VortexBFF's 1,000th Post: A Belated Trip Report

[VortexBFForever]

*Pictures soon to come; I have divided the TR into parts in preparation for that. *

For my 1,000^th post, I’ve decided to finally finish my Dollywood trip report that I had started not long after I had finished the trip there and back.

This trip happened over 8 months ago, from April 2-4, 2013. April 3 was spent at Dollywood, and April 2 and 4 were mostly spent traveling but are still worth telling about. Part 1 (this post) contains the details of April 2 and part of April 3.

Enjoy my 1,000th post!

Tuesday, April 2

Let me start this in 6 words: Pigeon Forge is a tourist trap.

Not kidding. There's touristy stuff pretty much EVERYWHERE. From NASCAR Speedpark to the Titanic museum (which looks just like the front half of the Titanic itself) to Wonder Works (looks like a building turned upside down!), I must admit that it looks cool, especially with all the lights at night. While Mom and I were "practicing" the route to Dollywood so we would be fully prepared for the next morning, we passed at least 3 or 4 miniature golf courses and/or go-kart tracks. At almost every one there was a small collection of carnival rides. I even saw a Ferris wheel across the street from one of them, but it was dark and almost lifeless. Besides all that, there is a beautiful view of the Smoky Mountains.

I spent both nights of the trip at the Hampton Inn & Suites adjacent to Traffic Light #0, just less than a mile up the road from the Speedpark. When I first walked in, I was amazed at the size of the lobby. The breakfast serving area was in its own separate room, there were tables for chess and checkers set up not far from the entrance/exit, public restrooms complete with shiny water fountains, and lots more! Not to mention the friendly staff and the great tasting refreshments (the cookies and cider served daily at 4 pm would usually be gone within less than an hour!). We stayed on the 4th floor in Room 422, at the end of the hallway. The hotel also had an outdoor pool and whirlpool, but they were empty. (I fully understand that 60 degrees may be a little cool for swimming.) The room key systems were new to me as well. Instead of inserting the room key into a slot, it had to be touched to a special sensor in order to unlock the door.

We ate dinner at Big Daddy's Pizzeria after waiting a half hour in line to be seated. The food was amazing; I had a Caesar salad and a pepperoni pizza, all with a cold glass of root beer. Needless to say, it was worth the half hour wait. For dessert, I had what the menu says is a "S'moreza" - four s'mores complete with melted chocolate, mini marshmallows, and even a drizzle of hot fudge. Like the pizza, it was great, and filling too.

Back at Hampton, we used the "Business Center," which simply consisted of two computers (with wireless Internet access, of course!). Meanwhile, I sipped on a piping hot cup of indulgent hot chocolate. At about 11 pm, we went to bed.

Wednesday, April 3

I awoke bright and early at 7 am. I stayed in bed until just after 8. At 8:20, I headed down to breakfast.

Breakfast was what I expected - a good variety. I didn't have any of the eggs, sausage, bread, or bagels; I did have a doughnut or two (one of the employees told me they're fresh from Krispy Kreme every morning!!), a double chocolate muffin, a pastry (I love pastries!) and of course a Belgian waffle from those waffle irons that you pour your own cup of batter in, close it, and flip it over (if you know what I mean). It’s a tradition of mine to make and eat at least one Belgian waffle every time I stay at a Hampton Inn (and other hotels, if they have them).

Now for the part everyone's been waiting for: DOLLYWOOD!!! Yay!!!!

We arrived at 10:00 am, right when the park opened. From the parking lot I could only see trees and a fraction of Wild Eagle and that was it. The trams were already busy and had lengthy lines, but we caught one about to depart, with no line. That one ended up being the one we rode to the Front Gate. Once inside, I saw a lady handing out park maps. I knew a map would come in handy, so I got one.

We first headed up into the Owens Farm section, since more of the "crowd” was heading toward The Village and Country Fair. The first ride I saw there was Barnstormer, which, in turn, ended up being my first ride of 2013. Since it was [still] a walk on, only one side was running. I rode on the Yellow side.

For me, Barnstormer sure was a good way to start the day. The ride was fairly short, but really fun!

Next door was the entrance to Mountain Slidewinder. It took really long to walk to the actual station, but I didn't mind. There was a great view of Wild Eagle to the left, anyway...

Slidewinder was a walk-on, too. I rode in the 4th seat of Boat #10 (I think). It was a nice trip down, especially on the more banked turns and the tunnel (and also the drop at the end, too). I liked the ride, especially with it being my very first "dry slide."

Next section was Craftsman's Valley. Not very long after entering, I heard the call of a bald eagle. Nonetheless, we had come across the Eagle Mountain sanctuary, the place that a number of non-releasable bald eagles called home.

After looking at the eagles and the other show birds used in shows at the Wings of America Theater, we came to the far end of the Craftsman's Valley - home of an Arrow I've literally dreamt of riding: Tennessee Tornado. Less than a week before this trip, I actually had a dream that I was riding it. Now, here it was, right in front of my own eyes, with that dream starting to become reality. I entered its themed queue for the first time to find a LINE...worse, there was only one train running, which meant the line wasn't going to move as fast as it would during 2-train operation. Good luck with that, I thought. At least the duration of the ride itself is only 1:48, with ~2-minute dispatches in between...

