Dollywood Discussion Thread

[coasterfreaky]

^They didn't specify a time. I'm thinking that it will be on the news tonight, so maybe 4p, 5p or 6p is my best guess. If the CBS affiliate sent a news crew the day before and got an interview with PR-Pete, then surely they're going back for another interview today to follow-up. I would keep an eye on WVLT at 4 and maybe WBIR at 4 as well. If I see something about it I will post - I'm on alert, lol.

[coasterfreaky]

www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Sneak-peak-of-whats-coming-to-Dollywood-in-2015-285287421.html

 

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Submitted) - Dollywood celebrates its 30th anniversary season in 2015 with a festive nod to its past while unveiling a new project designed to enrich the award-winning theme park for years to come.

 

Officials Wednesday announced an impressive schedule for the upcoming season, including a new contemporary Christian music event, as well as plans for a $5.5 million project to enhance the guest arrival experience.

 

Upon their entrance to Dollywood in 2015, guests will find larger and more easily navigable parking facilities, along with new trams to more efficiently transport them to the front gate.

 

“When we opened Dollywood in 1986, I was just hoping we would have people come through the gate that first day,” Dolly Parton said with a laugh. “At the time, even I couldn’t dream of how much folks would love visiting my Dollywood. I truly can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 30th anniversary than by giving our guests these wonderful festivals, a new music event and, of course, the opening of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort. I’m ready to get started on 30 more years of dreaming!”

 

On Sept. 5, Dollywood’s Rock the Smokies features inspiring contemporary Christian music on stages throughout the park for an incredible time of praise and worship. With a powerful combination of thrilling attractions and dynamic music, Dollywood provides the perfect location for this amazing Labor Day weekend event. Area church youth groups should plan to cap off the summer with this energizing event which is sure to become a hit.

 

Festival of Nations kicks off Dollywood’s 30th anniversary season (March 21- April 20) with many returning guest-favorite acts from the festival’s colorful history. One of Dollywood’s most popular Festival of Nations performing acts, Rhythm of the Dance, returns to mark this special occasion. A Celtic music and dance spectacular, the elaborate stage show celebrates Ireland with a high-energy show featuring authentic instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers. Other returning selections include a steel drum band from Trinidad, The Mariachi Divas and Zambian Vocal Group. New this year is Timber!, a colorful and energetic show which displays epic feats of agility and strength mixed with a traditional French-Canadian soundtrack.

 

Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass (May 23- June 7) marks the beginning of summer and combines the best in bluegrass with the tastiest barbeque in the south! Opening on Memorial Day weekend, Barbeque & Bluegrass features Dollywood’s best bluegrass lineup ever with many concerts from International Bluegrass Music Association award winners. Aspiring chefs will enjoy cooking demonstrations by championship-winning barbeque experts from across the country.

 

Families love spending time together at Dollywood and Great American Summer (June 13-Aug. 2) is designed to give them even more of what they want! Longer park operating hours—10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily—provide the perfect atmosphere to enjoy Dollywood’s world-class rides, shows and attractions. The park’s festive nightly fireworks extravaganza has been reimagined to feature new music and interactive elements to celebrate Dollywood’s 30th anniversary.

With a colorful swatch of orange, red, yellow and gold painted across the Smokies, perhaps the most beautiful time of year to visit Dollywood is during the National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration (Oct. 2– Oct. 31). The sounds of beautiful Southern gospel music ring through the park with multiple free concerts during this festive event, while additional entertainment comes courtesy of special performances by guest artists from Dollywood’s past 30 years!

 

A seven-time winner for Best Christmas Event, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana (Nov. 7 – Jan. 2, 2016) features four million holiday lights and spectacular holiday performances, including Dollywood’s A Christmas Carol, with Dolly Parton’s hologram as the Ghost of Christmas Past. Guests also can experience the fun and excitement of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and his friends who return after their overwhelmingly-popular debut appearance in 2014. From the award-winning shows and elaborate holiday decorations to the twinkling lights and Christmas-themed menus, Dollywood captures the essence of Christmas.

[maverickpoint]

the parking lot will be cool. guess we will have to wait til next year to find out the big news for 2016.

[Philrad71]

^Dude, it got to almost 70 during the day and only lightly sprinkled off and on till about 2, then cleared up entirely. We never waited more than a train for any ride in the park. It was one of the best days for lines ever. Got to see all the Christmas shows we wanted in the evening as well. They ran all the coasters till close. All in all it was an awesome day!

