brenthodge

Actually, "Technical rehearsal" sounds better than "The ride isn't officially open so we don't have any obligation to open it for you whatsoever, but we're being generous enough to open it on days that we can do some tweak & adjust, which we could probably do with water dummies or empty trains, but we are trying to get as many people on the ride as possible, so stop being ungrateful." Except for about a week it was actually"open" then the recall and it went back into tech rehearsal. Pardon me for trying to logic and reason to explain something. I forgot that quite a few contributors to this thread and shown that they are not smart enough to understand that. I understand both logic AND reason, and am quite smart. Just stating that the ride did shift from tech rehearsal to "open" then back to tech rehearsal. I'm sure there was both logic and reason to that decision, though I can see where it would be confusing to some people planning visits to the park. As the moderator of this forum who ctiticizes other for making disparaging remarks to others, aren't you kind of doing the same here by responding to two quotes with an insult to their intelligence?

Actually, "Technical rehearsal" sounds better than "The ride isn't officially open so we don't have any obligation to open it for you whatsoever, but we're being generous enough to open it on days that we can do some tweak & adjust, which we could probably do with water dummies or empty trains, but we are trying to get as many people on the ride as possible, so stop being ungrateful." Except for about a week it was actually"open" then the recall and it went back into tech rehearsal.

Thanks for asking. I love the overall experience at Dollywood. I feel the people overall are a great representation of the brand and the theme that the park is portraying. I love that the park still invests in theme appropriate costuming for individual locations. I love that the merchandise selections are generally unique and appropriately theme to each retail location. I feel the food is overall a great value (quality for the price) and reflects the care and thought that goes into the theme. I feel the overall park is a great value (level of themed entertainment for the cost). I am impressed at the rapid growth of this park, and as a native Tennessean, am proud that they are beginning to receive national attention for their efforts. I have numerous time complimented the management and front-line associates for their great dedication to their jobs, the quality of the experience I have had there and the overall experience they provide. I have written several positive reviews on Trip Advisor (which I am aware is not this forum) about the experiences my family has had there. I am also a vocal brand advocate for the resort - telling people that I feel would enjoy the experience that the resort provides all about it. I am also a retail professional and the Director of Merchandising and Brand Experience for a regional retail company. My job is to craft engaging, unique experiences. Every day I challenge myself to look at what I have created and ask "what could I have done better? What would have elevated this experience?" I am incredibly detail oriented, and strive for excellence in my own work, and recognize when others are striving for that as well. To that end, I do make observations about attractions and marketing - guest experience opportunities. Since you are familiar with all of my posts (better than I) I can only assume some of the past ones are in regards to the incredible opportunity I think the park has to leverage the Imagination Library into an immersive dark ride that the entire family can enjoy together and will draw attention to that great cause. Maybe my past negative posts are observations that as the park has elevated the theming and quality of the ride experience, legacy attractions like Blazing Fury begin to pale in comparison, and make (or solicit) blue sky ideas as to how these attractions could be made more in line with the high quality the park aspires to (and ensure their longevity.) Maybe my negative posts are my very observant nature seeing that a queue that has gotten almost no use (Lighting Rod) is already showing signs of wear and tear on wonderfully themed details because of questionable materials choices. Yes, my "negative" posts also extend to the way the opening, soft opening, hard opening, shut down, soft opening of Lightning Rod has been handled. As a professional responsible for guest experience, I do see ways that "I think" it could have been handled differently. I have not said the way people did it was wrong, but that maybe in my experience I would have handled it differently. I have never on "trip Advisor" or any other travel review forum complained, or given poor reviews to Dollywood, as I am proud of the growth the resort has made, and want to see them continue to succeed for years to come. I did think that on this forum - that concerned itself with the discussion (and obsession with the details of) theme parks - that there would be room for constructive observations and even some "I would have done it this way" blue sky thinking. I though most posters here were passionate about Dollywood and wanted it to be as amazing and recognized in a positive light for all the great things that it offers, but were also realistic in their comments and ways they felt the experience could be made even better., I know that was a SUPER long post, but since you want to know "what EXACTLY" I felt is best to be specific. Hope this answers your questions.

PEEL OUT NOW....or not. So sad its funny - so funny its sad.

