Dollywood Discussion Thread

[knaiwear]

I've been hearing that DW is going to have a media day on the 6th to coincide with Dolly's visit. Looking forward to this ride finally opening up!!

[coasterjunkie1975]

TWEET-

 

Theme Park Review Retweeted

Alexander Pope ‏@AlexanderAPope

@ThemeParkReview I'm at Dollywood and the buzz is that Lightning Rod is opening NEXT weekend...

 

 

I have my fingers crossed that this will be true. We have been holding off on finalizing any plans to make the 12 hour drive down to Dollywood on the 12th until we get news that Lightining Rod is open.

[Benmeins]

^WOW a 12 hour drive is very long! R.I.P

[Nrthwnd]

Everybody stay calm.

[Guy T. Koepp]

A lot of hype for a big bonfire.

 

I'm just sayin'.

[michaellynn4]

^ I'm gonna miss this when the ride finally opens.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Fear not missing anything. The ride will not open! You all are just blinded by Dollys radiance. I feel for you. I've been there. You don't have to think, don't have to worry. Life becomes a wash of rainbows, butterflies, unicorns, and magic. You feel nothing but the love. It truly is a magical feeling. Just open your heart and let her in. Then it happens! The childlike wonder and magic will be ripped from your heart like a bird of prey laying waste to it's helpless victim. Your hopes and dreams are trampled like Mufasa in a Wildebeest stampede! A cold black cloud engulfs your soul as the last breaths of fresh air are forced from your lungs. Finally the painful truth seeps into your bones like an emo teen contemplating the stark realities of life.

 

It will never open.

It will never open!

IT WILL NEVER OPEN!

 

And then you crawl under a rock and die alone, with a rock on you, a cold, grey, smoothly rounded stone. With moss, and some marbling. Maybe a crack or two. And it's raining. Cold rain. Just on the verge of icing, but still wet. And nothing grows around you, just dead grass. Cold, wet, yellowing, dead grass. That releases a fog from the earth as the cold wet rain touches it. A pea soup thick, off white fog. The kind that brings forth the undead. Stinking, rotting, shambling undead. That sit on the rock, in the rain, on the grass, in the fog. What do they wait for? To mock you as they watch your soul rise from your decaying corpse. That was under the rock, in the rain, on the grass, in the fog.

 

All this sadness happens because...

 

...it will never open.

[johnnyknottsville]

Ok Guy to the restroom quick in the medicine cabinet bottom shelf is your medicine, I know it says take one but you go on and take two b/c I think you skipped your last dose lol

[DILinator]

^^

 

Guy, if you are not writing professionally somewhere, then you are missing your calling, my friend! As one writer to (potentially) another - do look into it!

[bachir]

Dollywood's next "big day" is on May 6th when Dolly will be there for her annual homecoming. If I was a 'betting man", I would bet that we will see Dolly officially open the coaster on this date! Anyone else agree?

 

Pretty good prediction from April 18.

[Alan6602]

OK It is Official.... Guy scares me... I have chills now.. LOL

[UrbanLegend]

I'm currently planning a 4-person Dollywood trip for sometime in late June or July (hopefully LR is up and running by then lol), and will actually be in the park on a Sunday. I've done a bit of research already so some of this is just confirmation instead of questions.

 

It looks like DW doesn't offer any sort of promotional codes for regular one-day tickets, correct? Seems like the only things that aren't tied to season passes or their own resorts is $5 per person discounts at like McDonalds, or participating hotels (which I still need to research). But also it sounds like at-gate prices are the same as online prices, right? If so, then there's not as much of a rush there, and we can figure out the best price up until the day of the visit.

 

As for parking, we'll go with the trolley that stops in Patriot Park.

 

Is TimeSaver worth it at all? We'll be there just one Sunday, and we've bought FastLanes for similar trips to Cedar Fair parks.

 

Food I definitely don't have to worry about in the park. Everything looks delicious.

 

And for not-Dollywood things, any particular recommendations on stuff to do? We were planning on bumming around Knoxville or visiting the various oddities in Pigeon Forge, but are there specific recommendations or avoidances?

 

 

Any of that sound particularly stupid?

[kickflipbacktail]

I'm currently planning a 4-person Dollywood trip for sometime in late June or July (hopefully LR is up and running by then lol), and will actually be in the park on a Sunday. I've done a bit of research already so some of this is just confirmation instead of questions.

