Dollywood Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

River Battle is honestly the ugliest thing in the entire park. It feels so out of place and awkward and I'm really glad that area is getting some love.

[dstephe9]

My guess is that this will make room for the expansion up to the train loop. They need more space so they can make the elevation change ADA accessible so shifting the walking path into River Battle's footprint will allow them to do construction/grading where the rest of the ride was and the retaining wall/owl photo op is.

This is my guess too because that's the location close to the expansion if older rumors are correct.. Dollywood has said themselves that their plan is to expand up the train loop and having room in that area to rework paths would really be helpful

 

Now, a lot of people seem upset about this, Dollywood might wanna make an announcement sooner rather than later about their plans and why this is needed..

 

Also, River Battle is only fun when it is full and it's not full very often except on busy days

 

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[Hilltopper39]

I've never been a huge fan of the splash battle rides because you get totally soaked, like to the point where it can make you miserable for the rest of the day.

 

I wonder if there's any chance they move the Splash Battle to Splash Country, I've always wanted to see one of these operate in a water park.

[dstephe9]

I'm sure it'll move to another HFE property somewhere or be sold.. it should have plenty of life left in it.. not sure if it will move to Splash Country, they honestly struggle with space there as well.. Might move as a free attraction to Dreammore but I doubt it.. I'd bet it'll show up at wild adventure if they don't already have something similar.. That park doesn't seem to have the funding other HFE parks do.

 

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[VegasBaby]

River Battle is honestly the ugliest thing in the entire park. It feels so out of place and awkward and I'm really glad that area is getting some love.

 

So glad that River Battle is getting removed and DDF is staying. DDF is a killer water ride and we rode it every day of our visit this summer. We rode River Battle once and got completely soaked, which wasn't terrible since it was a really hot day. But RB never had a line and a lot of the boats were going out empty. It also takes up a good chunk of land, so I'm interested to see what they are going to put in to replace it.

[middle_keeny]

My guess is that this will make room for the expansion up to the train loop. They need more space so they can make the elevation change ADA accessible so shifting the walking path into River Battle's footprint will allow them to do construction/grading where the rest of the ride was and the retaining wall/owl photo op is.

 

I am going to disagree on this. I think there is too much involved with building inside the loop and that idea is scrapped. They need power, plumbing, pathways up the mountain, etc. Plus it would ruin the view of the train ride. I think if they are going to expand a new area, it would go behind the country fair area in the big field.

 

I suspect that they will go with another family area with a few flats and a play area like Fireman's Landing at SDC.

[dstephe9]

My guess is that this will make room for the expansion up to the train loop. They need more space so they can make the elevation change ADA accessible so shifting the walking path into River Battle's footprint will allow them to do construction/grading where the rest of the ride was and the retaining wall/owl photo op is.

 

I am going to disagree on this. I think there is too much involved with building inside the loop and that idea is scrapped. They need power, plumbing, pathways up the mountain, etc. Plus it would ruin the view of the train ride. I think if they are going to expand a new area, it would go behind the country fair area in the big field.

 

I suspect that they will go with another family area with a few flats and a play area like Fireman's Landing at SDC.

That's the issue, they already have pathways up the mountain that way.. yes they are service roads but not as much involved as you think. They aren't expanding into the train loop yet but up it.

 

I'd imagine a lot of it had already been planned and even engineered when they announced it four or five years ago.. that was when they started cutting some of the service roads.

 

My only other idea is they are using the river battle area for a show building.. it's a large area and would make room for a new dark ride.

 

But expanding up the train loop has been their plan for a while and they even mention there would be a lot of infrastructure that would need to take place before it happens.. I mean, they know this is going to be a huge expansion and I feel they are prepared for it

 

But with that being said, the service roads, the junk piles they have hidden on the train loop, and other things already take away from the looks of it.

 

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Edited August 22, 2017 by dstephe9

[SFOGdude25]

I have video footage from April last year of a wide open River Battle with NO ONE on it, while Daredevil Falls and River Rampage were charging on with plenty of riders. It was a little cooler that day (low 60s I think) so that was probably the reason, but still, it's never felt super successful in terms of crowd draw except with kids.

