Dollywood Discussion Thread

[dstephe9]

I feel if Dollywood offered these bands at the regular ticket window they would make a killing.. they didn't offer one to me and I didn't see any mention of it so I'd imagine you go to the same fastpass location as always.. with this new system, there is no reason they can't offer at the regular ticket window as an add on.. cut out one stop! Just my thoughts on it.. I do dislike the new system though

I feel like they could do a much better system, though. If they want to cap the number of rides, give everyone something like a credit card that employees swipe at the ride gates. Or just do it with a fast lane wristband with no cap on total number of uses.

 

I am honestly wondering if this is a temporary system.. I noticed a lot of new industrial "communication" routers in place all around the park.. Similar to WiFi routers (They might be WiFi routers but they can also work on other bands and communication standards).. These are outdoor style routers you would see on college campuses.. All of them might not have been new (but I just now noticed some) but I am wondering if they are trying to install a NFC system or something.. Similar to what Disney has with a wristband that you can control with your mobile phone.. Now this communication infrastructure I saw may have nothing to do with this at all but its an interesting theory.

 

I do know some of these communication routers are new but they might be, and are probably for POS Systems and other data systems in the park. Just a thought though

[LukeFlynn]

They might be for WiFi, Dollywood Guest Wifi is now an option, which I don't remember last year.

[dstephe9]

They might be for WiFi, Dollywood Guest Wifi is now an option, which I don't remember last year.

 

That's what they are probably for then, I didn't try to access it. I used to install those things so I knew they are used for communication and WiFi is their normal use.. Outdoor Long Range WiFi to be exact.. I'd imagine you are correct, I didn't notice WiFi was available to guest now..

 

They are all over the park.. On a side note, Dollywood did a good job painting them and hiding them.. If you don't know what they are you would never notice them.. They are square boxes, usually multiple boxes aimed in different directions.. They are placed on sides of buildings.. I wish I took some photos.. haha

Edited March 20, 2017 by dstephe9

[STDog]

Lillian's has had some changes it looks like.. personally I have liked grannies better but Lillian's is also good

 

What about the revamped Baskstage? Did you check it out? How'd it look?

 

My crew has always preferred Aunt Grannie's too. After 4 years and over a dozen visits we still haven't made it to Ham & Beans.

Edited March 20, 2017 by STDog

[STDog]

The third is that it's only ten rides.

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

Just glad you can get a decent number of rides in w/o it.

[Nrthwnd]

My thoughts are, that they should get more "electronic" about it, and not this way.

I foresee family members arguing with the ride ops about their "torn tab"

etc. etc. And whether the tabs are valid or not. Chaos ensues.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Nrthwnd

[dstephe9]

Lillian's has had some changes it looks like.. personally I have liked grannies better but Lillian's is also good

 

What about the revamped Baskstage? Did you check it out? How'd it look?

 

My crew has always preferred Aunt Grannie's too. After 4 years and over a dozen visits we still haven't made it to Ham & Beans.

 

The menu actually looked very good for the revamped backstage.. We actually planned to eat there and got sidetracked and when we came back they had about a 30 minute wait.. It had a fresh look and the menu had a fresh food feel to it.. I hope to try it soon.. It was a simple menu and I can't remember all the offerings but they did sound appetizing.. They had a sign beside the menu that said "Table Service Restaurant" and my GF who loves Disney was like THIS MAKES ME WANNA GO TO DISNEY (For those who haven't been to Disney, they call their restaurants "Quick Service" or "Table Service")

[STDog]

They might be for WiFi, Dollywood Guest Wifi is now an option, which I don't remember last year.

 

It's been there a while. I first remember it when Fire Chaser opened.

 

But, coverage was very spotty. In the FCE queue was where I first found it. Later found a few other spots, but even last year it was still spotty.

