STDog
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Posts posted by STDog
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Also, what's up with Mystery Mine? Is it down frequently too?
Historically no. Something weird going on to start the season.
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This is the first year in a long time I have gotten super passes..
I've been getting super passes since it doesn't add any more than the cost of a single ticket. So if the opportunity to spend a 2nd day at splash arises, I'm covered, and I know we'll go at least once.
The half price day would be great, but it's never going to be a day when I'm there. One more perk for the locals that can go practically any day they choose. It's a 4.5 hour drive so has to be more than a day or two there and that means planning.
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If in the span of 4 years they want to add ... then they have every right to raise prices 28% because they're offering a vastly superior product to what they were offering just a few years ago.
Just a troubling trend regarding the affordability. One would hope the investments i new attractions were calculated based on current pricing an expected visitor growth, not base it on ever increasing ticket prices that negatively impact the locals (even 3-4 hours away) that visit multiple times a year.
And I was speaking solely of ticket prices (and the Q-bot which appears to have risen sharply of late too).
And even with the increases it's still a great deal.
Until proven otherwise, Lightning Rod is a tremendously unreliable ride.I thought it had been pretty good so far.
As amazing as Lightning Rod is, I don't think it took away from any of the other coasters at all. This isn't a Fury / Intimidator situation. Those rides are all just as great as ever, I think they're all different enough that Lightning Rod really doesn't steal any of their thunder (not even Thunderhead).Just a consideration. I don't disagree with you sentiment, but some might fell differently.
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I have a Season Pass, it was a hundred bucks.
It'd be $108 as of Monday.
The point was just a 3 years ago it was $84.
That's a 28% increase in 3 years, basically 9% per year.
If that trend continues in 2020 it'll be $140, up 65% in 6 yrs.
Seems a recent trend. I doubt passes were only $50 in 2008, whick is what the would be if they increased 9% each year since then. (And would have been $25 in 2000, again if 9% each year since)
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Now, don't get me wrong, I'll get my money's worth out of these passes but the concerns over price that some folks have, I see it as a true concern.. heck, people even post on the Dollywood Facebook that they might as well go to Disney rather than buying Dollywood season passes.
Through work I can get discount Disney tickets, Nothing like what you mentioned though. Closer to $400 per person for 4 day hopper.
But I can visit the Smokies 3-4 times for a week each cheaper than I can do Disney for just one week.
And I can do a lot more in the Mountains too. For free.
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also what order to hit the coasters, and a good cheap place to eat, and buy souvenirs.
What are you looking for on the coaster order? Worst to best? Best order to get them all in quick?
LR will be the longest line, but after it everything else may feel less than, especially the first few after.
All the inside food places at DW are good at a decent price. Aunt Grannie's, Mrs. Lillian's, Ham & Beans, and the new Front Porch.
In park souvineers are all the same prices.
Out in town there's a ton of choices.
Lots of cheap souvineers too, buy more Smoky Mountain/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg stuff.
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Wow I didn't know DWs was that expensive.. I never paid for Dollywoods and only used it once when a friend had it.. people talk about the great deal it is but at $35/person, that's no different than the six flags over GA cost (the price with a season pass anyways) they didn't control the people either.. the bot just said 2 or 3 or how many ever were on it
I believe the Gold pass discount was taken off the $35 (and I may be a bit off on the price). But I did look into it once, and decided it wasn't worth it with 3 or 4 people. With 2 on a really busy day it might have been worth it for the coasters. But it was never busy enough after that for me to try it.
I did find a few old posts, like this from 2007 http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/response.cfm?ID=3574
Where it was $10 for one and $5 for additional people.
I found another (https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g55270-d103537-r156828997-Dollywood-Pigeon_Forge_Tennessee.html)
that said it had gone up to $20/person by 2013 (around the time I first looked into it), and I think it was $35pp last season. And in previous years it was the full 20% Gold pass discount, but I think only $5 off this year.
Just another one of the DW things that has increased greatly in recent years.
