Dollywood Discussion Thread

[Dollywoodlover20]

If I remember correctly his name was "Buzz" haha. Back when Mystery Mine first opened, I noticed above the head in a secret spot the kids wouldn't notice, they had a camera that obviously had a mic. When kids would speak to it he would know their names and even talk to their parents. Not sure if they can't find anybody to continue to operate it like they used to or if the system didn't work out.

 

I found this on Screamscape while searching about 2016, for anyone who has been to the park you will have seen this, but I myself have not been yet. Apparently a fence has been placed all around Cas Walkers and even further down. My guess is the announcement of Rockin' Roadway to close is soon to come.

[ernierocker]

They are definitely doing some work back there.

[Dollywoodlover20]

Now that I see that picture in particular, I can see that old garage being made into the start of the queue, then it wrapping all into Cas' and the coaster being out back. I mean if you look up the history of Cas Walker, yes he was a Grocery Store owner in Sevierville, but he also had a few gas stations. Racing fuel? Launch?

[Taylor Finn]

I am on a trip with the band and cheer for Pitt for the women's basketball tournament. After we won our first round game and extended our stay by two days, I asked the director if he thought we could get a trip to Dollywood paid for for our day off today and he pulled some strings for us and we all got to go. It was a great return for me. Firechaser Express was the big addition since I was there last on the New Hotness trip in 2012. It's definitely the perfect ride for any family. Thrilling enough to satisfy anyone I think. Cinnamon bread was great as usual (bought another loaf for breakfast tomorrow). Lines were really short all day. Did the coasters (a few re rides), Mountain Slidewinder (3x), the train, and a few flats between 11:30 and 6. Felt like Mystery Mine may have shaken me up more than last time, Wild Eagle felt like it was running a bit faster than 2012 (am I crazy?) and Thunderhead was still wicked good. A great trip!

[coasterfreaky]

This is the only mention in the news I could find about the new coaster. Announcement Soon.

 

WVLT news story about Dollywood's 30th Opening Day

 

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Dolly Parton came back to her hometown to announce some major events happening in Dollywood's 30th season Friday, including a concert series featuring some of her closest friends.

 

This is the theme parks third decade nestled in the hills of The Great Smoky Mountains. Along with the musical events, Parton said the park will have 30 major announcements in the coming months.

 

"They'll be announcing several new things, they got surprises for the guest, and we got a whole lot of great things, so it's going to be a whole year of celebration," Parton said.

 

Among the coming attractions is DreamMore Resort, that will feature more than 300 rooms and hotel suites, along with other privileges for guests. The resort is taking reservations for visits, the earliest of which start August 2015

 

Parton also said they'll announce a new attraction for Dollywood to open in 2016.

 

“Supposedly it's the most expensive one yet,” she said, “which means it will be the best one year. That announcement is coming real soon.”

 

The concert series will feature Parton kicking off the two-day music festival, and will end with Kenny Rodgers. Officials hope it will raise at least $1 million for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. That series should be ready to kick off in August.

 

“We don't know exactly who's coming now, but we've put the word out so they can work it into their schedules. We're going to be announcing some other big stars coming in really soon.”

 

Tickets will be offered to season pass holders first, then will go on sale to the general public.

 

Throughout the opening weekend, Parton plans to stay around the park and make several special appearances.

 

The 30th season kicks off Saturday, with the first big event being the Festival of Nations

[coasterfreaky]

If I remember correctly his name was "Buzz" haha. Back when Mystery Mine first opened, I noticed above the head in a secret spot the kids wouldn't notice, they had a camera that obviously had a mic. When kids would speak to it he would know their names and even talk to their parents. Not sure if they can't find anybody to continue to operate it like they used to or if the system didn't work out.

 

Somehow, Buzz is connected to SFOG. I believe he may be from there. SDC bought the Cloud Grabber ride from SFOG, so maybe there was some connection in some way...idk the whole story obvs.

[WildEagle2014]

Saturday I promised a thorough park update..and now that the weekend is over, we've had time to go through all the photos taken over the three days we were at the park. Friday and Saturday were mostly spent attending all of Dolly's appearances throughout the park.

