Dollywood Discussion Thread

[ernierocker]

Look, it is the first-of-its kind steel eagle sculpture between Raleigh, NC and Huntsville, AL. Does that make you guys happy now?!?

[SharkTums]

Does that make you guys happy now?!?

 

Um, we're coaster enthusiasts...we'll never be happy!!!!!

[Guy T. Koepp]

Does that make you guys happy now?!?

 

Um, we're coaster enthusiasts...we'll never be happy!!!!!

 

Yeah! What she said! I'm only a coaster semi-enthusiast, and I'm never satisfied! But then again, I'm insatiable!

[ernierocker]

Hence, the two "sticking tongue out" smilies.

[coasterfreak96]

I haven't had enough posts to be allowed to post a link but trains have arrived onsite at Dollywood! If you visit Screamscape there is a link on there taking you to the site with pictures.. it appears they are still under wraps but you can see the trains pretty clearly. It's also quite interesting as cars haven't been made into a train yet and not put together as such as the eagle's are separately under wraps, but there are pics of this too! I strongly advise you to go check these out!

[ernierocker]

^Those photos have already been posted in this thread.

 

And you are allowed to post external links (with less than 50 posts) as long as they are not linking/promoting your own personal blog/website.

[coasterfreak96]

Oh. I didn't see them because they had been 'edited' into that post.. And okay thanks for that!

[Bobloboi]

Going to Dollywood this Summer for the 1st time. Going to stay in the area for a week, looking to book a cabin for me and the BF anyone have recommendations? (Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong area.)

[Intimidator305]

Dollywood Vacations

http://www.dollywood.com/vacations

Cabins in Starr Crest Resort just above Dollywood. Good package deals with Dollywood and fantastic views of Dollywood. Some of the cabins are right on top each other though, so if you're looking for privacy make sure you check.

 

Cabin Fever Vacations

http://www.cabinfevervacations.com/

Cabins all over Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. Stay with the company and you can get 2 FULL day Dollywood tickets for the price of 1 day and not have to worry about going after 3.

 

With both companies, you get the 6th night free and I've had nothing but great experiences with both!

Edited January 18, 2012 by Intimidator305

[Bobloboi]

Thanks I'll check them out!

[deguy123]

Going to Dollywood this Summer for the 1st time. Going to stay in the area for a week, looking to book a cabin for me and the BF anyone have recommendations? (Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong area.)

 

Went for the first time in 2010 and it was amazing! There is TONS to do in the area of the park such as Go-karts (really weird multi-level ones) and Mini-golf. The park was amazing and the water park was a big surprise.

 

There are also many restaurants which were really good in the area. I'm not a big "chain" person on vacation, so ate at random non-chain places. One restaurant had a really nice outside area (even though it was a bit hot out) http://www.oldmillsquare.com/cafe.htm

[coasterfreaky]

Interesting development...

Dollywood is partnering with Gaylord-Opryland in Nashville to make a 114-acre water and snow park. Looks like this will be situated across the street (across Briley Parkway) from the Opryland hotel and not where Opry Mills is/Opryland park was.

 

 

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/19/dollywood-gaylord-partner-on-nashville-park/?partner=RSS

 

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120119/NEWS/301190061/Dolly-Parton-Gaylord-Opryland-announce-new-Nashville-amusement-park?odyssey=mod|breaking|text|FRONTPAGE

[ernierocker]

Going to Dollywood this Summer for the 1st time. Going to stay in the area for a week, looking to book a cabin for me and the BF anyone have recommendations? (Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong area.)

 

Definitely stay with a resort that has a tie-in with Dollywood tickets. The Dollywood Vacation cabins are really a fantastic deal as for the price of a one-day ticket you get unlimited visits to the park plus free parking for the length of your stay. I think they have a special as well where they throw in the water park and Q-bots for the length of your stay as well. But, it is closer to like 100 bucks per person.

 

And honestly the costs of the cabins aren't bad at all...you can get a 1 BR in the peak summer months for less than $150/night which isn't bad at all! Probably couldn't stay at one of the local Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn's for much cheaper than that!

[bejackso]

Wild Eagle is supposed to be ready for riders opening day, correct? (opening day being sat march 24)

[ernierocker]

^Correct. We should get an update on the schedule this week, but everything has gone smoothly up to this point.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Interesting development...

Dollywood is partnering with Gaylord-Opryland in Nashville to make a 114-acre water and snow park. Looks like this will be situated across the street (across Briley Parkway) from the Opryland hotel and not where Opry Mills is/Opryland park was.

 

 

 

 

This means nothing but I gave an Email to Pete Owens about possibly adding an Indoor Ski Resort to Dollywood. It kinda came true.

[ernierocker]

Keep an eye on this thread today.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Yay!

[QueerRudie]

As much as I'm looking forward to Rushing the Hollow (SkyRush) in May... these trains are still more beautiful- and in every way imaginable. The Eagle motif is perhaps the best decorated B&M train in years, and by far has raised the bar on train decorations.

 

SixFlags, pay attention: Coaster cars aren't for crappy ads. They are to bring forth the beauty in your ride- and make the ride that much better.

[Myself]

Personally, I love the way the trains look. Just makes me wish I could visit Dollywood even more.

[SuperShawn]

The trains look fine by me, and not sure about any one else, but I'll be too busy taking in the beautiful view of the park and the smoky Mountains to really care what the train looks like.

 

Just 2 months to go!

[ernierocker]

Hey guys! Just got back from an amazing media construction tour of Wild Eagle! As always, thanks a TON to Pete Owens and everyone at Dollywood for organizing a great tour for us all.

