brenthodge

This is the type of stories the park should be telling especially in the off season. Disney jumps all I’ve stuff like this. Heck, they post when they install a weather vane on the new Tianna attraction because it’s made by a New Orleans blacksmith.

Thematically warm white lights in Tinsel town and Rivertown make sense. Oktoberfest has colored up lighting and colored lights this year. Bright white in more “wintery” areas. It actually all makes sense

I believe last year the queues stayed open on many till about 10:30 to accommodate the crowds. They have some wiggle room. They just have to be cycled down and fully shut off with keys out by 12:01 am 1/1/2024

If they are leaving Everest there, they need to bring over all the elf stuff that’s just lost in coney and along with the ( why are they there?) outhouses, Santa plane, elf house and some other giant toy type props make it like a North Pole elf village. There’s a food location that if lit well and given proper food-beverage options could be a fun addition. The base is there for another big tree-the footers for light trusses for lighting it up and even some overhead lighting. It’s not a hard “fix” as most of the infrastructure and props all exist, they just need to reallocate stuff to give this area a purpose.

so true - is it "top in the country?" no, but Im so happy to have and event like this right in my own backyard.

First off - you didn't miss Jingle Jazz - they were cut this year. Second, its what you make of it I guess. YES, the entertainment feels a bit less this year, but overall the park looks great - maybe in some ways the best it has. The lights are denser, and there are more areas covered. I've seen less Midway Merriment characters this year, but I still see plenty out roaming. Jack Frost and his crew are always out chatting up the crowd. I think with fewer of them, its easier to go a longer way without seeing any. I think its mostly felt in the themed areas where they used to "hang out" more. Now they are all just roaming park-wide to try to cover more area with less staff. I don't know - after all the talk of cuts and how "the park is falling apart" I tried to hate on it, but I still walk around all night with a goofy grin. It's still a dash of magic to me. I guess because for a few chilly nights, I see the park at the level of immersion, entertainment, theming and just all around pleasant experience that I wish it could be year-round. It's like for a few weeks the clock turns back to the 70's and a magical THEME park re-emerges.

too late - lame humor past already posted - gotta be quick around here

Least years don’t work. It’s the barcode, not the design that helps differentiate snow machines were cranking all night from where I saw -didn’t see tinkers tonight so can’t say for that, but the ones on I Street were.

True. I feel like with weather predictions they’d almost need to be “unofficially” open till 11 (like have scheduled coverage) but internally communicate that depending on crowd levels, people may be sent home at the “publicized” closing time.

I didn’t personally-that was just what I heard people were experiencing (and looking at the line of full switchbacks in the vine tunnel and it coming all the way to the actual station along the midway I believe it. I think we were in that area pre-parade maybe.

Dollywood has often been know to extend hours "day of" based on attendance. KI needs to be able to respond more quickly. I get closing early, but last Friday December 8 (with almost 2 hr waits for train) should've definitely been oushed to a 11 pm close. Im a little confused why this week of daily ops (with mostly decent looking weather) isn't set for 4pm opens and 11 close at least Friday and Saturday for the last 2 nights before Christmas.

