Dollywood November 2016

[Rivertown Rider]

I got to head down to Dollywood last month.  This was the third trip I've been to Dollywood this year but the first time I found Lightning Rod open.  Without further ado here goes my trip report.

 

We ended up going to the park on a Wednesday night and there was hardly anybody in the park.  The only ride that had more than a 10 minute wait was Lightning Rod and it only averaged about a 10-15 minute wait throughout the night.  Everything else was a walk-on with no wait.  

 

I immediately headed right toward Lightning Rod and climbed the steps thru the queue and got to ride Lightning Rod for the first time.  The crew sit me with another guy and I asked him if he had ever ridden it before.  He had not.  His wife and son were in the row behind us.  We dispatched and took off.  We shot up the lift hill and I had probably the most intense coaster ride I have ever had.  It was a great ride and it was completely dark outside which made it even better.  We got back to the station and the man asked his wife how the son had liked it.  The wife replied that it was too much for him.  I said to the man that it was almost too much for me.  

 

After riding it once, I decided to head over to the other part of the park and rode Thunderhead, Mystery Mine, Firechaser Express, Tennessee Tornado, and Blazing Fury multiple times.  I ended up heading back over and doing Lightning Rod again and it was not as intense when I knew what was coming.  That night was the first time I have also ever been on a coaster as the only rider on the whole train on both Mystery Mine and Firechaser Express.  It was a great coaster night.

 

We ended up going again on Thursday.  I ended up getting the chance to ride all of the above coasters again and got the chance to ride Lightning Rod during the day and again at night.

 

We went back on Saturday and Sunday, and I rode Wild Eagle for the first time.  I ended up getting several rides on it Saturday and Sunday with minimal wait.  I didn't end up riding Lightning Rod again during the weekend as the wait times were over 50 minutes most of the time.

 

Overall it was a great visit.  Now that I have ridden all of the coasters at Dollywood I wanted to go ahead and rank them:

 

7. Blazing Fury- Really more of a dark ride than a pure coaster, it is a fun ride.  It is always a good place to either get out of the heat or cold depending on the time of year that you are there.  

 

6. Firechaser Express- The ride has great theming both in the queue and also on the ride.  While I really enjoy both the forward and backward launch, other than that there is a not a lot to the coaster which why I rank it lower than some will.

 

5. Mystery Mine- It is one of those rides that if you get stuck in the wrong seat it will beat you to death.  Overall though I enjoy Mystery Mine.  The theming is really good and I love those beyond 90-degree drops plus the very end to the coaster.  It is not a ride that is worth a long wait but if it is under 15-20 minutes you should ride it.

 

4. Wild Eagle- I know some people will probably have this higher but I was expecting more from it.  It is a better ride if you ride on the left hand side (the side on the mountain side as opposed to the midway side).  In three times riding it, the vest tightened up twice which made for an uncomfortable ride.  This was my first B&M wing rider.  The first drop into the loop is great and then everything else is just uneventful.  I can certainly see why people say they are forceless rides after riding Wild Eagle.

 

3. Tennessee Tornado-The first time I ever rode this ride back in the early 2000s, I was disappointed in it.  The park had hyped it quite a bit and I was expecting it to be better than Vortex.  It wasn't.  15 years later though and I think that it is a better ride now than Vortex is.  This was certainly the smoothest Arrow I was on this year.  The first drop into the tunnel/shaft and the butterfly loop are great.  I rated it higher than Wild Eagle because it is a more complete ride than Wild Eagle is.

 

2. Thunderhead-The hardest debate I had was deciding whether to rank Thunderhead or Lightning Rod higher on this list.  As a pure wooden coaster, Thunderhead is an exceptional ride.  If this ride were at KI, I would probably rank it the third best ride in the park after Beast and Banshee.  The station flyover is a great element and it is a super ride.  It never ceases to amaze me that the ride hardly ever has a wait.  I don't think that the people realize what a gem this coaster is.  In talking with Don Helbig this summer after the Mystic Timbers announcement he said that Mystic Timbers will be better than Thunderhead.  If that is the case, I am even more excited.  It has an ideal length and is one of the best wooden coasters I have ridden.

 

1. Lightning Rod-I ended up giving this the nod more because of some of the elements.  The launched lift hill, the fakeout first drop, and the quadruple double down are all great elements.  The queue has great theming and is the best theming in the park.  All of the rides that I had were all super smooth.  The big thing that this coaster has to prove is if it can stay open.  They were only running one train most of the time so the capacity is horrible.  I think that this coaster will be too intense for many people and the seats are very restrictive.  Make sure to try the test seat before you go in.  The coaster is really good during the day but it is great at night.  The Beast is a better night ride, but this gives it a run for its money.  The only negative as far as the ride goes is that it is too short.  This was my first RMC and I can see why they are so popular.  Because of the capacity problems and proving if it can stay open over a long period, I am happy we are getting a GCI.  We don't need another Son of Beast that is never running.

