Dollywood Discussion Thread

[boldikus]

[KBrylczyk]

1 hour ago, u4icmusic said:

The Southeast ACE group was informed that Dollywood was paying for the repairs and track updates. Did you read otherwise?

I see your sources are well-verified and dependable.

 

27 minutes ago, boldikus said:

 

Baaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha, they can't even multiquote properly so it's even more apt.

[dankeykang]

1 hour ago, u4icmusic said:

I'm not sure what you mean that "you wish more of the layout was staying wood." None of it is wood. It's all topper track, which is steel. Only the structure is wood and it will still be wood with the new I-Box sections they are putting in to replace damaged areas.

If Lightning Rod truly was an out-and-out steel roller coaster, would it have experienced all of these problems in the first place? 

[u4icmusic]

57 minutes ago, dankeykang said:

If Lightning Rod truly was an out-and-out steel roller coaster, would it have experienced all of these problems in the first place? 

No, it would have not. RMC and Dollywood took a risk on a first-of-its-kind coaster with the Lightning Rod. The risk didn't pay off how Dollywood wanted it to. It's been mostly nothing buy bad press since it opened, I'm upsetting the park as much as its guests. When the Lighting Rod is running, which was very rare this season, it's a phenomenal hybrid coaster. If you want a wooden coaster at Dollywood, it needs to be the Thunderhead, which does not have the Topper Track.

[bill_s]

Coaster should still be on 5 year warranty. However, while RMC might have to do necessary retrack, Dollywood wants to avoid the problem soon recurring. That's probably kind of simple to calculate the extra cost of, except it can't switch between track types constantly, so who pays for the I-box bits between the parts that would be retracked?

 

The idea of Topper being able to be called wood is seductive. Maybe RMC originally hoped to move up gradually, but then I-Box took off.

 

Looking again at the cross sections, Topper is hybrid track. The use of a single steel box for both top and upstops emphasizes the steel. However it would relatively flexible without the wood, plus surely sounds a lot different. I-Box is wood-styled steel track, or flat running surfaced steel track, for hybrid or steel coasters. 

[prozach626]

15 hours ago, u4icmusic said:

Dollywood no longer cares about the guest experience and is only looking out for the almighty dollar.

I guess you didn't notice the almighty dollar is in short supply for 2020. Survival means paying a bit more. Be happy they're open.

[boldikus]

11 hours ago, bill_s said:

Coaster should still be on 5 year warranty. However, while RMC might have to do necessary retrack, Dollywood wants to avoid the problem soon recurring. That's probably kind of simple to calculate the extra cost of, except it can't switch between track types constantly, so who pays for the I-box bits between the parts that would be retracked?

 

The idea of Topper being able to be called wood is seductive. Maybe RMC originally hoped to move up gradually, but then I-Box took off.

 

Looking again at the cross sections, Topper is hybrid track. The use of a single steel box for both top and upstops emphasizes the steel. However it would relatively flexible without the wood, plus surely sounds a lot different. I-Box is wood-styled steel track, or flat running surfaced steel track, for hybrid or steel coasters. 

[coasterbill]

11 hours ago, bill_s said:

The idea of Topper being able to be called wood is seductive.

It’s what now?

[bill_s]

1 hour ago, coasterbill said:

It’s what now?

I don't understand what was unclear about either statement.

RMC could retrack every pothole with Topper and should due to warranty. But they can't Ibox every pothole only.

Topper track is currently called wood.  That has it's own appeal, a matter of expectations and records, beyond how it may or may not ride. 

[bert425]

3 hours ago, prozach626 said:

I guess you didn't notice the almighty dollar is in short supply for 2020. Survival means paying a bit more. Be happy they're open.

^ this is an excellent point, and goes hand in hand with something I would be remiss not to point out to u4icmusic :

of COURSE they now have the fudge pre-packaged.    

