Dollywood Discussion Thread

[Djwadeknox]

Dollywood Flashback to 1987

 

[Thunderhead01]

Does anyone besides me see a Timber Canyon name change in the future since the area is so exposed now and is not very canyon like and I would also like to voice my opinion on how awful the area surrounding Thunderhead looks now it’s just so naked without the hills and trees I’m really shocked they didn’t leave more trees this is exactly what I have always hated about wilderness pass it’s just so open I really hope once they are finished preparing the land for the expansion they put some man made hills behind and around Thunderhead

[dstephe9]

The newer areas of Dollywood to me do look like an amusement park, or fake, or whatever.. they look like created lands, created to fit the theme they are building.. The newer parts of the park have never used the land and trees as well as the older part of the park BUT I think the newer areas are still beautiful and well done!

 

As for changing the name, idk, the area was never a true ca yon and the new area and while walking up into timber canyon (remember, it starts right past the buss enterance) it's still built up on both sides like walking into a canyon. Also, the new area still isn't level with Timber Canyon so it's still built up on both sides.

 

While I hate that Dollywood has to tear down so many trees and level areas to expand, it's the only way to do it.. There is still plenty of beauty in Dollywood and plenty of nature in the areas surrounding Dollywood. It's either move mountains or stop growing.. I find it amazing that Dollywood is essentially moving a mountain to grow.

 

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[Dollywoodlover20]

I guess the park got tired of going with the route of building a coaster up a mountain haha they have 3 that use that method and use it well. I think LR uses it the best just because of how it literally rides that hill and drops off. Which while I haven’t been in person yet, I know that as I walk into the area it’s going to take me by shock and take getting used to. Especially with Thunderhead looking like a GCI in a parking lot right now. Also, I was thinking where the train does a loop around this new area could this be like a new “town/village” type area. I always pictured that in the upper loop but I don’t see that loop being touched. That’s a beautiful photo opp spot with the Smokies. I do see the next large coaster going there (2020?)

[dstephe9]

I guess the park got tired of going with the route of building a coaster up a mountain haha they have 3 that use that method and use it well. I think LR uses it the best just because of how it literally rides that hill and drops off. Which while I haven’t been in person yet, I know that as I walk into the area it’s going to take me by shock and take getting used to. Especially with Thunderhead looking like a GCI in a parking lot right now. Also, I was thinking where the train does a loop around this new area could this be like a new “town/village” type area. I always pictured that in the upper loop but I don’t see that loop being touched. That’s a beautiful photo opp spot with the Smokies. I do see the next large coaster going there (2020?)

Building up or around mountains is great for coasters but Dollywood was in desperate needs of new areas for flats

 

And while it might take you by shock, it may not.. I have been two times now this year with various groups and neither even noticed much of a difference lol.. we do because we are watching it but most didn't

 

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[dstephe9]

It's a madhouse today and they won't open splash Country parking. Thirty minutes to find parking

 

Don't listen to parking attendants. We had no luck following their advice and found empty slots in c and b. Both of which they told us was full. They only full lots are d/e and f!

 

But lots of folks still coming in (a lot just leaving and asking for parking refunds to lol)

 

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[appel]

It's a madhouse today and they won't open splash Country parking. Thirty minutes to find parking

 

Don't listen to parking attendants. We had no luck following their advice and found empty slots in c and b. Both of which they told us was full. They only full lots are d/e and f!

 

But lots of folks still coming in (a lot just leaving and asking for parking refunds to lol)

 

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So how are the lines so far? Especially Lightning Rod?

[dstephe9]

LR is closed for the day and hasn't been open. Other lines are bad.. LR hasn't been running well this week at all.. I have been here two times now this week and my first visit it had a lot of down time

 

 

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[appel]

Will they ever figure out how to run Lightning Rod constantly? I am not sure.....

[dstephe9]

Will they ever figure out how to run Lightning Rod constantly? I am not sure.....

According to Dollywood it runs fine so probably not. Lol

 

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[dstephe9]

We are heading out.. they still don't have large crowds figured out yet.. tram lines backed up to ticket windows, yet empty trams setting unused.. parking nightmares.. bottlenecks.. frustrated staff ( staff that even telling at guest). Out of food at some places and so on.. they could do a lot better when crowds are this big. At least hide the unused trams haha.

 

I mean it's not a bad train, ride ops were actually good even with long lines. Shows are fine and so on lol.