SHOCK! Ok - my two cents - I rode it finally last week. It was great coaster BUT: The lift for Wild Eagle - while certainly not as fast, was quite speedy, and I think a "high speed" chain lift would have worked just as well for a few reasons: 1 - the launch REALLY feels like it "dies" when the LIMs stop close to the hill - to the point that the crest almost felt anti-climactic. 2 - the downtime has been beyond silly for "new technology". There doesn't even seem like a reason to promote it as OPEN IN 2016 when at this point the regular 2016 season is almost half over and you could probably fit the total run time into one week or so. 3 - the need to be "first" as a marketing tool has given them nothing to market (or a product to market that isn't really there for most of the customers) leading to lost (or delayed revenue and poor publicity of the park, and Im sure playing hell with payroll. You have ride attendants show up for a shift - only to be sent home (or other places) in a few hours because the ride has so much down time. 4 - It doesn't even seem like it is only the lift for a lot of these problems so maybe other issues were at play, but really...what is so NEW about any of this? A LIM launch? The fact that it goes uphill? The fact that it is on wood? Im not being pissy - really just asking... what about this ride is so "new" that is has caused this much delay?

Has it operated at all today? Nope "extended commissioning" this is the most commissioned ride I've ever seen.

Well a few days with spotty operations annnnnnnnd we're closed again today. Not out of those woods yet guys.

2:45. 2 trains. Seems to be consistent operation. Now after almost 5 month delay and three trips I can say we did it. Awesome ride. Have to do it again to really get a feel for it. So much happens so fast. Few details (and I know the focus has just been on getting the damn thing to run, but worth pointing out because they are the details that take it from ride to "themed attraction" sound effects were not on today. Or at least for as long as I was in earshot. Queue looks AWESOME with all the details but I'm concerned they cheaped out on the construction. Most all of the surface treatment is styro and stucco which is already being damaged- especially where they used that instead of concrete for the window ledges. Those areas are going to get way too much wear with people leaving on them to be made of that. The queue has seem very limited traffic and a lot of the finishes are already damaged. Most of this is character paint with washes that won't be easy to just "touch up". Good thing it's supposed to be a grungy factory because I'm afraid it will look like that sooner than later.

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.

See I know there is more of this than we read about.. i know LR is clearly hurting Dollywood right now so I really hope it's open fully soon I know my girlfriend and I have cancelled three separate trips to the park. The first time, we decided to go to Six Flags Over Georgia and Lake Winnie. The second time, we went to Carowinds. And for the final time about 10 days ago (right after the recall was announced), we frantically changed plans at 4am the last day possible to cancel hotels without penalties, and the day before we were trying to leave. We then traveled to Busch Gardens, Hersheypark, and Six Flags Great Adventure instead. We both have a Dollywood season pass and we have yet to use it once. I know, I know. The park is wonderful without LR. And it is. We just want to make sure their new ride will be open before we travel the 5 hours to go to the park. I VERY cautiously optimistic about next Wed-Fri when we are planning on being there. Hopefully "Lightning" strikes this time for us (Not May or June)

We're going next week as season pass holders for a third attempt at Lighting Rod (and to enjoy the park in general) but if it looks like it will still be down, we will most likely cancel and rebook (maybe) later at the Dreammore resort. I have a feeling that is starting to happen with others - resulting in lost or delayed revenue. Hate to see it, and I know its "unavoidable" but this big boost may have become their "albatross around the neck" this year - especially when you look at the projections that I'm sure they made with LR being factored in as a driver. I have a feeling their % increases are going to be WAY off plan this season. My concern for the park is that yes, they will get it running consistently (?) some day, but the initial ROI will be lost. Im sure not many people are buying Lighting Rod t-shirts to commemorate their "standing and looking at the structure"

That was my point - some people are just highlighting what seem to be "less than wonderful" handling of the situation by the PR department. I don't recall any recent "these idiots don't know what they are doing" type remarks - just that the park has not had to handle a situation like this in the past, and they have seemed not "totally prepared" with their consistent message at all times across all platforms as the on going situation has unfolded. Nothing wrong with making critical observations when they are based on truth.

I haven't seen anything insulting to the PR team in the last posts. Just stating that they seem unprepared to deal with this problem. I don't see that as an insult. I see it as a well founded opinion based on the way the situation has been handled from March 18 on.

Nope. There this morning.

Agreed! Lightning Rod was closed when I was there last year, and I still had a great time! Great. But Lightning Rod wasn't "open" and being heavily marketed last year. It was a construction site - now that you think about it... That's actually pretty similar to this year after all.

