Dollywood Discussion Thread

[Philrad71]

Well, it certainly wasn't the LSM choice for enthusiasts.

 

And you know that far outweighs any reputable company in the amusement business (like RMC) that undoubtedly has top engineering folks that have been working on this coaster day and night since it's inception.

 

Now...where's muh free food voucherz, returnin' tickets, discounts for muh electronic convenience vehicles and dem Q-Bot upgrades, dang it!!!

Edited March 24, 2016 by Philrad71

[robbalvey]

^^ lmao! So true.

 

And like I've said before, absolutely none of this will matter and no one will care about the delay once the ride is open and people are enjoying the crap out of it.

[coasterkid124]

I can't wait to see the people who say stuff like "I had this vacation planned for four months, and now its ruined. You made my kids cry you backwoods antichrists!"; then come back and ride it and say "Best coaster ever!!! I'm coming back to ride it every year!"

[Dollywoodlover20]

I can't wait to see the people who say stuff like "I had this vacation planned for four months, and now its ruined. You made my kids cry you backwoods antichrists!"; then come back and ride it and say "Best coaster ever!!! I'm coming back to ride it every year!"

I cackled! Those are the type of comments happening on Facebook. One woman was complaining how the park was in properly staffed yesterday, and said she'd never return but she was an annual passholder. Dollywood was staffed for 7,000 they received 17,000.

[coasterkyle]

And I thought the Boat conversation in the Cedar Point thread was bad. Some of you make it out like the world is ending.

[JeromyL]

^^ lmao! So true.

 

And like I've said before, absolutely none of this will matter and no one will care about the delay once the ride is open and people are enjoying the crap out of it.

 

I just see this as an "excuse" I can give my wife why I have to go back to Dollywood lol. It was such a great park to visit yesterday

[JeromyL]

I though the staff was wonderful yesterday. Very friendly. Felt like I was interacting with family

[Condor]

Am I the only one that is starting to question the reputation of RMC? When Goliath at SFGAm was nearly a month late, people chalked that up to it being Six Flags, but this is at Dollywood. RMC was really late getting the track and bent work completed which didn't leave much time for testing before the original opening. Then there's this debacle with Velocity Magnetics when there are several other manufacturers of LSM launch systems that have already been proven. Does anyone know if this was RMC or Herschend's decision to work with Velocity? When B&M decided to make a launch coaster, they partnered with a reputable company to get it right.

 

Regardless, this coaster doesn't look like it will be open for a long time. I'm betting with the change in LSM manufactures, there will need to be alterations to the trains... All in all, this has not been a good look for RMC.

 

This kind of reasoning is laughable. Delays like this happen in all industries, especially those with heavy emphasis on engineering and construction. Does anyone follow aviation? The Boeing 787 was delayed by over 2 years and the F-35 is currently 7 years behind schedule. Aircraft are obviously more complex and cutting edge than theme park attractions, but when you have companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing going through the same type of problems, suggesting that we question RMC's reputation displays a clear lack of understanding. Problems can always arise before, during, and after construction even with the best preparation. As for Velocity Magnetics, I don't know much about them or why they were selected, but decisions like this are commonly made across industries for reasons of cost, willingness to take on risk, and even small technical advantages that competitors refuse or can't offer.

 

As for me, I booked my Dollywood vacation for May 4-5 under the assumption that it would allow enough time for problems to be ironed out. Now it seems even that cushion might not be enough. Does it suck for us who planned these trips in advance? Yes, but that's just how it is and we move on. It's not fair to lay blame solely on RMC or Dollywood at this point.

[KBrylczyk]

Checking in on this thread annnnnnnnnd nope!

 

[bill_s]

You're afraid that long lines are becoming a thing at Dollywood?? If anything you should be GLAD that the park is developing long lines. That means that the park is busy, which is good for business. Long lines (typically) mean more guest in the park, which means more money for the park, which means the park can then use some of the money for newer additions.

 

I get tired of the view that there's much commonality between what's best for the park and best for the guests. I know for a fact it's not. Too many new attractions that are too effective at bringing in people equals a park that makes me feel better I can't afford to go there. The guests' interest is to get some improvements and the park somehow stay in business while looking like they're going out of business. Or in my case, get all the business on Saturday when I know better than to go (actually I have to go to work Saturdays and am off Mondays!). I know it sounds cruel, but tell me I'm not right.

