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Dollywood Discussion Thread

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

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In August 2019, LRod was rated better uptime than Steel Vengeance (i.e. when I went to CP, grr). Not progress.

As LR was closed ~all of Labor Day weekend, it surely isn't (all) intentional. WTF is the real problem? Is their security really that good or do they just not know? Maybe they need another extreme launch coaster so they can just do that lift hill. Hire the Steel Curtain programmers so that won't work either. ;)

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10 hours ago, tndank said:

We got cheap flights here if you are coming from Texas or Florida.  Otherwise, forget it.

 

It's not really a cost issue, there just traditionally haven't been any flights from STL into Knoxville that don't go some super round about way like through Denver or I can fly into Nashville and still have a 3 and half hour drive which seems dumb. Ends up taking the same amount of time as driving and costing more so not worth it. Apparently Delta has just added a flight with a short layover in ATL (been getting some notifications since I am flying Delta soon to Paris) So that MAY be a game changer. I'll pay for it if saves me a lot of time.

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15 hours ago, u4icmusic said:

Except for Lightening Rod, which was, as usual, not running. The sign in front of the ride said temporarily closed, but I didn't see it open before I left which was a major disappointment.  I think at this time Dollywood either needs to sue RMC, completely rebuild the coaster or just tear it down and start from scratch. Dollywood has to be mad about the constant down time and it is a big black eye for RMC.

Thanks for clarifying that it is indeed back to its "normal self" as I mentioned in a previous post. 😅

I know I might get some flak for this but even after all the hype, praise, and awards this thing has received over the years I feel its time to say this coaster is massively overrated and a complete joke. Yes I have ridden it but when you factor in all its persistent UN-reliability (yes I emphasized the "UN" for a reason) it is a laughing stock that will probably be added to Urban Dictionary as a new term for "broken rollercoaster" and yes it is a big black eye for both Dollywood and RMC that needs to be dealt with for good before more dollars, resources, and marketing hype are wasted on it. This is dare I say getting to be SOB levels bad with the amount of modifications/repairs and SNBO time its logging. Its taking up some prime real estate that could be put to much better use. It needs to be put out of its misery.

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20 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Based on Dollywood Wait Times it looks like the last time it was open at all was Saturday.

That's the issue for me. Why post a sign outside and have ride hosts standing there saying the ride is temporarily closed. That's why I kept checking the Dollywood app and walking by to see what "temporarily" actually meant. I think it is just a PR decision for guests and should be handled differently by Dollywood.

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Went to Dollywood for the first time ever this week, Monday and Wednesday. Really disappointed in Lightning Rod and how so much was closed, but obviously the current "staffing environment" is to blame for those other things. 

Anyway, Thunderhead and Dragonflier were great!  We also enjoyed blazing fury, it reminded us a lot of black diamond at knoebels, but with more legit "drops", which caught me offguard 🤣.   The humidity really got to us so we didn't really spend too much time there either day (and the first day we werent prepared with proper hydration). Not that I saw anyone on this forum talking about it, but the grist mill cinnamon bread that the internet raves over seems to just be cinnabon to me, not that theres anything wrong with that. 

We did not spend much time in the park, however I can't imagine what this park is like on a busy day. I assume that will make riding every ride (some more than once) take more than 2 hours? 

 

Clearly the area (PF/Gburg) mostly close for the time between labor day and leaf peeping season and a bunch of stuff we were looking to check out was closed. Also, the "Rod Run" being this weekend attracted a zillion people to park their "classic" cars and gawk at them, even days before it officially started. 

I don't mean to sound cranky, its just what happens. 

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On 9/17/2021 at 7:06 PM, Clarimeister said:

Looks like Lightning Rod was open today (Friday, 9/17/21). Is it possible it's only down during the Monday/Wednesday operating days for right now? 

That was my speculation earlier. Just need some more data points.

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Dollywood Season Pass 2022 renewals starting on October 18th, with upgraded season pass options with up to 6 bring-a-friend passes, plus one 2021 Christmas bring-a-friend pass. They are also bringing back the discount bring-a-friend key tag. Let's see if we get a better deal than the crap one we got last year.

