Dollywood Discussion Thread

[gerstlaueringvar]

^Probably not, only place I can think of that uses hydraulic system on an RMC train is the restraint and they certainly would not run the ride when the restraint cylinder is leaking oil (that would be very very bad)

 

Probably just a component that applies grease to the wheels automatically, things get messy but nothing else really.

[STDog]

I was thinking a resivior not the cylinder. Just speculation as I know little about the actual design.

 

Looks to be something different with the first train compared to the rest.

[dstephe9]

Last year we were told that the train is supposed to leak oil. We were told that on wood coasters they oil them most days to help protect the wood, rails, and everything else and this kept staff from having to walk the track and do it manually. It was the front of the train that did this oiling so the front "drips" when i sits in the station. Like all oil leaks, oils gathers stuff like dirt and grime making it look much worse than it actually is. About twenty minutes after the post, the post was deleted.

 

I was actually the person who brought this up on the forums last year when I noticed the pan full of kitty litter then.

 

The person who mentioned this was also the person who leaked a lot of Dollywood LR info.. so again, this is another case of "ride ops don't know everything".. Not saying I know which ride ops was correct but it's two different stories by two different ops once again lol

 

Like I said, the post was deleted but I'm sure if you search you can find a lot of our responses to it.

 

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[Djwadeknox]

Last year we were told that the train is supposed to leak oil. We were told that on wood coasters they oil them most days to help protect the wood, rails, and everything else and this kept staff from having to walk the track and do it manually. It was the front of the train that did this oiling so the front "drips" when i sits in the station. Like all oil leaks, oils gathers stuff like dirt and grime making it look much worse than it actually is. About twenty minutes after the post, the post was deleted.

 

 

That sounds like what's happening. Thanks for clarifying things.

[dstephe9]

Well again, the ride op posted on here might be wrong as well lol, so who knows. Sounds to me though, he leaked info he shouldn't have which is why it was quickly deleted.

 

It's hard to believe anything you hear about LR now days, even if upper management says it. Even upper management will say something and then say something else that is completely opposite of their original statement haha

 

Either way, he oil leak has been around since last year.. I asked he question because I thought it was part of the themeing, I was like "that's interesting" lol

 

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[dstephe9]

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ethemeparkreview%2Ecom%2Fforum%2Fviewtopic%2Ephp%3Fp%3D1738753%23p1738753&share_tid=23793&share_fid=42044&share_type=t&share_pid=1738753

 

Lightning Rod itself has a self-lubrication system in the front of the trains to slick up the track and reduce friction on the rails. Same way grease and oil is spread......

 

That post has a "quote" of the original post.. you can read ahead of it for other information

 

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[carolinaman]

Me and the family (8 total) went to Dollywood last week for three days. This was the first time in 22 years that me and my wife had been there and it was the first time any of the kids had been there. I was very impressed with the park over all. The cleanliness of the park, the operations, the total experience was great. I have to say that Lighting Rod lives up to it's hype. IT IS AWESOME !! I ended up with three rides total all on Thurs. in the cold rain. I love how they have playgrounds for the smaller ones around the park so they have something to do while the bigger ones ride. We will be spending a lot more time there this year.

[larrygator]

OMG - I'm so unprepared, I'm at the park today and have not been asking everyday how Lightning Run is running. Oh noes.

[Djwadeknox]

OMG - I'm so unprepared, I'm at the park today and have not been asking everyday how Lightning Run is running. Oh noes.

 

 

Have a great time as it looks like a good day to be at the park!

[Dollywoodlover20]

This may be too early to ask this but, it was on my mind. Being SDC is obviously getting something big for 2018 could we see Dollywood do the same where 2017 was a small year? They've had a pattern going. I don't see 2018 being a flat again or a splash country addition, being they are getting Tailspin Racer.

[djackson]

This may be too early to ask this but, it was on my mind. Being SDC is obviously getting something big for 2018 could we see Dollywood do the same where 2017 was a small year? They've had a pattern going. I don't see 2018 being a flat again or a splash country addition, being they are getting Tailspin Racer.

 

Given the fact that they got a launched RMC in 2016, it would be kind of early to add something else because you can still market the Rmc. Plus the only thing they could really add is an invert or steel hyper.

[dstephe9]

Last year with the announcement of LR, several interviews said that it would be the last coaster for a while at Dollywood.. So here are my thoughts for 2018

 

1.) They start their expansion to the new area.. this will include several flats.. a recent survey sent out by Dollywood was asking for theme ideas for a new area.. SDC sent a similar survey out a couple years before their newest area.. so this is an option for the next "big ticket" item at Dollywood.. it was also announced back when the resort was announced that part of their 300mil over 10 years would be spent on this. If they wait much longer, the 10 years will be up.. I know things change and plans change and that could very well be the case here but I'd imagine if they are really doing a new area it'll be soon..