 

Ahhhh....rats!

 

That's what I get for trusting weather dot com!!!

[Firechaser]

That's what I get for trusting weather dot com!!!

That is why you don't trust the overview, you should have looked at the hour by hour.

[dstephe9]

http://www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Sneak-peak-of-whats-coming-to-Dollywood-in-2015-285287421.html?device=phone&c=y

 

Looks like they are redoing the entrance again and adding new shows..

 

I'm looking forward to the contemporary Christian shows, if they are christian rock bands like six flags used to have. Loved seeing the band red at six flags last summer along with hawk nelson and others.. Used to make a yearly trip of that but they canceled it this year.. I guess due to their stage being demolished for the water park

 

I assume these where they announcements they spoke of. Basically just their schedule for next year.. Looks like they are also possibly getting new trams

[jimmiemac02]

I really hate to see Rhythm of the Dance come back. It really wasn't one of my favorite Festival of Nations shows. Someday I hope they bring back the Moscow Circus.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^Agree! That or the acrobats from China.

 

However, Alana's father loves the Riverdance peeps and that sort of music!

 

I love the Bubble dude! I'm just happy that show is coming back.

 

As long as the Holiday Ice show never returns, I will be happy. It way overstayed it's welcome as far as I was conserned.

[jimmiemac02]

^Talk about shows that overstayed their welcome... I'm looking at you Dreamland Drive-In.

[brneff99]

Today was bittersweet...I have wanted to visit the park forever and could never envision an opportunity that would enable me to do so...finally this weekend fell into place and I made the drive over from Nashville this morning...I noticed the temp dropping the entire way w/o putting much thought into it...I knew it was going to be cold...littlle did I know that it would be too cold...temps in the mid to low 30s today resulted in no coaster credits, none, zero, zilch...none operated the entire day...so I put on a smiley face and enjoyed the day as best I could...and man was I impressed...the theming, the detail, the food, the hospitalilty, the layout, it was all amazing...even better than I had anticipated all these years...I took in some shows, had an amazing pot roast and corn bread lunch, took in all the Christmas displays, pretended I was Robb Alvey with my photography, and just imagined how great the coasters really were...I think I was most disappointed to miss out on the Mystery Mine and Thunderhead credits...and the new family coaster looks top notch...

Now I'm not a complainer and the nicest lady was at the exit when I was leaving and asked how my day was and where I was from...when I told her that I was all the way from SoCal and that I had a great time but was sorely disappointed that the rides were closed she took me over to Guest Relations who gave me a Free Day anytime in 2015...just like that...where else does that happen?? Ever?? Its unlikely that my travels will take me there in 2015 but its the point...I didn't ask for one nor was I rude or really complaining...just making conversation...so I leave even more impressed than I could have imagined...now hopefully someday I can come back and get those credits!!

[coasterbill]

Sorry to hear that but I'm glad you had fun anyway. My advice for Smoky Mountain Christmas is that if it's at all possible, wait until the last possible second before deciding to go to the park. We went this weekend too (on Saturday) and it worked out great. We have to travel from New York so we packed the car Friday Morning and planned on having my girlfriend meet me at work but didn't make the call until about 3pm that day even though the car was already packed. We never book a hotel in advance for Dollywood anyway because we just drive until we feel like it's a good time to stop and completely wing it so it's easy to change our minds last minute. I know it's always possible but if it is always leave your options open with SMC.

 

The good news is now you have an excuse to go back to Dollywood and that's always a good thing.

 

Anyway here's my trip report... We left right from work and managed to get within 2 hours of the park before getting a hotel (around 1:30 am) and in the morning we got up at 9 and got there right for opening. This park is absolutely one of my favorite parks in the country and after our first visit last Christmas we've decided to make this an annual tradition. I firmly believe that it's the best "theme park" in America simply because of how authentic the theme is. Disney and Universal have awesome, awesome theming but you still know you're in a theme park when you're there. Dollywood is incredibly immersive and believable and that's one of the major reasons why we love it as much as we do.

 

When we got to the park we immediately went to Firechaser Express but it was closed for a private event (I believe the Coaster Crew's event) and they told us it would be open in 30 minutes. Instead we headed to Wild Eagle for our first ride. Great ride as always... probably my least favorite of the 4 major coasters there but it's still awesome, the other coasters are just better.