 

Friday morning we arrived at the park around 8:30 am in order to be able to attend Dolly's 30th anniversary announcement and media event. Some of us got to use the premium parking, so most of the group parked at the new DreamMore guest parking lot and came through the new entrance. It turns out that the new lot also is the location of the preferred parking area and the bus lot. More on that later.

 

Some Dolly fans had been waiting outside the entrance since about 5:30 am, and by the time we entered the park the line was almost to the parking lot. We finally made it in Celebrity Theater at 10:00 am, and pretty soon afterwards it was completely packed. From 10:00 am to 10:30 the audience was treated to one or two songs each from a few of the new shows...then the 30th anniversary slideshow was played. At the end The screen lifted up to reveal Dolly behind a giant 30th anniversary logo.

Many at the theater hoped she would be announcing the 2016 attraction or give out 30 year season passes like she did on the 20th anniversary. Instead, Dolly announced the return of the Showcase of the Stars concert series, which as been absent from the park more then a decade. Season pass holders will get to be the first to purchase tickets to her kickoff concerts, which are scheduled for August 8-9. She also confirmed that Dollywood would be opening or kicking off something new and unique every month of the 2015 season. After answering some questions from the media, Dolly performed Rocky Top with the Festival of Nations cast members before making her exit.

 

 

We then made our way to the Showstreet Palace Theater to attend the new Festival of Nations show from Quebec...Timber! It's more of a comedy with some acrobatics and dangerous ax juggling and throwing mixed in. We had mixed feelings about it..some portions just seemed a bit slow and uninteresting, but I would definitely recommend going. They might just need to work on it a bit more, and the athletics are amazing!

 

 

Dolly surprised the crowd by making her first show appearance of the day in an awesome lumberjack outfit. After speaking to the crowd a few minutes about the anniversary once more she went on to the next show.

 

 

Las Pampas Gouchos show at The Pines Theater was next. This was my first time seeing this one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it along with the rest of the crowd. This is one show during Festival of Nations you do not want to miss. It was nearing the end of the show when...surprise surprise! Dolly took the stage again to welcome the crowd and performers to Dollywood! The gauchos presented Dolly with a pair of her own bolas, which she was sport enough to try out for the audience.

 

 

There had been light showers off and on all throughout the day, so the parade had to be cancelled. The crowds were pretty manageable since many had come to see Dolly and hung out around ShowStreet and Jukebox Junction.

Not too much in the way of crowds!

[WildEagle2014]

Saturday morning we returned to the park at 9:00 am to find the lower lots already full, so we decided to try the premium parking again. It costs $22 for regular park guests and season pass holders, and $10 for gold season pass holders. The upper lot is completely finished and looks great!

 

 

Dolly was originally confirmed to attend the Timber show in the morning, but after waiting two hours we were told she wouldn't be coming after all. Soon after some guests reported seeing her doing a news interview at the carousel but she was gone when we arrived. After getting some lunch we waited at the DP Celebrity Theater again to attend The Music of the Dance Irish show. This is without a doubt the best show during Festival of Nations and blew the audience away. Soon Ms. Parton arrived from The Pines Theater for her last show appearance of opening weekend (we had missed her other appearance with the Gouchos due to overlapping showtimes).

 

The day had started out a bit chilly with a chance of rain, but by 4:00 pm the sun was shining and temps were in the upper 60's so the parade was still on. At 4:30 the parade began, but unlike previous years it began at the new entrance and went through the park to The Village instead of ending at Showstreet. Dolly looked amazing in her red, white, and blue outfit!

trim.503716A0-F4A5-4E87-B823-2001387A6267.MOV

[WildEagle2014]

We finished up the evening with a couple of rides on Wild Eagle and Thunderhead before heading to The Island for the evening. Sunday we visited the park to ride the attractions and check out everything we missed on Friday and Saturday. There has been so much done around the park, it's just amazing and I'm sure we missed lots of stuff!

Showstreet Palace Theater

The new premium, VIP, and resort guest entrance to the park.

Welcome to Dollywood!

The new ticket station at the new entrance.

The entrance wasn't too busy this weekend.

