Dollywood Discussion Thread

[tndank]

Lightning Rod ERT is listed on the new ACE event flyer for Dollywood in Nov.  Maybe that's a sign they hope to have it running again soon.  Maybe not.  Flyer didn't appear until this week.

 

[TEDodd]

New names for passes. Gold pass devalued (15% discount) and new Platinum to replace old Gold pass (20% discount and season mug).

Diamond looks a lot like the old Gold Super pass (water park included). But no option for platinum level benefits w/o water park.

[tndank]

5 minutes ago, TEDodd said:

New names for passes. Gold pass devalued (15% discount) and new Platinum to replace old Gold pass (20% discount and season mug).

 

Interesting.  Parking included on Gold and Plat?  Got any more info or a link?

[TEDodd]

15 minutes ago, tndank said:

Interesting.  Parking included on Gold and Plat?  Got any more info or a link?

See edit. My phone was acting up.

Came from Newsletter this morning, page 11.

https://hfe.widen.net/s/rv2mv6vnvm/dw21_web_newsletter_christmas?spMailingID=45744209&spUserID=NjU5OTUxODc2MjA3S0&spJobID=2100747359&spReportId=MjEwMDc0NzM1OQS2

[CoasterGuy06]

Quote

I've never seen this at any other park so...do the people of Tennessee really like hairbands as lawn ornaments or something? Please...someone explain?

It's definitely not just a Dollywood thing. The Beast has a ton of them you can see going up it's first lift too. And I do agree with you on Wild Eagle. I don't know what it is about that thing but I love that ride.

[u4icmusic]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:57 AM, marksplashtacular said:

Now, It is highly recommended to make a reservation to visit Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country in 2021 due to COVID-19 safety measures that have been implemented.

Dollywood Ticket Prices Also Changes in this period..... The tickets include access to both Dollywood and the Splash Country waterpark. 

Check updated blog if anyone want to go for fun and enjoyment.

 

Not sure what you are talking about. Dollywood admission does not include Splash Country. Even if it did, Splash Country is closed for the season. Dollywood also got rid of most if not all their Covid-19 protocols. There are no temperature checks or screening questions. Masks are no longer required and there is no social distancing inside the park, not that there ever was. I make reservations every time I go, but the gate hosts never ask for them. They seem to be at full capacity again too.

[u4icmusic]

On 9/28/2021 at 9:58 AM, tndank said:

So you wait longer in the normal line and then get a single rider placed next to you? 

 

If you are a single rider, then yes. Dollywood doesn't want any empty seats on LR because the lines are so long and the load times are slow. That is of course when the ride is running, which is hasn't been lately.

[tinaalsgirl]

I'm starting to think that marksplashtacular guy could be a very clever spammer. That post of his above is almost word for word from Smokymountains.com. I did a Google search; I've noticed that a lot of recent spammers will have copy/paste messages that they'll post and they'll be relevant to the thread, so they kinda fly under the radar. We've been having a LOT of spammers post here on TPR (I try to report all the ones I see) like that.

[AmyUD06]

13 minutes ago, tinaalsgirl said:

I'm starting to think that marksplashtacular guy could be a very clever spammer. That post of his above is almost word for word from Smokymountains.com. I did a Google search; I've noticed that a lot of recent spammers will have copy/paste messages that they'll post and they'll be relevant to the thread, so they kinda fly under the radar. We've been having a LOT of spammers post here on TPR (I try to report all the ones I see) like that.

Of course it's spam.  Good job falling for it, @u4icmusic LOL.

[u4icmusic]

On 9/29/2021 at 5:31 AM, prozach626 said:

 

 

Heh. When you put it that way...

I was speaking about the people who love going through the single rider lines multiple times while their friends wait in the normal line.

I don't find anything wrong with that. Why waste an empty seat?

