Dollywood Discussion Thread

[jimmiemac02]

I'd probably stay in that area on Sun night and then hit some of the RMNP and Gatlinburg on Mon before heading back to Nashville for 7:00PM flight...worth the trip from Nashville??

 

I think by RMNP you meant Smokey Mountain National Park (Rocky Mountain NP is in Colorado). It is quite beautiful in the wintertime even with no leaves on the trees. I would definitely recommend a drive around Cades Cove if you head that way.

 

I agree with coasterfreaky, it is a really long drive from Nashville to Pigeon Forge.

[brneff99]

The last minute fares that American publishes are for specific cities depending on their occupancy of flights...so Nashville was the city that meets the mileage I need for the weekend of the 13/14...a 4 hour drive is really not a huge deal to a SoCal driver...I spend 1/2 that driving to/from work each day...but I appreciate the feedback...if I remember right, its a pretty straightforward drive though, correct? Alternative is just spending the weekend exploring Nashville or maybe a trip down to Chatanooga...

[ernierocker]

if I remember right, its a pretty straightforward drive though, correct?

 

Yes, I-40 all the way to Exit 407 and then south on 66. From there you can follow GPS directions, although I would recommend using the Dolly Parton Parkway (US 411) to Veterans Blvd. route and avoid most of the Pigeon Forge traffic.

 

Also, keep in mind that the I-40 interchange at Exit 407 is currently under construction but with your arrival and departure times, you should avoid any major back-ups.

[Shavethewhales]

Those pictures of the clearing (see previous page) are insane. That's a huge area to be leveling out. It makes me pause because a big part of the allure of the Herschend's original way of doing things was in the way they worked with the landscape, rolling their pathways over the natural course of the hills and keeping as many trees as possible even when it was really difficult to do so (SDC still has a few buildings with holes cut in them so that the trees can grow through). I feel conflicted when I see them leveling off these huge areas like this, but I know it's progress and whatever it's for will be worth it... just wish they could keep the woodsy feeling.

 

With that much land cleared, I'm starting to think that instead of a coaster, maybe they're preparing to add another area of the park oriented toward family and kids rides, similar to Fireman's Landing. DW got rid of their giant play area years ago to make way for Barnstormer, right?

[ernierocker]

^They did get rid of that play area for Barnstormer, but they replaced it right back with the play areas in Owen's Farms. Plus, they have the play area next to Thunderhead, and the new one by FireChaser Express. Not to mention, all of the rides in County Fair with minimal or no height requirements. The park already has a lot for younger guests to do, so I wouldn't count on the next expansion to be solely dedicated to them.

[coasterfreaky]

I think Shave may be referring to the foam-ball-assault-area and water gun battle in Dreamland Forest…which hasn’t been replaced at Dollywood, but that is true of the other small playground areas, … they have little climbing structures and what not. I thought the foam ball guns were lots of fun.

 

Yeah Shave, I know what you mean about all the large clearing. There’s no denying that one of the most charming areas of Dollywood is Craftsman’s valley with all the older growth trees overhead. It’s a stark difference from the newer areas like Wilderness Pass, where it is a wide open valley.

dreamland forest air bazookas...RIP

[Firechaser]

After Finally getting to the Park this year I thought that I would write down some of my thoughts.

I really enjoyed FireChaser Express especially in the back at night.

Thunderhead is starting to really bump you around it just isn't as enjoyable as it was last year.

I actually had three good rides on Mystery Mine, most of the time it tries to kill my head.

Friday everybody was mostly there for the shows so I only had to wait for about 10 minutes at most for rides

Saturday the Park was dead because of the rain so I watched the kingdom Heirs, A Christmas Carol(best show there), and a Smokey Mountain Christmas....

Overall a good weekend!

[Philrad71]

^ We had planned on hitting the park on our way back from Florida until I saw the forecast for rain on Saturday for most of that area. Figuring that the coasters would not be open and it would be cold and wet, we opted to skip Pigeon Forge and spend another day in sunny Fort Myers instead.

 

Too bad as I was really looking forward to riding FireChaser Express and Wild Eagle during this visit...not to mention sampling the awesome food!

