Dollywood Discussion Thread

[dstephe9]

^^ & ^ It's impossible to know that. Maybe the DW staff is completely pissed off behind the scenes, or maybe they are completely understanding. We could only vaguely speculate based on what we know about them, which is nothing.

 

That said, delays on major projects are part of the game in this country because we have high standards and regulations. If it were a huge issue, most companies wouldn't stick around very long.

 

The only company I'd be worried about is the vendor who supplied the original launch equipment. This was their time to break into a new niche and they shot themselves in the foot.

This is my answer. I feel the same way you do.. To the GP they look fine with RMC and I personally feel the are.. But anyone on here that says "no it won't" or "yes it will" is simply speculating.

 

Now, if this drags out and RMC doesn't get it working correctly it might be a different story.. I feel RMC is a better company than Hess was so I personally feel RMC will get it right

 

Dollywood has taken a lot of flack not getting this open on time so we don't know what's going on behind the curtain.. But my opinion at this time is no, it won't hurt Dollywoods and RMCs relationship

[snapfordakids]

It's nice to see we have so many marketing experts in addition to coaster experts here. That way we can have twice the amount of back seat driving.

Not a coaster expert but I work in the marketing industry and our company even holds a marketing and promotional product account for Quassy and Six Flags New England so I'll share my marketing thoughts freely regardless of the fact that people get attacked for doing so here.

 

I don't see how people who work in a relevant-to-the-discussion industry sharing their experience and perspective is so irritating.

 

Thank you! Why is the majority of people on this board so annoying? It's a place for discussion Period! So lets just Discuss instead of trying to tell people what you can and cannot talk about.

 

How can you tell someone they are not an expert on a subject but yet you have no idea who they are, or who they may know or what kind of education they might have on that subject or what kind of career they have? Not everyone on this board is a pre-teen. It's just baffling to me.

[Brent York]

Saw the commercial again this morning.

[Brent York]

Eitherway, not defending Dollywood, but people should still research your trip fully before you go.. I hope Dollywood does pull the ad today though

The GP isn't going to research. And really they should be able to rely on what DW tells them on TV just as much as what they tell them on their website, FB, etc. I've seen websites show false info too. And it bit me once.

[Dollywoodlover20]

Saw the commercial again this morning.

Haha as did I. I was having breakfast right before class and as I left mom texted me and says "Is Lightning Rod open? You said it was closed, TV is saying it's open." Usually in the mornings our Fox station is linked up with WBIR's broadcasting, so we get all the great Tennessee things.

[tubs023]

My Lord...People are now defending false advertisement. False advertising is any published claim that is deceptive or untruthful. DW can do either of the two. Pull the commercial or replace it. It is as simple as that. I've bought ads for radio and tv and cut the the slot. It is very simple to replace a commercial especially a few days out.

[jjzadero]

^I've been thinking the same thing. Like, people are actually here saying that it's ok for Dollywood to false advertise? Just because they're Dollywood? Umm... no. It's not ok for Dollywood, it's not ok for anyone. If they are really running ads saying that Lightning Rod is "now open," that HAS to stop. End of.

[coasterbill]

It's nice to see we have so many marketing experts in addition to coaster experts here. That way we can have twice the amount of back seat driving.

Not a coaster expert but I work in the marketing industry and our company even holds a marketing and promotional product account for Quassy and Six Flags New England so I'll share my marketing thoughts freely regardless of the fact that people get attacked for doing so here.

 

I don't see how people who work in a relevant-to-the-discussion industry sharing their experience and perspective is so irritating.

 

It's not. The problem is for every one person who has "relevant-to-the-discussion" professional experience there are ten more people that are just making sh*t up and speaking with unbelievable authority as if they're experts.

 

Like this...

 

^I've been thinking the same thing. Like, people are actually here saying that it's ok for Dollywood to false advertise? Just because they're Dollywood? Umm... no. It's not ok for Dollywood, it's not ok for anyone. If they are really running ads saying that Lightning Rod is "now open," that HAS to stop. End of.

[jjzadero]

I do not need authority on any subject to express the opinion that a business should not flat out lie to potential customers in their advertising.

[Dollywoodlover20]

I was not defending Dollywood even though they're my closest home park (either them or KY Kingdom) and I love them. I was just simply saying the commercial is STILL running and that if it does keep running and if the GP doesn't do their research before going (majority won't) they'll be disappointed and cause another up roar.

[bachir]

I'm surprised at the lack of rumors or speculation around Lightning Rod openeing. Someone is keeping this pretty close to the vest.

[coasterdude5]

I'm surprised at the lack of rumors or speculation around Lightning Rod openeing. Someone is keeping this pretty close to the vest.

I was just thinking the same thing. Especially with the park open, you'd think the Dippin Dots guy would be quite the chatty Kathy. And what happened to the rogue Instagrammer (Danny?)?

 

I have a feeling I'll be riding Storm Chaser before Lightning Rod, but I hope I'm wrong.

[Jodon]

I've been at the park the last few days and I haven't seen anything happening on the lift for Lightning Rod when I can see it.

[HTF]

I've been at the park the last few days and I haven't seen anything happening on the lift for Lightning Rod when I can see it.