The new gates at the Splash Country intersection weren't in operation all weekend.

The new entry road through the parking lot...the finished portion at least.

Behind the new entrance.

The Welcome to Dollywood sign is missing from the side of the emporium.

Group ticket station turnstiles are gone since they will all enter through the new entrance! Now the queue is for the new centralized measuring station.

Parking attendants had to direct traffic to the new premium parking area due to a lack of signage in the lot yet.

The new concrete between Showstreet Palace and the entrance is awesome!

The flags are up on the ticket booths!

Sunday afternoon the crowds had greatly diminished.

Welcome to the 2015 season at Dollywood!

Floating lockers cost six and allow you to use a code to pay once and secure your items as you go from ride to ride.

There are two types of lockers...all day lockers go for 8 dollars and allow for all day access.

Here's the new lockers that are all over the park.

All the old poles along the parking lot have been recycled along the Timbwr Canyon pathway to hold planters.

A new retaining wall is up alongside the path to Timber Canyon.

The old fencing is gone along the train trestle. Looks a lot better in our opinion.

The landscaping looks nice thanks to the new mulch.

Running smooth as always, thanks to a few new sections of track!

Looks like Thunderhead's queue will be getting a new shade soon.

Thunderhead's a'rollin!

Best ride at the park in my opinion.

Sunday lines were minimal, allowing guests to enjoy the coasters much sooner!

Mystery Mine got this...not quite sure what it's for.

Fire Chaser Express still had the longest lines of any of the attractions.

Lools like it's gonna have another good year of attendance.

[WildEagle2014]

Q2Q is no more...now replaced by TimeSaver to match DSC!

The walls are up!

The walls are up around Cas Walkers. Wonder what's going on back there?

The new tram station is HUGE!

For those in denial...the fountain is indeed gone. Replaced with picnic tables!

[coasterfreaky]

^Great pics, thanks for sharing them. I like the new tram station, its massive. It should be better equipped to handle the big masses of people, esp at Christmas when the park closes. New resort entrance looks great. Parking will eventually get all the kinks worked out, but I like the look of the bright white fencing and the new tram gates at the busy intersections. Looking good, Dollywood!

[brenthodge]

MAJORLY disappointed that they went to all the trouble to repave Craftsmans Valley and they went went BLACK ASPHALT. If DW wants to take it up a notch its time to start investing in area appropriate paving. They had a perfect opportunity here to do something amazing and then took the lazy way out. The fountain area looks really bad - you can totally tell where they just patched asphalt in. The fountain was looking rough the last year or so, but this looks awful. I think they could have added some landscaping or at least some hardscape change here to make it look less like - HEY we ripped something out and dumped asphalt here. The repaints on the craftsman valley and Tornado buildings are too bright - there doesn't seem to be any aging or character paint on them to make them look more thematically appropriate. It really seems like they try to knock out SO much in such a short "off" season that they really don't get it all done well. I think its time the invest in some attractive construction walls and scrims so they can work during the "regular" season. Overall park looks nice, but not GREAT like I would want to see for a milestone year.

[WildEagle2014]

I hate to say it, but there was plenty of signs around the park that much of the work had been rushed in the last couple of weeks leading up to the opening. Most of this was due to the snowstorms that came through in February.

All the Time Saver queus still have not been updated with new signage.

The new Welcome to Dollywood entrance sign is still just a row of cinder blocks.

Park maps throughout the park were missing all weekend.

As shown before...park signs still point the way to Rudolph's Holly Jolly Junction.

Pieces of Christmas lights and staples are scattered throughout the park.

Worst was the parking lot. The entire thing was a mixed up mess of half paved, half resurfaced asphalt.

Some portions had no lines painted, making parking on Saturday a nightmare.

Edited March 24, 2015 by WildEagle2014

[christianscoasters]

You must have had an absolutely horrible time since you made sure to take pictures of everything you thought was wrong. That sucks.

[Vonni]

^ Agreed! Some people are just so nitpicky. DW is still leaps and bounds one of the best Parks in the Country.

