boldikus Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Oh man what a great update! On the edge of my seat. And if I haven't said so already, you're also one of TPR's finest literary masters, without a doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 12, 2017 Author Share Posted June 12, 2017 ^ Thanks! were the kids enthralled, or terrified? If you can believe it, they were oblivious. They just got out of the pool because everyone else did and wondered what the fuss was about. No one was ever in any real danger. Black rat snakes are harmless unless you're a rat. They just inspire a very primal kind of fear in humans, and indeed in almost all primates. No getting around genetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 I always kind of forget about Splash Country even though it really looks like one of the better water parks in America. I've never been to Splash Country and it's been about 5 years since I was at Dollywood so I'm looking forward to taking it all in one of these days. Now if they could just get Lightning Rod operating consistent so I can plan a trip...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBpony414 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Great TR so far! I love the chapter titles. How long is the tram/bus ride from DreamMore to DW? Do you have to pay for a separate ticket to get into the waterpark? That black snake was HUGE!! I can't imagine how many times the snake wranglers have sprung into action - clearly this is a common occurrence. Your story of it had me in stitches! Snakes are the only creature that scare the bejesus out of me and it's because they don't have ears or legs so I have no idea what their expression is, where they're listening, or thinking about going. They always look like they're really mad and they're so strong that they could spring right up and wrap around my jugular in the blink of an eye. On my recent visit to Cedar Point we had an almost identical experience regarding park tickets and season passes. Nobody seemed to know anything and those who thought they knew really didn't. I have a platinum pass and the person with me did not have a pass so needed a 2 day park ticket. It took a while to get through to the clueless receptionist that season pass holders get discounts but we weren't sure where to get them. Eventually got more people involved and sorted out that on property hotel tickets are already discounted from gate prices, therefore season pass discounts are not applicable. If we wanted to use the season pass discount we'd have to go to a park entrance ticket window... but it would only be $4 difference from the hotel price. However, in the middle of proving to the original receptionist that pass holders do indeed get discounts (she insisted they didn't and didn't seem to realize that my Platinum pass from Carowinds is indeed valid at any CF park) I figured out a way to save $16 online. I thanked her for her time, told her it was a learning experience for us both and to forget the whole transaction. I bought the extra ticket on my phone while walking out of the hotel and they scanned my phone right there at the gate 3 minutes later. It was a frustrating way to start the day and wasted a good 15 minutes of everyone's time though. I really wish when people aren't sure they would say something along the lines of, "I don't know, let me check or get someone else who may be able to help" rather than talk in circles. This applies to anyone, anywhere in life, but especially those working in a customer service capacity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Great report of Splash Country! I was just there the past 2 days and loved it. RiverRush may be shorter than the 2 water coasters at Splashin' Safari but I honestly may have liked it the best. It wasn't as long, but there were 3 drops that had stronger air than the awesome shed drop on Wildebeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 13, 2017 Author Share Posted June 13, 2017 ^ Yeah, I'm realizing I didn't talk a whole lot about RiverRush, but it's fantastic! The airtime is real. We rode it several times, more than any other slide there. Great TR so far! I love the chapter titles. How long is the tram/bus ride from DreamMore to DW? Do you have to pay for a separate ticket to get into the waterpark? Thanks! The bus goes to Splash Country first, then on to Dollywood, then back to the hotel. Each leg is about 5 minutes. The waterpark is separately ticketed, but you can get a 3 day/2 park pass that allows you to visit both parks on the same day if you wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Great report. Did the snake actually slide down part of the slide? If so that's amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAWKIN_coaster38 Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 ^That's what I was wondering too! Great snake report. And great trip report too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 13, 2017 Author Share Posted June 13, 2017 Great report. Did the snake actually slide down part of the slide? If so that's amazing. Yes, that's absolutely true. That part of the slide runs parallel to the back fence, so the snake came through the fence and onto the slide, and slid down it a few feet until our heroes grabbed it with that long pole and Snake Bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Great TR as usual, Andrew. It's a shame the snake couldn't be allowed to enjoy the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Seeing the snake would have freaked me out so bad, I would have left. