Dollywood Discussion Thread

[dstephe9]

I was confused when I read that as well. Even LR has more theming in it's queue than WE in my opinion. Probably best theming recently on a ride is firechaser. Fireworks are placed throughout the area even on the ground. 

[Hilltopper39]

I mean the lower que and station area for Wild Eagle has a major national park visitors center vibe to it, atleast it always did to me. Does Tennessee Tornado or Thunderhead have any themeing besides some random junk laying around here and there? No, does it matter? Not really.

[haydn12]

I would recommend 2 days at the park if you plan on seeing all the shows.  

[megan]

1 hour ago, Hilltopper39 said:

I mean the lower que and station area for Wild Eagle has a major national park visitors center vibe to it, atleast it always did to me. Does Tennessee Tornado or Thunderhead have any themeing besides some random junk laying around here and there? No, does it matter? Not really.

It totally matters! It’s a THEME park. Attitudes like yours allows the slide to start.  I used to be so impressed that “good enough” did not seem acceptable for this fairly small regional park. It should be LESS acceptable as they move into the real of national destination. And to use some past examples… Mystery Mine effects haven’t worked in the right sequence (green snaking fuse, green lantern, explosion) in years, the spark fountains that actually told the story of “big Bertha” igniting on FireChaser worked sporadically the first season then never again, the prop burning fireworks have never been cleaned of black soot (making it obvious the effect  has happened over and over, lightning rod had had numerous tools ripped off of the queue work benches and never replaced… etc. the park is NOT as focused on the details as they once were, but I guess neither is Disney, so if that’s their new competition, then they are following right along. 

[Hilltopper39]

1 hour ago, megan said:

It totally matters! It’s a THEME park. Attitudes like yours allows the slide to start.  I used to be so impressed that “good enough” did not seem acceptable for this fairly small regional park. It should be LESS acceptable as they move into the real of national destination. And to use some past examples… Mystery Mine effects haven’t worked in the right sequence (green snaking fuse, green lantern, explosion) in years, the spark fountains that actually told the story of “big Bertha” igniting on FireChaser worked sporadically the first season then never again, the prop burning fireworks have never been cleaned of black soot (making it obvious the effect  has happened over and over, lightning rod had had numerous tools ripped off of the queue work benches and never replaced… etc. the park is NOT as focused on the details as they once were, but I guess neither is Disney, so if that’s their new competition, then they are following right along. 

Yeah my attitude has a lot to do with how the park is designed and operated lol. You can nit pick the place to death if you want but it's still one of the best parks in the country IMO. I'm just saying the themeing now vs the themeing whenever you want to compare it to is all about the same. Mystery Mine is maybe the one exception but it's still just a coaster in a box with a cool facade, it's not exactly on the level of Expedition Everest or whatever you want to compare it to. 

 

[BitterOldHag]

7 hours ago, dstephe9 said:

This time of year crowds can be hit or miss.  It's basically based on weather, a beautiful Spring afternoon will be packed on the weekend.. If it's packed, you might need a day and a half. If not, one day is plenty. My suggestion is one day with timesaver (if busy) or 2 or 3 day pass and spread out the visit.  Especially this time of year when the mornings can be cold, I'd visit afternoons. Personally, if I wasn't local I would do the three day pass, only $10 more than the two

I'd also suggest a weekday visit, if it's warm and pretty, locals flood on weekends making it extra packed

A few years ago I would have told you to come in after 3:00 so the next day is free but they ended that and I don't imagine it will ever come back. It was a nice perk for folks in your situation

For other activities

1.) Hit the mountains! Do a short hike or nature trail

2.) I love the aquarium, yes it's a corporate Ripley's but still a great aquarium

3.) Walk around the island

4.) Visit my wife who manages one of the outlets in Tanger! Who doesn't love outlet shopping (yes I know, most isn't the same quality as the "real" stores).

I spend money and shop when on vacation, some like this some don't

5.) Pick a mountain coaster or two

Jumped in to say make sure you check out Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride in Pigeon Forge and Earthquake The Ride in Gatlinburg.  They are both "Now Open" and always have guests hanging around outside (mainly because they are mannequins!).  These are two of the absolute cheesiest rides I have ever done, but for some reason I giggle like a little kid every time I ride them.  I will say they are both a little scary for young kids as Jurassic Jungle is very loud and incredibly dark, while Earthquake has a giant ape that may frighten kids.  

Also, if you're a Simpsons fan, the "Wigsphere" (aka the Sunsphere) is about 30 miles away in Knoxville and it's free to go up and look through the gold colored windows and enjoy a very yellow view of the city.  Never found any wigs up there though!

And finally, I recommend Local Goat, Applewood Farmhoue and The Old Mill as places to eat.  All 3 were great!

[tndank]

Unfortunately, the Sunsphere is no longer free. They added some displays and now charge $5. Just an FYI. 

[TEDodd]

3 hours ago, Hilltopper39 said:

I mean the lower que and station area for Wild Eagle has a major national park visitors center vibe to it, atleast it always did to me. 

Or some sort of outdoors park, even the loading are keeps the feel.
And it feels similar to the bird show area. And of course the trains still looks great.
(And glad the lines aren't out past the statue anymore...)


FCE just felt like few random items scattered around the queue, but I've only been through 2-3 times.
Not worth the wait to me.

LR has so many areas outside the theming coupled with the long waits it just never felt well themed. A few nice bits (the welding behind the doors). And while the trains at first looked good, that didn't last.

And no, it doesn't matter to me. That's why the tree WWG doesn't bug me and exceeded my expectations.
 

[SSL]

On 3/22/2022 at 11:01 AM, KBrylczyk said:

Dude can you get me a discount on them Dippin' Dots?