 

2.) 2018 might be the year of a new dark ride.. rumors have been around for a while on this.. Who knows when or if Dollywood will ever do this but surveys have been sent out about this but not recently.. I believe the surveys are really what got the rumor sparkes

 

3.) Dollywood hasn't seen new water rides in a while.. During the summer, the few they have are packed! A larger river ride would be nice or just a new water ride in general.. I haven't heard any rumors on this at all so it is very unlikely imo

 

4.) A snow park will be built at Dollywood.. this idea was planned and cancelled in Nashville.. the recent survey spoke of a snow theme.. Dolly doesn't let her dreams die and if she really wants the snow park like she did in Nashville, it will happen.. Just where will it happen? Dollywoods as good of a place as any.. heck, a small indoor one is being built right now for pegion forge anyways by the guy who owns goats on the roof. Could the snow theme in the survey be Dolly's Snow Park?

 

 

Do I see a new coaster on 2018? No, I don't see a new coaster at Dollywood for 4 or 5 more years personally.

 

Personally, I think we are about to soon see the day where Dollywood and SDC are going to be 100% independent when it comes to rides meaning both parks might build a big ride at the same time.. heck, we are already seeing it.. If Dollywood followed their own past trends, we wouldn't be seeing any rides built for 2017 at Dollywood and we are seeing two

 

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Edited April 13, 2017 by dstephe9

[CaptainUnknown]

A snow park will be built at Dollywood.. this idea was planned and cancelled in Nashville.. the recent survey spoke of a snow theme.. Dolly doesn't let her dreams die and if she really wants the snow park like she did in Nashville, it will happen.. Just where will it happen? Dollywoods as good of a place as any.. heck, a small indoor one is being built right now for pegion forge anyways by the guy who owns goats on the roof. Could the snow theme in the survey be Dolly's Snow Park?

 

Potential B&M invert themed to a ski lift a la Alpengeist?

 

Do I see a new coaster on 2018? No, I don't see a new coaster at Dollywood for 4 or 5 more years personally.

 

I could potentially see Dollywood lasting 20 years with no new rides at all with how much awesome stuff there is to do at the park currently, with the rides, the shows, the craft demonstrations. Hell, they could probably keep the lights burning on the cinnamon bread alone.

[dstephe9]

A snow park will be built at Dollywood.. this idea was planned and cancelled in Nashville.. the recent survey spoke of a snow theme.. Dolly doesn't let her dreams die and if she really wants the snow park like she did in Nashville, it will happen.. Just where will it happen? Dollywoods as good of a place as any.. heck, a small indoor one is being built right now for pegion forge anyways by the guy who owns goats on the roof. Could the snow theme in the survey be Dolly's Snow Park?

 

Potential B&M invert themed to a ski lift a la Alpengeist?

 

Do I see a new coaster on 2018? No, I don't see a new coaster at Dollywood for 4 or 5 more years personally.

 

I could potentially see Dollywood lasting 20 years with no new rides at all with how much awesome stuff there is to do at the park currently, with the rides, the shows, the craft demonstrations. Hell, they could probably keep the lights burning on the cinnamon bread alone.

Could they last that long without new rides? Yes probably, but look at Disney.. they tried to last for a long time without many new things and look how much Universal caught up to the with attendance growth? Was that due to the lack of new rides? Who knows but a lot of analyst think so, and they are building them like crazy now.

 

Dollywood sees a jump in attendance everytime they have a big ticket item.. They want to be at least a national destination, and for that I do see them having to do several more big ticket items.. They offer a lot yes, but a lot of folks aren't interested in their religious shows or local demonstrations.. I feel I am seeing proof of this right now with the mountains seeing record attendance (as announced by the park service, attendance was up for GSMNP in Feb and March by close to 30% vs this time last yea), but so far I have seen no proof that Dollywoods seeing this record attendance that the area is seeing (I know it's still early and Dollywood was only open a few weeks of that time).. this time last year, Dollywood had several record breaking days.. as far as I can tell, they have yet to increase their hours on busy days which is something they normally do when attendance is very high.. this time last year they had done it 3 or 4 times by now. People that are coming for the scenery and local area (which a lot of the demonstrations at Dollywood are), just aren't going to Dollywood it seems. BUT as we saw last year, big ticket rides do bring people in..