[WildEagle2014]

Well it is apparent that some people either just can not read or do not know what a trip report is. My trip report on Dollywood was just that, A TRIP REPORT. That is to include the good, the bad, the right, the wrong and all in-between. When one visits a park, do you think the good and great is all that is noticed? When a first time visitor goes to Dollywood and walks around and notices the sections of Christmas lights cut and stripped still hanging off building etc. that they would say, "oh it's okay, it's Dollywood"? Do you think a Golden Ticket would be won with the park in the condition it currently is? No, that's why people notice these things and point them out.

 

"WildEagle2014, thank you for your 'eagle eye' and noticing things around the park that my team and I missed. I know exactly where these Christmas lights are now thanks to your pics and we will be sure to get those down ASAP. And the Holly Jolly Junction signs were just not thought of. Thanks again for your report"

 

There is just a small clip of a private message sent to me after that park review was posted. Again, this is why park trip reports are done, to keep the park informed also. Believe it or not, theme park employees read these boards as well. And just to clarify for anyone, this past weekend was THE BEST trip that I have ever made to Dollywood. I have been there a hundred times and this was far the best one yet. It was filled with friends and great times and finally getting the opportunity to meet Dolly was just amazing. So yes, it was an amazing trip and I pointed those things out as well, but I will always point out the bad along with the good.

[Shavethewhales]

^I understand where you are coming from, but like I've said many times before, it's very important to be careful with how you present criticism. Otherwise it starts to come off as bitchy very quickly and it gets tuned out.

 

What strikes me about these photos is that DW is held to a higher standard than your run-of-the-mill amusement park/fun fair. And that's a good thing. Some of it really doesn't matter though, such as the uncompleted sign. Parking is an issue though... honestly HFEC's recent parking jobs have been ridiculously troublesome. SDC's is still a huge mess, and some of this looks similar.

[ernierocker]

I don't even know what Holly Jolly Junction is and I have been to the park dozens of times!

 

The park definitely wasn't 100% up and running opening weekend. I am sure that had a lot to do with the two weeks of snow the area had in February. There are potholes all over East Tennessee now, so Dollywood's parking lot isn't an exception.

[ECZenith]

For the locals and frequent visitors...

 

With rumors of a dive machine coming to Cedar Point in 2016, and Fury looking extremely promising... the girlfriend and I have decided to reroute our GPS South for a first time visit to Dollywood, as well as BG, KD, and CW on the way home.

 

We will be at the park June 15th (Monday) and hope that will be a good day to avoid large crowds. Did we choose wisely? We will be staying at a hotel on the turnpike and it looks like there are lots of attractions in the surrounding area we want to check out in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I am a huge haunted house fan, and I see that there is a unique looking "Ripley's Haunted Adventure" as well as an aquarium I would like to check out. How are these two attractions quality wise? Worth the moeny to visit? Are there any other haunted houses in the area that are a must see? I also will be riding my first mountain coaster on this trip, and it looks amazing, are there more than one in the PF?Gatlinburg area?

 

As far as within Dollywood, do the lines get insane for Mystery Mine, Thunderhead and Wild Eagle? As a B&M fanboy I can't wait to try out Wild Eagle's more traditional drop versus the only other wing coaster I have been on (Gatekeeper). Is it amazing as it looks?

 

Thanks for helping out a yankee on his first time at what seems to be an amazingly beautiful park.

[ernierocker]

^Check out Mysterious Mansion in Gatlinburg. Ripley's Haunted Adventure and Mysterious Mansion are both cheesy, but if you are big fan of haunted houses, you should enjoy them. You should also be able to get a discount on buying any Ripley attraction tickets together. The Aquarium is included in that.

 

https://www.facebook.com/Mysterious.Mansion

[brenthodge]

I don't think anyone here is being NIT PICKY, people are just observing things that could be better. I think if you are striving to be a major player in the next few years, you need to be aware of these things and how they look to the first time visitor (as you will be getting a loot of those as you go "national". It just seems like they could stand an extra few weeks of padding IN CASE of bad weather - hey, it happens to all of us everywhere. Maybe if they officially opened the first of April? That would give them an extra few weeks. Even if these last two weeks of March were billed as "preview" season, like when a show has paid previews with the guest expectation that everything may not be 100% on stage yet. There is also the expectation that critics won't review the show until it officially opens. They could even do a slightly reduced price. I just think they are pushing it to get these things done in between the first of Jan and mid March and obviously not getting it done to their usual standards. I think everyone here wants to see this park be as amazing as it has always been and not let their "aspirations" get the better of them and loose the very high level that has made them stand out in the first place.