Less hands touching it, and having "fresh" fudge exposed to the air - during a pandemic with an AIRBORNE pandemic - would *appear* to some guests, like it's being unsafe (whether it would be considered unsafe or not).

yet it's taken as "doesn't care about the guest experience". . .   FFS - even having never been to the park, and not knowing the exact reasoning?  I GET it.

Same reason Six Flags has gone cashless in several parks, and is really pushing the mobile ordering.

[megan]

19 hours ago, u4icmusic said:

Just got back from Dollywood. I left early because it was so crowded and after waiting 40 minutes to buy a Coke, I had had enough. Also, Dollywood also more than doubled the price of their fudge since two weeks ago. You used to be able to buy 6 pieces of fudge and get two free. It came out to about $20 for 8 pieces of fudge and $16 with a gold card. Now the fudge is all pre-packaged in plastic containers with 2 pieces for $10.99. That same 8 pieces of fudge will now cost you $43.96 plus tax without a gold card or $35.37 with a gold card PLUS tax.. Dollywood no longer cares about the guest experience and is only looking out for the almighty dollar. Dollywood should be ashamed of themselves. Even the employees were upset with this change. I'll never buy fudge there again at those prices.

Oh the horrors!!! A business trying to make money during a horrible year with mounting losses. It’s fudge. But it. Don’t. But I doubt the price of fudge means they have thrown the entire guest experience out the window. 

[DollyWould]

We rode the train last night & can confirm the wood homestead structures (farmhouse, outhouse, wood shed) have all been removed from the upper train loop.  There is some speculation that this may be for future expansion, but aren’t the next expansions supposed to be going behind the current Wildwood Grove area?  Perhaps they were removed for fire safety concerns, due to their close proximity to the fireworks launch pads?  It’s sad to see even more original theming continue to  disappear!  

[DoinItForTheFame]

12 hours ago, prozach626 said:

I guess you didn't notice the almighty dollar is in short supply for 2020. Survival means paying a bit more. Be happy they're open.

My thoughts exactly!

 

They should be glad the park is able to be open, and they should be glad they have the ability to visit. 

[TEDodd]

No, it would have not. RMC and Dollywood took a risk on a first-of-its-kind coaster with the Lightning Rod.

The first of it's kind launch wasn't the problem. The fastest wooden coaster and the extreme elements are.

When the Lighting Rod is running ... it's a phenomenal hybrid coaster. If you want a wooden coaster at Dollywood, it needs to be the Thunderhead, which does not have the Topper Track.

Yet there's a steel plate on top of the wood. The whole length of Thunderhead.

LR was never called hybrid until you chimed in after the rumors of it getting some I-box track.

Now magically all the wooden coasters with topper track are reclassified as hybrid?

[u4icmusic]

2 hours ago, TEDodd said:

 

 

The first of it's kind launch wasn't the problem. The fastest wooden coaster and the extreme elements are.



Yet there's a steel plate on top of the wood. The whole length of Thunderhead.

LR was never called hybrid until you chimed in after the rumors of it getting some I-box track.

Now magically all the wooden coasters with topper track are reclassified as hybrid?

 

 

the Thunderhead does not use Topper Track. It uses a thin metal plate on top of the wooden structure. The topper track is tubular and identical in size to the I-Box track, that's why RMC can re-track only portions of the Lightning Rod and the trains will run seamlessly because both tracks are the same size. Lighting Rod was always a hybrid coaster. RMC and Dollywood had a marketing scheme and most people fell for it. True wooden coasters do not use topper track.

[u4icmusic]

20 hours ago, bert425 said:

^ this is an excellent point, and goes hand in hand with something I would be remiss not to point out to u4icmusic :

of COURSE they now have the fudge pre-packaged.    

Less hands touching it, and having "fresh" fudge exposed to the air - during a pandemic with an AIRBORNE pandemic - would *appear* to some guests, like it's being unsafe (whether it would be considered unsafe or not).

yet it's taken as "doesn't care about the guest experience". . .   FFS - even having never been to the park, and not knowing the exact reasoning?  I GET it.

Same reason Six Flags has gone cashless in several parks, and is really pushing the mobile ordering.

