thrillseeker4552

Update: it was closed (on Friday 4/21). Not even a single test run all day. Just maintenance guys all over the lift/launch catwalks and station/brake catwalks. With that being said, aside from LRod's closure, I had an amazing visit. I could not have asked for better weather (sunny, partly cloudy, mid-high 70s all day). All coasters had 2+ train operations with speedy dispatches. I was also pleased to see Drop Line open. I love drop towers and this one was really great. My biggest highlight was Thunderhead. I was expecting another "medium" thrill GCI but it was amazing. It was my favorite ride in the park and is probably my favorite GCI too. It runs like a dream, has great pacing, good layout, and I just had a blast on it. Props to Dollywood for keeping it in great shape even though it's 19 years old (not sure if it had recent track work?). I would also say Mystery Mine exceeded my expectations. I never rode it before the modifications but I really like the ride. It's awkward and weird but that's sorta why I love it. I didn't find it that rough at all. Tennessee Tornado was another favorite. Up there with Viper at SFMM for my favorite Arrow looper. FireChaser had more kick than I expected. Wild Eagle was exactly what I thought, kinda "meh" for a wing coaster but the views are wonderful. And, as I anticipated, the cinnamon break was fantastic. If I just pretend Lightning Rod doesn't exist, I truly have no complaints about my visit. 10/10 wonderful park. With Big Bear Mountain opening soon and maybe, if the stars align, LRod decides to work, I have great reason to return.

Bummed to hear that Lightning Rod has been closed. I'm going for my first ever visit this Friday. Fingers crossed...

So excited to ride this in two weeks. The zero-g roll over the building is giving big mosasaurus roll vibes, which can only be a good thing. I'm still shocked this tiny park added this thing.

Bummer if this is true (since I'm always skeptical of Six Flags' website). I'm visiting for the first time this August and I've heard good things about Viper.

Falcon's Fury was testing nonstop all day today. I feel like I heard it drop every couple minutes for hours on end. I think its safe to expect a re-opening very very soon!

Such great news! Unfortunately I don't see this happening on the Sky Rocket IIs, since those are not marketed as family coasters, but one can dream.

This is far and away the absolute weirdest coaster B&M has ever built. It kind-sorta has 4 launches, it's their only shuttle coaster, the backwards seats, the awkward helix.... like what? lol. Looks like fun but I'm kinda shocked B&M went so far out of their comfort zone for one coaster! Nonetheless it's nice to see!

The park is kind of a mess right now. All of Fiesta Village is dirt and walled off (although some new paint is now starting). We still have no details about what they are doing to Montezooma, nor has there been much noticeable work to the station, loop replacement, paint, anything. One of their headlining coasters has been down for a year. It's sad to see so much entertainment being cut right now in the midst of all this.

Thanks for the advice all. I went ahead and booked the Econo Lodge. I'm so excited to finally visit Dollywood! After countless attempts to visit over the years, it feels good to finally be booked in for this April. It's only one day and to be honest, Big Bear may not even be open by then, but I don't care! As long as Lightning Rod is!

Anyone have experience with the Econo Lodge Pigeon Forge Riverside? I heard some decent things on Twitter and it has great rates for when I'm going. I'm traveling solo and pretty tolerant with hotels as long as it's not a total crap hole, but just wondering if anyone has opinions (or other recommendations) for affordable accommodations in the area. I'll be there in late April. I'll also have my own car and willing to stay within a reasonable distance of the park if anyone else has suggestions! Thanks in advance.

Great to see! That's actually a bit sooner than I was expecting given the delays (which seems to be from a permitting/county issue and not the park themselves, as they admitted they want it open just as much as we do). Time to start planning my trip!

I think Fun Spot forgot about it too.

Has anyone visited this park in the last couple years? How is it? Any experiences to share? My friend and I are doing a theme park road trip this July and we will be starting in Dallas and ending in Chicago. On the way from Six Flags Over Texas to Silver Dollar City, we have the options to either visit this park or Frontier City. We are leaning towards this park since it seems much more attractive and unique than Frontier City, but I'm looking for any advice anyone may have. I know there were rumors about X Coaster closing but the park has a fairly active Instagram and it seems to have been operating last season (and before) and they are advertising it will operate this season when they open in May. Any updates on the place in general?