 

Oh well, maybe next year.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^Dude, it got to almost 70 during the day and only lightly sprinkled off and on till about 2, then cleared up entirely. We never waited more than a train for any ride in the park. It was one of the best days for lines ever. Got to see all the Christmas shows we wanted in the evening as well. They ran all the coasters till close. All in all it was an awesome day!

[ernierocker]

^I don't think he wanted to hear that.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Sorry. It was a horrible day! Crowded as it has never been. We got to the park a half hour early and we were in the overflow lot across the street by Splash Country. It rained from the time we arrived till the minute we got back in our car. They removed all the ceilings from the loading platforms and show buildings so it poured on us the whole time. It was standing room only everywhere you went, and they made all the ECV drivers run over our soaking wet frigid feet before loading any trains. They never turned on the lights and they made us walk from and to our cars. Uphill. Both ways. Worst day ever. You didn't miss a thing.

[maverickpoint]

lol

 

 

So I read a youtube comment (not the best source) from an employee at Dollywood that the new coaster for 2016 is going to replace Rockin' Roadway. Isn't that on the other side of the park away from all the other big rides ? How big is Rockin' Roadway ? Is there enough space to build a major new roller coaster there ? I'm still hoping for a big new first of its kind woodie. I just read this about Rockin' Roadway so sorry if that is already old news and I'm late for the party lol

[Guy T. Koepp]

^At this point anything is possible. It has been talked about and speculated for quite some time that Rockin' Roadway was on the choping block. IMHO, I don't think that space is big enough for the type of expenditure they're talking about. Unless they cross the back road and use the hill on the other side of the road. Which would be very interesting.

 

Being there this weekend, I did find out what that large chunk of land that they cleared behind the ECV rental house is going to be. No big shocker here. Tour buss and sightseeing group parking. Also a shuttle stop and private entrance for the Dreammore resort.

[jimmiemac02]

The rumor about Rockin' Roadway has been around a long time. I found out about it when I was about 8 or 9 and was pretty devastated since Rockin' Roadway was my favorite ride. Even now I would hate to see that ride go.

 

I think that area could be big enough for a dark ride. I mean if they took out most of Jukebox Junction (it needs to go) that's a good amount of space. I know dark rides don't typically cost $20 million but I just can't see Dollywood adding another roller coaster this soon.

[brneff99]

Can you arrange that same weather and crowd conditions for this Sunday??? Tickets purchased and looking forward to first time visit...

[Guy T. Koepp]

Get there early. You should be able to clear out the major coasters before the church contingient shows up and Christians up the place.

[Nrthwnd]

^

 

But accurate.

[coasterfreaky]

Dollywood will make an announcement tomorrow, Wednesday.

www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Sneak-peak-of-whats-coming-to-Dollywood-in-2015-285287421.html?device=tablet&c=y

[jimmiemac02]

Oh boy a new parking lot. How exciting...

I wonder if Six Flags builds a $5 million dollar parking lot just to put a coaster on it...

[SFOGdude25]

I'm actually really glad Dollywood is improving their parking lot. Traffic can get backed up like crazy on Veterans and McCarter Hollow and move REALLY slow on packed days getting into the parking lot as it is. The last time I was there (2012), it took us around 45 minutes just to park.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^I don't think they're doing the improvements that you might think. The only real difference will be that busses and a tram stop for hotel guests will have their own parking area and entrance to the park. The rest of us will have to park like always. At least that was my impression. Perhaps the announcement today will shed a bit more light on the new parking area.

[SFOGdude25]

^Oh never mind. That's just the impression I got from watching that news video.

[DW1986]

The big plot of land that has been cleared on the way up to Thunderhead will be a new parking lot and other changes such as tram routes, configuration, and the removal of the pedestrian walkways will also be added. The new parking lot will also feature new entrances for the DreamMore trolley as well as the PF trolley.

[ernierocker]

IMHO, I don't think that space is big enough for the type of expenditure they're talking about. Unless they cross the back road and use the hill on the other side of the road. Which would be very interesting.

 

 

That would be interesting.

[dstephe9]

Anyone know when and where the details today are supposed to be released or if they have already been released? Haha I have been checking various places all day and haven't seen anything