!!!

Love the pics, thank you for sharing! We will be heading out there in May and I cannot wait for this ride.

Back to Back...

Also False From the beginning, both USD and USS were always designed to have Revenge of the Mummy - both with track layouts virtually identical to USF To be fair, even though USD and USS share(d) the same track layout as USF, the show for USS is pretty different than the USF version. USS isn't about riding the movie like USF is and there's a lot of things Universal improved upon. Whether or not USD was going to be the same show as USF is up in the air since it was never built, but I can guarantee the track for Dubai was not used in the Singapore version. No offense EastCoastn7, but I'm listening the guy that worked at Universal and has first hand knowledge of the situation, in this case CoasterFEV. Hey no worries but now I'm curious, does this mean the story for Dubai Mummy was that of Orlando? Essentially a clone? Was it a one of kind that was never built? Please I'd love to know more, the Mummy is one of my all time favorites!

I thought I read somewhere that some of the track for UAE's Revenge of the Mummy was actually manufactured and delivered to the construction site before the project stalled. So I feel like it's possible that some of the Hulk track for UAE could have been made already. Of course, they're different coasters and manufacturers though, so who knows? I don't even know if the story about Mummy is true- just read about it on another theme park site. Dubai Mummy became Singapore Mummy False. I should of been more specific as the ride that was planned for Dubai essentially picked up and moved to Singapore. The ride plans not specifically the track.

I thought I read somewhere that some of the track for UAE's Revenge of the Mummy was actually manufactured and delivered to the construction site before the project stalled. So I feel like it's possible that some of the Hulk track for UAE could have been made already. Of course, they're different coasters and manufacturers though, so who knows? I don't even know if the story about Mummy is true- just read about it on another theme park site. Dubai Mummy became Singapore Mummy

Outside of Harry Potter and the Tram Tour, the Incredible Hulk is the most recognizable attraction at any Universal Park in the world. Its the flagship, it sets the tone upon arrival, an unofficial mascot if I may. More than that though this is the most cycled B&M coaster on the planet that has been beyond efficient and incredibly reliable. They have no reason to risk ruining the experience or taking a chance with any other manufacturer on one of the worlds most recognizable roller coasters. And lets face it the last couple of vendors outside of Mack and Premier have been shaky at best... Mauer, Intamin (Gringotts), and Vekoma have all required MAJOR downtimes. Something that IOA / Universal Orlando cannot deal with right now. Its B&M folks... As for the track replacement rumors as to why and what not, I don't pretend to know the life span of a steel coaster. But what I do know is we should applaud Universal for investing the massive amount of capital into this amazing coaster. I mean they're fixing the ride experience that lets face it has become a little choppy over the last half decade. Can't go into details but the Incredible Hulk will steal Mako's thunder down the street. They're going all out on this...

Couple of pics I took last night, sorry about the quality and lighting all I had was my phone for the pics. Guest view outside of main entrance to Reign of Kong Close Up! Another rock feature rising from the earth... Sapphire Falls going up quickly

Tonight Show Fast and Furious Nintendo Potter Kong Marvel Jurassic World Seuss Hopes and dreams btw...

I think its important to remember not everyone comes to the park just for rides. Many people especially those from Europe that spend 2+ weeks in Orlando actually treat their visit like a vacation. There is no rush to get all the rides done everyday. They may only spend 2 or 3 hours in the morning one day or just come for dinner and a few rides at night. To tell someone they're gonna be bored regardless of if it's Disney, Universal and so on isn't necessary. A person's vacation is exactly that, their vacation. Maybe they just love thrilling rides instead of thrilling family rides.. Maybe they got a cheap deal on a certain ticket enabling them more visits at Uni than Disney. Hell maybe they're Potter nuts? Anyways I hope the OP has a great time aND you enjoy being bored to death on what sounds like such a lame vacation with too much fun.. See how that comes across.. end rant.. Btw eat at Cowfish, Vivo, The Kitchen, and Tchoup Choup while your here.

It will be it's own mini land. Expect a small food and beverage stand and a small kiosk type gift shop in the area as well. Surprisingly I do not expect an exit into a gift shop but rather a kiosk instead.

These two things! Right here will save you HOURS in line. Great advice! I can't tell you how many times I've heard people bitch and complain how they weren't able to do anything at HHN and I ask them "when do you get to the event?" and they'll tell me "Oh, like an hour or so after it opened..." Well, DUH!!!! If you're not doing the Stay & Scream, you HAVE to be one of the first in line. And yes, you might be waiting an extra hour or maybe two on the front end for the event to open, but that will save you so many more hours on the back end! Listen to this dude, HTF. He knows what he's talking about. The getting there early thing is a must no matter what but people still show up at like 8 thinking they gonna stroll right in... Yeah no.. This is your future, you decide it! BTW thanks for the kudos Robb! Here is a visual representation of what were talking about... YOUR EARLY Your "on time"... Notice its still SUNNY OUT! YOUR LATE... Ok so the last one is from Woodstock but you get the idea.