Oh and the new season pass prices, regular pass $108 vs/ $103 last week. So they have increased twice since Nov.
2017 Season Passes (Quantities 1-3) (Super Regular) $148 $1522017 Season Passes (Quantities 1-3) (Super Gold) $200 $204
2017 Season Passes (Quantities 1-3) (Regular) $99 $103
2017 Season Passes (Quantities 1-3) (Gold) $151 $155
And Super Gold is up to $209 now.
So another $5 on top of the $4 increase in Jan.
That $108 price will probably last through Jan again.
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DW was always a per person fee, but what persons wasn't really controlled. You paid for 2 people, it could in theory be any two; the person with the bot and another. And it was $35/person.
The bot had a belt clip and could easily be passed around.
Not sure, but i don't think the new bands can be taken on and off repeatedly. And you have to be wearing the band when they remove the tab.
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Luckily, from what I have heard, Universal is testing a new system with NFC bands like Disney but much more advanced
Well it's not the technical/technological aspects I dislike.
Is that Universal FL or CA?
My understanding is that Disney FL is the only one with the FP+ system that uses NFC bands/cards. The other locations still use paper tickets printed at the ride.
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You could do it either way, the advantage of selling them at shops or kiosks is to save on staffing but if you wanted a central location then that would work too.
OK. I was just wondering how the scheme you were discussion would work as I've never dealt with one.
Most of the complaints or concerns people are bringing up seem like roundabout ways of complaining about skip the line systems in general. My point is that a cheap paper wristband or card makes more sense than a plastic thing that keeps having tabs fall off.Practically anything would be better than DW's current plastic bands and tabs.
I don't care for the concept of a limited number of uses and I suspect existing DW customers to really dislike that.
10x (and only 1 or 2x for certain rides) is a massive change over what was previously offered at the price point, limited only by your choices and hours of operation.
Add in the ease with which the tabs fall off becoming unusable or even lost, and I see real headaches ahead.
Even changing the policy to have them collected so that loose tabs that fell off can be used (as long as you have the band) won't correct the lost tab issue.
While I don't care for the systems in general, I find the virtual queue concept most palatable.
Next most the Disney FastPass (and the + system in FL) next most.
The express lane style from Universal I like the least.
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So do you feel a theme park would really turn money away if someone was willing to buy those passes?
And that's how you end up with 45 minute waits in the "fast" lane.
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we will see how they manage LR or Firechaser or even MM which are the three coasters that get over an hour and a half wait on those days as is
Back in 2013 I recall 90+ minutes for Wild Eagle too. Line was out to the eagle statue. Haven't seen it that bad in later years, but we hit it early or meal times when the lines get shorter for everything.
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How do they limit the number sold each day in that setup?
The same way they're keeping track of it now with plastic wristbands... simple, basic inventory tracking.
You described stacks of bands/cards at multiple locations.
Does each location get an daily allotment and when they run out send people to other locations hoping that place has some
Or is it centrally controlled, ie location has to verify that they can sell another one each time?
Both sound more troublesome than a single point of sale in the park.
And DW isn't that big anyway. You can get from any place to anyplace in 10 minutes. So having to go to a single location isn't that bad.
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I mean, Busch literally sells them out of self service kiosks and Cedar Fair sells the wristbands at stores that have to be staffed anyway. They just give them a stack of wristbands that take up no room in inventory and cost nothing to make.
How do they limit the number sold each day in that setup? At some point the queue for the quick access lane gets as long as the regular line if there are no limits on how many are in use on any given day.
Aren't those just access to a shorter line though? ie. you pay extra for the privilege of a supposedly short line.
I'm not really a fan of the concept of paying for privileged access, where the people that can afford the pass get multiple rides while others spend hours waiting in line. (Great moneymaker for the park though).
That's not what Lo-Q systems do. Lo-Q (DW's old system) doesn't reduce wait time, it just holds your place in line without physically being there, The wait is the same, at least in theory, but you can "get in line" from anywhere. So you can get in line as you board one ride and the time on the ride plus the walk to the next are as if you were in the line the whole time.