After 10 minutes, I was nice and comfortable in the front seat of Train #1, ready for my first-ever ride on this Tornado. Like Anaconda at Kings Dominion, you can't pull down the harness unless the train is locked. As the train quickly made its way up the lift hill, I took in the layout and the surrounding mountains for the first time as well. Before I knew it, the train had crested and was hugging the ground at it charged toward that first drop...and then it came. Sailing under the hillside approaching speeds of 63 mph, a big smile appeared on my face as I was being thrilled by my first coaster of the 2013 season. The smile got even bigger when the train gracefully SOARED up into that 110-foot tall loop - the largest loop anyone will ever find on any Arrow looper! Then smoothly it swooped up into the overbanked turn before flying through the second loop and the sidewinder. Another extremely banked turn was performed, and finally, one minute and forty-eight seconds later, the train had arrived safely on the brakes (with a nice little pop of airtime for those in the front!) and was slowly rolling back into the station. For a short ride, it sure is sweet! (get it? short and sweet? )

I got back in line for another ride, except this time the wait was 20 minutes instead of 10! This time I went for row 7-1. I just have to say, even for a little drop onto a ground-hugging turn after cresting the lift hill, it's pretty fun when you're in the back. During the first loop, a little hang time is experienced as gravity slows the train down; as it speeds up again it pulls you down and out of the loop and into the turn. Needless to say, like always, it's a really cool (and different) experience when riding in the back of the train. Like I expected, it was another amazing ride.

Proceeding into Wilderness Pass, I walked past the big steel eagle sculpture and entered Wild Eagle. At first glance, the line didn't look too bad, but a few minutes later I was surprised by a FULL SET OF SWITCHBACKS! Good thing the Eagle had two trains flying today. 35 minutes later, I was seated in the third row on the right wing of one of the two trains on my first ever B&M Wing Rider!

Something else I noticed: While I was waiting on the stairs right before entering the loading station, I saw that they had transferred Tennessee Tornado's Train #2 onto the ride's main circuit. I was glad about that after waiting in its fairly slow-moving line twice.

On the wings of the Wild Eagle, it was a pretty enjoyable flight. That roll (between the loop and the Immelmann) is my favorite inversion on the ride. I think the "sensation of nothing above or below you!" is a bit overrated; it's fun, but not totally phenomenal.

At this point, it was already about 1:00. I didn't want to spend all day waiting in lines (I actually felt like I was wasting time) so I ultimately decided to go for a Q-Bot. I was dead serious - Wild Eagle's line had gotten even longer, and the Tornado's line was just outside its entrance and still growing! After studying our map of the park, we trekked back to Showstreet. While passing through Owens Farm, I noticed that both sides of Barnstormer were operating now.

When we finally arrived at the Q₂Q Reservation Center and waited a few minutes in the small line, we paid the $20 (plus tax) and I was handed a little purple and yellow Q-Bot, when meanwhile I was also being briefly-but-discreetly lectured on reserving a ride or show, arriving at or after whatever time it says on there for the selected ride, and canceling a reservation if I wished. After the "lecture," I reserved Tennessee Tornado. The ride time on the Q-Bot said 1:59, and now it was about 1:30. So as we headed out of Showstreet, through Owens Farm and back to Craftsman's Valley, we took our dear old time. We stopped at a store; I don't remember what it was called, but it had TONS of goods in jars, and also baked goods which included some good-sized cookies. And by good-sized, I mean huge!

While we were there, we got a loaf of cinnamon bread to share and a cup of hot chocolate (for the sake of my inner chocoholic!). When we walked past Blazing Fury's also-long line back to Tornado, I said, "This is the line I'm bypassing!" while looking at a line that was now extending at least 10-15 feet beyond the entrance.

By the way, this was the first time I've ever had hot chocolate at an amusement/theme park. I vividly remember sipping that cup while watching Tennessee Tornado's two trains carry happy passengers through the colossal inversions. At 1:59 the Q-Bot, clipped on the strap of my waist pack, vibrated and beeped three times, letting me know that I could now ride. Promptly, I entered through the ride’s Q₂Q entrance - obviously designated for Q-Bot users like me – and went up about three flights of stairs. On the way up, I passed the queue, full of waiting guests. Several of the guests briefly glanced at me as I walked by, probably thinking, “That person has a Q-Bot. She doesn’t have to wait as long…” or something like that. At the top, an employee with a Bot just like mine checked me in. The screen on my Q-Bot said “ENJOY YOUR RIDE” as I was let through the gate and into the station. I then joined the line for the front seat as I reserved Blazing Fury, knowing it would only be 2 minutes before I could ride that one (the current time was 2:01 and the time I would be able to join the line for the Fury was 2:03). In fact, my Q-Bot was already beeping and vibrating when I was a couple train-waits from getting on. Compared to the 10- and 20-minute waits I had experienced before, I only had to wait about 5-7 minutes, if not a little more. When I was next in line, I looked at the front of the incoming train and saw the number 2. I would be riding Train #2 for my first-ever ride involving a Q₂Q reservation!