Dollywood is my home park, and I love it dearly, but... I've seen this mentioned time and time again over the last couple of months. It seems there's always someone or something else to blame, but we can never fault Dollywood for anything, apparently. Exactly when will Dollywood have to take responsibility for the massive cluster this rollout has turned into? And yes, there are many things that have simply been out of their control, but the "not ready for primetime" handling of it all has been an embarrassment. Totally agree with you on this (and I'm the same way rooting for this park to really get the attention it deserves) - I still can't believe with all these delays there was EVER a realistic expectation from the around the beginning of March on that LR would be open by opening day, yet they sort of choked down that side of the story saying things were "looking good". They could have then promoted "early season previews" or soft openings from opening day till at least Memorial day - even made it a "pass holder exclusive" for a few weeks "If the ride is operating - no guarantees" - with an opening event planned for Memorial day, then as they saw that was probably not a goal - could have given a better update several weeks out - not two days. At this point it seems like she has just kind of limped to the parade and didn't quite get the fanfare that was (Im sure originally) planned. Maybe theres something still in the works, but for a marque attraction, it seems like the "opening" has been more about drama and frustration. Again, I'm sure in the long run it won't really matter, and they will reap all the benefits planned from this addition, but it has not been the best handled PR event in park history! It just seems like they had enough of a heads up and could have actually turned the delays into a positive. Anyway - onward!

I would have love to see the comments and madness that would have taken place if these boards were alive during The entire year delay of Superman :The Escape "This is really starting to hurt RMC's credibility" I can't breathe LR is/was partially operational for guest so right there proves RMC did their job the coaster they designed can operate safely period. If you go out and buy an aftermarket part for your car, put it on your car and it blows the engine up you don't blame Toyota you blame the parts maker. Well that's the same thing here RMC had someone else do the launch system and they are to blame how hard is that to comprehend. Intamin has had many issues and delays from the use of outside suppliers and they continue on to make and still making some of the most noteworthy rides in the business. RMC right now is the hottest ticket in the industry trust their rep is still Golden people in the industry know that prototypes and new idea's may take a little work to get the kinks out and that the customer even though they may be disappointed will still be there once the kinks are worked out especially when you dealing with a coaster as amazing looking as Lightning rod trust Dollywood's guest are not outside the gates holding protest b/c LR isn't open and the industry isn't close to turning their backs on RMC smdh Kind of disagree here - a lot of people would ultimately blame the car manufacturer. Most cars have parts and components made by other manufacturers anyway, but if you have mechanical issues with the TOYOTA you tell people "My Toyota sucks" you don't say, "That starter manufactured for Toyota by LIM Starters really blows" The whole is greater than the parts. To people who care but don't have ALL the info- this is being marketed as a RMC coaster - that has had LONG delays, and to those people who don't know ALL the details - they will think HUH...Those RMC people sure are having a hard time getting that new coaster working (or lumping it all under Dollywood for that matter. I know I'd LOVE to work for Dollywood or some people on this forum for the amount of slack and "grace" you give for not getting the contracted work done on time. I'd love to be able to tell my boss when I turn in my completed work four months late "Hey - its innovative and never been done before. In a year after you read it lots of times you'll forget about all these delays!" And to the original poster - wow sorry people on here are such jerks to you when you express your opinion. So your going to blame Toyota for an AFTERMARKET part damaging your car and wonder why some say we are living in the age of effing idiots!!! No. An aftermarket part would be one I went out and purchased on my own when the original part failed, or wasn't performing to my desired level and I chose to make the change. This launch is not aftermarket. It's not like RMC installed a chain lift and Dollywood decided "aftermarket" to make it a launch then contracted VM to make a launch. If you're going to be insulting and derogatory, at least do it with an argument that makes sense.

