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Dollywood Discussion Thread

P. 796 - Ride closing 10/30 to remove launch and install chain lift!

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I was fortunate enough to get to ride LR (5 times in fact!) my first and only time at Dollywood last fall, so it was not an issue. However, I won't lie... I would have been pretty upset and frustrated had I not been able to get on it, and I would have not felt unjustified in those feelings. But then again, that's how I feel at any new amusement park I go to. I always hope to get on everything I want to, and if I don't, it's a bummer. I don't think that's an unreasonable feeling to have, either... You go to an amusement park, it's reasonable to expect that their coasters and rides should all be running. Now, the reality is, that's not always the case, which is why I consider myself fortunate to have gotten on LR. And to coasterbill's point, it's not like I wouldn't have still enjoyed the other things Dollywood had to offer. But I still would have been bummed, overall, leaving there without LR under my belt. That's just an honest truth, and frankly, I think a natural human reaction... So I don't personally fault anybody for being upset about LR's downtime, or going there, and being unable to ride. And as others have said, I'm pretty sure nobody is more upset about LR's downtime than Dollywood themselves!

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For what it's worth, we were there the first week of May and the crew was working diligently to keep LR running. The troubles even a couple weeks ago may not be the same troubles they face now- no idea honestly- but you can absolutely tell they're doing what they can. I also feel obliged to add (because I don't think I've said it out loud yet) that Lightning Rod is a MONSTER, and quite possibly the most intense ride I've ever been on. I do hope they get these problems sorted out soon so everyone can enjoy this masterpiece.

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This will be my first time going to DW. Luckily I'm not that far I can plan another trip.

 

Yeah, if I lived that close I'd buy a Season Pass for sure (then again... I love 12 hours away and have a Season Pass so maybe I'm not one to comment). It pays for itself in less than 2 visits and then you can go back for Christmas (which I HIGHLY recommend).

 

Maybe you'll ride it this trip but if not you'll ride it eventually.

 

My day at Dollywood with Lightning Rod running was IMMENSELY better than my day last June with it closed (despite coasterbill/others telling people to eat cinnamon bread at get over it).

 

Of course, but I stand behind that comment because it's always directed at people who come to the forums and act as if their entire day at Dollywood is a waste because Lightning Rod is closed. I completely understand being disappointed but you're still at a great theme park with great rides. I don't mind if people go to the park and have a great day but are a little disappointed that it's closed, I direct those comments at people like this and I think that's completely justified.

 

When someone/an entity says something is open and you plan a trip to experience said thing.....it should work and be operational more than not. Thanks for the highlight....buy yes, terrible handling/investment on DW's part. Not reliable and it's plunging their guest satisfaction ratings. To drive several hours to experience something that is 2 years operating and "you **MIGHT** get lucky to ride it, but you probably won't" is all around just wrong.

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For what it's worth, we were there the first week of May and the crew was working diligently to keep LR running. The troubles even a couple weeks ago may not be the same troubles they face now- no idea honestly- but you can absolutely tell they're doing what they can. I also feel obliged to add (because I don't think I've said it out loud yet) that Lightning Rod is a MONSTER, and quite possibly the most intense ride I've ever been on. I do hope they get these problems sorted out soon so everyone can enjoy this masterpiece.

 

I have said a few negative things about LR, but I definitely try to be the defender. I know it's a frustrating beast, but it is a beast no less. It's truly amazing, and no amount of downtime will ever change my mind about that.

 

To those of you who have yet to ride it, I understand your frustration.. it took me 6 months. I promise you though, once you get a chance to experience it, all will soon be forgiven.

 

On the bright side, this is a huge learning experience for ALL parties involved. They'll no doubt work through all of the issues, and know what not to do in the future, it'll take time, but I have faith. This thing is more complex than most of us will be able to understand from the outside, I'm sure there is a lot of work going on DAILY to come up with a plan to get the bloody thing up consistently.

 

And yes, it is really hurting their ratings. THEY could do more to help that though, I think it would really help if they provided more transparency and actually replied to all of the LR complaints with details and not just generic "prototype" BS reasoning. If I were one of the many frustrated people on FB, yelp, and other sites, I would at least like some sort of explanation as to why it's not open.

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When someone/an entity says something is open and you plan a trip to experience said thing.....it should work and be operational more than not. Thanks for the highlight....buy yes, terrible handling/investment on DW's part. Not reliable and it's plunging their guest satisfaction ratings. To drive several hours to experience something that is 2 years operating and "you **MIGHT** get lucky to ride it, but you probably won't" is all around just wrong.

 

Sure, it should be working reliably but it's not and it's common knowledge in the enthusiast community that it's not. For a normal guest who doesn't know any better I agree with you but anyone who's a member of this forum who books a trip to Dollywood in the near future knows full well that there's a very good chance Lightning Rod won't be operating so it's ridiculous to show up there and then complain on this board that you drove all the way to Dollywood to ride a ride that you knew would probably be closed and it's closed.