 

It looks like DW doesn't offer any sort of promotional codes for regular one-day tickets, correct? Seems like the only things that aren't tied to season passes or their own resorts is $5 per person discounts at like McDonalds, or participating hotels (which I still need to research). But also it sounds like at-gate prices are the same as online prices, right? If so, then there's not as much of a rush there, and we can figure out the best price up until the day of the visit.

 

As for parking, we'll go with the trolley that stops in Patriot Park.

 

Is TimeSaver worth it at all? We'll be there just one Sunday, and we've bought FastLanes for similar trips to Cedar Fair parks.

 

Food I definitely don't have to worry about in the park. Everything looks delicious.

 

And for not-Dollywood things, any particular recommendations on stuff to do? We were planning on bumming around Knoxville or visiting the various oddities in Pigeon Forge, but are there specific recommendations or avoidances?

 

 

Any of that sound particularly stupid?

 

The time savers are AWESOME for the low price of 30 dollars. I recommend them highly for a weekend in summer.

 

In Pidgeon Forge the Dixie Stampede is great and they have some carnivals open pretty late at night.

[coasterdad]

With those who can play the video get VLC player It play any video. Have it and played it first try.

[Ape]

When do schools around the park start up again?

[dstephe9]

Like after summer break? A lot of schools in the area are going to year round school so summer break is much shorter for those schools.. schools not on year round school will be mid Aug

 

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[chadster]

Dollywood's next "big day" is on May 6th when Dolly will be there for her annual homecoming. If I was a 'betting man", I would bet that we will see Dolly officially open the coaster on this date! Anyone else agree?

 

Pretty good prediction from April 18.

 

Pete told a group today touring the site that they are 'still testing' and would open 'soon' and told them no official date. I would imagine a media event would most def be held prior to to get the word out that the ride is open.

[Ape]

Like after summer break? A lot of schools in the area are going to year round school so summer break is much shorter for those schools.. schools not on year round school will be mid Aug

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

 

Yeah I was asking about after summer break because we will most likel be there one of the weekdays from august 9th-11th

[dstephe9]

Most schools will start going back that week or the week after.. The year round schools start back earlier I believe in July sometime.

 

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[brenthodge]

Returning from fun weekend at the park. Sat was CRAZY. Heard 18-20k. All JR high/ high school band choir kids so we had almost no waits on rides with the littlest ones. Went back this morning for walk ins on all the major coasters. One thing hit me today riding blazing fury. I know I'm going to get slammed for this but if Dollywood really wants to play on the national stage that lighting rod and other recent pluses are getting them to its time for this to get a MAJOR redo or go away. I know there's the nostalgia factor but that can only get you so far. I know there have been some system and track upgrades in the last year or so but nostalgia just ain't cutting it anymore when your pulling a super-regional/national audience. I'm not saying ditch the whole thing but there's no reason that a park of the Caliber Dollywood is becoming can't have one or two great dark rides with this being one of them. There needs to be a "song" or soundtrack that gives the whole thing a cohesive story. Upgrade the sets and animatronics to the level that the other new additions are at. There's a poster of "flooded mine" convicts literally tacked up down a tunnel. The whole thing come off as a bad high school haunted house. I know it's "the way it's been for 38 years" but I think it's time to celebrate the past by honoring it with a great update that elevates the whole experience.

[jarmor]

Why can't they have that plus a new one? I don't know many dark rides that people drive a great distance for at any park so I doubt the ROI would not be worth the time and effort to redo this attraction and put another in its place.

[ASE]

I'm hearing they are doing testing with people now...hoping to open this weekend!

[KBrylczyk]

^

 

[Wily J]

"I declare, ya'll are so impatient! These rolly coasters are complicated; there's almost as much support on that thang than one of my bras!

 

Ya know, here in the hills when things get tense, we gather on the front porch with friends and kinfolk, sing some songs, snort some Oxycontin, eat some cinnamon bread. . . and next thing ya know a month has gone by and the 'lectric's been shut off but you're that much closer to your dream!

 

Keep dreaming ya'll, and see ya at Dollywood!"

Edited May 3, 2016 by Wily J

[KBrylczyk]

^