Dollywood Discussion Thread

[prozach626]

4 minutes ago, JJLehto said:

I’ve no idea if spring break is happening

It is here.

[AmyUD06]

Queue Times is predicting moderate crowds: https://queue-times.com/en-US/parks/55/calendar

Looking at past Aprils, there always seems to be one week where it's pretty busy, likely in conjunction with local spring breaks.

Big Bear was fun but it is decidedly a family coaster.  Queue Times says the average longest wait time was 60 minutes, and that takes into account weekends, so if you call an hour "long" then yeah it's a long line.

[TEDodd]

3 hours ago, JJLehto said:

I’ve no idea if spring break is happening

Sevier County Spring break Apr 14-18.
https://www.sis.sevier.org/28455_2

But looks like the surrounding counties had spring break last month. Several will be out for Good Friday though, and it's not uncommon for many students to miss the Thu before or leave at lunch.

[tndank]

Park closes on Tuesdays and Thursdays again starting next week.  Slow season til mid May when school trips start up again.

If getting a Timesaver, make sure you review the options.  They switched them up a bit this year.  Very unlikely it's needed unless you're there on a Saturday or  maybe Sunday.

 

[JJLehto]

Oh! Was part of a very busy trip so never did follow up. 

Everything was 45 mins (maybe 50 but eh) or under. Exception was Tennessee Tornado Hour 25 but they were running 1 train ops!? Mustve been an issue, cant imagine why they would on spring break and when nothing else was. Given it was spring break not bad actually! I'll gladly take 45 mins and some were only 20-30. So all in all not bad! 

New cred for Big Bear Mountain, perhaps the gift of low expectations but was solid and surprisingly fun! 
LRod, got 6 rides. Once or twice did feel a little weird at first but I became a normal human and got over the chain lift. Rest is great and far as I can tell unchanged from before. Especially when it warmed up...early morning was great but late afternoon/early evening it was hauling and kicking ass. In the back a helluva ride. Oh also I got 6 rides. It opened with the park and ran all day. So that alone is ya know, pretty big. 

This park may have one of the best lineups. There's no bad coaster. Even calibrating for the fact "this is a family ride" Firechaser and Dragonflier are fun little rides. I know Mystery Mine is divisive but I still quite enjoy it and though not worth that long, I forgot how much ass TT kicks, Thunderhead ran great, Wild Eagle remains a low key good wing coaster. Another good visit to this park, it probably is cemented in my top 5 by this point. 

[AmyUD06]

Glad you had a good time!

[Hilltopper39]

12 hours ago, JJLehto said:

Oh! Was part of a very busy trip so never did follow up. 

Everything was 45 mins (maybe 50 but eh) or under. Exception was Tennessee Tornado Hour 25 but they were running 1 train ops!? Mustve been an issue, cant imagine why they would on spring break and when nothing else was. Given it was spring break not bad actually! I'll gladly take 45 mins and some were only 20-30. So all in all not bad! 

New cred for Big Bear Mountain, perhaps the gift of low expectations but was solid and surprisingly fun! 
LRod, got 6 rides. Once or twice did feel a little weird at first but I became a normal human and got over the chain lift. Rest is great and far as I can tell unchanged from before. Especially when it warmed up...early morning was great but late afternoon/early evening it was hauling and kicking ass. In the back a helluva ride. Oh also I got 6 rides. It opened with the park and ran all day. So that alone is ya know, pretty big. 

This park may have one of the best lineups. There's no bad coaster. Even calibrating for the fact "this is a family ride" Firechaser and Dragonflier are fun little rides. I know Mystery Mine is divisive but I still quite enjoy it and though not worth that long, I forgot how much ass TT kicks, Thunderhead ran great, Wild Eagle remains a low key good wing coaster. Another good visit to this park, it probably is cemented in my top 5 by this point. 

Glad you had a good time, sounds like it was a solid day.

 

We went early in March during Spring Break, on a Tuesday the first week the park was open and man it was crowded. We still had a nice time but it was by far the worst day I've ever had at Dollywood. Lines were an hour plus for almost everything all day, and the wait times were all over the map as far as what was posted and what the wait was. I got in line for Lightning Rod when it was posted at 50 minutes, then in line it went from 50 to 90 to 220 and back down to 80 and I think I ended up waiting around 100.  I also noticed that the TimeSaver lines were insanely busy all day long, even on rides like Big Bear and Lightning Rod where the premium Time Saver is only a single use, those rides still had timesaver lines out the building. At the platform for Lightning Rod they were loading an entire train from TimeSaver and like 2-4 seats from standby. I don't know if the new resort means double the people have TimeSaver included with their stay now or what but we really felt it slowing down the ques considerably more so than in years past. We didn't get a TimeSaver because we've been there a dozen times and have never ever needed it but lesson learned this trip.