You are not taking into account the many guests I saw picking up the fudge, flipping it over to see the label to identify what type of fudge it was, then put it back on the table after seeing the $10.99 price on the sign, which spreads even more germs. It this was COVID related, they would have done this when they reopened, not just before they are getting ready to close for the season.

[u4icmusic]

21 hours ago, bill_s said:

I don't understand what was unclear about either statement.

RMC could retrack every pothole with Topper and should due to warranty. But they can't Ibox every pothole only.

Topper track is currently called wood.  That has it's own appeal, a matter of expectations and records, beyond how it may or may not ride. 

Topper track is tubular steel. It is not wood, except for the structure. Lightning Rod has be re-tracked with new Topper Track in rough spots. It didn't work, so RMC is replacing close to 50% of the Topper Track with I-Box track only in the high-impact or rough areas. They can I-Box every pothole and that is exactly what they are doing..

[coasterbill]

[boldikus]

Please, for the love of all things good and holy, learn how to multi-quote.

 

[KBrylczyk]

This is devolving into a typical Sunday afternoon ACE conversation.  Ugh.

[coneyislandchris]

In regards to the complaints that raising the price on fudge = "not caring about the guest experience"... taken in a vacuum, I would tend to agree with those that are rightfully calling out the original poster for ignoring the reality of the world which we're in right now. We are in the middle of a pandemic and a lot of places are fighting to survive. If that means increased prices for the time being, so be it.

That being said, there have been a number of complaints about park overcrowding, poor and mixed communication, and lack of responses to inquiries. Personally, I've been attempting to reach out to Dollywood for the past two weeks to inquire about my unused 2020 multi-park season passes and haven't received a single response to any of my e-mails. Having heard horror stories about people trying to reach them via Facebook or telephone doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence, either. I'm sure they're trying to do the best they can given the current situation, but it's tough for everyone right now. So seeing things like this, regardless of how ridiculous it seems on the face of it all, definitely impacts the public perception of how they're operating under these circumstances.

[coasterbill]

... and as long as the ride actually operates for a change

[u4icmusic]

On 11/29/2020 at 5:33 AM, TEDodd said:

 

 

The first of it's kind launch wasn't the problem. The fastest wooden coaster and the extreme elements are.



Yet there's a steel plate on top of the wood. The whole length of Thunderhead.

LR was never called hybrid until you chimed in after the rumors of it getting some I-box track.

Now magically all the wooden coasters with topper track are reclassified as hybrid?

 

 

Exactly! The thin tell plate on the Thunderhead is totally different from the Topper Track used on the Lightning Rod, which is tubular and the same size as the I-Box track. That's why RMC can switch back and forth between the two types of tracks and you won't even know it is happening because they are basically the same track. One is supported by wooden planks and the other is supported by a steel base, even on wooden hybrid coasters like The Iron Gwazi or Steel Vengeance, both hybrid wooden coasters. There are a lot us that feel the same way about the Lightning Rod. It's been a hybrid coaster since it opened and Dollywood marketing made you believe it was a wooden coaster. If it was, it would have the same steel plates as the LIghtning Rod, which it never had and never will. I think we can all agree that we want the ride running smoother and running all the time. All the down time has really hurt Dollywood's reputation. 

[KBrylczyk]

Aw sweet jesus forgetting all of the other stupid crap you're arguing about, would you PLEASE for the love of god stop putting "the" in front of the ride names.  It's Lightning Rod and Thunderhead. You're not even consistent with its use -

Quote

...even on wooden hybrid coasters like The Iron Gwazi or Steel Vengeance, both hybrid wooden coasters

That quote alone raises yet more questions about your grammatical ineptitude. 

[dstephe9]

FYI: Those who renewed your season pass for next year that have the free mug, ask them to upgrade to the mug that includes free refills. They didn't offer it, but I asked, and they sold me the red mug, free refills all year this and next, for $15. It's normally $30!

You might not have the same results as me, but I simply asked and they were like sure!