I would have love to see the comments and madness that would have taken place if these boards were alive during The entire year delay of Superman :The Escape "This is really starting to hurt RMC's credibility" I can't breathe LR is/was partially operational for guest so right there proves RMC did their job the coaster they designed can operate safely period. If you go out and buy an aftermarket part for your car, put it on your car and it blows the engine up you don't blame Toyota you blame the parts maker. Well that's the same thing here RMC had someone else do the launch system and they are to blame how hard is that to comprehend. Intamin has had many issues and delays from the use of outside suppliers and they continue on to make and still making some of the most noteworthy rides in the business. RMC right now is the hottest ticket in the industry trust their rep is still Golden people in the industry know that prototypes and new idea's may take a little work to get the kinks out and that the customer even though they may be disappointed will still be there once the kinks are worked out especially when you dealing with a coaster as amazing looking as Lightning rod trust Dollywood's guest are not outside the gates holding protest b/c LR isn't open and the industry isn't close to turning their backs on RMC smdh Kind of disagree here - a lot of people would ultimately blame the car manufacturer. Most cars have parts and components made by other manufacturers anyway, but if you have mechanical issues with the TOYOTA you tell people "My Toyota sucks" you don't say, "That starter manufactured for Toyota by LIM Starters really blows" The whole is greater than the parts. To people who care but don't have ALL the info- this is being marketed as a RMC coaster - that has had LONG delays, and to those people who don't know ALL the details - they will think HUH...Those RMC people sure are having a hard time getting that new coaster working (or lumping it all under Dollywood for that matter. I know I'd LOVE to work for Dollywood or some people on this forum for the amount of slack and "grace" you give for not getting the contracted work done on time. I'd love to be able to tell my boss when I turn in my completed work four months late "Hey - its innovative and never been done before. In a year after you read it lots of times you'll forget about all these delays!" And to the original poster - wow sorry people on here are such jerks to you when you express your opinion. So your going to blame Toyota for an AFTERMARKET part damaging your car and wonder why some say we are living in the age of effing idiots!!! The car argument is a good argument but it doesn't add up in this case. It's not like RMC sold this ride to Dollywood with blank track where the launch was supposed to be and said "Find someone to build a launch". RMC contracted this company to build the launch mechanism. If I bought a brand new car from Toyota and the engine didn't work, I wouldn't care who built what parts. I'd be pissed at Toyota for their neglegance towards who they hired to help build their cars. Also, you're*. Number 1 Rule of the Internet: Don't make a grammar mistake while insulting someone's intelligence. I really don't like to be rude like this but this new trend of insulting each other over difference in opinion is getting out of hand. Thank you for: 1) seeing the point I was trying to make 2) Realizing you can agree(or disagree) with a person without being an a****le 3) knowing the proper use of the English language Nice to know there are still some people on this forum with a modicum of respect and class.

But RMC's aren't some product sitting on a Walmart shelf. There aren't that many buyers in the roller coaster world, and you can bet all of them know a lot more about this type of situation than you seem to think. From an outside perspective, RMC seems to have given the client what they asked for. Who knows what real promises were made or what has gone wrong - we still don't know the actual issue for pete's sake and probably never will. It's not our place to point fingers. Bottom line is that coaster enthusiasts shouldn't get ahead of themselves with baseless speculation, especially when it comes to throwing around blame in situations like this one. I know it's something we all struggle with occasionally on casual chit chat forums. I'm NOT a "Coaster Enthusiast" as suggested in a negative sense - Actually they're not my favorite feature of the park. I just saw where the original poster was coming from and couldn't believe how rude this forum was to someone making an observation. "You seem to think" is a condescending statement. How do you know what I think? I never implied that I was" heading out to TARGET to get me one of those RMC Coaster things", nor was I implying that industry professionals aren't smart enough to know the complexity of projects like this. I don know what promises were made or how the contract read, but I can only assume that it wasn't for "anytime within four months after March 18th" The park initially indicated that the ride would open at least CLOSE to the season opening - things happen - GOT IT, but it does seem that all the parties were not able to deliver what was the original plan. Not blaming anyone specifically - just saying this whole thing seems like it turned into a bit of a c-f*** of issues.