[dstephe9]

^Check out Mysterious Mansion in Gatlinburg. Ripley's Haunted Adventure and Mysterious Mansion are both cheesy, but if you are big fan of haunted houses, you should enjoy them. You should also be able to get a discount on buying any Ripley attraction tickets together. The Aquarium is included in that.

 

https://www.facebook.com/Mysterious.Mansion

I was going to say this also.. I like Mysterious Mansion as well, almost better than Ripley's!

[dstephe9]

I don't think anyone here is being NIT PICKY, people are just observing things that could be better. I think if you are striving to be a major player in the next few years, you need to be aware of these things and how they look to the first time visitor (as you will be getting a loot of those as you go "national". It just seems like they could stand an extra few weeks of padding IN CASE of bad weather - hey, it happens to all of us everywhere. Maybe if they officially opened the first of April? That would give them an extra few weeks. Even if these last two weeks of March were billed as "preview" season, like when a show has paid previews with the guest expectation that everything may not be 100% on stage yet. There is also the expectation that critics won't review the show until it officially opens. They could even do a slightly reduced price. I just think they are pushing it to get these things done in between the first of Jan and mid March and obviously not getting it done to their usual standards. I think everyone here wants to see this park be as amazing as it has always been and not let their "aspirations" get the better of them and loose the very high level that has made them stand out in the first place.

Dollywood normally has time to get everything done that needs to be done.. I believe this year just caught them off guard.

 

They are making major changes, bigger changes than most parks are making during the off season.. Once they make it through their transition I am sure they will be fine with only two and a half months closed

[Thrilljunkie25]

Hello Everyone

First Post coming on here.

 

I'm going way off topic here but I've lived in Knoxville my whole life and I've always gone to Dollywood numerous times a year. But I'm wondering if someone can answer this question. So I know Dollywood has 3 trains total (besides the one next to the welcome center), The White Pass 70 Cinderella, the White Pass 71 which is in pieces (and never ran at Dollywood I assume?), and Klondike Katie #192. I know that Katie tends to be used most of the time and is the *star train* of Dollywood, but the random question I have is does anyone know how they determine which engine to use, or is there some kind of schedule??

 

Thanks!

[WildEagle2014]

Hello Everyone

First Post coming on here.

 

I'm going way off topic here but I've lived in Knoxville my whole life and I've always gone to Dollywood numerous times a year. But I'm wondering if someone can answer this question. So I know Dollywood has 3 trains total (besides the one next to the welcome center), The White Pass 70 Cinderella, the White Pass 71 which is in pieces (and never ran at Dollywood I assume?), and Klondike Katie #192. I know that Katie tends to be used most of the time and is the *star train* of Dollywood, but the random question I have is does anyone know how they determine which engine to use, or is there some kind of schedule??

 

Thanks!

 

 

Cinderella has been down for some time due to boiler issues not holding steam and other mech issues. She is sitting in the train shop torn down right now. Each time they think she's fixed and put her back into rotation, she breaks down again. But yes #71 has never ran at Dollywood and sadly, never will.

 

Along with #71, Silver Dollar City also received the fire burnt remains of White Pass #72. It was built by Baldwin in 1947 and ran on the WP until 1964. The roundhouse fire of 1969 destroyed all but the chassis and some scrap parts and it was also sold to SDC in 1977 along with #70 and #71. Dollywood scrapped everything left of #72 in 1999. There is nothing left of her.

 

#107, a 2-8-0 built for the Smoky Mountain Railroad is a 4ft 8 1/2 inch standard gauge locomotive. It has never ran on the Dollywood tracks either and has been on display at the parks entrance since Rebel Railroad opened in 1961.

 

Hope this helps.