 

This in no way excuses the park or the problems that they're having with the ride, but as a coaster enthusiast I feel like you should know better than to plan a trip around this coaster at this point REGARDLESS of whether or not it should be running reliably by now.

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Luckily I am close to Dollywood so I would never have this issue but I have to plan my vacation 2 - 3 months out for wotk.. yeah anything can happen in that time but even for enthusiast, a lot of folks probably have to do the same.. if that's the case, I see no issues with them coming on here and complaining. Depending on where you book your lodging and when you book it (most I assume do it when they finalize their vacation plans at work) it's not as simple as just canceling your trip when you get two or three weeks out and it's not running.. you might be out deposits or even the entire amount for lodging.. Tickets can be used anytime during the season but are non refundable.. yes, Dollywood might refund them if you complain enough but that's not a guarantee

 

It's like last year, a lot of people rescheduled their vacation for late summer like posters on here suggested they do.. LR still wasn't open or running consistently then eithrt.. So when should an enthusiast schedule their trip in hopes of riding LR? Never? At least not for this season? No guarantee it will be running next year we'll eithrt

 

I think it's easy for us that have ridden it to shrug it off and say DW is still a great park, have fun and eat cinnamon bread.. but it's truly not that simple, and I know it.. A lot of people I know are trying to travel and use their 1 or 2 weeks they get off from their job to ride LR.. I completely understand when they come here and bitch because it was closed.. it really can ruin an entire vacation if that was the reason for the vacation.. even if Dollywood is such a good park. There might of been somewhere else they would rather be if they knew LR was closed

 

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T- minus 2 days until we leave for Dollywood, and I'm finalizing some plans. We want to ride all four mountain coasters if possible. Some of the websites are more descriptive than others, so a couple of questions:

 

- Do all 4 have double seats? My son would need to ride with me.

- Are there any discount tickets available in the area?

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So when should an enthusiast schedule their trip in hopes of riding LR? Never? At least not for this season?

 

If you want to go to Dollywood and the sole purpose of your visit is to ride Lightning Rod then you shouldn't plan a trip until they get the ride working consistently. Does that suck? Yes. But it's the truth.

 

I'm not siding with the park or acting like this ride isn't a clusterf*ck because It is but that's not really what I'm talking about here. I don't think it's a stretch to say that at this point if you're planning a trip to Dollywood specifically to ride Lightning Rod and you're a member of this community who's fully aware of what's going on with the ride then you should have realistic expectations going in.

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So when should an enthusiast schedule their trip in hopes of riding LR? Never? At least not for this season?

 

If you want to go to Dollywood and the sole purpose of your visit is to ride Lightning Rod then you shouldn't plan a trip until they get the ride working consistently. Does that suck? Yes. But it's the truth.

 

I'm not siding with the park or acting like this ride isn't a clusterf*ck because It is but that's not really what I'm talking about here. I don't think it's a stretch to say that at this point if you're planning a trip to Dollywood specifically to ride Lightning Rod and you're a member of this community who's fully aware of what's going on with the ride then you should have realistic expectations going in.

 

See, I'm reading this but all I hear is "stop being a bitch, eat the cinnamon bread and STFU". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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I'm going to Dollywood in a couple of weeks for my first trip ever, and I know I probably won't be back for a long time. Does it suck that I'm coming to the realization that there's a good chance Lightning Rod will be closed? Yes. Am I going to be very disappointed that I don't get to ride one of the best roller coasters in the world? Yes. But is that going to ruin my day and am I going to bitch about it over and over? No, because complaining about it won't do anything and there's an entire park to explore with a number of other great rides. I'm hopeful that I'll get lucky and be able to ride it, but I also know I might be going home only talking about how great the rest of the park is (and all the other awesome parks I'm visiting).

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Even when Lightning Rod is open I can confirm that Cinnamon Bread is still the best attraction in the park. It also generally has the longest line.

+1.

 

Unfortunately we didn't bother with buying any cinnamon bread this past Saturday because we figured the lines were super long. Every ride/shop/stand all had a decent line. The park was just beyond packed that day, and the most crowded I've ever seen it.

 

In speaking of, does anyone know if Dollywood had a record day Saturday? It really seemed like it did as a lot of rides had at least an hour wait most of the day. Not to mention how hot and humid it was, I left the park with a bad headache and waiting in line just to get a cup of water took about 10 minutes. Still had a blast though!

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Even when Lightning Rod is open I can confirm that Cinnamon Bread is still the best attraction in the park. It also generally has the longest line.

 

I mean cinnamon bread is excellent and all, but if I had the choice between a free loaf and say 5 back to back rides on Lightning Rod, I'd choose Lightning Rod 100% of the time.