[parkjunkie]

We had a week in the Smokies last week, and I was so excited to get back to Dollywood, it has been 4 years since I last went. Now, I hate to be one to complain, but Dollywood needs to get it together. We bought tickets on Tuesday and went on Wednesday. Now, I know its busy for the fall fest, I've done it before, but I did not expect what happened next. We arrived at 10:30 to the parking lot, it was already parking in the back, so we got preferred/ premier. We then went to metal detection and waited 20 minutes to get in, Now its 11AM. We had the app and saw that 5 rides were closed, including LR which I expected, but not 4 more. We also saw on the website that select food locations may be affected. Anyway, we did a lap around the park since my girlfriend had never been before. As we walked and she looked around at what she wanted to eat (we skipped breakfast to eat at the park), we were shocked to see that at least 2/3 of the parks food locations/ stands were closed!!! Now don't get me wrong, I completely understand the ongoing work crisis/ Covid crisis and all, but man Dollywood couldn't accommodate at all. We ended up going to Red's Drive-In and waited 95minutes to order and they only had burgers, wow. Then after you order, 10 minutes to wait in line for soda. By the time we were done eating, it was 1:50PM. While we waited in line, people were very impatient, numerous times we saw and heard guests voicing their unhappiness with staff. Now, I know its not the staff's fault, they're getting slammed... It's Dollywood's fault, they can not handle the amount of people they are letting in. So we went to guest relations and voice our concerns and see if their was the slim chance on getting a refund. Well, guest relations had a 45 minute wait, the majority in line for the same thing we were. I was talking to the man in front of us, he said he was a pass holder for 8 years and this would be his last. Anyway, I finally got waited on at GR and explained the situation.... they didn't even hesitate and gave us a full refund!! Dollywood is just going for a money grab at this point and its a shame to see that.

[SharkTums]

^I believe you, and it's not just Dollywood.  The parks have to get it together again by next summer.  I think everyone gave them a pass this year cause we were all just so happy to have things open and get back to a little normalcy but people aren't going to keep putting up with these operations everywhere. 

[prozach626]

14 hours ago, u4icmusic said:

I don't find anything wrong with that. Why waste an empty seat?

I'm just weird. I like to socialize with the people I go with, instead of being concerned with how many rides I can get. I value idiotic things like wanting to spend time with friends and family. I guess I'd rather not leave my group hanging while I jog back and forth from entrance to exit. Dumb, I know.

[TEDodd]

1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

^I believe you, and it's not just Dollywood.  The parks have to get it together again by next summer.  

Tough call when they can't get employees, even with much higher wages. 

Already seeing big price increases and reduced benefits on season passes.

How much of a price increases would people be willing to pay to cover wages high enough to fill the vacancies? 50%, 75%, 100%?

[parkjunkie]

1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

^I believe you, and it's not just Dollywood.  The parks have to get it together again by next summer.  I think everyone gave them a pass this year cause we were all just so happy to have things open and get back to a little normalcy but people aren't going to keep putting up with these operations everywhere. 

I have been to numerous parks this year and yes, they all have issues, some different than others, but they all lead back to finding help, I get it. But what Dollywood is doing is just plain ignorant. Sad to see such a highly awarded park operating in this manner.

[middle_keeny]

I talked with a staffer this summer and he said they had about 400 openings to fill. The biggest issue with staff shortages is that Amusement Parks rely  a lot on foreign students that do not travel back to their home country but look for summer employment here in the states. A lot of countries have travel bans still in place due to COVID so a lot of foreign students did not study in the US this year, thus creating a shortage of seasonal staff.  Hopefully the new staff lodge will help with that next year.

I know Dollywood is doing the best with what they can but I also feel bad for someone who paid full price to enter.

[coasterbill]

So wait… Lighting Rod is still closed? 

[sdcfan88]

4 minutes ago, coasterbill said:

So wait… Lighting Rod is still closed? 

Nah just normal "operation". Expensive scenery.