 

Think of In N Out. They've got it figured out, and it's really not all that complicated. Amusement parks have had a template, and an opportunity to provide that kind of service to guests for decades, but instead they've decided to go the cheap route, and people are waiting 3/4 of an hour for food.

 

Seriously, having people to take the money seems to me to be one of the most fundamental rules of business. And I will NOT wait (in line) even 15 minutes for food I know is overpriced .. and that's talking about Wendy's, amusement parks are worse.

 

I do have some sympathy for parks overall on staffing though, as they basically have to guess what they'll be needing. And we all know when it's going to be the most crowded -- whenever our first impulse was to go (probably gave away too much info there).

[linearinduction]

Then there's this debacle with Velocity Magnetics when there are several other manufacturers of LSM launch systems that have already been proven.

There is only one Company that is responsible for every LSM/LIM Launch System on any Coaster, InTraSys GmbH. http://www.intrasys-gmbh.com/

 

I'm thinking they are going to have to go with the Prolim LSM Drives and perhaps set them up like Wicked or Blue Fire. The Velocity Magnetics LSM Drives looked a lot like the InTraSys GmbH Drives that are used by Intamin, so perhaps they will go that route.

 

It really is too bad that Velocity Magnetics couldn't make it work, as it would have been nice to have seen some good quality American product taking on those from overseas.

[michaellynn4]

Welp, so much for LR being open when I visit next week. Oh well.

 

I'll be there on Monday and Tuesday. Guess what? I'll still have a blast. When I planned this March trip (having a schoolteacher as a partner limits when you can vacation), I knew the risks going into it. When LR does eventually open up, all it does is give me another excuse to get back down to the park later this year!

 

Here's to more future Dollywood trips!

[dstephe9]

See Dollywoods downside is that they still have

 

1.) A lot of people who buy tickets at the park

 

2.) Majority of the people who come stay off site

 

So they can't plan accordingly like Disney can.. We can't blaim Dollywood for this.. They really have no good way for trying to determine how many people will be there.

 

But a pretty day like Wednesday was, I feel they should have planned for more than 7,000 people.. Times are changing and Dollywood has had this issue two times very recently now.. Maybe they need to look at how they make their estimates.. Maybe there is no good way to do it.. Disney does it well BUT most of their customers stay on property making Disney look like geniuses at attendance estimations haha

 

Anyways today I think they had planned for 20,000 because all rides had most trains running and there really was no wait on anything..

 

 

Either way today was a GREAT day and everyone was very very friendly!!

[coasterlvr]

Checking in on this thread annnnnnnnnd nope!

 

 

glad i wasn't drinking anything cause my whole desk would have been F'd up by me blowing it all over.

[linearinduction]

See Dollywoods downside is that they still have

 

1.) A lot of people who buy tickets at the park

 

2.) Majority of the people who come stay off site

 

So they can't plan accordingly like Disney can.. We can't blaim Dollywood for this.. They really have no good way for trying to determine how many people will be there.

 

But a pretty day like Wednesday was, I feel they should have planned for more than 7,000 people.. Times are changing and Dollywood has had this issue two times very recently now.. Maybe they need to look at how they make their estimates.. Maybe there is no good way to do it.. Disney does it well BUT most of their customers stay on property making Disney look like geniuses at attendance estimations haha

 

Anyways today I think they had planned for 20,000 because all rides had most trains running and there really was no wait on anything..

 

 

Either way today was a GREAT day and everyone was very very friendly!!

Most parks have Projections of what guest numbers will be, and that's based on a wide range of Factors, including what attendance was on that date, day of the week, etc. going back 10 years or more. The only hard numbers are group sales for that day. A park never wants to be caught in a situation where they are off projection by 10,000 guests. It must have been a "perfect storm" that happened. Work in this industry long enough and you learn sometimes shit happens, and if you are caught it it, just roll with it.

[PhantomPoster32]

See Dollywoods downside is that they still have

 

1.) A lot of people who buy tickets at the park

 

2.) Majority of the people who come stay off site

 

So they can't plan accordingly like Disney can.. We can't blaim Dollywood for this.. They really have no good way for trying to determine how many people will be there.

