megan

They are in the BUSINESS of entertainment. They still are a business with a P&L sheet and responsibly to investors. Their reason for existing is NOT to entertain, it is to run a successful and profitable entertainment business.

Mine don’t, but they love to go for rides, food and the overall experience. My parents don’t ride rides, but they love to go to the shows, food, shopping and overall experience. Thanks for pointing out that they have successfully established that hard to achieve pinnacle of appealing to different ages and demographics.

Good shopkeeping and maintenance should dictate that all items are regularly dusted regardless of turn. Thanks for reporting that they are doing a great job keeping the shops clean!

I think he’s trolling for an argument.

It’s valley, not alley, and different areas of the park already do have different styles of music. I’d suggest you do some research before you “theorize” about someplace you seem to know little about. The “older crowd” spends heavy on food and merchandise, the areas where the profit margin is (unlike rides which generate no ROI directly) so the park will always cater to them. Since you “don’t know anybody that goes there for the music” you and your peer group are clearly not their target demographic.

She NOT becoming more popular????? She on probably the biggest awareness high she been in YEARS right now. I could actually see her thinking “I’ve got so many development deals going on right now that the last thing I need to boost my awareness is this” I don’t think that’s the case, but waning “popularity” is NOT the reason.

That’s pretty “known news” at this point, but yeah... drones.

Oh the horrors!!! A business trying to make money during a horrible year with mounting losses. It’s fudge. But it. Don’t. But I doubt the price of fudge means they have thrown the entire guest experience out the window.

I think people are reading WAAAAAAY too much into the “strikes twice” line. I think they are making some necessary modifications to ensure better operations... threw RMC under the bus a bit by clearly stating they are involved (like the GP would really care? Maybe part of the lawsuit settlement), and will reopen AGAIN (strikes twice) with the same ride experience, but with better reliability. I think people are setting themselves up for disappointment with all these wild “two launch” theories. It’s marketing spun guys. Nothing more.

Try sending communication directly to Pete Owens in charge of PR. I at least got a “halfway personal not totally form response” last year during the Wildwood Grove “that’s not exactly what we promised” fiasco. Their entire PR team is seriously lacking and has been for a while. Not sure if it’s staffing or ineptitude, but if they want to be the “national destination” they are striving to be, they HAVE to get better at social media responsiveness. Having a successful Facebook feed is not just posting what you want (good about yourself) and ignoring all the negative comments hoping they go away.

Dollywood has been BEAT UP in social media for their customer service all around this year yet they stay mum on everything. I’m not sure it’s ALL warranted, but they have certainly tarnished their image a lot and I’m not so sure they will get some of the shine back

I personally think that’s a bAd idea when the ride system is intended to be supplemented by a themed environment. It results in a sub par experience for the first while, and if “successful” gives little incentive to go back and finish adding the elements later. I can’t see herschend operating this way Imagine mystery mine as just a gerstlauer euro fighter plopped there for a few years then “ hey now it’s a mine ride” Don’t see it happening. Do it all the way or don’t do it.

Huh? How do you get burnt by chain?

Tennessee sucks. I’m not in pigeon forge, but visiting in middle Tennessee and keep getting stared down for wearing a mask when I go in stores. This state gets what it deserves if this thing spikes.

Are you drunk?????

Is that where the cabin was and the area where they launch the fireworks from? I was up in wild wood grove waching the fire works this summer and I think they may have chagende the launching spot correct - the launch has been moved to the center of the upper train loop - its in a new fenced in area in the middle of the field

They group on the lower platform, but 2x its happened where no one actually goes to those lanes once they go up the steps and it totally defeats the purpose. I don’t understand this change. There no communication to the upper deck, so no one really knows what lane people are supposed to be in.

Corrected: Hey everyone! I plan on staying in Gatlinburg on Friday. I will be coming from ________ and was looking for suggestions on places to stop for lunch along the way, as well as things to do in the area that night. Also, how do people feel about Mystery Mine? Worth riding? I could fix this, but I am sure there has been dialogue already around 2021 predictions. You could just add to the discussion (even if that is not what is currently being talked about). Corrected: I personally think a B&M Hyper in Wildwood Grove would fit well with a bear theme. Also, I am sure you could add more to this point. And if all you have to say is that... maybe it is not worth posting at all. Not capitalizing beginning of your sentences Not capitalizing Friday Not capitalizing Mystery Mine No punctuation Accidental enter after "friday night" Misspelled Words: I'm as im x2 Gatlinburg as Gatlenburg Mystery as Mystry should as shuld predictions as perdictions think as thnik Maybe I am off base here. Someone let me know if that is the case. I realize no one is perfect. I often find typos in what I post here and other places. But I make a conscious effort. WOW!

Previously discussed. Brake run is in station. 2 trains would have been a huge redesign vs a minor layout change (the tunnel?) to a stock ride. And as CB previously discussed, was a miss from the park imo. There’s no reason that short little family coaster should have a 60 min wait. The payoff just isn’t there.

Was off earlier in the season than that and I’ve seen lights on with full water flow before. Even during Christmas event. The water has been off since I came in late May.

Not sure what’s up in craftsman valley. Waterfalls been off most all season. School house closed all season. Some of those details missing make this park unique. Hope there’s a plan to get these back up soon.

Love the idea of s more “in park” resort. I always felt the “siting” of dreammore was a bit odd in that it felt so removed from the park. I wish they could at least route the DreamMore trolleys on a private road that didn’t “leave property” also they REALLY need to offer shuttle service to their dinner theatre attractions. You would have a better chance of a “captive audience” if you truly never had to move the car.

Totally agree. I don’t see DW adding a hyper just to compete. I actually HOPE they don’t add one just to compete. I feel like right now, with the last few additions they have a well rounded, well spread out coaster assortment. There are big thrills, medium hills and family coasters spread fairly evenly. I think the last thing they need to add would be a “family thrill” to replace skidewinder, but I think they really could be done with “thrill” after that and start developing more proprietary content to use the Wildwood grove characters or other IP to populate more dark rides and even shows that pull those characters in fir a more wholistic experience.

I would actually venture that ALL the rides in wildwood are bad with capacity. Cycle loaders are always going to be slow and that’s what they mostly filled the entire area with (and a slow loading bear ride) If funds were an issue, I think it would’ve been better to open with 1 capacity killer and maybe 1-2 other fillers instead of trying to fill it with as many off the shelf cycle load rides as they could for the money.

That particular Vekoma layout and its smaller sister (Kvasten, Freedom Flyer, et al) have only ever been designed to accommodate one train, as the only brake sections are in the station. A brake run before the station would really shorten the ride, those layouts don't last very long. I wouldn't consider Dragonflier a headliner though, on Disney's scale that's a D-ticket at best. Perhaps they're accepting that wait times for Dragonflier will be a bit unreasonable for a few seasons but, long-term, will eventually die down when another major family attraction opens. You made a few of my points. I know that’s an off the shelf design. That’s why I question them even using it. The point being they’re going to need to spend a bit more to meet their growing demand. And yes, it’s a “d” on a Disney scale, but DW is marketing it heavily and treating it (as part of the entire expansion) as their headliner this year. They may be “accepting” unreasonable wait times, but is that really the best guest experience?