 

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[ElvisLuv]

They now have their version of Power Keg, really good.......when open.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Will they ever figure out how to run Lightning Rod constantly? ...

 

[dstephe9]

Even though LR was listed as "closed for the day" and never opened while I was there, according to the app it is open now so I guess they got it running? Last year, of it was listed as closed for the day, they normally never opened it.

 

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[DoinItForTheFame]

I mean... Since it is Dolly related...

 

 

DOLLY PARTON TO LAUNCH NEW CRUISE SHIP – PARTON OF THE SEAS!!

 

Dolly Parton has made a surprise Easter announcement that she has partnered with Royal Caribbean to launch a brand new faith-based cruise ship to be called “Parton of the Seas.” Representatives from both companies are very excited to bring something completely new to the Caribbean with Dolly’s mix of faith and southern hospitality that has made her Smoky Mountain attractions so popular over the years.

 

Why Dolly Parton?

 

Royal Caribbean is known for naming their ships in such as way that all end with “of the Seas” such as “Allure of the Seas”, “Symphony of the Seas”, “Harmony of the Seas”, etc. As the team began preparing to name their next cruise ship, they started seeing a trend in their names with “Harmony”, “Symphony”, “Radiance”, “Allure”, “Serenade”, “Endurance”, etc. and began brainstorming around the idea that these words could actually describe a single person. Veteran Royal Caribbean cruise director, Marc Walker, chimed in with his experience at Dollywood and being blow away with the southern hospitality at her attractions. The “wink” in his facebook post was apparently a huge clue that we missed years ago!

 

The team emphatically agreed that Dolly Parton was the perfect person to partner with on their next cruise ship…they internally referred to it as a PARTONership.

 

Why “Parton of the Seas”?

 

When asked about Dolly’s reaction when initially contacted by Royal Caribbean, she replied in only the way we would expect Dolly to respond: “I was shocked! I mean, I shouldn’t be, really…because people always joke about how buoyant I am, so I guess you could say it was meant to be!”

 

Dolly went on to describe how the name was chosen by saying, “My faith has always been a big part of everything I do and every attraction that I am involved with. When I was a little girl, I would hear the story of Moses and the parting of the seas, but growing up in the Smoky Mountains we didn’t pronounce it ‘parting’. It sounded like more like ‘partin of the seas’ which is exactly what came to mind when they asked me to put my name on a ship! And so it all made perfect sense for our faith-based cruise ship to be named ‘Parton of the Seas’ with Moses leading the way…but if he cause us to run aground, he’s fired!” as Dolly chuckled.

 

Entertainment on Parton of the Seas

 

 

Dolly is bringing her Smoky Mountain style of entertainment to the Caribbean complete with the music of gospel, bluegrass, and country along with broadway quality dancing, acting, lighting, and hair. The featured show will be her incredibly popular “Coat of Many Colors” which they claim will not be shown during formal nights on the ship due to the excessive tear-jerking moments and running of makeup that is sure to ruin formal night photos. Throughout the ship, there will also be numerous bands and performers playing tunes of the Smokies. Who knows, you might even turn a corner and find Dolly and Kenny singing “Islands in the Stream!”

 

Food on Parton of the Seas

 

 

Executive Chef, April Fultz, described dining on Parton of the Seas by saying, “When we surveyed past guests on our Royal Caribbean cruises, many of them described confusion with fancy meals such as Spaghetti Arriabbata, Burrata, Pappardelle, Salmon Gravlax, and more. So we decided to make our main dining room feature a family-style southern meal because everyone knows what fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and banana pudding are…if they don’t, then they’re on the wrong ship! We’ll also have unlimited champagne of the south…otherwise known as sweet tea.” What we are most excited about, though, is possibly the sweetest thing to ever hit the Caribbean…Dollywood’s cinnamon bread! There will be numerous concession stands throughout the ship offering fresh loaves of this amazing, sugary, sticky, goodness. It was voted as quite possibly the best thing to eat at any theme park in the nation…and possibly now the Caribbean! The only thing we’re wondering is if it will be available through room service…24/7…we’re asking for a friend of course.

 

Parton of the Seas Pool Deck

 

 

In the category of “why didn’t someone think of this sooner”, Parton of the Seas will feature a lazy river on the pool deck! This will allow guests to lazily float the entire length of the ship. Research shows that typical pools on ships are filled with people just sitting or floating along the edge and not really “swimming,” so the lazy river is perfect for those that just want to be lazy!