 

With that being said, I have no way of knowing Dollywoods true attendance.. I just watch the wait times and see the parking lot when I am there (which is a lot) and so far I have seen nothing that compares to this time last season attendance wise

 

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[larrygator]

The park is much more crowded today versus yesterday. I caught the new site Enra yesterday. I had not seen them on America's Got Talent, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved the first 10 minutes of the show, then the show started dragging and I fell asleep. I woke up for the last 5 minutes, which was similar to the parts that put me to sleep.

[STDog]

[look how much Universal caught up to the with attendance growth? Was that due to the lack of new rides?

 

Some variation is needed, but 4-5 years between additions/changes are generally enough.

 

Disney has to keep certain classics/icons around too.

 

But the biggest thing I see there is the type of rides. Universal has higher thrill​ rides while disney stay family friendly, targeting their core audience, 12 and under.

 

Dollywood sees a jump in attendance everytime they have a big ticket item..

 

Recent additions are drawing a different demographic.

 

As much as I like high thrill rides like WE and LR, i'd rather DW focus on it's core. My first visit was the late '80s and the park was great w/o all the thrill rides.

 

I'd like to see more shows with better acts, even some well known stars.

 

I'd like more craftsmen doing more stuff. Some more options for guest participation would be great.

[dstephe9]

One thing I missed this year are the vendors for festival of Nations.. while small and not many, I enjoyed seeing them selling clothing, bags, and other stuff from other nations.. I might just be missing the vendors but I haven't seen them this year on my visits.

 

That would help them focus a little on their core..

 

Biggest issue is, their core won't pull in the larger crowds. Their core audience is getting older and a lot of people could care less about the shows and demonstrations.. I have noticed less and less people watching demonstrations.. shows remain packed, but more and more folks walk out of them after they start now.. their general crowd now is becoming younger it seems..

 

It's sad really haha because I actually enjoy the shows for the most part

 

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[dstephe9]

Plus, places like Cade's Cove have the same demonstrations for free. They have a blacksmith, they have a fully working Grist Mill, and various other demonstrations going on throughout the year and day

 

With Dollywoods price increasing, I'm sure a lot of their core goes to other spots to see the same type of demonstrations.. The Dollywood price is great for folks wanting rides and other theme park attractions, but sky high for the shows now offered at Dollywood and demonstrations

 

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[STDog]

One thing I missed this year are the vendors for festival of Nations.. while small and not many, I enjoyed seeing them selling clothing, bags, and other stuff from other nations.. I might just be missing the vendors but I haven't seen them this year on my visits.

 

My wife was bummed by their absence too.

 

 

Their core audience is getting older and a lot of people could care less about the shows and demonstrations.

 

Don't tell my 12yr old

 

But the demos aren't​ what they were in the past. I don't watch them much either.

In the past more interesting things were done, and presented in more interesting ways.

 

Same with the shows. They used to be a lot better.

[dstephe9]

To me, those booths are what made it feel like a real festival.. When I think festival I think shows, foods, and crafts/items for sale..

 

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[bgtlover]

I really enjoyed browsing through those booths when I was there a few years ago. Hopefully they will bring them back in the future.

[dstephe9]

Honestly, I never purchased much from them.. I believe my GF purchased a bag last year and I purchased some wall art stuff a few years ago.. But I'd imagine the booths sold enough to make it worth the sellers coming.. who knows

 

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[thrillerman1]

Festival of Nations has been a top favorite event I've attended the last 5 years or so. I've really enjoyed taking my mom to it and she's bought several items from the vendors. We LOVED the Irish shop a few years back, and she bought a nice thick winter wool sweater there. She loves it. She and I have also bought several CD's and DVD's from the performers over the years. As her health has been illing lately we weren't able to attend Festival of Nations this year unfortunately. I hope it's been really great though!

[dstephe9]

Some of the performers have their CDs available but none of the other vendors are back.. Shows are decent like always but food isn't what it was last year for the festival..

 

Overall, festival is neat and fun but not a "driver".. I would be very upset if I visited for the festival only.. that's just me though

 

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[STDog]

The park is much more crowded today versus yesterday. I caught the new site Enra yesterday. I had not seen them on America's Got Talent, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved the first 10 minutes of the show, then the show started dragging and I fell asleep. I woke up for the last 5 minutes, which was similar to the parts that put me to sleep.

 

A few minutes with Google and YouTube would have told you what to expect.

- motion graphics performing arts -

 

Either you like that style of dance or you don't. Sort of like ballet, not for everyone.