 

A couple of quick notes from the tour:

 

- As you will see in the photos, one of the trains is on site and almost fully constructed. The trains are going to be MASSIVE! I was very impressed by their sheer size and it was difficult to get a photo of the full train in one shot.

 

- Everything with ride construction is right on schedule. Construction will continue on the ride station and entrance plaza over the next month.

 

- Ride should begin testing in a few weeks!

 

- The eagle sculpture will be installed in late February, so expect another update then!

 

I took a TON of photos, so I am going to start the posting now...

 

Video Interview with Pete Owens, Media/Public Relations Manager of Dollywood talking about Wild Eagle!

 

 

And here is Video Footage of today's behind-the-scenes construction tour!

Hmm, I wonder why all these people are at Dollywood today when the park is closed???

Could they be here for Wild E??? Coyote??? Is this Six Flags???

Ohhh, today is the media construction tour for Wild Eagle!! Although, I kind of like the name Wild E!

Yes, Theme Park Review is getting a tour of Dollywood's new B&M Wing Rider today! And take a look at the amazing ride station!

The entrance plaza for the ride was bustling with construction activity today. Notice that there is no longer any blue walls!

Work has begun on the gift shop for the exit of the ride! You will be able to buy all of your Wild Eagle goodies in here.

Just look at that sexy Wing Rider lift hill. I am a big fan of the dual catwalks!

Pete Owens gave us a great and informative tour of the ride. He rocks! Thanks again Pete!

Let's take a more detailed look at the ride station!

This photo shows that no detail has been spared for the theming of the station! Love the railings!

How about another lift hill shot because you can never have too many! Also, notice how nice the landscaping is looking where the hillside was excavating.

I spy the Wild Eagle's transfer station! We will go inside you in a little bit!

The beginning and the end.

As you make your way up the mountain, you get a great view of Wild Eagle's brake run.

Zoomed in as close as my iPhone would allow to get a close up for the coaster brake fans/geeks out there.

From the first drop to the first brakes!

Amazing sky behind an amazing looking ride!

Riders will be screaming down this first drop in less than two months!

Here is most of Wild Eagle's layout minus two inversions.

And here is the back portion of the ride! We see you back there hiding, Mr. Immelman Loop!

Now, here is a couple for the vertical loop fans out there!

The vertical loop is very loopy and vertically!

Three Wild Eagle inversions in one shot!

Help! I'm stuck on Wild Eagle! I sure hope the ride doesn't begin testing now!

Zero-gggggggg!

And here is that elusive Immelman that's hard to get a good photo of!

The flatspin will be the final inversion of back-to-back-to-back-to-back inversions on Wild Eagle! And that is a lot of backs! (Sir Mix-a-lot would be proud)

But, Wild Eagle is not just about the inversions. It also shows some love to the twisteeee!

See what I mean! Twisteee!

And here are what the Twisteeee supports look like!

Speaking of supports... Some of these are massive!

And we can't forget about the bolts! We need those!

There is nothing like shiny, new paint on a coaster track!

Rider envelope testing has begun! Looks like some leg/arm choppers will be included in your Wild Eagle ride!

Edited January 26, 2012 by ernierocker

[ernierocker]

Update continues now!

Here they are folks! Wild Eagle trains are in the building! (Literally)

A close-up of the seats! And yes, they are VERY comfortable!

Wing Rider wheels!

The eagle theming on the trains looks fantastic in my opinion! Great job Dollywood!

Here is one for the seat belt enthusiasts out there.

Just like on the New Texas Giants, there appears to be plenty of room for the wheels here!

Because we are geeky enthusiasts that like to take geeky photos of geeky details.

Don't the seats look so inviting?!?

Please Dollywood! Can I please ride now??? I'll sign a waiver and everything!

Here is a close-up of the eagles on the trains.

They have yet to add the eagles to the first two rows.

But you can get a general idea here what the finished trains will look like here.

Kinky!

Let's take a look at the loading station while we are up here!

Here is the transfer track mechanism thingie. The track will slide over to the transfer station here.

Here you can see how close the station is to Blazing Fury!

These eagles are ready to go that way!

Pete just gave us the okay to ride! Let's do this thing!

The after shot! That was amazing! (Just kidding guys, we didn't actually ride. I had you going though, didn't I?)

More details on the loading station and queue!

Detail work is still ongoing on the station. It's going to end up amazing I know it!

Edited January 25, 2012 by ernierocker

[ernierocker]

And more!

Let's head back up the mountain for a few more shots!

Just hanging out with my good buddy, Wild Eagle.

So, beautiful.

Landscaping work has already begun underneath the ride.

Look! It's Sidewinder's queue! Love the structure to protect you from flying debris from Wild Eagle!

And there you can see how close Sidewinder's station is to the ride. Wild Eagle will have some amazing interactions with the existing Dollywood attractions!

And this is where Sidewinder's toboggans hang out when they aren't getting you soaked!

I see you down there Thunderhead. The ride is currently getting some re-tracking done.

And there's Mystery Mine!

More immelman and ride structure.

A TPR exclusive! Immelman through the track!

The landscaping is already starting to take growth under the ride! Should be looking great in March!

Zero-GGGGGG!

No Wild Eagle! Don't crush Eric! He hasn't seen the new Mission Impossible yet!!!

And we will finish this update with a photo of the final track piece installed on Wild Eagle! Thanks again to Pete and everyone at Dollywood for a great tour!

Edited January 25, 2012 by ernierocker

[BeemerBoy]

Well, it is named "Wild Eagle," and there are eagles on the train. So yeah, I think they pretty much hit the mark. I'm not sure either exactly what some folks were expecting?

 

 

They look good to me.