 

Next we headed to Tennessee Tornado which is just a flat out amazing coaster. Everything about this ride is amazing from the theming, to the awesome first drop to the unique, super smooth layout that follows. It's really a shame Arrow went out of business when we did. I'd love to have had more rides like Tennessee Tornado in the early 2000's and less uninspired B&M loopers. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those but Tennessee Tornado blows me away every time I ride it.

 

After Tennessee Tornado we went to Firechaser Express and were greeted with a full queue. We decided to "spring" for the super cheap Q2Q Qbot which seemed to function like the platinum flash pass without the re-rides because when you reserved a ride it would always let you in within 5 minutes even though Tennessee Tornado and Thunderhead had a 30 minute wait and Mystery Mine and Firechaser were pushing an hour. Wild Eagle was down the stairs on each side but that's it because it's a people-eater. This thing was so worth the money, especially because you got front row seats to the shows too.

 

Once we got the Q2Q we made our way to Firechaser Express and were blown away by the theming. In pictures I always thought this ride made the area look cluttered but in person this couldn't be further from the truth. The station is beautiful and the ride brings the entire area to life. We bypassed the queue and waited for the front row. I have to say that this is an incredibly fun family coaster and the finale with the great fire effects and backwards launch was great. This was almost as much fun to watch as it was to ride with the huge ploom of smoke following the train out of the show building. Kudos to Dollywood on this great addition. Everyone from teens to little kids seemed to enjoy this ride and even though the crews were really fast the line was huge all day.

 

After Firechaser we reserved Thunderhead and waited for a front seat ride. I had heard from various message boards that the ride was running rougher this year but I learned a long time ago never to listen to enthusiasts and that advice held true here. I love this ride, and in the front it has airtime where it shouldn't even have airtime. It's never ejector air but it's loaded with great floater... this is easily a top 10 wood coaster for me.

 

Speaking of not listening to enthusiasts the only major coaster left was my personal favorite ride in the park and a coaster that absolutely falls within my top 10 way ahead of rides like Bizarro, Skyrush, Montu and a bunch of others that should probably be miles ahead of it but I can't get enough of Mystery Mine. The theming is obviously spectacular... the storyline is great (and a coaster that has a cohesive storyline is impossible to find in the U.S. outside of Disney or Universal parks) and the ride is just absolutely packed from start to finish with great moments.

 

The dark ride style start is great, the insane drop that comes out of nowhere after lift 1 is great and I think this coaster might actually edge out El Toro for my favorite finale of any coaster ever (though El Toro is obviously the better coaster overall). They do an incredible job of making the second lift look terrifying and ominous with the lightning effects that just barely reveal the seemingly endless lift, the dead canary, the screen above the lift and finally the fire effect followed by the surprise final drop, barrel roll and dive loop. I think the fact that the first lift meanders around for awhile before finally dropping is a great tool in the design of the second lift as many riders don't expect that drop to be so immediate and it packs an incredible punch. This ride is amazing and while enthusiasts love to complain about the head banging (that I've never once experienced on this ride in any seat ever) I just can't get enough of it. Kudos to Dollywood for building and maintaining such a great attraction. Rides like this just make me mad at Six Flags and Cedar Fair because not only would they never build it but if they did they would never maintain all of the effects like Dollywood does.

 

Anyway, anyone that knows this park knows it's not all about coasters and while we rode all of the coasters more times than we could count there were definitely a few other highlights

 

The most awesome 90 year old ever

When we were waiting for Blazing Fury we heard the ride operator announce that the "Fire Captain" was sitting right in the front of the train and that she was celebrating her 90th birthday. We were next when the train came back and she gave everyone a thumbs up as the station erupted in cheers. If I'm lucky enough to live that long I'd kill to be like this woman. As a side note, this ride has a really nice pop of air in the front seat and as a 90 year old I could see that being a pretty insane experience.

 

The Food

As far as traditional park food goes, this park is very deserving of the recognition it gets. They're right up there with Knoebels. I wish I could remember the place we went for lunch but it was a buffet style restaurant with the best ham I've ever had in my life. I don't even really like ham but this made me a believer. The chicken lady they have with a microphone walking around and entertaining everyone made this experience even better. We grabbed a few other things to munch on throughout the day and then capped the night off with some of that amazing Cinnamon Bread which is possibly the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my entire life.