[STDog]

The menu actually looked very good for the revamped backstage.. We actually planned to eat there and got sidetracked and when we came back they had about a 30 minute wait.. It had a fresh look and the menu had a fresh food feel to it.. I hope to try it soon.. It was a simple menu and I can't remember all the offerings but they did sound appetizing.. They had a sign beside the menu that said "Table Service Restaurant"

 

Cool. We'll probably check it out the week of the 24th when we are there.

If you get there sooner, post your thoughts.

 

It's always been table service. The only one that wasn't order at a counter or a buffet. Or am I forgetting someplace?

(Maybe Ham & Beans? As I said, never ate there).

[dstephe9]

My thoughts are, that they should get more "electronic" about it, and not this way.

I foresee family members arguing with the ride ops about their "torn tab"

etc. etc. And whether the tabs are valid or not. Chaos ensues.

 

I think all parks should go to an NFC system that integrates with smartphones.. Provide the guest who buy the service with an inexpensive wristband they can take home with them (Like Disney Magic Bands) and they control it from their phone.. Dollywood can even use it in their resort! Their is some upfront cost but after that, its all the parks money!

 

In 5 or 6 years, all smartphones will probably have NFC already built in.. 95% of them already do!! Wouldn't even need a band, but bands are neat and gives everyone a souvenir..

 

When its more advanced, season pass holders can get a band with their season pass on it.. Universal is testing a new system like this, Disney already has one, and I am sure other parks are soon to follow or already have one themselves.. Six Flags has sent me a survey on it meaning its in their mind as well.. Nice thing about it, NFC is easy to waterproof and can be used at splash also.. They can link more and more to NFC like photos..

 

If you are a season pass holder, or if you already have a wristband, they should allow you to "Purchase" the service via the Dollywood app without going to the fastpass office... I can see myself and other season pass holders adding it on a busy day with one touch of the app!!

 

Now, I am not saying do a free system.. Disney does a free system because they are so crowded but this would also make a good pay system for parks like Dollywood..

 

Either way, I think they should come up with a system controlled with your phone.. Everyone already carries their phones with them already on most rides so why not?

Edited March 20, 2017 by dstephe9

[dstephe9]

They might be for WiFi, Dollywood Guest Wifi is now an option, which I don't remember last year.

 

It's been there a while. I first remember it when Fire Chaser opened.

 

But, coverage was very spotty. In the FCE queue was where I first found it. Later found a few other spots, but even last year it was still spotty.

 

I am pretty sure they have added more antennas now or better antennas.. I saw enough and they had them aimed where most of the park should receive decent WiFi (If their ISP or backend server can keep up with the traffic).. Again, I didn't try it but this is the first time I have actually noticed the antennas

 

The menu actually looked very good for the revamped backstage.. We actually planned to eat there and got sidetracked and when we came back they had about a 30 minute wait.. It had a fresh look and the menu had a fresh food feel to it.. I hope to try it soon.. It was a simple menu and I can't remember all the offerings but they did sound appetizing.. They had a sign beside the menu that said "Table Service Restaurant"

 

Cool. We'll probably check it out the week of the 24th when we are there.

If you get there sooner, post your thoughts.

 

It's always been table service. The only one that wasn't order at a counter or a buffet. Or am I forgetting someplace?

(Maybe Ham & Beans? As I said, never ate there).

 

And yea, its always been table service but they never had signs saying it.. It just reminded her of Disney was all.. And yeah, I think it will be the next place we eat.. Again, it actually looked good.. When we first passed it had no wait but around 5 it's line was fairly long.. I wish they added some patio seating to it though, the name really makes me think of patio seating haha

[STDog]

I think all parks should go to an NFC system that integrates with smartphones.. Provide the guest who buy the service with an inexpensive wristband they can take home with them (Like Disney Magic Bands) and they control it from their phone.. Dollywood can even use it in their resort! Their is some upfront cost but after that, its all the parks money!

 

The rest of the family got bands, I just used the card (that we all got as our ticket).

 

I think integrating it into the pass/ticket would be the way to go.

 

Add on bands would be a money maker for sure.

 

While control through a phone would be handy, they'd still need kiosks for those w/o smartphones (or dead batteries). Could just be a simple tablet in a themed stand, but nothing overly expensive, and as elaborate as Disney's.