Bump. Are there any plans to do a 2022 Coaster Poll? I really enjoyed this process of ranking and the results were always fun to read!

West Coaster at Pacific Park on Christmas Eve. Oddly enough, despite growing up in Southern California, I never rode it until now.

Great news. I am all for more permanent solutions for track maintenance while keeping it a wooden coaster. There are many wooden coasters that should be RMC'd but the Voyage is most definitely NOT one of them. Good for Holiday World, I love their commitment to their wooden coasters. I had a blast visiting for the first time last May and I'll be heading back this year in early August (and have enough time to include Splashin' Safari this time too). Can't wait!

RCDB lists 3/3/23 as the opening date. Whether that's even credible at all, or where they got it from, I have no clue. Take that for what you will. The only thing the park has said officially is "by summer." I'm looking at going mid-late April. Fingers crossed...

Last year when Kraken and Manta were closed for their repaints, the closure was listed on the individual ride's page. So if there is no closure listed there, I think it's safe to assume everything will be open. Atlantis could be a wild card though. In 5 hours you will get on everything with time to spare. Even on the busiest days, I have never seen Mako's wait over 10-15 minutes. Most of the time it's a walk on since the capacity is just excellent and dispatches are solid. If there is any sense of crowds, Manta will be the busiest due to the horrid operations. Kraken and Ice Breaker will be in the middle. Have fun. It's a great park. And like ^ said, next week will likely be deserted.

"He was sunshine, I was midnight rain. He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name, chasing that fame. He stayed the same. All of me changed like midnight rain." From Taylor Swift's "Midnight Rain" on her new album Midnights. Any other major Swifties out there?

West Coaster at Pacific Park in Santa Monica. I grew up in SoCal and finally rode the coaster for the first time last Saturday. Glad to see they let you go around twice, it makes it feel more worth the money!

I moved to FL in June 2021 and Falcon's Fury ran pretty consistently from then until April of this year when it suddenly shut, and aside from a brief reopening sometime in the summer, has been shut since.

Attempted to visit Knott's today. I have never seen it so busy in my life. We couldn't even get in the park. Beach Blvd was completely bumper to bumper, all lots full, the security line backed up past the Marketplace and more. After taking 1 hour just to make our way down Beach Blvd and crossing under GhostRider, we ended up just leaving. Queue-Times shows many wait times at 3 hours. And of course, Xcel being down doesn't help. I know it's the busiest week of the year, but this time last year I was at least able to get IN the park. Maybe it's because today is the observed Christmas holiday so many people are still not at work yet. But it was just insane. The park just draws so many damn people for its size. Not just the capacity of the coasters, but the parking, security, food lines (based on last year's visit around this time), rides, everything is undersized. I wonder how much longer until they build a parking garage, open up some parking/warehouse space, and expand the park with some higher capacity rides, restaurants, and more. It's just wild.

Very odd POV with the effects and auto-smoothing/gyroscope, but nonetheless the coaster looks awesome. Both of those "flat" rolls are giving me mosasaurus roll vibes - they looks much flatter than typical RMC zero G rolls. Can't wait to drive up there and ride it this spring.

Glad to see them doing well. It's amazing what happens when you actually open your rides! lol Agreed about Fury needing 2 trains, at least through Winterfest. After the new year, for weekends until March I'm sure one train ops is less of a problem. But better open than closed! EDIT: Also, now that the park is year-round, I wonder if they would consider a 4th train for Fury to cycle through maintenance. Knott's bought a third for Silver Bullet so it could have 2 trains 99% of the year. Maybe not likely but something to think about if they're serious about expanding and continuing year round.

Can Jeffrey please run the entire Six Flags chain? That would be awesome. All looks like great stuff for SFFT. I went in 2019 and 2021 and absolutely loved both visits and already wanna go back again.