 

The Employees

Everyone working at this park just seems happy to be alive. The ride operators in the booths seem a lot older than they do at most parks so you never see the typical "six flags employee" that doesn't really want to be there. These people all take pride in the rides they're running and they always go out of their way to make the guests happy. They're quick too as they generally have younger people hustling to check restraints. By the way I'm not sure how much they pay the older woman running Thunderhead but whatever it is she deserves a raise. She's great.

 

The Shows

We finally got to see our first show as the park as we decided that since the coasters had to close around 8pm due to low temperatures we shouldn't miss out on the hologram Dolly for a second year in a row. I have to admit that I NEVER watch any shows at parks with the obvious exception of Sea World but I went in to this with an open mind and really ended up enjoying it. The hologram effect was really cool and the cast was extremely talented. Shortening a Christmas Carol into a 50 minute show really helped it move along but at the same time the characters were well developed and you didn't really feel cheated out of anything.

 

The Lights

The fact that they go out of their way to make sure every single bulb is perfectly aligned just amazes me. They do Christmas Lights right at this place. Some of my favorite things were the huge tree over by Thunderhead, Mystery Mine's wood supports and of course Craftsman's Valley.

 

Once we got out of the show all of the rides had closed except for Blazing Fury (it was in the 20's and even the Disk-O and Sky Rider closed) so we went into some of the shops and slowly made our way to Blazing Fury. We made Blazing Fury our last ride of the night and then left at park closing, admiring the awesome lights on the way out.

 

I feel like this is a terrible trip report because it seems like the park paid me to write it and I was trying to think of something negative to write to make me sound more objective but I just can't do it... I love this place, I love the people that work there and the coasters are awesome. The only complaint I have is that I live 12 hours away. If anyone hasn't visited Dollywood for Christmas I strongly suggest it.

 

Christmas Card Material...

[GwaziBSRider1]

^ Miss Lillian's Fried Chicken is the name of that restaurant, I believe. Easily my favorite fried chicken out there and the best place to eat in the park!

[cfc]

^Miss Lillian is completely crazy! Especially about chicken!

[dstephe9]

Today was bittersweet...I have wanted to visit the park forever and could never envision an opportunity that would enable me to do so...finally this weekend fell into place and I made the drive over from Nashville this morning...I noticed the temp dropping the entire way w/o putting much thought into it...I knew it was going to be cold...littlle did I know that it would be too cold...temps in the mid to low 30s today resulted in no coaster credits, none, zero, zilch...none operated the entire day...so I put on a smiley face and enjoyed the day as best I could...and man was I impressed...the theming, the detail, the food, the hospitalilty, the layout, it was all amazing...even better than I had anticipated all these years...I took in some shows, had an amazing pot roast and corn bread lunch, took in all the Christmas displays, pretended I was Robb Alvey with my photography, and just imagined how great the coasters really were...I think I was most disappointed to miss out on the Mystery Mine and Thunderhead credits...and the new family coaster looks top notch...

Now I'm not a complainer and the nicest lady was at the exit when I was leaving and asked how my day was and where I was from...when I told her that I was all the way from SoCal and that I had a great time but was sorely disappointed that the rides were closed she took me over to Guest Relations who gave me a Free Day anytime in 2015...just like that...where else does that happen?? Ever?? Its unlikely that my travels will take me there in 2015 but its the point...I didn't ask for one nor was I rude or really complaining...just making conversation...so I leave even more impressed than I could have imagined...now hopefully someday I can come back and get those credits!!

Dollywood is the only park I know that does this.. Even on their website they mention rain checks!! Its kind of hidden but they do give them out not questions asked.. I had a friend who got one due to rain.. He stayed for like 5 hours, rides open, but got tired of the rain and no questions asked got a free day..

 

Dollywood is great about that

[Woodie Warrior]

^Silver Dollar City does the same thing as well.

[DJeXeL]

It's a great Guest Service tool as it brings guests back into the park to spend MORE money.

[dstephe9]

It's a great Guest Service tool as it brings guests back into the park to spend MORE money.

