Dollywood Discussion Thread

[RaceBoarder]

So is it safe to assume that Dollywood will open for the season on March 18, 2016?

 

I always take off the 3rd weekend in March to follow my alma-mater's hockey team to their conference tournament... Should the hockey team not advance to the conference finals, I'd like to hope that Dollywood will have Lightning Rod up and running... It's a nice alternative to drinking beer and throwing shoes at the TV as my March Madness bracket goes up in flames on that weekend as well...

[coasterkid124]

Dollywood is definitely taking my money next year. That drop looks amazing.

[Jaykethekid]

That drop looks heavenly! Just think you will be starting the drop at around 30 mph(don't count on it, just a guess). That will be an absolutely wicked backseat ride! I cant wait to visit next summer! I wonder how it will compare to Outlaw Run. This ride basically seems like a much larger Outlaw Run.

[I305forever]

^ Isn't the drop really only about 20 feet higher?

[Guy T. Koepp]

I think the drop is only a couple feet longer. But not as steep. If memory serves, I don't think it goes that much faster than Outlaw Run either. The major difference will be those two huge camelbacks taken at a much quicker speed than the peak of ORs first drop. That and it's about a thousand feet longer. I'm looking forward to seeing how the giant wave turn will look. To me, that seems like one of the most unusual elements I've ever seen.

 

RaceBoarder wrote:

So is it safe to assume that Dollywood will open for the season on March 18, 2016?

 

Their calendar has them opening to the GP on the 19th. They may do a pass holder preview on the 18th. I believe they have in the past. But I think you are asking the question, "So is it safe to assume that Lightning Rod will open with Dollywood for the season on March 18th, 2016?"

 

In answer to this question, all I have to go on is their track record. With that said, I can't remember a season that Dollywood hasn't opened their new attraction with the park on opening day. So the short answer to your question would be, barring any unforseen challenges, for all intents and purposes, yes.

[Password121]

Taking into account the speed the coaster will have over the main drop, it is comparable to a traditional lift with a 200 foot drop reaching 73 mph.

If you think of the main drop as an ejector airtime hill rather than just a 73 degree drop, it becomes a whole new level of ridiculous. The airtime is determined by the angle of rotation and velocity, so this drop will likely sustain far longer than almost any drop. More so than El Toro, which is insane.

[CP Maverick]

But if it traveling faster then the duration of the drop won't be as long. On top of the fact that ejector airtime is much harder to sustain for long periods due to the tighter track curvature.

[Password121]

^Did you see the pictures of the drop construction? The apex is not a sharp change at all. It takes until 2/3 down the drop to reach 73 degrees and is very shallow in the transition into the drop... Just like an airtime hill.

I don't know if you've ridden, but El Toro, as I mentioned, has the strongest sustained ejector airtime on the first drop of any coaster I've ridden. The transition into the drop is way sharper than Lightning Rod's, but it still sustains until the pullout. With the speed this ride takes the drop I'm sure it will be a killer drop.

[Guy T. Koepp]

It will not disappoint!

[TyRush]

The drops just looks like a never ending cliff dive

[coasterbill]

Hi, I was just looking at Dollywoods calendar and I'm seeing all of these dates for November and December. Do they run the rides at these times?

 

A few years ago I stumbled upon this little tidbit too and now we have a new Christmas tradition. Yes, all rides run. It has to get above 40 degrees for them to open and then they stay open until it gets down to about 35. In addition to the rides, they have amazing shows and one of the best Christmas light displays anywhere. Nothing will get you in the Christmas spirit faster than walking through craftsmans valley with a nice hot chocolate, looking at the lights, watching ridiculously well produced Christmas shows and riding a few coasters. It's basically the greatest thing ever, we drive 12 hours to go to it every year.

 

We always wait until a few days before to book anything so we can keep an eye on the temperature forecasts (we usually only go if it looks like it'll be 45 or above to be safe). But we'd never miss Smoky Mountain Christmas. It's an outstanding event... it started out because we just a wanted to ride coasters in December but even with Great Adventure and Hershey being much closer and opening their coasters we're still making the 12 hour drive to Dollywood because this entire event is awesome.

[dstephe9]

I like heading for the Christmas stuff in Nov.. There are several very pretty and warm weekends in Nov.. It's a great time to do early Christmas activities!

[fireman1000]

My wife and I have gone in December several times and I usually get to ride anything I want until sundown!

[Dollywoodlover20]

A piece of new artwork was released in Dollywood's latest video on Facebook. I love the promo look they're giving, plus the music this is gonna have with it. The song was "Get Ready" by The Temptations, it had the perfect groove to it.

[BDG]

Why do you hold your phone vertically, to watch a horizontal video?

 

 

Anyway, the video, which is a construction time-lapse of the station building:

 

[fbvideonew]https://www.facebook.com/dollywood/videos/10153863620762240/[/fbvideonew]

 

 

And a better screencap of the artwork:

 

[Dollywoodlover20]

Because I was on break at work and didn't really take the time out as I was scrolling through Facebook. The video just showed us really what we've already seen, besides the artwork.

[RyanTPM]

Looks like they're making great progress with construction, love the station!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Because I was on break at work and didn't really take the time out as I was scrolling through Facebook. The video just showed us really what we've already seen, besides the artwork.

Wow, that's a REALLY short break if they don't even give you enough time to turn your phone.

[prozach626]

It seems like coaster stations keep getting taller and larger. Just an observation. Maybe it's just me?

[Guy T. Koepp]

^It's just you.

[WildEagle2014]

New photos from RMC's FB page!

[Intimidated305]

It just keeps looking better and better! I can't wait!!!

[chickenbowl]

It's just beautiful! And with the supposed speed that the train will be traveling over the top of this, it should feel closer to a huge airtime hill than a first drop! I'm very excited to see the rest of this coaster get constructed!!

 

Don't forget to include the 4th picture RMC posted!

[RollerManic]

The black painted track is finally starting to show. Which, did anyone else catch that in the animation?

[Superbatboy]

Because I was on break at work and didn't really take the time out as I was scrolling through Facebook. The video just showed us really what we've already seen, besides the artwork.

Wow, that's a REALLY short break if they don't even give you enough time to turn your phone.