[dstephe9]

They have something huge planned for the area, they have to.. River Battle opened in 2008 and was 5 - 6 million wasn't it? You don't just demolish a ride that new and that expensive unless you have something big to take it's place.. I am like Ernie and feel this is the start of the expansion.. They announced it with the 10 year plan, they know they have a lot of work to do to make it a reality, plus early this season or very late last season (I don't remember) the survey about themes for the new area came out to select folks.. if I were a betting man, I'd expect the expansion to be officially announced before winter!

 

Or at least teasers

 

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[Dollywoodlover20]

To me River Battle was cool when it first opened, because it was packed with people. Now it just kinda is..ehh. Like we walk past it every time and watch Wild Eagle drop from the lift and we will occasionally get sprayed if anyone is on but to participate? I'm not gonna take all my energy to crank those things to get a tiny bit of water. If they put more water out with less force it would be ok, but I'll stick to slidewinder, DDF, and rampage.So now I guess we wait for an announcement?

[bgtlover]

I'm sure it'll move to another HFE property somewhere or be sold.. it should have plenty of life left in it.. not sure if it will move to Splash Country, they honestly struggle with space there as well.. Might move as a free attraction to Dreammore but I doubt it.. I'd bet it'll show up at wild adventure if they don't already have something similar.. That park doesn't seem to have the funding other HFE parks do.

 

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I can see this being sent to Wild Adventures. It won't get me back there (and it's the closest park to me), but I think it would work out there just fine with it's more family lineup.

[Ape]

My four year old is devastated. He will get over it though.

[djackson]

I'm sure it'll move to another HFE property somewhere or be sold.. it should have plenty of life left in it.. not sure if it will move to Splash Country, they honestly struggle with space there as well.. Might move as a free attraction to Dreammore but I doubt it.. I'd bet it'll show up at wild adventure if they don't already have something similar.. That park doesn't seem to have the funding other HFE parks do.

 

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Yeah at this point Herschend should just sell the park because they aren't really adding to it enough for it to make sense.

[dstephe9]

I'm sure it'll move to another HFE property somewhere or be sold.. it should have plenty of life left in it.. not sure if it will move to Splash Country, they honestly struggle with space there as well.. Might move as a free attraction to Dreammore but I doubt it.. I'd bet it'll show up at wild adventure if they don't already have something similar.. That park doesn't seem to have the funding other HFE parks do.

 

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Yeah at this point Herschend should just sell the park because they aren't really adding to it enough for it to make sense.

This might be reaching but I always felt they bought that park for the animals with plans to eventually have them at and move them to Dollywood or SDC.. I always felt it was part of their quest to be Disney..

 

Again this was just my feeling about that park when they purchased it and nothing has ever been said to make me feel this way.. it's just me

 

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[coasterbill]

they aren't really adding to it enough for it to make sense.

 

What?

[Jcoaster]

Wow, good thing I got a ride on it last week. That stinks, it was a really fun ride.

[bgtlover]

they aren't really adding to it enough for it to make sense.

 

What?

I think they're referring to Wild Adventures, which keeps the locals happy I suppose.

[coasterbill]

I know he's referring to Wild Adventures, I'm just trying to make sense of what he's talking about. There's no correlation between how much a park is adding each year and how likely the owners are to sell it.

[djackson]

I know he's referring to Wild Adventures, I'm just trying to make sense of what he's talking about. There's no correlation between how much a park is adding each year and how likely the owners are to sell it.

 

Unless the park is that very profitable, which I doubt considering its close proximity to SFOG, there is no point in keeping a park like that open. If a company is profiting off of a park, they're going to invest in it and it doesn't seem like they're investing in this park much at all. This park should get a coaster before SDC or Dollywood even considers adding one.

[Shavethewhales]

This is excellent news to me. River Battle just seemed so cheaply done. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the plan all along, perhaps they always knew it would only stay at DW for 7-10 years so they went with cheaper theming and materials. Then again, DW is weird and quite frankly is very hit and miss on some of their ride implementations, so who knows.