 

Perhaps they are waiting for parts from another company or better yet a RUSHED ORDER of an entire launch system.

[Jodon]

Double post. Stupid Tapatalk.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Jodon

[SFOG1991]

It's both hilarious and disappointing to see that people aren't free to express their opinions on how parks and coasters work on a theme park forum. Even if it is speculation, it's still conversation. Just because we don't have all the information doesn't mean we can't analyze the situation and provide our own insight.

 

In regards to the commercial, Dollywood is dropping the ball on that one and technically that could result in a fine or lawsuit from the FTC (although they have bigger fish to fry). Dollywood could easily face a fine and corrective advertising by law, but I doubt it would come to that. Either way, they are able to cut or change the televised ad. They really should do so from a moral and customer satisfaction standpoint at least. We may know better, but members of the "general public" could easily see that ad and take it seriously.

[Shavethewhales]

You can have inaccuracies in advertisements without it being "false advertising". The delay in opening is unexpected, and not DW's fault. The ads can't easily be updated or pulled without a lot of unnecessary expense. It might lead to some disappointment for a few guests, but it's really not the end of the world.

 

I think the problem with the discussions on here lately is that too many of you are trying to get on one side or the other when most of these issues aren't or shouldn't be binary. Most of this stuff you just have to reason through - it isn't all black and white.

[SFOG1991]

^I agree it definitely isn't black and white. I don't think people are necessarily one sided so much as they are over-expressing one side to counter the other.

 

At the end of the day it isn't Dollywood's fault that the ride isn't ready, but it is up to them how they want to handle the fact that it isn't ready.

 

I'm just waiting until it opens and then jumping in my car and heading to ride it!

[Dollywoodlover20]

With Danny being quiet, I was watching a video of a behind the scenes tour of Mystery Mine and on camera someone caught a large bulletin posted on the board for Ops, Hosts, etc about Lightning Rod. Couldn't read it but what I could read said "LIGHTNING ROD: Where we are as of now......" Then a large paragraph. The next section was "What YOU can do" then it listed many things. So not sure if they're cracking down on a don't speak don't post status. The other guy who works at Wild Eagle isn't posting anything either. (He was actually supposed to be a ride op on Lightning Rod).

[jimmiemac02]

With Danny being quiet, I was watching a video of a behind the scenes tour of Mystery Mine and on camera someone caught a large bulletin posted on the board for Ops, Hosts, etc about Lightning Rod. Couldn't read it but what I could read said "LIGHTNING ROD: Where we are as of now......" Then a large paragraph. The next section was "What YOU can do" then it listed many things. So not sure if they're cracking down on a don't speak don't post status. The other guy who works at Wild Eagle isn't posting anything either. (He was actually supposed to be a ride op on Lightning Rod).

 

Here it is

[coasterdude5]

The ads can't easily be updated or pulled without a lot of unnecessary expense.

But they can. And it's so easy to do, especially if they already have a spot that says "spring 2016." And if they don't, a production company is unlikely to charge a substantial amount for the edit.

 

Of course in the grand scheme of things, this is a nonissue. But could you imagine if this was a department store or restaurant advertising a sale or special deal that didn't exist? Just think about the angry mob of pissed off shoppers and diners that would follow.

 

I completely understand that the delay was unexpected, but that's no excuse not to make some attempt to update the spot.

[jjzadero]

It's both hilarious and disappointing to see that people aren't free to express their opinions on how parks and coasters work on a theme park forum. Even if it is speculation, it's still conversation. Just because we don't have all the information doesn't mean we can't analyze the situation and provide our own insight.

 

I couldn't agree more. I am pretty new here, but I read the guidelines and rules when signing up for my account. I don't recall seeing anything stating that this forum is only for experts or those with "authority" on a particular subject. If that were the case, I'd imagine there would be a lot less traffic on this site.

 

Anyway, my cousin was at DW yesterday with some friends. She said that while it was disappointing that they couldn't ride LR, just being able to see it gave them an adrenaline rush. The anticipation continues...

[Brent York]

All they have to do is change 2 seconds of audio from "Now open at Dollywood" to "Opening soon at Dollywood". I could do that in a minute on my PC. Perhaps in the TV world, it's difficult to get changed?

[Philrad71]

Can someone post this "now-infamous" commercial?

 

I Googled it and can't find it posted anywhere. It would be nice to watch it for myself versus reading all of the complaints about it.

[Ape]

Yes, Dollywood should correct the issue to avoid confusion for guests who may have seen the commercial. This also doesn't mean the Dollywood is purposely lying to guests to get them to the park, It could be a legitimate mistake that occurred. As others have said it is a pretty easy fix. Do I think this is a conversation worth having? yes I do as that is what we are here for to discuss the happenings in the industry.

 

With all of that said I have always hated how it has been okay for parks to have coasters/rides on their advertisements that are definitely not at the park. For instance seeing I305 on a Kings Island ad because they roll out the same video for every park to save money. I have always thought of that as false advertising, mainly because it would confuse me when I was a kid and I world go to the parks looking for these rides or ask my parents to take just to realize they are not there. It has always been a pet peeve of mine especially since these parks make how much? spend a little and make a commercial specific to each park in your chain. I know it will never change but that's my rant on the subject.