jjzadero

Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod! So I'm still not 100% sure what technical ride rehearsal means for me if I go tomorrow... I'm feeling dumb Eh, don't feel dumb. If I were you and in the area I would head to Dollywood and go for it. I have a few friends that got rides in today and browsing twitter it seems like it's pretty much open with lots of people riding. Go for it!

Dollywood's site now says... Let's hope this is the beginning of brighter days for Lightning Rod!

So... Travel + Leisure (which has almost 2 million followers) has now shared their "Lightning Rod is ready to ride" story on Facebook. This also shows up on Dollywood's Visitor Posts on Facebook. Meanwhile, these mobile ad vehicles are all over Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg at this very moment. Pointing out these things is not being impolite, btw.

While the cinnamon bread at Dollywood is absolutely amazing, has anyone been to the Donut Friar in Gatlinburg? Their cinnamon bread is crazy good and just barely tops Dollywood for my #1 spot. It's ridiculously good. They open at 5 am, so try to get there early-ish... this stuff goes pretty fast and is usually gone by mid-afternoon.

So, was the article from Travel and Leisure a fake or does Dollywood continue to have the most inept PR team on the planet? Or both? "The ride now has been repaired, however, and is ready for visitors, Pete Owens, Dollywood's director of communications, told Travel + Leisure."

Was this definitely a park employee and not someone from the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg trolley? I can't imagine anyone from Dollywood saying that.

What do you guys think the best Alpine coaster in the area is? Haven't done any of them and I hope to hit one up this evening.

^Wow, an amusement park being open and informative to it's guests. Take note, Dollywood.

Yet an hour ago Dollywood posted an article on their Facebook page boasting that Lightning Rod is now open. Unbelievable.

Here's a new documentary on the making of Lightning Rod. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/documenatry-building-dollywoods-new-lightning-rod-roller-coaster/245091023

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.

THANK YOU! I have noticed over the past few weeks that a handful of posters have been telling others what they should and should not talk about here. If there's a difference of opinion, why not express that and chat it out in a constructive way? Instead, when someone posts something that a few particular users don't like, they're being told to pack up their stuff and leave. I would definitely consider myself a noob on these forums. I chime in here and there when I feel I can add something to the discussion or have a question to ask, but even with my few simple posts I have come away feeling attacked more often than I should. Because of that I'm pretty cautious about posting anything at all now. It's just not worth the trouble.

Another video showing that LR is hauling A$$ this week. Ride footage starts at 3:30. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

As has been stated, assigned seating for rides at Dollywood is not common, Pretty sure EVERY train that leaves Mystery Mine is assigned seating. Maybe all Dollywood host don't know what they're talking about as proven again here. Wow, way to be completely rude to a park employee that took time out of his day to give us some insight. Unbelievable. Hopefully DRrobbins1993 understands that we're not all a bunch of d-bags and will come back often and join our discussions here. Jesus. Eta... for what it's worth, I have NEVER been assigned a seat on Mystery Mine. More often than not I am assigned a row, but never a seat. Perhaps not all posters here know what they're talking about as proven again here.

I'm excited to hear everyone's thoughts on the coaster! Also, I have my fingers crossed for the final part of that documentary series about Lightning Rod. Does anyone think Dollywood might be releasing an official POV soon?