OK - 4th visit - no kids - I think I can finally gather my thought and impressions: FIRST - Park looks fantastic - even with cuts to staffing in the facilities and events crews - they made it look the best it ever has. Things that were broken or needed to be retired mostly were, and it overall looks professional and fresh. The new lighting looks great and finally looks like it should've from the beginning for a "winning" Holiday in the Park event. SECOND - Just a few things I noticed - felt and wish could be addressed to live up to that title they keep winning 1) Entertainment cuts - felt it. Maybe if I'd never been before (and thats what they are counting on) it wouldn't be noticed, but we lost a lot of the "on the half hour" shows - the things that happen IN BETWEEN the marque shows literally in the slot between them. These are the things like Jingle Jazz you might not watch the whole set, but it adds action and festivity as you pass along. THOUGHTS: REALLY need the original 4 drummers in the Planet Snoopy spot. Nativity is great freed from the barnyard, but its fighting bumper cars and kids where it is. Move Nativity to the area in front of BEAST with the lanterns hanging overhead from halloween. That area is visible, yet secluded. They need to add benches and make it like a "park" in the woods. Really make that show special. Move Coca-Cola Polar area to The Vortex pathway - theres room at the backlot plaza to have the DJ and the red/white lighting would tie into Rivertown and Tinsel Town with Coca-Cola tying into the drive in and the billboards tie into antique cars. Move all of the elf stuff to the "village of outhouses" by the animated elf. Make that the Elf Village with a new large tree on the base from winterfest 1, use the footers to add lighting trusses to light the houses and the elf statues. Fill the area with giant toys and make it feel like the NorthPole Coney returns to being just A CONEY CHRISTMAS with the midway fully lit with overhead LEDs and no DJ The Ice Princess area moves to Action Zone in the dead area by Banshee and use the station as an "Ice Castle" with lots of blue lighting and maybe use the gift shop as an indoor photo area or small retail idea. Move Ice Carvers back a bit in front of Invertigo and use the center "stage" area better for Jingle Jazz to bring some other entertainment to that slightly dead part of the park Put 4 Drummer back where it was and maybe move What the Dickens over to the Skyline patio - they used that as a stage year one and it would be nice if that show could get is own area - themed to a victorian theatre - to not feel like the warm up act for the Peanuts show Really wish there was another small stage in the dining area by the train/potato works. That whole area needs a rework to get rid of the SPRITE umbrellas and build a full cover pergola with high efficency heaters in the roof to heat the whole area (actually they need to build a lot of theme appropriate covered dining areas with better heat than the rolling propane tower heaters For the love of God please fix that parade. I loved the path behind the tower. Its magical seeing it circle the icon of the park, but the sloppy ending is just... sloppy. Ive been told the slope from the flower clock to the tower is why it can run a circle from Coney, behind Dodgem, around the tower - down and up I Street and back to Coney, but I looked at the slope tonight, and its really not that much - people make it out like its a 45* angle - that or run the parade from the gate bu the entrance - up I street, around the tower, through Snoopy and out the gate by Surf Dog so it could make a full loop by going backstage and the performers wouldn't leave the floats until they clear the gate. Its just... weird the way it ends and they are getting called out for it a lot in FB Groups. Otherwise, I love the event and just get happy each time I go. I want it to be AMAZING and we are so close guys!

Yep-the big arch in the center was cool. It really tied it all together. Not sure if the ones now are original or not. There are 2 “fountains” up in Middletown in their light drive through that might the ones from 05 that were sold off.

I’ll second that. I get jealous with every KD post at how much better that park looks.

So… a former marketing manager posts something on his own blog about a potentially HUGE guest spending opportunity that the current park marketing people have said nothing about… then magically just a wee bit later, the park posts about it. Yet shows fewer images and video of it in operation than another person in this forum posted several days ago. OMG they are tripping over dollars to squeeze pennies (out of desert add ons for an overpriced buffet) and clearly have little to no clue about what one hand is doing from the other.

Wow. If only the park said ….. anything?!!

That’s just petty and pathetic. I’ve not been, but these fabulous deserts are NOT the pinnacle of the culinary mountain I’m sure. Honestly I’m super disappointed.

Thing is it’s not really a coaster event, so I don’t see that happening.

That picture shows how they should’ve redone the pavement for IS. The curbs were gone, but it still felt “street like”. If you made the brick part a bit narrower and moved the lamps closer to the buildings when they put them back in, the floats would still fit. Also shows what I feel was a miss-adding seating back at the end where the junky funPic booth is that could easily be relocated-along with fastlane sales to a new “guest add on” building by the lockers and stroller rental

Sad. Pretty much confirmed that’s failed.

I don’t personally care for any activity yhh by at you don’t get out of thE car for. Just didn’t have toe impact for me

Interesting tweak to the parade route this year. I feel like this is way better- now they just need to eliminate the show stop between coney and IS and run it back down the other side of coney to the start point for the last show stop. They could even list the “approx” times that it would hit the stops so people don’t stress out if they don’t get to the route right at 8. Also interesting that Carrowinds is running theirs at 9-likely as an official “end” to the evening. Wonder what their learnings from the haunt parade were. All the vids I saw of it, it felt a bit cringy and desperate.but those were all from early in the run. Maybe it got better, but that seemed like an odd investment.

Dollywood has quite a few closed days and shorter days. They have added days for sure. As you say, the potential revenue makes it worth the cost to them.

I don’t feel like it did. They ran two shorter trains I believe and then the soldier that got dropped off for train 1 had time to walk back to the load area as train 2 departed with soldier 2, then soldier 1 boarded train 1 again.

And I’d venture that they have raised those pass prices to make them a bit “less attractive “ to the local “very few weeks” attendee that rarely spends much.