Ha. Nah, one season was enough for me to decide that wasn't the job for me... but it was pretty neat to see how things are run from the back end.

[u4icmusic]

On 3/19/2022 at 2:05 PM, swfan1988 said:

All of the major rides have TVs showing a the current wait times, and there's a few of them just scattered around the park. (They will also tell you if Lightning Rod is closed or not) The app will show wait times once you get to the park (It might also work in the parking lot, can't remember now).

I didn't get Timesaver when I went since I went in a weekday where it wasn't needed, but if your going on a weekend it seems like it would be a good idea to get it ahead of time. At the very least it will be great for Firechaser, Tennessee Tornado, Dragonflyer (if it's on there), and Mystery Mine as thoose had the worst lines when I was there.

I would say that even with Timesaver that if you have any inkling about LR being closed to make a left upon entering and beat it back to Firechaser/TT/Mystery Mine.

Other stuff:

-The train is ok. I don't think it's as good as some people say it is, but if you want to ride it line up early as it's super popular and they do count people so it doesn't overfill.

- Gotta get Cinnamon Bread from the Grist Mill. Period. No going around it. Also, be sure to say high to Earl the Turtle

- The right side of Wild Eagle (going left at the split in the queue) has better views of Wildwood Grove and Thunderhead, while the left side (going right in the queue) has better views of the Smokey Mountains.

Congratulations and have fun!!

They sell the exact same cinnamon bread at the bakery right at the front of the park and the line is much shorter.

[TEDodd]

11 hours ago, u4icmusic said:

They sell the exact same cinnamon bread at the bakery right at the front of the park and the line is much shorter.

Usually shorter, but I've seen the line at the bakery go past the end of rne sweet shop, almost to the front porch (back when it was still backstage)

[bert425]

Found on Twitter. . .Dollywood statement on why Dropline has been down Fri/Sat.

 

 

[dstephe9]

It was closed last weekend too, at least Sunday. While I'm sure the fall has something to do with it, that's probably not the only reason. Last Sunday I felt it was closed due to staffing. Again not saying the fall is not an important reason to close it. The fall was tragic and they need to learn what happened

[TEDodd]

On 3/22/2022 at 9:10 AM, coasterbill said:

The only thing that I'd miss is Drop Line and a few infrastructure upgrades.

I'd miss LR as well. My luck with it has been far better than many complaining here and on FB.

Dragon flyer is a good ride too.

It would also be nice to have the Ferris wheels back.

[Vonni]

Just out of curiosity, does Drop Line already have seatbelts?

[coneyislandchris]

11 minutes ago, Vonni said:

Just out of curiosity, does Drop Line already have seatbelts?

Unless something changed since my last visit in 2019, no, it did not.

Doesn't appear to based off this promo photo on their website, either:

[Vonni]

^ The restraint actually looks completely different than the one at Icon park all together. But still, I would not be surprised if seatbelts are added during this closure. I dont blame them though. Its good for their reputation and there is nothing wrong with a little extra safety. 

[TEDodd]

13 hours ago, Vonni said:

^ The restraint actually looks completely different than the one at Icon park all together. But still, I would not be surprised if seatbelts are added during this closure. I dont blame them though. Its good for their reputation and there is nothing wrong with a little extra safety. 

Not "completely" different. Same concept, but no padding on the bars (since it doesn't tilt).
And the bars loop higher and wider to accommodate larger riders.

It's obvious on Drop Line that the bars are not holding you directly, it all the piece at the waist (just like Wild Eagle).
 

[u4icmusic]

I've been to Dollywood three times already this season and the issues plaguing the park for the last two seasons are still happening. Lightning Rod is still having down time and long waits when it is running because they are mostly running it with only 1 train. Wait times have been over two hours when I have gone, so I use the single-rider line to get on much faster or I use the first hour for gold and diamond pass holders to use the Timesaver line. Lines for food and drinks are LONG and many of the food outlets are closed. Strangely, other rides are also experiencing down time. Mystery Mine has been down several times and broke once while I was on the ride. They had to manually lift the restraints and we had to walk along the side of the track to get out. I guess Dollywood's offer to pay for college tuition for staff hasn't helped with staff shortages.

[SharkTums]

^That's a bummer to hear, I really need the parks to get back to where they were pre-pandemic!

[Shavethewhales2]

Once again I'm not sure exactly how it is at DW, but I know at SDC they are now dealing with a lot of "brain drain" as so many of the older employees that used to literally keep the wheels turning smoothly are now retired or quit. Sure they can attract a new generation of younger employees who will work a season or two, but it's not like the old days when you had the same people working for decades and keeping thing going with a certain culture and attitude that you just don't get from someone who doesn't know where they'll be in a few months. 

In any case, it's going to take time to simply get the numbers back up. How close are they to completing that new dorm? Maybe by summer things will improve with staffing. 

[megan]

I think pay continues to be an issue as well. Cedar fair drastically raised pay rates to get a solid staffing (just knowing from experience at Kings Island) and even though they are dialing it back a bit this year, they established a new roster of staff and are mostly dropping the rate only for NEW HIRES meaning those who return and bring that operational knowledge with them, are being compensated for it. I think Hershend got by for a long time on “good will and dedication “ that COVID pretty much decimated. 

[Vonni]

Has anyone seen any new progress on the work site by Wildwood Grove? 

[dstephe9]

It's not only pay, everyone is having issues in the area. There was a local report/survey saying there were 4 jobs for every citizen in the area. My wife got almost a $15 pay raise to travel from Knoxville to Tanger to help fill gaps in the area

[megan]

Has anyone seen the concept art for the summer celebration entrance using the umbrella sky rigging for kites? Fountain looks interesting. Does anyone post anything around here anymore??