I would have love to see the comments and madness that would have taken place if these boards were alive during The entire year delay of Superman :The Escape "This is really starting to hurt RMC's credibility" I can't breathe LR is/was partially operational for guest so right there proves RMC did their job the coaster they designed can operate safely period. If you go out and buy an aftermarket part for your car, put it on your car and it blows the engine up you don't blame Toyota you blame the parts maker. Well that's the same thing here RMC had someone else do the launch system and they are to blame how hard is that to comprehend. Intamin has had many issues and delays from the use of outside suppliers and they continue on to make and still making some of the most noteworthy rides in the business. RMC right now is the hottest ticket in the industry trust their rep is still Golden people in the industry know that prototypes and new idea's may take a little work to get the kinks out and that the customer even though they may be disappointed will still be there once the kinks are worked out especially when you dealing with a coaster as amazing looking as Lightning rod trust Dollywood's guest are not outside the gates holding protest b/c LR isn't open and the industry isn't close to turning their backs on RMC smdh Kind of disagree here - a lot of people would ultimately blame the car manufacturer. Most cars have parts and components made by other manufacturers anyway, but if you have mechanical issues with the TOYOTA you tell people "My Toyota sucks" you don't say, "That starter manufactured for Toyota by LIM Starters really blows" The whole is greater than the parts. To people who care but don't have ALL the info- this is being marketed as a RMC coaster - that has had LONG delays, and to those people who don't know ALL the details - they will think HUH...Those RMC people sure are having a hard time getting that new coaster working (or lumping it all under Dollywood for that matter. I know I'd LOVE to work for Dollywood or some people on this forum for the amount of slack and "grace" you give for not getting the contracted work done on time. I'd love to be able to tell my boss when I turn in my completed work four months late "Hey - its innovative and never been done before. In a year after you read it lots of times you'll forget about all these delays!" And to the original poster - wow sorry people on here are such jerks to you when you express your opinion.

WOW SDC River Blast looks GREAT, but I rode River Battle this past weekend and was TOTALLY soaked - more than River Rampage. Without the targets or interactive elements your just a slow moving target yourself getting wet. Its getting on 10 years old at this point and doesn't look like its getting any love anymore. Maybe this should be moved over to Splash Country where it could REALLY soak people then use that pad for the fireworks factory idea - You already have Crazy Charlies to tie into, and it would look good next to Mystery Mine - like a more "manufacturing South". It would be great to have an indoor play area as an option in the fall/winter when the fire themed water play area is closed. That would also be a nice tie into the more "logging industrial" look of Timber Canyon - which while were on it - is looking rough as well. Timer Tower pad is...well....there and the Otter Landing or Beaver Pit or whatever it was has had the sluices removed and hastily concreted over - all water elements turned off and the playground looks like it needs a good refurb. Something tells me this whole side of the park is next on the list now that the right side has gotten its major upgrade. Interesting to see.

On a WHOLE other side of the park - River Battle's getting bad and needs a complete off season refurb. 90% of the targets don't work, few of the water effects work. The ride is a great people eater and really could be more fun than it is with the interactivity restored. The set pieces should probably be covered or moved inside storage if they aren't fully attached instead of letting them sit out all winter - would probably keep them looking brighter and better for longer. I wouldn't see this being a huge expense, just seems like they have let this slide into a "meh" raft ride that goes in a little curvy path instead of the fun and visual dynamics it could be - If they aren't going to fix the targets Id say just remove them and see if they can reactivate some of the effects/animation without them. OK - back to the other side of the park!

Damn I left about 3:30. I was in the 10:30 line from 11-about 12 then they told us it might be another 2-3 hours. Had to hang with the family. Checked back about 3:30 and they said they dad no idea might still be a few hours. I wish I had known. I also wish your info like "changing the wheels" was the type of info the park would just come out and say. Would make it much less "shady" as some people are saying. Just let the people know something a little more that "a while" "tweKing things"

Damn I left about 3:30. I was in the 10:30 line from 11-about 12 then they told us it might be another 2-3 hours. Had to hang with the family. Checked back about 3:30 and they said they dad no idea might still be a few hours. I wish I had known. I also wish your info like "changing the wheels" was the type of info the park would just come out and say. Would make it much less "shady" as some people are saying. Just let the people know something a little more that "a while" "tweKing things"

As of 3 today lots of " we really plan on testing sometime today but we can't tell you when"!they are telling people who ask about an actual opening "we don't know. They are just tweaking a few things to make it perfect"I think it's beyond "tweaking" at this point. There's no way with this almost three month delay there was any way this was going to open at the beginning of the season. I see no reason for digital billboards in the pigeon forge area that be easily changed are promoting the coaster when as everyone loves to say " there are tons of other reasons to go to Dollywood. I agree. Highlight those instead of a coaster that is STILL VERY CLEARLY NOT READY TO OPEN. They sure are trying to get as much mileage out of this as they can and bordering on deceptive advertising hyping the heck out of a ride on the general public then only when you at in line to park or on line do you get the "not ready" message. They are advertising a product they do not have.