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the water after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAWKIN_coaster38 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Great TR as usual, Andrew. It's a shame the snake couldn't be allowed to enjoy the slide. #snakelivesmatter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 When we were at Cedar Point Marina, both for the CM! cruise and Sunday at Famous Dave's, snakes were in the water, everywhere! I had never ever seen that many in the water, live, and close up, in my lifetime. Kind of freaky, but I didn't freak out about it. I wanted to get photos of them, but they were "swimming" too fast through the water to get a good shot with my camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Day 3 Continued: Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch After the snake wrangling, we were all done with the waterpark. We had done all we wanted to anyway, and we were preparing to leave even as the snake appeared. So we headed back to the resort for some more swimming and exploration. The first priority was dinner. We ordered pizza from the Pantry, and they were super professional. They called up to the room when it was ready, so we didn’t have to wait around for it at all. We just relaxed in the room waiting for the call. It was really good too, thin crust with plenty of herbs and spices. Price is surprising too—a large 16” went for about $14. That’s really about the same as Papa John’s or similar, and much better quality. For this being an upscale hotel, they’re not gouging people in any way at all. The grounds are just beautiful. This was our first opportunity to see it, since we arrived late Saturday night and spent all day Sunday at Dollywood. There are so many little gathering areas for families to sit around and talk. The pool is great, with a small lazy river, hot tub, and splash pad. It’s kind of a mini waterpark of sorts. It’s also very large, so even though there were a lot of guests, it didn’t feel crowded. Since we’ve had some questions about it, I’ll mention that there is a full hotel bar here. It’s right in front of Song & Hearth—you walk through the bar to get to the restaurant. They have several signature drinks, my favourite of which was the Front Porch Swing, a rum-based fruity pineapple drink. Prices are quite reasonable for a resort. There was a band in the lobby that night, and they played covers of various rock, pop, and country songs. Great entertainment for hanging out at the bar. On the lower level is an arcade, indoor pool, and an entertainment room for kids (colouring books, toys, and such). There’s really something for everyone, and this hotel would be a fantastic vacation all on its own, even during the times Dollywood isn’t open. After a full day, it was time to get some rest in preparation for our second day at Dollywood! Pizza in a hotel room! YEAH! The resort had a bunch of really cool stuff for kids, including this playground... ...this splash pad... ...and this story corner. This is the indoor pool. DreamMore bus You can see RiverRush from here! Theming! We're in the South, where a legally required standard of 2 rocking chairs per human is strictly enforced. Butterfly garden The exterior of Song & Hearth There are several fire pits. Beautiful view of the mountains from here. There was a live band in the lobby Dolly's records. All of them. And this really cool mural! Back to Dollywood tomorrow! Spa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Story Corner is brilliant! Rocking chairs setup looks just wierd. Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 your pics are making me want to go even more.. must find some way to make Spouse interested in Dolly. subliminal!. . . gonna start playing "Baby I'm Burning" and "9 to 5" when he comes in. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 I recently stayed at the DreamMore resort too. My fav part? The smores cookout, but all of it is absolutely amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Dreammore looks awesome! I will definitely stay there when we finally do get down to DW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 The resort really turned out great, but I still don't know if I could pass up a mountain view cabin for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Day 4: Unfinished Business On Tuesday we went back to Dollywood to complete all the things we had missed a couple of days earlier, as well as to ride Mystery Mine some more! Lightning Rod was still down, and we knew that, so this whole visit we basically acted like it doesn’t exist. I would love to have gotten to ride this, as all 4 of the RMCs I’ve ridden are completely amazing, but we were going for all of Dollywood and not just for one ride. We packed up the car and checked out, then headed back for one last trip on the DreamMore bus and one