 

Use butterflies intsead of mouse ears on the readyers

 

But go back to the old q-bot style, where you select an available time (like Disney does) but valid anytime after that. Schedule a few initially, then add the next one after each. Continue to limit the number available each day.

 

But do away with the expensive units that have to be carried and turned in.

[MindbenderManiac]

Lillian's has had some changes it looks like.. personally I have liked grannies better but Lillian's is also good

 

What about the revamped Baskstage? Did you check it out? How'd it look?

 

My crew has always preferred Aunt Grannie's too. After 4 years and over a dozen visits we still haven't made it to Ham & Beans.

 

The revamped Backstage, aka Front Porch Cafe is excellent. I absolutely love the new restaurant! It has a fresh, clean atmosphere, and the food is delicious! They have some of the same meal options as backstage did with some new ones as well. I had the country fried steak and my partner had the meatloaf stacker. Both were delicious. I also had a cup of chili which was great. I highly recommend the new place if you want a nice, quiet place to sit down, relax, and enjoy some southern comfort food.

 

Some thoughts on my first visit to the park yesterday:

 

Love the new themeing and all the work/signage/path widening/new rides and all the work that has went into Timber Canyon. It looks great.

 

The new turf that sits where Sideshow Spin was is great and well utilized. People were actually lying on the turf and sleeping when we walked by.

 

Personally I like the new Timesaver system. Technically the only rides that you really ever need a timesaver for are Lightning Rod, FCE, MM, and SMRR. Waits generally on other rides are minimal. You get 2 X's and 8 Butterflies, X's can be used on everything including LR and DL, butterflies can be used on everything else except for DL and LR- so 2 rides on LR or DL (when open) or 1 ride on each, and 8 on the other rides of your choice that actually has a line. They now are able to staff a grouper at FCE and TT in areas of the station that became quite crowded. This prevents station overcrowding. The Lo Q system with the Q-bot at DW while reasonably priced was rarely needed, and underutilized. I believe lo-q charges so much of their sales - this new system gives Dollywood more revenue. This new system still allows you to reserve shows which is very needed especially during the Christmas season. When you reserved a show with the old qbot, if you decided to skip the show you could not make reservations for other rides until after the show. So you would have to go to the timesaver station to remove the show before you could make another reservation. This system given you more flexibility.

 

Unfortunately LR was having a rough day on Sunday - up and down all day- Attempts at adding a 2nd train were exercises in futility, so it mainly ran 1 train all day. The ride finally closed for the day around 6. Though we did manage 3 rides on it. I'm happy it was open - I will surely take all the issues as I completely love this ride - by far my favorite wood coaster.

 

We saw Slask and Mother Africa, loved both shows. The Festival of Nations is my favorite Dollywood fest. All in all a great first day of the 2017 season!!!

[Ape]

It makes me happy to see that more and more are finally getting to experience Lightning Rod. Every person I came across that was upset about it not being open on visits last year (understandable) I assured them it was worth the wait and it is nice to see some of those same people raving about the ride now.

[boldikus]

I wanted to give some thoughts on our awesome kickoff to the coaster season yesterday.

 

Awesome report and photos. Love the onride LR photo.

[dstephe9]

I think all parks should go to an NFC system that integrates with smartphones.. Provide the guest who buy the service with an inexpensive wristband they can take home with them (Like Disney Magic Bands) and they control it from their phone.. Dollywood can even use it in their resort! Their is some upfront cost but after that, its all the parks money!

 

The rest of the family got bands, I just used the card (that we all got as our ticket).

 

I think integrating it into the pass/ticket would be the way to go.

 

Add on bands would be a money maker for sure.

 

While control through a phone would be handy, they'd still need kiosks for those w/o smartphones (or dead batteries). Could just be a simple tablet in a themed stand, but nothing overly expensive, and as elaborate as Disney's.