IMG_20210923_201714498.jpg

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On 9/20/2021 at 8:35 PM, jarmor said:

But why would it be down for any scheduled days?!?  I thought the point of the rebuild was to make it more reliable? 

My thought is parts supply. Something is a little flakey and needs replaced but not available so limiting operating days to stretch it's life. Not a safety issue, just prevents the ride from working. There was a report earlier itnwas down waiting on parts.

It has been more reliable this year than last year. So it was improved. Still parts wear and break.  If not available to replace what can you do?

 

But it's just speculation. DW has been tight lipped about LR issues from the start.

 

Could be personnel shortages during the week, though I'd think LR was a ride you'd prioritize.  But I could see training being a factor there. Can just pull someone from another ride.

 

 

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6 hours ago, TEDodd said:

My thought is parts supply. Something is a little flakey and needs replaced but not available so limiting operating days to stretch it's life. Not a safety issue, just prevents the ride from working. There was a report earlier itnwas down waiting on parts.

It has been more reliable this year than last year. So it was improved. Still parts wear and break.  If not available to replace what can you do?

 

But it's just speculation. DW has been tight lipped about LR issues from the start.

 

Could be personnel shortages during the week, though I'd think LR was a ride you'd prioritize.  But I could see training being a factor there. Can just pull someone from another ride.

 

 

I don't believe it is a staffing issue. The last time I was there, the ride was closed all day, even though the sign out front said "temporarily closed." You could see all the ride hosts just standing around, so I think it is a maintenance issue. Dollywood is supposed to retrack the remaining topper track to Ibox track over the winter, so maybe that will help with down time. At this point they need to do something as Lighting Rod is a huge black eye for Dollywood and such a fun coaster when it is working.

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5 minutes ago, u4icmusic said:

At this point they need to do something as Lighting Rod is a huge black eye for Dollywood and such a fun coaster when it is working.

Why?

why do they need to do anything with it other than operate it when they feel like operating it?  it's not affecting their crowds (like much at all), since majority of the crowd tends to be less "thrill ride" oriented and more "show/food" oriented.

once some enthusiasts think that it's a "huge black eye" - and it's not even all.    For example, weather or not LR is working, won't change my plans for when I finally get to go to the park, and it doesn't change my opinion of the park at all.

it's a THEME park, not a thrill park.

seriously, this would be like me bitching that my one time (so far) at Tokyo DisneySea was ruined because Journey was down on my visit.    There's SO much other stuff to do and experience in the park, that one ride - even the star attraction in the park - not being avail doesn't change that.


tho I'd bet if Dollywood changed the recipe for Cinnamon Bread, or stopped carrying it?   THAT would be a "huge black eye" to many of the guests.

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2 hours ago, bert425 said:

tho I'd bet if Dollywood changed the recipe for Cinnamon Bread, or stopped carrying it?   THAT would be a "huge black eye" to many of the guests.

I think they have.  The last few visits (pre pandemic) it seemed different than 2012-2017.

Still good, really good. But not the same and not as good,

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I actually kind of agree with @u4icmusic

I know a lot of people don't go for the coasters but they have nine of them so they clearly look at them as important drivers of attendance. They have shown based on the work that they're putting into the ride that they're not satisfied with the ride's performance at all. If they found the status-quo acceptable they wouldn't be doing all of this. I'm sure they're not happy with this recent downtime or this ride in general.

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46 minutes ago, coasterbill said:

I'm sure they're not happy with this recent downtime or this ride in general.

For sure not happy. I doubt RMC is happy either (might be a black mark for them). But a black eye on the whole park? Nah. And outside of enthusiasts it's an annoyance but not that big of a deal. For every complaint I see about it being closed on FB/Instagram there are 2 from people that rode it and it was too much for them.

 

It's extreme and too much for the majority of the park visitors. I'm still surprised they did it (glad, but surprised).  If WE wasn't so smooth, it'd probably be in a similar boat. Too much for a majority of guests (might be anyway, but I don't see it mentioned as much).