 

See, I'm reading this but all I hear is "stop being a bitch, eat the cinnamon bread and STFU". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Also I find it funny how you're making fun of people for not enjoying other aspects of Dollywood when Lightning Rod is closed. So what is it that's stopping you from making Dollywood your next trip? Probably because Lightning Rod might be closed. Ironic.

Edited by X2coasterfreak
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I'll be in the Pigeon Forge area for a week in June and am hoping to at least get one ride on Lightning Rod. If I hear the ride is running, you can bet I'm going to make a beeline over there to try and get on it. If it's down like it was last year for my visit, it'll be a major bummer for my visit since it was a key reason why I wanted to return, but at least the park does have other good rides.

 

I'm just going in with the mindset that I need it to run for just 2 hours in a 1 week period.

 

T- minus 2 days until we leave for Dollywood, and I'm finalizing some plans. We want to ride all four mountain coasters if possible. Some of the websites are more descriptive than others, so a couple of questions:

 

- Do all 4 have double seats? My son would need to ride with me.

- Are there any discount tickets available in the area?

 

I was able to do both the Goat Coaster and Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster last year. Both of those ones had double seats. I don't recall getting discounts for those two specifically, but the best way to get discounts down there is to find brochures at travel centers/hotels.

 

There are two new mountain coasters RCDB says are opening this year in addition to the four you are talking about. Rowdy Bear and Anakeesta. Last I checked, Rowdy Bear looked like it may be open sometime soon but Anakeesta seems further out.

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Even when Lightning Rod is open I can confirm that Cinnamon Bread is still the best attraction in the park. It also generally has the longest line.

 

I mean cinnamon bread is excellent and all, but if I had the choice between a free loaf and say 5 back to back rides on Lightning Rod, I'd choose Lightning Rod 100% of the time.

 

See, I'm reading this but all I hear is "stop being a bitch, eat the cinnamon bread and STFU". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Also I find it funny how you're making fun of people for not enjoying other aspects of Dollywood when Lightning Rod is closed. So what is it that's stopping you from making Dollywood your next trip? Probably because Lightning Rod might be closed. Ironic.

 

Jokes on you. He did go to the park recently (and posted a trip report about it) knowing full well LR would be closed and went anyway and got lucky. I posted that to rib some of our other members that like to get butthurt over everything he posts.

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Uhhh.. ok? Well, you're wrong. How do you know Dollywood is not my next trip planned? How do you know I haven't wanted to go to Dollywood since well before LR was even announced? How do you know I haven't pushed DW back in order to hit other parks I want to go to more? Its never smart to assume bud.

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We are going to visit my grandparents in Georgia this weekend. Would it be crazy to try to get into Pigeon Forge on Monday for a couple hours at the park? I don't want to be fighting a swarm of people.

 

Kinda bumping this with an update, we actually may be looking at going Friday on our way down instead but aren't locked into either option. Any input is appreciated. I have never been to the Gatlinburg area on a holiday weekend.

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We are going to visit my grandparents in Georgia this weekend. Would it be crazy to try to get into Pigeon Forge on Monday for a couple hours at the park? I don't want to be fighting a swarm of people.

 

Kinda bumping this with an update, we actually may be looking at going Friday on our way down instead but aren't locked into either option. Any input is appreciated. I have never been to the Gatlinburg area on a holiday weekend.

 

Went a couple years ago during Memorial Day weekend and will never go again lol love it out there but Memorial Day, and Fourth of July are the MOST crowded times of the summer. It was terrible trying to get around, plus Dollywood was at full capacity. All I'll say is good luck lol

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We are going to visit my grandparents in Georgia this weekend. Would it be crazy to try to get into Pigeon Forge on Monday for a couple hours at the park? I don't want to be fighting a swarm of people.

 

Kinda bumping this with an update, we actually may be looking at going Friday on our way down instead but aren't locked into either option. Any input is appreciated. I have never been to the Gatlinburg area on a holiday weekend.

There have been times when we've gone on a Friday and crowds were significantly less than on weekends. That being said, although I can't recall a time in recent history where I've visited on a Monday, I think Friday would be the better option. I visited the park once on a Friday last year and wait times were pretty low. Crowds were decent but not at the level for things to be considered "crowded". It all depends, but this time of the year can be tougher to estimate. Since its a holiday weekend, Friday would be my choice.

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Even when Lightning Rod is open I can confirm that Cinnamon Bread is still the best attraction in the park. It also generally has the longest line.

 

I mean cinnamon bread is excellent and all, but if I had the choice between a free loaf and say 5 back to back rides on Lightning Rod, I'd choose Lightning Rod 100% of the time.

 

 

 

Totally agree with you here! In fact, I'll see your 5 back to back rides, and raise you only 3 - one front, one back, and one at night!

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