For the RIP tours they take you through an "exclusive" entrance that dumps you off at the very beginning of the house. They stop the conga line so your group can enter it. Some tour guides will try to pulse the line so your group is somewhat alone but within the first 2 to 3 scenes you've caught up to the conga line. Not all guides will do this either as most now-a-days will just get you in the line and meet you at the exit due to operations trying to get as many people through the house as possible. If you want to experience everything get the Frequent Fear Pass. One night with or without Express really just isn't enough anymore and I can assure you your gonna want to do a few houses more than once. Also Bill and Ted is a must! Do not miss it! The last 2 years since they've gotten a new creative team for production has been outstanding. Now if your wanting to get a head start on the crowds here are a few tips. 1. If you have a valid day pass for Universal Studios and plan to attend HHN that night (and have a valid ticket) You can do the Stay and Scream each and every event night. What this means if when the park closes they gather everyone with valid HHN admission into holding areas. They will scan your ticket, give you a wrist band, and then let you roam within the confines of the area you chose to stay in. If doing this I HIGHLY recommend New York as your holding area since it offers the most houses within a short distance. Diagon Alley was an option last year and is a great option as well. Holding will be from 5pm to 6-615pm and then your off to the races ahead of the front gate crowds. 2. If not doing Stay and Scream GET THERE EARLY! I cannot stress this one enough! On busy nights like your planned ones will be arriving early is key. Arriving at 5pm vs 7pm is night and day. During peak entry hours 7-9pm it can take as long as 90 mins to park, get through security, and then the turnstiles. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 3. If trying to do a house by yourselves or without the conga lines your best chance is at the end of the night or right at opening. Doing Stay and Scream like mentioned before will help you do this. Oh and wear sunglasses lol, your eyes won't adjust to the darkness of the house and your going to be sitting ducks 4. HAVE A PLAN! Every year once the house locations are revealed I have a plan of attack. On most nights I can do 75% of the houses without waiting more than 20 mins in the first 90 mins of the event being open. And yes thats without express. In addition for your husbands sake please be aware the amount of alcohol that will be all around you at HHN is extreme.Even more so than you will see at a nightclub in many cases. They sell it EVERYWHERE except the bathrooms. I mean that. So he will need your support through it as well. So again just be prepared for that. If you have anymore questions please just ask. The more you know the more you can plan for the craziness of the event. You can DM here, post a reply, or even hit me up on Twitter @hatetofly

First off congrats on the wedding! Now to answer some of your concerns.. First off let me say I'm somewhat of a Universal and HHN Veteran. Been an AP Holder to the parks for over 10 years and this will be my 15th consecutive year going to HHN in Orlando. Not bragging nor gloating just merely sharing I've been around the block... So first off if your choosing between the 2 hotels you listed do yourself a favor and stay at Cabana Bay. Its a wonderful, CLEAN, and large resort with great amenities. The Doubletree across the street has seen better years and its showing its age not just in the common areas but the rooms themselves. Now if your budget won't allow for Cabana Bay may I also suggest the Hyatt across the street. Been there as well and its a very nice hotel. Now as for Express during the day, its really not needed if you ask me. The crowds won't be light during the middle of October but they also won't be heavy. Is it nice to have, yeah sure it is but at the same time if you plan your day out right you won't need them. My recommendation is utilize early park entry (if staying at Cabana Bay) knock out all the big attractions and leave by 1pm when crowds are at there peak. Head back to the hotel, take a nap or hit the pool (again huge bonus at Cabana Bay) Then head back to IOA around 4 or 5 as crowds are dying down to hit several of the big rides with little to no wait. Also keep in mind the Studios will be closing early during your visit for HHN so hitting the Studios in the morning and IOA at night is the way to go. Finally in reference to your HHN plan may I recommend skipping the RIP Tour.. I know that may sound crazy but IMO your better off just buying express and saving yourselves an easy 100 bucks. The night you plan on going that tour will probably run you $150 bucks plus admission. Another idea and IMO the way to go is look into a Frequent Fear Pass. You two can go essentially 2 nights for the price of one or even the Frequent Fear Plus pass which would get you in 3 nights during your stay for 9 dollars more than a general admission ticket. HHN has grown tremendously over the years and with this being the big 25th Anniversary expect large crowds coupled with the large amount of offerings. Not sure if you guys are big Horror fans but the event is a blast and IMO well worth more than one night if your lucky enough to be staying onsite while its going on. Oh and Antarctica sucks... Any who I hope this helps, and feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Hulk Five Year Paint Intervals Being brought into 21st century in terms of ride operating and safety systems in the future. Any track work would not be necessary unless they found a hairline crack in the coasters track or supports. But if that was the case the ride would be shut down immediately and not reopened until fixed and several thousand hours of testing to ensure it doesn't happen again.