Dollywood Discussion Thread

[jmicha]

^Aren't they mostly magnetic? It sounded like they were and that has been pretty typical of B&M coasters over the last few years.

 

For you Dollywood regulars, how busy is the park opening day usually? I am trying to get there between quarters and the only opportunity would be opening day which worries me a bit. The other option is to just go the weekend after and hope that schoolwork isn't too busy. What would you guys suggest for a first time visitor?

[ernierocker]

^I would expect it to be very crowded on the 24th. Would it be possible for you to go Sunday, the 25th? Get there right at opening before the local churches get out.

 

Saturdays will obviously be the days with busiest lines at Dollywood, but now you are adding the grand opening of their highest investment attraction in the history of the park (plus opening day of the season) and you can only imagine how insanely crowded it will probably be. I know Mystery Mine opened with 2 hour plus waits which probably died down quickly after a couple of weeks. I would recommend waiting for another weekend or trying to go that Sunday.

[coasterfreaky]

^^It will be busy on opening day. Kid's Fest will be going on and that is a big draw too. But the good news is that most of the guests are there to see shows and do other things than riding rides, so lines may not be too bad.

[tntornadox]

I remember when Thunderhead first opened... the line stretched all the way down the hill by Strollers. It was ridiculously long and I honestly don't expect much different this time. It will be insanely busy the first few weeks, I think.

[Tanks4me05]

Whoa. Skyrush may still be my most anticipated coaster of the year, but this just jumped way up the list. I miss the roar, but I do admit that it seems a little out of place for a coaster with this theme.

 

I think that I'm slowly approaching the speed of light, because the closer I get to New Hotness, the longer it seems to take to get to July 31st.

[chargersmichael]

I agree with the roar...I thought it would be a quiet coaster because of the theme...hope you don't hear it on the ground.

[adavis]

Sorry if this has been discussed to death, but does anyone know the height requirement for Wild Eagle? The Dollywood site lists it at 50", and that just seems impossible, I can't recall ever seeing a B&M that wasn't 54".

 

http://www.dollywood.com/ride-q75-Wild_Eagle___Coming_in_2012.aspx

[A.J.]

The new vest restraints probably have something to do with that.

[coasterfreaky]

That brings up a good question - I wonder how will the test seat work if the "vest part" indeed conforms to your body? Will there be an attendant that will have to be there to operate the test seat? Otherwise, i see lots of people being denied a ride on the platform...and that is going to slow the process down.

 

I saw X-flights min. height requirement is listed at 54"...so i guess they did not request customized seats/restraints. ALSO, the Maximum Height Requirement listed for W.E. is 6'6"....for those really tall folks out there.

[oriolat]

I can't recall ever seeing a B&M that wasn't 54".

 

Superman: Atracción de Acero at Parque Warner used to have a 48 inch height restriction when it opened. Then it was raised to 54 inch.

[slappybob]

So does anyone have any idea what could replace Timer Tower? I would like to see a windseeker type ride themed like a tree like Timer Tower but Dollywood already has Shyrider so i dont know any ideas?

[ernierocker]

^Timber Tower hasn't been removed yet. They are still in litigations with Huss so nothing has been decided yet.

 

Please review your posts before hitting submit. You managed to say Timer Tower twice.

[swiver]

I'd love to see an Intamin gyro drop, but that'd never happen. It would be really cool to see the smoky mountains from that high up, but it would ruin the park skyline (or lack thereof).

[coasterfreak101]

^Timber Tower hasn't been removed yet. They are still in litigations with Huss so nothing has been decided yet.

 

Their lawsuit was settled just a few days ago, and according to Theme Park Tourist (not my words, of course) the ride is unlikely to ever open again.

 

Dollywood has confirmed that its Timber Tower ride is likely to remain closed on a permanent basis, after reaching a settlement with the attraction's manufacturer.

 

The park revealed yesterday that it had agreed a deal to end a long-running dispute with HUSS Park Attractions and Huss Parts & Services. The terms of the deal remain confidential, but it appears that it does not include any requirement for the companies to restore Timber Tower to operations.