It really does, you leave mad there is a good chance you will never come back.. Leave mad with a free ticket then who knows what will happen.. They will at least pay $10 for parking then food if they do decide to give it one more try [emoji3].. If you don't comeback they at least tried.. Lol

Edited December 15, 2014 by dstephe9

[GwaziBSRider1]

I got two free tickets last year because of the National Roller Coaster Museum exhibit. I was walking around pointing things out to my dad and ogling all of the amazing things inside, and the attendant made the easy deduction that I was an enthusiast. They had a picture in the exhibit that was unidentified and asked if I knew what the ride was. I quickly identified it as Rattler at Fiesta Texas, and a manager kindly gave me two tickets to come back this year as a thank you. It was definitely the best customer service experience I've ever had at a park!

[jimmiemac02]

Went to Dollywood last night. There was nobody there, everything was a walk on including FCE. All coasters stayed open until park close. I was surprised as I thought it got down in the low thirties last night. Anyways while riding the train I saw the clearing people are talking about and it is HUGE! Its about the size of two football fields. Unfortunately, it looks like a parking lot to me. Anyways it was a really good visit and my dad (who hates theme parks) enjoyed it too.

[ernierocker]

Unfortunately, it looks like a parking lot to me.

 

Well, it is going to be a parking lot, so I guess that is the look they are going for.

[coasterbill]

so I guess that is the look they are going for.

 

...I literally just burst out laughing at my desk at work.

[cfc]

Unfortunately, it looks like a parking lot to me.

 

Well, it is going to be a parking lot, so I guess that is the look they are going for.

 

[dstephe9]

Went to Dollywood last night. There was nobody there, everything was a walk on including FCE. All coasters stayed open until park close. I was surprised as I thought it got down in the low thirties last night. Anyways while riding the train I saw the clearing people are talking about and it is HUGE! Its about the size of two football fields. Unfortunately, it looks like a parking lot to me. Anyways it was a really good visit and my dad (who hates theme parks) enjoyed it too.

Depending on the temp and when it got down to the 30's will depend on if they are closed or not..

 

It's not like a thunder storm where they close the ride at first sight of lightening.. If it got down to the 30s twenty mins before the park closed they most likely leave the coasters open.. If its below the temp threshold when the park opens then more and likely the coasters won't open at all.. If it drops to the threshold right at dark the coasters may also start closing as they clear the lines. (Meaning they won't let anyone else line up but will try their best to clear out the line and let the ppl in line ride) but again its not like a storm where they run you out and say come back after.. Its a slower process closing and they will leave everything open as long as they possibly can..

 

This could explain why the coasters didn't close last night BC you are correct it was about 39 at my apartment around 9 last night.. I live here in Knox so Dollywood would be colder

 

This has just been my experience on cold nights

[Garet]

Just saw this on the news (source Daily Mail): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2884467/Dollywood-amusement-park-sued-woman-fell-slippery-ride-suffered-severe-head-injuries.html

 

Amusement park Dollywood is facing a lawsuit after a female patron allegedly suffered severe injuries after going on one of the rides.

 

The Tennessee park, of which country singer Dolly Parton is a co-owner, is being sued by Tedi and Derryl Brown, TMZ reported.

 

Tedi Brown alleges she fell out of a seat on The Waltzing Swinger, then dropped ten feet onto the ground head first, according to the website.

 

Dollywood is accused in the lawsuit of disregarding the weather outside leading to The Waltzing Swinger being dangerous and causing the wounds, TMZ reported.

 

Tedi Brown allegedly suffered both brain damage and broken bones from the incident - and she and her husband are seeking damages worth $475,000 from Dollywood, according to the website.

 

A description page for the ride on the theme park's website says 'Dollywood's Waltzing Swinger soars to new heights of adventure as you glide through the air, 25 feet above Country Fair.'

 

The page also includes a 'Special Attraction Information: Waltzing Swinger is subject to closures during inclement weather conditions, including lightening.'

 

Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens said in a statement to MailOnline 'Out of respect for the process and as a matter of practice, Dollywood does not comment on pending litigation. We look forward to this issue being resolved and anticipate commenting at that time.'

 

Messages seeking comment from Parton's publicist as well as park co-owner Herschend Family Entertainment were not immediately returned.

[coasterbill]

I can't imagine a scenario where someone falls out of a swing ride without doing something stupid. If it comes out that this was the fault of the ride or the park I'll be shocked but I guess since I wasn't there I shouldn't speculate too much.