 

Use butterflies intsead of mouse ears on the readyers

 

But go back to the old q-bot style, where you select an available time (like Disney does) but valid anytime after that. Schedule a few initially, then add the next one after each. Continue to limit the number available each day.

 

But do away with the expensive units that have to be carried and turned in.

Exactly, you would need a place onsite such as a kiosk or something for dead batteries but NFC is the way to go.. the Q-Bot system was actually partly NFC already.

 

It can be bands, cards, keychains, or anything that allows NFC.. I like the band idea though as it's easier to keep up with..

 

I know six flags is toying with a phone based flash pass system using their app.. I receive surveys about it from time to time.. they are also toying with NFC based system for tickets and flash pass, again I have received surveys about it..

 

Disney, of course, already has one.. Universal is working on one more advanced than Disney and I believe it's actually in testing at one of their waterparks..

 

This is a smart device day and age, no need for fancy devices from the park.. we just need a NFC device, that works with what customers already own and have a backup kiosk or two for folks without smartphones or dead batteries

 

The bands they are providing now seem wasteful, look tacky, and hopefully are just temporary.. I know a few folks seem to like them, but on a busy day (yeah Dollywood had busy days) 10 rides wouldn't be enough for me on a flash style system

 

 

 

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[coasterbill]

I honestly feel like Cedar Fair has the best system and everyone else is just over-thinking it. Paper wristbands don't require a security deposit, they won't fall off and if they do they tell you to save your receipt (but they won't), you don't have to license the technology and split the profits, there's no real upfront cost or maintenance costs for the "device", they don't lose their charge and need to be replaced and you can buy one at any retail location without waiting in line.

 

If they insist on limiting rides on certain things, just spit out a paper punch card like the Busch Quick Queue system. I find Magic Bands annoying, I find Q Bots annoying, I would definitely find a wristband that's prone to breaking annoying... holy sh*t just sell stupid paper cards or wristbands. They cost much less for the park and they're less annoying for guests.

 

If you want a system that's basically a punch card then just use punch cards. You can have self service kiosks that spit them out and you don't even need to pay people to staff the sales booth. I really think punch cards or wristbands are the way to go. Stop complicating things....

 

That being said, the chances of me buying a skip the line pass at Dollywood is virtually zero.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

We're going to be staying at Dollywood for three days, so it's not like the fast pass would even really be necessary. The only reason I care is that it's an amenity for staying there and this system has turned from "do whatever you want anytime" to "manage how you use this wristband, and make sure you and your kids don't lose any tabs." It's a whole lot less vacationy.

[dstephe9]

I honestly feel like Cedar Fair has the best system and everyone else is just over-thinking it. Paper wristbands don't require a security deposit, they won't fall off and if they do they tell you to save your receipt (but they won't), you don't have to license the technology and split the profits, there's no real upfront cost or maintenance costs for the "device", they don't lose their charge and need to be replaced and you can buy one at any retail location without waiting in line.

 

If they insist on limiting rides on certain things, just spit out a paper punch card like the Busch Quick Queue system. I find Magic Bands annoying, I find Q Bots annoying, I would definitely find a wristband that's prone to breaking annoying... holy sh*t just sell stupid paper cards or wristbands. They cost much less for the park and they're less annoying for guests.

 

If you want a system that's basically a punch card then just use punch cards. You can have self service kiosks that spit them out and you don't even need to pay people to staff the sales booth. I really think punch cards or wristbands are the way to go. Stop complicating things....

 

That being said, the chances of me buying a skip the line pass at Dollywood is virtually zero.