 

Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens told Theme Park Tourist that Timber Tower "has not operated for more than 18 months and is likely not to reopen". The ride, which opened in 2006, is one of only two HUSS Topple Tower rides in North America, with the other still in operation at Marine Land in Niagara falls. It was purchased from HUSS Maschinefabrik, from which the two current HUSS companies were formed after it fell into insolvency.

 

Timber Tower sees guests boarding a 40-person gondola, which rises to the top of a tower. It then rotates as the tower topples back and forth. The ride has suffered from a range of technical problems since its debut, including a high-profile incident in 2007 when 40 riders became stranded on it for around 3 hours.

Edited February 11, 2012 by ernierocker

[ernierocker]

I'd love to see an Intamin gyro drop, but that'd never happen. It would be really cool to see the smoky mountains from that high up, but it would ruin the park skyline (or lack thereof).

 

They could always do a themed indoor drop tower like Phantasialand's Mystery Tower.

 

^Timber Tower hasn't been removed yet. They are still in litigations with Huss so nothing has been decided yet.

 

Their lawsuit was settled just a few days ago, and according to Theme Park Tourist (not my words, of course) the ride is unlikely to ever open again.

 

Thanks, hadn't heard that yet.

[Shavethewhales]

I'd hate to see a drop tower at either SDC or DW unless they were really creative with it. Talk about completely throwing away the traditions and values of the parks and ruining the ambiance that used to make them special. There have however been concepts thrown around about a smaller shot/drop/combo tower that would be partially enclosed and heavily themed. The various iterations of concept art all looked like S&S towers with slightly bigger carriages than normal. Maybe they've been in talks with them... There aren't all that many good flat manufacturer's left for these large scale, high quality, high capacity flats.

 

I've seen them throw a frissbee concept around as well. I think one was mentioned as an option for the area behind County Fair at one point.

[swiver]

I'd love to see an Intamin gyro drop, but that'd never happen. It would be really cool to see the smoky mountains from that high up, but it would ruin the park skyline (or lack thereof).

 

They could always do a themed indoor drop tower like Phantasialand's Mystery Tower.

 

That would be pretty awesome, I wonder what they could theme it to? Maybe something relating to Mystery Mine...like Nemesis and its indoor drop tower counterpart.

[ernierocker]

There are a lot of options really with the obvious choice being a giant tree to match the Timber Canyon theme. Seeing how Timber Tower was essentially a tree, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to imagine a taller one in its place.

[QueerRudie]

There are a lot of options really with the obvious choice being a giant tree to match the Timber Canyon theme. Seeing how Timber Tower was essentially a tree, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to imagine a taller one in its place.

 

Why is it that I see you sending a model of an Inty Drop Tower shaped like a tree to the park GM?

 

R.D. "And people think I'm nuts over Herr Achterbahn?"

[PhilipB]

I'd like to see them use that area as a sit-down style restaurant. That end of the park is lacking one and that area would be Perfect!

[dragonskeep]

There are a lot of options really with the obvious choice being a giant tree to match the Timber Canyon theme. Seeing how Timber Tower was essentially a tree, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to imagine a taller one in its place.

 

I think thats a pretty cool idea.

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

They could always do a themed indoor drop tower like Phantasialand's Mystery Tower.

Yes, please! I love that thing so much!

[Ed Farmer]

There are a lot of options really with the obvious choice being a giant tree to match the Timber Canyon theme. Seeing how Timber Tower was essentially a tree, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to imagine a taller one in its place.

 

Hopefully it's a second-gen tree. Maybe they can replant the one from Kennywood.

[coasterlover420]

That brings up a good question - I wonder how will the test seat work if the "vest part" indeed conforms to your body? Will there be an attendant that will have to be there to operate the test seat? Otherwise, i see lots of people being denied a ride on the platform...and that is going to slow the process down.

Riders aren't usually rejected on weight alone, it has to do with whether or not the seat belt will buckle, which you can easily determine with a test seat and proper signage (which GP never use/read anyway).

[Masquerade]

Come to think about it, when I went to Dollywood three years ago, the damn thing was maybe open 30 minutes out of the eight hours I was there.

 

I could see a nice drop tower as a replacement if part of the ride was underground and the portion above ground covered, might even allow for a dark ride hybrid.