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26 minutes ago, Djwadeknox said:

Just posted on the Dollywood pass holders FB page.

04FFE3F4-B931-4BE8-9A76-B69772767332.jpeg

Um, there's no safety chain to catch. Just the braking from the LSMs.

And does the next train enter the station before the train clears the launch hill?
I didn't think it got in that fast.
 

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1 hour ago, TEDodd said:

Um, there's no safety chain to catch. Just the braking from the LSMs.

And does the next train enter the station before the train clears the launch hill?
I didn't think it got in that fast.
 

I've never heard of any roller coaster having a "safety chain." Anti-rollback dogs prevent the train cars from rolling back if the chain breaks. They're also responsible for that "clack-clack-clack" sound you hear as a coaster train ascends the lift hill. TEDodd is correct that Lightning Rod does not have these as they are only found on coasters with a chain lift, as far as I am aware. Typically when they have a rollback, they can brake the trains going backwards before it reaches the station. This may have been operator error.

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8 hours ago, bert425 said:

Why?

why do they need to do anything with it other than operate it when they feel like operating it?  it's not affecting their crowds (like much at all), since majority of the crowd tends to be less "thrill ride" oriented and more "show/food" oriented.

once some enthusiasts think that it's a "huge black eye" - and it's not even all.    For example, weather or not LR is working, won't change my plans for when I finally get to go to the park, and it doesn't change my opinion of the park at all.

it's a THEME park, not a thrill park.

seriously, this would be like me bitching that my one time (so far) at Tokyo DisneySea was ruined because Journey was down on my visit.    There's SO much other stuff to do and experience in the park, that one ride - even the star attraction in the park - not being avail doesn't change that.


tho I'd bet if Dollywood changed the recipe for Cinnamon Bread, or stopped carrying it?   THAT would be a "huge black eye" to many of the guests.

I disagree. There are many people, myself included, that go to Dollywood for the rides and especially the roller coasters. Why would any park spend spend 22 millions dollars on a coaster, which is what Lightning Rod cost to build and not have it run daily from open to close. That amount doesn't include what Dollywood paid RMC for the partial retrack either. No park, theme or otherwise would spend that kind of money for a ride that only worked on occasion. How do you know it hasn't affected their attendance. The last two times I went it was DEAD, and many people were out if front of Lightning Rod complaining to ride hosts that it was down again. Nobody said it should change your opinion of the park, but it is a huge draw coaster. Lines being 2 plus hours long negates your theory that people don't go to Dollywood for the rides, because they do and if you read all the blogs, people are very upset that Lightning Rod is down as much as it is. When you are paying $90 plus $25 to park your car, then we all should expect all the rides to be in good operating condition most of the time. The downtime on Lightning Rod is a huge black eye on Dollywood. Most guests don't even know what RMC is and that they built the coaster, they just want to ride it. Most of the times I've been there it has been down. It's been down more times than running and I go about 3 times a month all year long. I know many people that have changed their plans to go to Dollywood when Lightning Rod is down for maintenance or repairs. Theme parks also have thrill rides, so your comment about it not being a thrill park is beyond ridiculous. As a matter of fact, the Dollywood website calls Lightning Rod a "Thrill Ride." Can you believe that? A thrill ride in a theme park. I'm shocked.

https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/Rides/LightningRod

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25 minutes ago, u4icmusic said:

 Lines being 2 plus hours long negates your theory that people don't go to Dollywood for the rides, because they do and if you read all the blogs, people are very upset that Lightning Rod is down as much as it is.

 

the amount of people in a line that would cause it to be 2 hours is MINISCULE compared to to the overall people in the park.

most of whom are not in line for the coasters, but are seeing shows, eating, and just enjoying the atmosphere.  "blogs" are run by enthusiasts. . not the families that go to enjoy the atmosphere, food, and shows.   The "blogs" complaining, don't mean shit.

you don't have to agree with me, but whatever. . .

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