Big Bear was a new credit for me this trip as well and I thought that thing was great, just an awesome family coaster. We only got 1 ride but it was a night ride after the park closed so that was a nice way to end the trip. 

We still had a really nice day, just not as nice as previous trips. I still absolutely love this park and will visit every chance I get, but it shockingly busy for very early in the season.

 

 

 

[jedimaster1227]

Dollywood has begun to tease their new addition for 2026, expected to open in the Wildwood Grove section of the park!

[AmyUD06]

4 hours ago, jedimaster1227 said:

Dollywood has begun to tease their new addition for 2026, expected to open in the Wildwood Grove section of the park!

If it's not too early to speculate, I'm predicting one of two things:  B&M Wing or the new-generation Vekoma flying coaster (like F.L.Y. at Phantasialand).  Either design will be low-to-the-ground and follow the terrain.

Edit:  I somehow completely forgot about the existence of Wild Eagle.

[jedimaster1227]

^I wouldn’t bet on a B&M Wingrider considering they already have Wild Eagle. My money is on a flying theater like Soarin’ or SkyFly: Soar America.

[AmyUD06]

1 hour ago, jedimaster1227 said:

^I wouldn’t bet on a B&M Wingrider considering they already have Wild Eagle. My money is on a flying theater like Soarin’ or SkyFly: Soar America.

LOL I completely forgot about Wild Eagle.  I do like your idea of a flying theater though; it fits with the theme of the teaser.

[prozach626]

That trailer doesn't seem very intimidating for a large scale intense roller coaster.

[tndank]

2 hours ago, prozach626 said:

That trailer doesn't seem very intimidating for a large scale intense roller coaster.

Neither does the relatively small 5 story building that will house this new ride.

[TurnOfTheCentury]

Hit Dollywood yesterday.  I had been there once before in summer 2020 (Covid time).

I forget how pretty the park is: they have done a great job preserving so many trees and greenery (except for by Big Bear Mountain - see below!).  It's just lovely to walk through those hills and among those trees and not really be able to see what's around the bend.

Super friendly customer service, but slow ops, especially on Mystery Mine (the one ride that could use quick ops!).  They could take a lesson or two from Holiday World.

Very solid, diverse coaster line-up.  Couple observations:

Thunderhead.  Wow!  I don't remember being as impressed by first trip, but I friggin' LOVED this ride.  It was mostly a walk-on and so I got about 7-8 rides on it.  Not a bad seat to be found, although I preferred the front end (and I am normally a back of the train rider.). Fantastic layout.  It sustains speed the whole time, with great curves and transition.  Tons of air, including a glorious sustained floater moment on a low profile speed bump near the end (after the station fly-by and left turn).  And it was running GREAT.  Super smooth, but still forceable.   Don't know what Dollywood or the designer has done, but this thing runs gloriously.  My favorite ride at the park.

Mystery Mine.  Horrific operations.  3 people to check 8 shoulder harnesses and they still stacked 5 trains repeatedly -- because they were having conversations, not running the ride.  Love the theme.  Love the song.  Really enjoyed the ride, even though Gerst stuff feels "junky" to me -- I can't believe they spent $17.5M on it in 2006(?), even if the theming?  But very effective drop and ending.  Fun.  Keep your head back.

Lightning Rod.  Had it's unusual downtime, but got about 6 rides in when it opened.  It's a great ride, and I can't remember the changes in the track  - felt the same to me.  It's a great layout, I always love dropping into that valley and seeing the track in there, and the quad down and ending is just epic, out of control greatness.  There IS a big of kink after the second drop, but not terrible.  But, as good and relentless as it is, I found myself enjoying Thunderhead more.  That surprises me.

The Arrow Looper whose name I forget.   Oh wait, Ten. Tornado!  I thought it was excellent.  Love the drop into the tunnel and that MASSIVE loop.  A bit short, but very smooth, and had that Arrow charm from my youth.  Big smiles for that one.

Big Bear Mountain.  Really fun, but I think my expectations were too high.  Fun, great addition to make the line-up diverse, but didn't blow me away, although the second half was especially fun.  Although the interior is well themed, I am really surprised that a park with such great beauty around everything, let this entire coaster sit on an open plot of grass and dirt -- it just looked open and barren.  The ride would look amazing if they surrounded it with trees, which would really increase the sense of speed and surprise.  Puzzling.

BTW, the building for next year's attraction looks HUGE.

[prozach626]

Big Bear Mountain is a family coaster. It's designed for kids 3 foot 3 to enjoy. That's why it didn't blow you away.

The land was cleared to make construction possible. It will eventually grow in.