u4icmusic

I agree. I have friends that only go for the shows that don't ride any rides at all. However, I still believe people pay $79 plus tax for the rides at either a theme park or an amusement park. Dollywood doesn't even have any indoor shows this year, so they surely can't be going for the shows now. I also think people ride the rides over and over, and how many times can you walk through a gospel museum? That is for a small niche market of people. I don't know anyone personally that has ever walked through that museum. Obviously Dollywood no longer thinks the museum is a good fit and that is why they didn't renew the lease on the building. I have a Dollywood season pass and I also go on the "soot train," check out the eagle habitat and sometimes just walk around and take in all the sights, while people-watching. I've seen all the shows, when they were running, but "my" main reason for going is the rides.

Dollywood is at maximum capacity for today and already for tomorrow. Better start making reservations if you want to get in for the Halloween or Christmas nights.

As far as I"m concerned, I'll eat before they open at 11 am, then I can wait until they close to eat again somewhere outside the park. Who wants to give up ride time to eat? Not me, lol.

Still worth every penny, unless you only want to ride 5 rides all day long. I know Cedar Fair parks used to raise the price for Fastlane as they got closer to selling out, so you might want to act quickly if you want one. I wouldn't go without one, especially with these shorter operating hours.

A friend and I spent last Saturday at Kings Island. We both purchased the FastLane Plus and I'm glad we did. Since they are only open on Saturdays and Sundays now with reduced operating hours, the park was crowded and the lines for all the major rides were 2-3 hours long. The FastLane Plus saved us so much time. We hit Orion first, which was running before the 11 am opening time, so we got two rides in before 11am, one in the front seat which was amazing. Orion is fast and smooth. I didn't think it was too short, like others have said. I guess when you are going that fast, the ride will end quicker. We rode all the major rides, multiple times and stayed to get in one last ride on the Beast at 8 pm, just before closing. The Beast was way more rough than it was three years ago when I went there, but still one of the best coasters ever built. The only time we had to wait for a ride was on the Bat, which didn't take FastLane Plus and once on the Diamondback that had some down time just as we approached the entrance. Other than that, the waits were minimal with just a few people waiting in the FastLane Plus line. $95 (plus online fees) was well-spent and I would never go to a Cedar Fair park without the Fastlane Plus. The lines for food and drinks were long. Very long. There was a live DJ playing mostly Halloween music with some dance music thrown in for good measure. My advice is don't go without the Fastlane Plus, ever. With 2 hour wait times and operating hours of 11 am to 8 pm on Saturday (shorter on Sundays) you will only get in about 5 rides without the FastLane Plus. We rode everything multiple times and never would have been able to do so without that FastLane.

Are they loading all rows in the trains or are they social distancing by leaving every other row closed to riders

How busy is Kings Island now that they are only open Saturdays and Sundays? Would a Fastlane Plus help with lines if it is crowded? I had friends recently go to Cedar Point with a Fastlane Plus and still waited over 2 hours in line for some rides. That is just plain wrong. They are selling too many Fastlane passes (at $95 each) which ruins the whole idea behind the Fastlane Plus. Anybody have this experience at Kings Island? Thanks.

It appears to me that the topper track system used for the Lightning Rod cannot handle the stress, speeds, and force caused by the trains. There should be no reason to have to re-track a coaster after only a few years of use. Something is up and we don't have the full story at this point.

I don't think you can add I-box sections. The entire track would have to be replaced because I don't think you can go between the two types of tracks.

Have you ridden Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point? It's by far the best coaster I've ever ridden.

I realize that, but I was referring to the RMC I-Box Track that they use to upgrade wooden coasters. Then they could add some inversions too.

Um...just LOL. What's so funny about that? The ride never works and it is only 4 years old. Three if you count the year it didn't run at all. There are design flaws in this coaster. You shouldn't have to retrack a coaster after such little use. It's been modified several times and it is still not operational. It they did an RMC conversion on it the steel tracks would last forever with few, if any issues. They tried this concept, it didn't work. It's time to do something about it.

At this point, they need to either tear Lightning Rod down or do an RMC conversion on it. It's really bad publicity for Dollywood and is extremely upsetting to guests to visit and have the coaster closed. I was there Saturday and spoke to the lead ride operator from Lightning Rod and he said the manufacturer told them to shut it down and not to touch it. He had no idea when it was going to reopen. Remember when Timber Tower never ran and Dollywood removed it after only a couple of years?

I'm also a season pass holder and I've been going once a week because I live close by. The park has been dead. I don't know how they are making enough money to stay open. The cinnamon bread has gone up to $10 a loaf but is now also available at the front of the park at the bakery there too. There are zero wait times on the Wild Eagle and on Thunderhead. Mystery Mine is usually about 45 minutes because they are only putting a few people in each train, instead of the usual 8 pre-COVID. Lines for all the smaller rides are short, if there is any line at all. The only ride that I don't feel safe riding is the Blazing Fury because the queue line is indoors and people were not wearing masks in such close quarters. Other than that one ride, most people have been wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart, although I do have to remind people often to back up. Many people take off their masks when they get into the park, even though they are required at all times, except when actively eating, in one of the "mask-free" zones or when riding one of the two water rides. It is not enforced throughout the park. Many people are either not wearing them at all or wearing them incorrectly, but again, this is outdoors, so that may bot be a huge issue. They do take your temperature before entering the park and ask you 4 COVID-19 related questions. If you answer no to all 4 questions and don't have a fever, you will get a wrist ban with allows you onto the tram and into the park. I always walk to the park from the parking lots, so I never use the trams. If you like to ride the Dollywood Express train, you need to get to that ride at least an hour early. Every two rows are closed for each one open, so capacity is severly reduced. Yesterday they were still doing hand sanitizers before each ride. I've not seen any vehicles in lots other than A, B and C. Like I said earlier, other than the Blazing Fury, the lines are all outside and people are mostly social distancing and if not a polite reminder will do the trick. The ride wait times will depend on how many people are in the park. During the fall festival, a lot of people are there to see the Halloween and pumpkin displays lit up. It also depends on how many trains the coasters are operating with, so it's hard to tell in advance. If you are worried about that you could always purchase the TimeSaver pass and skip the lines, even though they are expensive. Dollywood has not reached their cap since COVID-19 started. They are very dead, which is good for riding rides, but many of the food locations are closed, so lines for food can be long. So, I would say it is a personal decision. I'm still going once a week and will be there again next Friday and maybe Saturday too as friends of mine are going. My personal belief is that being outdoors is much safer than eating inside a restaurant, which I refuse to do at this time. I just wish Dollywood had security guards walking around to enforce their lax mask policy. I've seen families turn around in the parking lot once they saw people in line for the COVID questions, not social distancing, so it is an individual thing for your family to decide. I do expect it to be busier in the fall when the temperatures are cooler as summer in Pigeon Forge is wickedly hot.

I've never had a phone or car keys fall out of my pockets on any ride. I guess to be safer on Monday, I'll wear cargo shorts with buttons to make my keys and phone even more secure.

The last time I was at Kings Island was in 1984. There are only a couple rides that are still in operation from that time and the rest will be new to me. The ride selection looks pretty good. Not as good as Cedar Point, but decent. Highly looking forward to it.

Any single riders heading to King's Island on Monday, June 19th looking for a riding buddy? I have the Fast Lane Plus pass and I'm looking for a coaster/ride fanatic to spend the day with.

I'm visiting Monday, June 19th with a Fast Lane Plus pass. I'm by myself and looking for another single rider with a Fast Lane Plus pass that would like to spend the day riding coasters and other rides.