[Shavethewhales2]

With all those new resorts on the way plus their current rate of explosive growth, they need to figure something out with staffing quick or they are going to slam into a wall. Both DW and SDC are at their breaking points with staffing. Talking to people working there is disheartening. If this stuff goes on into next year I don't know what will happen, but like others have said it's unlikely people will continue to pay to come to these parks to have these experiences. 

 

The new developments are exciting, but I still don't understand why they clear cut so much just to leave it barren for years. That is so much the opposite of how these parks used to be run. I know they will fill in some of it eventually, but some areas such as the void space right next to Thunderhead didn't even need to be cleared, they just kind of blanket cleared everything just because. In the old days they would go through and carefully select the trees that simply HAD to be cleared and then only cut them. The cut trees were then replaced by new plantings in other areas. 

 

Lightning Rod is depressing. I still haven't ridden it. It's hard to get motivated to go all the way out there when it is NEVER working reliably. Maybe next year... maybe. 

[coasterbill]

I haven't been since the latest round of clear-cutting but when we went last year when I walked into "Wildwood Grove" for the first time all I could think was "Wow, this looks like absolute shit".

I honestly don't like most of what this park has done lately and find myself going there much less often.

[middle_keeny]

21 hours ago, coasterbill said:

So wait… Lighting Rod is still closed? 

I wouldn't be surprised if its closed the rest of the year. Was told unofficially that they were going to finish the IBox conversion this off season. Last time I rode it, you could definitely tell the wood sections were getting pretty rough.

 

As for Wildwood Grove, a coaster proposal has been leaked on reddit. It looks to be a family coaster about 4000' long.

[Shavethewhales2]

Looks like another launched coaster? That seems surprising to me. Should be fun though. Kinda looks like Manta at Seaworld San Diego. 

[tndank]

Site plan was approved by the city a few weeks ago.  Didn't have any more details on the coaster, but the land development was approved.

 

[u4icmusic]

23 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I haven't been since the latest round of clear-cutting but when we went last year when I walked into "Wildwood Grove" for the first time all I could think was "Wow, this looks like absolute shit".

I honestly don't like most of what this park has done lately and find myself going there much less often.

I agree with you, but I still go every two weeks or so. Lighting Rod is the biggest issue they are facing now, along with so many food stands closed and long lines and inferior food at the ones that are open. I didn't enjoy my ice cold chicken fingers and fries on Sunday. It's gotten to the point that I will just eat when I leave the park. Lines for refills on drink cups can also be long. The Scrambler and Barnstormer are both still closed due to staffing issues, which is ridiculous since they both can be ran with minimal staffing. They are milking the staffing issue to death. Pay more and you will get more employees. The guests are suffering big time.

 

I did get a new Dollywood flyer in the mail yesterday. You can add Splash Country to the Gold Pass for $55 plus tax, if you don't want to splurge on the Platinum season pass.

 

Also on Sunday, two SUV's were fighting for the same handicapped parking spot and they smashed into each other and knocked out a piece of the PVC fencing, causing the tram to let all people off at Lot B and walk to the gates for a few hours until the repairs were completed.

[u4icmusic]

2 hours ago, Shavethewhales2 said:

Looks like another launched coaster? That seems surprising to me. Should be fun though. Kinda looks like Manta at Seaworld San Diego. 

How can you tell by that blurry conceptual photo if it is going to be a launched coaster? It's still in concept phase and at this point, may or may not happen as pictured, or may not happen at all.  Dollywood is also expected to rework all their parking lots, so maybe that is why so many trees are being cut down, to make room for new and closer parking. Nothing is carved in stone at this time and plans do change due to attendance and budget restraints. I'm fine with another launched coaster, as long as it works. Dollywood doesn't have a spinning coaster yet like their sister park, so it could also be that. I expect it to be a family coaster, keeping with the Wildwood Grove theme. By the way, there is a ton of Wildwood Grove merchandise on clearance for half off on the way out, but they will not add your gold card discount too, which is a shame.