more day at Tennessee’s best theme park (and since 2005, Tennessee’s only theme park). We began the day at the Country Fair, an area we had run out of time for previously. First ride of the day was the bumper cars. I do not believe I have ridden crappier bumper cars, ever. These things went about -30 miles per hour, they had a centre post to direct traffic, and no one really seemed to be able to hit anyone else. Next was the Dizzy Disk. This one is smaller than Silver Dollar City’s version, and a bit gentler too. Then on to SkyRider. This ride is great! It’s fundamentally a taller version of a Flying Scooters, but each of the cars are heavier, so they don’t swing in quite the same way. There are two vertical wings, one on each side of the two seats, so you can see a lot better than on a Flying Scooters too. The kids went on a few other little rides, and then we made our way back to Mountain Slidewinder. I absolutely love this ride, and it was a big hit with the older two kids as well. The girls played around in this area a bit, while my son and I hit up Blazing Fury, the last open coaster we had not ridden. This is Fire in the Hole 2.0 in every way. The trains have 3 cars rather than two, and overall the ride is bigger, and the turns are gentler for it. It felt less like a mouse in a box, like Fire in the Hole does, and more like a Disney ride. Fantastic! After this, it was time for everybody’s favourite incest-themed restaurant, Aunt Granny’s Buffet! Everything was very good here, and even drinks are included! We don’t buy drinks very often, so kids are very used to getting water (honestly it’s better for you than anything else too). They enjoyed that for once we relaxed that rule and they all got lemonade! Museum time! We started with Dolly’s replica home (next to Aunt Granny’s), then proceeded up to Chasing Rainbows. I was really impressed with the quality of this museum. It starts out with some photos on a cinder block wall, which is about what I was expecting in terms of quality. Then you go upstairs, and BAM! Hologram Dolly! Step through the door into the next room, and all of a sudden you have a very professional quality museum. We made our way through 60 years of Dolly’s life, then emerged back in the plaza to see her old tour bus. It was very swanky. Picture are better than words for this sort of thing. We had just enough time to ride the Rockin’ Roadsters before “My People” began. It was different from most—electric motors rather than gas powered. Fun ride—all the kids enjoyed driving. “My People” itself was a great show, and well worth the hour running time. So far, this has been just about the best day I’ve spent in a theme park, and we’ve ridden exactly one coaster. Well, we are about to remedy that! We have TimeSaver Passes, and we are about to abuse them! Eight people in line? We scoff at such pedestrian concerns! Here’s what we rode in 2 hours: Thunderhead – 1x, walkon with no TimeSaver needed Mystery Mine – 2x, TimeSaver sped us by 20 minute lines each time! Wild Eagle – 1x, waited 2 trains, no TimeSaver needed, as the line was not past the merge point Tennessee Tornado – 3x, first 2 with TimeSaver speeding us past 10 minute lines, third time was a walkon with no TimeSaver needed FireChaser Express – 2x, TimeSaver saved us 20 minutes each time Mystery Mine – 4x, with TimeSaver allowing us to skip 20 minute lines each time If you’re keeping score, that’s all 10 skips allowed with the pass. With about 20 minutes left, it was time to race over for the last ride of the day, cinnamon bread! Really, I couldn’t tell a difference between this and Silver Dollar City’s version. Both are awesome, and both are a perfect way to finish your day. Now it was time to board the bus back to DreamMore, get in the van, and actually visit Pigeon Forge for the first time on our vacation to Pigeon Forge! The Dollywood resort is just so fantastic, we wanted to spend all our time there, and that’s exactly what we did. Now it was time to head out into town, and so we went to ride two of the mountain coasters. Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster was fantastic. I loved the unusual layout; I never felt like I knew where it was about to go. Goats on a Roof was a bit faster, but also a more straightforward layout, and the trees were less dense too, so you could see more of where you were going. I think I prefer Smokey Mountain to Goats. And with that, we headed off into the sunset for some good aquatic fun in Chattanooga! Sunrise over the Smokies. Yeah, this was the view from our room every morning. Packing up. And back to the bus! All right, County Fair, here we come! Not too many takers for Lightning Rod front of the line passes today. State of the art Astroturf! These amazing simulations end up looking better than the real thing. Skyrider Very cool theming in this area. We rode the disk. We got dizzy. Oh teacups rides. You look fun, but nine times out of ten, I know you're lying. Bluegrass in the square Ooh, where are we going? Are we going to the Grist Mill? No, but these people are! Blown glass... ...and bluegrass! This is the operations building. That's right. They themed the f*cking operations building. This place is awesome. Here we are! Incest