 

But a pretty day like Wednesday was, I feel they should have planned for more than 7,000 people.. Times are changing and Dollywood has had this issue two times very recently now.. Maybe they need to look at how they make their estimates.. Maybe there is no good way to do it.. Disney does it well BUT most of their customers stay on property making Disney look like geniuses at attendance estimations haha

 

Anyways today I think they had planned for 20,000 because all rides had most trains running and there really was no wait on anything..

 

 

Either way today was a GREAT day and everyone was very very friendly!!

 

It's not just a Dollywood phenomenon. SDC constantly has this issue. It's most noticeable during Christmas and BBQ Festival

[dstephe9]

Oh yeah, I know it's not just Dollywood.. That's what I am saying, it's hard to predict.. Only people that can do it and be close is Disney but that's only because of how many guests they have staying on-site and purchased tickets way on advance..

 

Like you guys said though 10,000 is a lot but spring break, great weather, it just made for a busy day haha..Wednesday is normally their slow day

[ASE]

I think it's safe to say they're still a bit short-staffed... https://hfecorp-openhire.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobsearch&company_id=16687&version=7&byBusinessUnit=NULL&bycountry=0&bystate=0&bylocation=NULL&keywords=&byCat=NULL&proximityCountry=&postalCode=&radiusDistance=&isKilometers=&tosearch=yes&startflag=0

[HTF]

I think it's safe to say they're still a bit short-staffed... https://hfecorp-openhire.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobsearch&company_id=16687&version=7&byBusinessUnit=NULL&bycountry=0&bystate=0&bylocation=NULL&keywords=&byCat=NULL&proximityCountry=&postalCode=&radiusDistance=&isKilometers=&tosearch=yes&startflag=0

 

 

Dollywood employs over 3500 people... This would equate to roughly 3 tenths of 1 percent...

 

SHUT DOWN THE PARK WE AIN'T GOT NO ONE WORKING HERE TODAY!!!

 

[HTF]

I really wonder why Dollywood chose to go with Velocity Magnetics knowing they had never made a launch before.

 

There are first for everything.. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Given the youth of RMC they were probably looking to give a younger and probably cheaper company a chance and it backfired. In the end Dollywood will have an amazing year and RMC is a company that is really turning heads in the industry. The only people that are essentially screwed because of this whole ordeal is Velocity. This was a big opportunity for them and they blew it, big time. Hopefully someone gives them a chance again down the road if they decide to try this again.

[DoinItForTheFame]

And I thought the Boat conversation in the Cedar Point thread was bad. Some of you make it out like the world is ending.

 

[PhantomPoster32]

And I thought the Boat conversation in the Cedar Point thread was bad. Some of you make it out like the world is ending.

 

No. Not ending. But it's very inconvenient that LR is still not open. This is totally "#firstworldprobs" but now I'll have to make another stop at DW either coming or going to Florida later on this summer. I'm currently in Pigeon Forge and while I had a great day with my family at the park today - the only reason we chose TN for Spring Break this year was LR (we're all teachers). I guess I put too much faith in HFEC and RMC to have it open after the success they had with Outlaw Run.

[coasterbill]

Having to make an extra trip to Dollywood is never a bad thing.

[PhantomPoster32]

Having to make an extra trip to Dollywood is never a bad thing.

 

Yes and No. It'll be an extra day gone from home though so it's more of a logistics complaint than anything.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Dollywood -- but you have to remember I'm spoiled by having the (IMHO) superior SDC in my backyard, so DW doesn't have the allure to me as much as it might to others.

[robbalvey]

Just gonna quote this one more time...

 

When are we gonna learn it's not a good idea to make plans to go to a not so close park opening weekends and subsequent weekends after for new rides? If attached all possible, at least wait until it's up and running regardless if the park has a good track record.

THIS!!! THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS!!!!!!

 

Agreed on the "even if the park has a good track record" comment. Look, here's a ProTip for you - No one is going to gain any bonus points by being one of the "first" to ride something. So if the park in question requires a flight or significant car ride, taking time off work, etc, etc.... we strongly recommend waiting until the ride is open, has had a chance to break in (it's usually better then anyway) as it will greater guarantee you will get to ride that coaster that is part of your goal going to the park.

 

I plan on being there in July. I'm assuming the ride would have had plenty of time to warm itself up by then!