But if the queue is 45 minutes when you get in line, it's still 45 minutes, whether you get in the physical line or the virtual line. And electronic version of paying someone to wait in line for you.
Six Flags goes farther with there multi-level system that offers shorter waits for extra costs, while DW only had one level. I'm not keen on the multiple levels either.
And the bands for access to short lines doesn't really work for the shows, where there are limited seats and set show times.
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I think all parks should go to an NFC system that integrates with smartphones.. Provide the guest who buy the service with an inexpensive wristband they can take home with them (Like Disney Magic Bands) and they control it from their phone.. Dollywood can even use it in their resort! Their is some upfront cost but after that, its all the parks money!
The rest of the family got bands, I just used the card (that we all got as our ticket).
I think integrating it into the pass/ticket would be the way to go.
Add on bands would be a money maker for sure.
While control through a phone would be handy, they'd still need kiosks for those w/o smartphones (or dead batteries). Could just be a simple tablet in a themed stand, but nothing overly expensive, and as elaborate as Disney's.
Use butterflies intsead of mouse ears on the readyers
But go back to the old q-bot style, where you select an available time (like Disney does) but valid anytime after that. Schedule a few initially, then add the next one after each. Continue to limit the number available each day.
But do away with the expensive units that have to be carried and turned in.
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The menu actually looked very good for the revamped backstage.. We actually planned to eat there and got sidetracked and when we came back they had about a 30 minute wait.. It had a fresh look and the menu had a fresh food feel to it.. I hope to try it soon.. It was a simple menu and I can't remember all the offerings but they did sound appetizing.. They had a sign beside the menu that said "Table Service Restaurant"
Cool. We'll probably check it out the week of the 24th when we are there.
If you get there sooner, post your thoughts.
It's always been table service. The only one that wasn't order at a counter or a buffet. Or am I forgetting someplace?
(Maybe Ham & Beans? As I said, never ate there).
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They might be for WiFi, Dollywood Guest Wifi is now an option, which I don't remember last year.
It's been there a while. I first remember it when Fire Chaser opened.
But, coverage was very spotty. In the FCE queue was where I first found it. Later found a few other spots, but even last year it was still spotty.
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The third is that it's only ten rides.
My sentiments exactly.
Just glad you can get a decent number of rides in w/o it.
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Lillian's has had some changes it looks like.. personally I have liked grannies better but Lillian's is also good
What about the revamped Baskstage? Did you check it out? How'd it look?
My crew has always preferred Aunt Grannie's too. After 4 years and over a dozen visits we still haven't made it to Ham & Beans.
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lol I tried. I was hands up through the wave turn but after that the thing just goes bullsh*t nuts [emoji38]
Just know that they weren't an option last year, so it CAN be done.
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Bill, glad you finally got to ride and see why we all loved it so much.
The handles are new and suggest you ride w/o using them to get the full experience
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I don't believe anything I hear about it now I guess
I'm kind of resigned to the fact that we won't ever get the straight story. And yes, take everything with salt, regardless of the source.
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Wild Eagle 7/10
---A solid ride but just seemed too short and lacking any real force.
It's not supposed to be forcefull. The point is to soar like an eagle riding a thermal.
And it's not as short as it feels. It's so smooth and fluid, it doesn't feel like you done much. There are some good Gs on it though.
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I haven't been keeping up, it seems they're moving from the qbot system, to a wristband valid for only 10 rides. Which, for $35 still isn't that bad of a deal.
That kinda sucks. While I've never used it (never long enough lines when I was there), it seamed like a good system before, but less so now with a 10 ride limit.
And what about shows? Added limits there or just dropped completely?
I'd love to here the reasoning for the changes.
Dollywood Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
Not sure I've ever tried to ride very early, but I don't recall many problems on any of my visits over the last several years.
That includes several spring break trips, late May/June when school is out, late summer/early fall (Aug - Sep), and late November.