After another great front seat ride, I watched it a little more and then headed back to Blazing Fury. Its line was also spilling out onto the main walkway. I entered through its Q₂Q entrance and got checked in. I once again joined the line for the front seat, just as I had done on Tennessee Tornado. While in line I reserved Tennessee Tornado again because I would be passing by it on the way back to Wild Eagle. I also found out that the Q-Bot’s screen lights up when you’re in the dark – which, obviously, is pretty convenient. 7-10 minutes later, I was sitting on the train in the front row. The metal lap bar had been pulled down, and my Q-Bot was resting on my lap, still clipped to my waist pack. The driver said “Clear….and it’s ‘fire in the hole!’” and I and the other riders behind me were off on a pleasant adventure. I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the thematic props and elements of this 1978 dark ride/coaster.

The ride starts with a left-hand turn where you go past a scene where a man with a pipe is sitting whistling in a rocking chair; at first everything is normal. Then it comes to the part where the town is “on fire.” There are scenes of “burning” buildings and the people trying to fight the fire. There’s also a scene with someone with a trampoline is in front of a house and there’s a lady on the balcony who’s reluctant to jump and the person with the trampoline is like “C’mon, jump!” During this particular cycle, a few riders, including me, were saying things like “Jump! It’s not that bad,” as if we were in the scene as well. Then there’s a few moments of nothing but darkness, then the train takes a right hand turn and, if I remember correctly, goes past more “burning” buildings, including a barn. This is where a man comes out of an outhouse, saying, “Hey Sam, the stables are on fire!” Then you go past yet another scene where some people are trying to get more water to fight the fires. On the right of the train some water shoots up, and the riders and I feel the mist from said water. Soon we go past a “lagoon,” complete with foliage and a waterfall, which I think looks really nice. And now comes the exciting part: the drops! The first drop comes after a sign that says “BRIDGE OUT” and some rotating thing is above your head just before you drop and take an abrupt turn to the left. After taking another left turn, you hear the sound of an oncoming train and a bright light flashes in your face, as if a train is coming straight for you. At the moment, the second drop is executed. Now, in the past I’ve heard that the third drop used to feature a splashdown, but apparently they removed the water one season. Now the third drop goes into an area with some fog and lasers. When I rode it, I could tell by the openness around the train and track that water used to be there. After the fog and the lasers, the ride was over.

It was fun, especially with the three drops at the end and the interesting animatronic scenes. Some even made me chuckle a little!

After Fury, we went back to Tennessee Tornado. My Q-Bot was still waiting in line for me, and it would be that way for about 10 more minutes. Plenty of time for me to get to the ride! As we watched, we shared more of the cinnamon bread while I just about finished off my hot chocolate. I would always point out whenever a train flew through the first loop. In my opinion, it looks so beautiful. <3

Finally at the appropriate time, which was sometime around 2:30, my Q-Bot sounded (and vibrated) the signal to ride, with the screen respectively saying “YOU CAN RIDE NOW”. I entered the now-familiar Q₂Q entrance and went up the now-also-familiar flights of stairs up to Tornado’s station. One check-in and gate passage later, I had just joined the line for row 2-1 and was reserving Wild Eagle when one of the employees announced, “Come to the back! The lines are shorter here!” I was one of the few who heeded this instruction, and of course, he was right – the back rows had only a one-train wait compared to the three-plus-train wait for the front rows. I chose row 6-2 for my fourth Tennessee Tornado ride of the day. I was aboard less than 5 minutes later, with a Q-Bot reserved for Wild Eagle clipped to my waist pack as it had always been since 1:30. It was about 3:00, and I didn’t need to go to Wild Eagle until 3:32. Another large window of time would be up for the taking when this ride was finished. In the meantime, row 6-2 proudly held on to its title of “VortexBFForever’s Favorite Airtime Seat on an Arrow Looper” while I enjoyed another exhilarating 1 minute and 48 seconds of Tornadic Action!

We decided to check out River Battle while I was waiting to go to Wild Eagle. On the way, we got free water in a good-sized cup. At River Battle, I worked one of the water guns that were on the edge of the walkway facing the ride. I got sprayed a little while I was soaking the riders on the boats, which actually felt pretty good even with it being about 60 degrees out.

At 3:30 we started heading to Wild Eagle. Two minutes, one Q-Bot “signal” and ride entrance later, I was standing with several other Q-Bot users, waiting to be assigned to a side. I got assigned to the right “wing,” just like last time.

I rode in the second row for my second ride on the wings of Wild Eagle. Another nice flight through the trees!

Part 2 to follow as soon as tomorrow; this time I'll try to post the rest of it tomorrow for real!

[The Interpreter]

What rich detail! Q2Q at Dollywood is such a good deal, and the park does it so well.

Thanks for sharing; I look forward to the rest of the adventure (as I ironically contemplate whether to head there for closing weekend--which is next weekend).

[LoraX]

Great report! I love Dollywood. I need to make plans to go back soon. Thank you for sharing.

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