I don't believe Dollywood every required a security deposit for theirs.. and if they did, it was only a credit card.. at Dollywood, you just placed the QBot in a box on the way out and that was it.. Six Flags requires both deposit (your CC on file) and your license! At least last time I got one they did. I hate waiting in line to drop off my QBot

 

As for NFC wristbands, I would only want them if they had the plan to integrate it with other stuff such as season tickets and payment options and what not.. Dollywood (I think) is already setup for NFC payment at most places.. it looks like most of their terminals will allow NFC, even if they don't allow it now.. you don't need fancy Mikey terminals like Disney.. A lot of older AMEX and Discover cards have had NFC built in for years, way before smartphones

 

Paper bands are fine, just old school, while most things are becoming modern. they would be easy to buy at the gate and you would be able to cutout the processing booth which is nic

 

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[coasterbill]

Paper bands and cards are absolutely old school, but they're also incredibly efficient because they can be sold at any retail location and cost the park basically nothing. No extra staff on the sales side, they cost nothing to make and they're apparently more durable than these stupid plastic things. I mean, Busch literally sells them out of self service kiosks and Cedar Fair sells the wristbands at stores that have to be staffed anyway. They just give them a stack of wristbands that take up no room in inventory and cost nothing to make.

 

I love technology and am all for parks introducing it wherever possible to improve guest experience, but over-complicating things for the sake of over-complicating things seems kind of pointless. Technology should be used whenever possible if it's a better solution than the old school way and in most cases it is, but I don't know if skip the line programs is one of those cases. This is simple sh*t.

[njcoasterguy34]

Instead of having tabs that need to be torn off, they could have gone with a hole punch system. You can get a single-hole punch at your local office supply store for $2.

[STDog]

I mean, Busch literally sells them out of self service kiosks and Cedar Fair sells the wristbands at stores that have to be staffed anyway. They just give them a stack of wristbands that take up no room in inventory and cost nothing to make.

 

How do they limit the number sold each day in that setup? At some point the queue for the quick access lane gets as long as the regular line if there are no limits on how many are in use on any given day.

 

Aren't those just access to a shorter line though? ie. you pay extra for the privilege of a supposedly short line.

I'm not really a fan of the concept of paying for privileged access, where the people that can afford the pass get multiple rides while others spend hours waiting in line. (Great moneymaker for the park though).

 

 

That's not what Lo-Q systems do. Lo-Q (DW's old system) doesn't reduce wait time, it just holds your place in line without physically being there, The wait is the same, at least in theory, but you can "get in line" from anywhere. So you can get in line as you board one ride and the time on the ride plus the walk to the next are as if you were in the line the whole time.

But if the queue is 45 minutes when you get in line, it's still 45 minutes, whether you get in the physical line or the virtual line. And electronic version of paying someone to wait in line for you.

 

Six Flags goes farther with there multi-level system that offers shorter waits for extra costs, while DW only had one level. I'm not keen on the multiple levels either.

 

And the bands for access to short lines doesn't really work for the shows, where there are limited seats and set show times.

[dstephe9]

I have heard horror stories of cedar fair parks having flash lines that are thirty or forty mins long due to there not being a system to limit the amount of guest with them.. (I haven't dealt with this personally, just heard stories)

 

Six Flags would actually list rides as "full" or even take them off if their flash lines got to long.. Disney does the same.

 

I don't believe we will have to worry about that happening to Dollywood most days, but it could still be an issue on very busy days with these new wristbands or even paper bands

 

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[Ape]

think about how long the regular line may be if the Fast Lane line is 30-40 minutes. to be I would bet it is still worth the money. We used Fast Lane plus at Cedar Point on a Saturday and had no issues. I have heard people complain about the merge spot for Millie but from that spot the wait only seems like 15 minutes to me anyway so it never bothered me. My Fast Lane day was one of the best and most relaxing walks around the park I have ever had. I also thoroughly enjoy not having to schedule things on that system.

[coasterbill]

How do they limit the number sold each day in that setup?

 

The same way they're keeping track of it now with plastic wristbands... simple, basic inventory tracking.

 

I have heard horror stories of cedar fair parks having flash lines that are thirty or forty mins long due to there not being a system to limit the amount of guest with them.. (I haven't dealt with this personally, just heard stories)

 

This is a product of the fact that Cedar Point's maximum daily quantity is (arguably) too high, not the type of system that they're choosing to use. You can easily wait just as long for Nitro at Great Adventure with a Flash Pass during Fright Fest.