 

This is a big chuck of land though. With a few cuts and retaining walls it could be a lot bigger. Probably as big as Fireman's Landing at SDC. I'd bet this is where they'll pack some new kids/family rides and a new play structure area. It would be a perfect compliment to the County Fair on the other side of the park, help spread out the young family crowd more, and revitalize an area that really didn't get enough attention the first go around.

 

I'm looking forward to it. My one real complain about DW was that this back area felt cheap compared to the rest of the park. It would look nice at almost any other park, but I still hold DW to a higher standard.

 

Wild Adventures will enjoy the splash battle. Fits that park perfectly.

[coasterbill]

I know he's referring to Wild Adventures, I'm just trying to make sense of what he's talking about. There's no correlation between how much a park is adding each year and how likely the owners are to sell it.

 

Unless the park is that very profitable, which I doubt considering its close proximity to SFOG, there is no point in keeping a park like that open. If a company is profiting off of a park, they're going to invest in it and it doesn't seem like they're investing in this park much at all. This park should get a coaster before SDC or Dollywood even considers adding one.

 

First of all, consult a map.

 

Second of all, no. There is no corellation between CAPEX and profit.

[dstephe9]

I know he's referring to Wild Adventures, I'm just trying to make sense of what he's talking about. There's no correlation between how much a park is adding each year and how likely the owners are to sell it.

 

Unless the park is that very profitable, which I doubt considering its close proximity to SFOG, there is no point in keeping a park like that open. If a company is profiting off of a park, they're going to invest in it and it doesn't seem like they're investing in this park much at all. This park should get a coaster before SDC or Dollywood even considers adding one.

 

First of all, consult a map.

 

Second of all, no. There is no corellation between CAPEX and profit.

Exactly, Wild Adventures isn't any closer to SFOG than Dollywood is.. it's way down in GA probably 3 hrs or more away (not that I actually know I only pass the exit for it going to Disney lol and have never stopped)

 

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[ernierocker]

My guess is that this will make room for the expansion up to the train loop. They need more space so they can make the elevation change ADA accessible so shifting the walking path into River Battle's footprint will allow them to do construction/grading where the rest of the ride was and the retaining wall/owl photo op is.

 

I am going to disagree on this. I think there is too much involved with building inside the loop and that idea is scrapped.

 

Mmmkay.

[mckayj93]

I was hoping that it would be River Battle if something was leaving. I was really worried about Daredevil Falls or Sidewinder. I've never rode River Battle- I either wasn't in a mood to get that soaked or I thought it would only be fun if you had a decent sized group of people or smaller kids with you. Stuck out like a sore thumb even worse than Country Fair. I haven't been to SDC yet but based on pictures it seems their splash battle is much better integrated and themed in the park.

I think River Battle would be a good fit for Wild Adventures. Already sort of has animal theming and seems to be an easy attraction to move. I don't think Wild Adventures is bleeding money, it is a different demographic than the other parks due to the zoo aspect. It is far enough away from Atlanta or Orlando to fit a niche. I've only been once, when I was about 7, don't remember any specific rides, just animal exhibits. We stayed in Valdosta on our way to Disney from Nashville. It was a good and fairly inexpensive overnight break in the drive before our Disney tickets and hotel started.

I assume that the decision was made based on the fact the access roads to the loop are on the there side of the retaining wall and hill based on the picture. I'd love to see the main path cut through the current ride area to make a straight path instead of the curve. I doubt that a theater or entertainment facility will be put in- due to the fact most of that is on the other side of the park with Showstreet to some of Craftsmans Valley. This keeps the elderly and wheelchair crowd from having to go up the larger Timber Canyon incline. On each side of the new path I'd love to see a nicer buffet or sit down food option, better theming for Wilderness Pass (on the caliber of SDC's Firemans Landing), at least one decent flat (Dollywood's biggest need IMHO), a smaller flat to appeal to kids, and hopefully a dark ride or small coaster such as the new steel RMC.

[Canobie Coaster]

I'm not sad to see River Battle go, but I actually thought the ride looked pretty good contrary to most other opinions.

 

I think the employees who had to hear that song all day will be most excited to see it go though.