 

Putting the “cabin” back in Cabins

 

 

Staterooms on cruise ships are often referred to as “cabins”, and so Dolly personally requested to put some “cabin” back into cabins! Each cabin will be themed like a Smoky Mountain cabin with an ample amount of wood and even a fireplace for those chilly Caribbean nights that dip into the 80’s! The closet door also serves as a floatation device big enough for Rose AND Jack…because Dolly prefers happy endings.

 

When will Parton of the Seas set sail?

 

As much as we wish Parton of the Seas would set sail soon, sadly she won’t make it beyond this blog post…because it’s our annual April Fool’s joke! Did you have fun along with us dreaming of a Dolly Dreamliner? Be sure to share with your friends on facebook to spread the fun and laughs today! And who knows…maybe a cruise line will pick up on some of these ideas and let southern hospitality set sail someday! Happy April Fool’s day and happy Easter from all of us at Pigeon Forge TN Guide!

 

Source.

 

They had me right up until the very end. Though I'll admit... I'd be all for a Dolly themed Cruise Ship!!

[DorneyKid14]

I was getting so hyped, especially for that lazy river.

[Nrthwnd]

^^ It's always the food that'll help them put one over on me.

And that was a nice simple buffet to enjoy, lol. In my mind.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

That's really great.

[DBru]

Yep, definitely got me. I thought, “That is some pretty mediocre photoshop, but this name and concept are pretty darn clever.” Lol

[Thunderhead01]

There’s now markers on site

[Taylor Finn]

Couple quick questions for a visit we’re planning the weekend of May 5-6. My girlfriend and I are bringing two friends for bring a buddy days. Any details I need to know about using them? Specifically:

 

1. They can’t use early entry with us on Saturday, right?

2. I read they can’t upgrade to a season pass with a discount. Same logic for paying the difference for a two day ticket?

 

Also, has anyone seen anything around about the after 3 promotion? And as far as which day to go, I know they’re open two hours more on Saturday but do ya’ll think it better to go on Sunday crowd wise even still?

 

Thanks!

[chickenbowl]

Couple quick questions for a visit we’re planning the weekend of May 5-6. My girlfriend and I are bringing two friends for bring a buddy days. Any details I need to know about using them? Specifically:

 

1. They can’t use early entry with us on Saturday, right?

2. I read they can’t upgrade to a season pass with a discount. Same logic for paying the difference for a two day ticket?

 

Also, has anyone seen anything around about the after 3 promotion? And as far as which day to go, I know they’re open two hours more on Saturday but do ya’ll think it better to go on Sunday crowd wise even still?

 

Thanks!

 

About a month ago, I remember folks here mentioning that Dollywood got ride of the night-before-offer for day-tickets. I can't confirm, but there's no harm in calling guest services.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Couple quick questions for a visit we’re planning the weekend of May 5-6. My girlfriend and I are bringing two friends for bring a buddy days. Any details I need to know about using them? Specifically:

 

1. They can’t use early entry with us on Saturday, right?

2. I read they can’t upgrade to a season pass with a discount. Same logic for paying the difference for a two day ticket?

 

Also, has anyone seen anything around about the after 3 promotion? And as far as which day to go, I know they’re open two hours more on Saturday but do ya’ll think it better to go on Sunday crowd wise even still?

 

Thanks!

I know #2 is true, that they cannot get a discount on season passes. #1 not sure of, I would check with the guest services people on that one.

[dstephe9]

They have taken all the promotions for after three free down at the park, other than that, I'm not sure

 

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[middle_keeny]

Couple quick questions for a visit we’re planning the weekend of May 5-6. My girlfriend and I are bringing two friends for bring a buddy days. Any details I need to know about using them? Specifically:

 

1. They can’t use early entry with us on Saturday, right?

2. I read they can’t upgrade to a season pass with a discount. Same logic for paying the difference for a two day ticket?

 

Also, has anyone seen anything around about the after 3 promotion? And as far as which day to go, I know they’re open two hours more on Saturday but do ya’ll think it better to go on Sunday crowd wise even still?

 

Thanks!

 

Just a word of advice. Seems like everyone goes to Dollywood on Saturdays in May to use their bring-a friend pass. Its pretty busy. I personally avoid Saturdays there. You would be better off ,if possible, to go on a Sunday/ Monday.