themed lunch! It's Dolly's childhood home! She grew up right here in the middle of the theme park! Oh.... Jesus 'n' newspapers OMG, you guys. Two. Rooms. Then over the swinging bridge over the koi pond. Rainbow time! TIL that you can photograph a hologram! Dolly's attic Humble beginnings The actual coat of many colours! Nope, another replica. The first of many costume displays. The girls enjoyed this schoolhouse display. Cas Walker's radio station Tributes to several of Dolly's partners and band members. Gotta show off that belt buckle! Several small screens running old shows she was on. This one is from the Ozarks Jubilee, produced in Springfield, Missouri! On to this two-storey room with even more displays You might have heard a few of these songs. If you haven't, go listen now. I'll wait. Ok, fully versed on Dolly's verses now? Good, you may proceed. Plenty of pink here And plenty of gold, platinum, and double platinum here. So many awards, given to so deserving a person. A little history of the park. And the park has its own award too. Porter Wagoner. Maybe the best country musician ever to come out of Springfield, Missouri. I am in love with this guitar. This the man who had the privilege to play them both. And this custom beauty, too! Exit to the bus! Dolly is claustrophobic, so her bus is full of mirrors to make the space seem bigger. Butterflies. Butterflies everywhere. Next was the "My People" show, starring Dolly herself! On video, that is. After a whirlwind coaster tour, it was time to finally indulge! Come to me, my precious. One last glimpse of the fantastic entrance area This trip was not a bust! Here's our bus! Bye Dollywood! We must be at Smokey Mountain Alpine Coaster. I think. Not sure. This was a fantastic ride. Thought I had a picture of Goats on the Roof too, but apparently not. Well, it's just like this, but with goats on the roof of a weird ass junk shop. Bizarre, but it's got a great alpine coaster. On to Chattanooga! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 That tour through the "Dolly Herself Museum" was amazing, thanks! I do want to get to DollyWood sometime in the not-too-distant future. (With Silver Dollar City not too far behind.) Great TR. Thanks for it all! (And the bread..... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 that is just a gorgeous park. . tho some areas seemed to have quite a few elderly folks sitting in your pics. is that just the particular pics? or is the age range for Dollywood skewing older? (I would think with the coasters, they would be getting more of a mixed to younger crowd. . so I'm curious). LOVED that museum, thank you so much for the pics.. the big bOOb mannequins for displaying the costumes amused me greatly, but the one with Dolly's head (with the white rhinestones) was a bit creepy.. that would give me nightmares! Edit: this one but overall?. . yeah a park I really, really want to get to some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 The museum is awesome. We spent about an hour to an hour and a half there, taking our time with it. Mannequins with heads are always creepy to me, and the number of horror movies about them would say that you and I are not alone in this. We spent a lot more of that day in the front of the park, and that area does tend to skew older. It's a long, steep hill to the back of the park, and that area is pretty much all roller coasters, so that's where the younger people are. I didn't take pictures of that area on that day, since I had done so just two days earlier, and we were trying to re-ride as much as possible, especially Mystery Mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 This TR makes me want to visit Dollywood, notwithstanding Lightning Rod being a POS mechanically. Also, from what I can tell, LR is at the front of the park, so it's very hard to hide, but you did a good job hiding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Great report!!!! I (literally) laughed out loud at the Plinko thing. Dreammore looks awesome! I will definitely stay there when we finally do get down to DW. Dreammore is possibly the most reasonably priced theme park hotel I've ever seen. I was just looking at it for a random Saturday during Smoky Mountain Christmas and found a room rate for 192.00 for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) for passholders. The room comes with a $35 skip the line pass for everyone so that alone is worth $140 which means you're really only paying 52 bucks for the room if you were going to get that anyway. That rate also includes early entry, package pickup and (obviously) a really nice hotel room. It's a highly competitive rate if you throw in the perks. For comparison, the Comfort Suites where we usually stay (which is also a pretty nice hotel and probably has similar quality rooms) is $100 but once you factor in the skip the line passes, early entry and other perks Dreammore might actually be a better deal even for 2 people. For a family of 4, Dreammore is crushing them if you want skip the line passes. * If it were just Brit and I we would still opt for Comfort Suites though because of the rewards points. Choice Privileges is the sh*t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now