 

Overall, Dollywood is a great park and well worth going to if you have never been.  Dolly and the Herschends have done a great job continually adding to the park and I look for this to continue in the future as well.  As someone with a wife who doesn't ride rides it is the ideal park.  I can ride while she does the shows, which are better than at Kings Island.  They also do a great job with the Christmas lights if you have never been.  Thanks for reading.

[IndyGuy4KI]

Thanks for the TR. I am hoping to make it to Dollywood sometime. Maybe electricsun and I will try to make it there in the next season or two.

[Gannersdaddy]

Thanks for the report.  My wife and I were just discussing the park.  Looking online, we had concerns about being able to ride some of the rides (namely for myself).  We read the online descriptions and watched any videos we could.  It does not seem like I would have any problems.  Maybe you can shed some light on this.

 

In relation to Kings Island rides, here is my experiences:

Diamondback - Not the least troubles

Banshee - Not bad, but I go for rows 4 and 5.  Only pain was when an over-eager ride op slammed me down one more notch than needed

Beast and Racer - Lap bar goes right about to my midsection, minor inconvenience

Invertigo and Vortex - no issues

 

I have been on Thunderbird and Gatekeeper, which no issues that I can recall either.  I am just under 6 foot tall, so I can see no issues there.

 

Based on these, is there anything there I should watch out for?  I would hate to drive 5.5 hours and just watch.

[Creed Bratton]

Great TR! 

I'm heading down this week and hoping to snag a ride on Lightning Rod. I'm also not sure what to expect with Christmas in the Smokies as I've only seen pictures of the event.

[Rivertown Rider]

Thanks for the report.  My wife and I were just discussing the park.  Looking online, we had concerns about being able to ride some of the rides (namely for myself).  We read the online descriptions and watched any videos we could.  It does not seem like I would have any problems.  Maybe you can shed some light on this.

 

In relation to Kings Island rides, here is my experiences:

Diamondback - Not the least troubles

Banshee - Not bad, but I go for rows 4 and 5.  Only pain was when an over-eager ride op slammed me down one more notch than needed

Beast and Racer - Lap bar goes right about to my midsection, minor inconvenience

Invertigo and Vortex - no issues

 

I have been on Thunderbird and Gatekeeper, which no issues that I can recall either.  I am just under 6 foot tall, so I can see no issues there.

 

Based on these, is there anything there I should watch out for?  I would hate to drive 5.5 hours and just watch.

Thanks.  Wild Eagle's restraints are basically the same as Banshee (other than the vest tightening up which I have never had it do on Banshee).  I rode in row 4 all three times and didn't have any problems.  If you don't have any restraint problems with Beast or Racer, you'll be fine on Thunderhead.  You won't have any problems getting on Tennessee Tornado or Firechaser Express either.  Blazing Fury as one bar that goes around everybody and you won't have any problems with it.  Mystery Mine I have never had any problems with but if you can get on Banshee and Diamondback you should be fine with it (there is also a test seat out front for it as well).  Lightning Rod has the most restrictive seats and as best I could tell it was the same size seat in every row so there are no bigger row seats like the B&Ms have.  I did see a guy about 10-15 pounds larger than me (I'm 6'1" and around 258 lbs (I'm working on being smaller next time I ride it )) not get on it.  But I think you should be fine though if you have no problems with Banshee.

[Rivertown Rider]

Great TR! 

I'm heading down this week and hoping to snag a ride on Lightning Rod. I'm also not sure what to expect with Christmas in the Smokies as I've only seen pictures of the event.

Thanks.  Christmas in the Smokies is great.  They have lights and music everywhere.  I would definitely recommend trying to hit some of the shows.  You'll want to make sure you get in line early as they fill up quickly.  "Christmas in the Smokies" is the flagship show and the best as well.  "It's a Wonderful Life" is new this year.  It is an ok show but not as good as "Christmas in the Smokies."  "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "O Holy Night" are both really good shows as well.  "O Holy Night" is an outdoor show with limited seating available although you can stand and watch the show as well.  They also have an Appalachian bluegrass band playing at a different outdoor theater which is good as well.  Dollywood does a great job at Christmas.  They are a great park anytime of the year, but Christmas is when they are at their best.   

[Gannersdaddy]

 

Thanks for the report.  My wife and I were just discussing the park.  Looking online, we had concerns about being able to ride some of the rides (namely for myself).  We read the online descriptions and watched any videos we could.  It does not seem like I would have any problems.  Maybe you can shed some light on this.

 

In relation to Kings Island rides, here is my experiences:

Diamondback - Not the least troubles

Banshee - Not bad, but I go for rows 4 and 5.  Only pain was when an over-eager ride op slammed me down one more notch than needed

Beast and Racer - Lap bar goes right about to my midsection, minor inconvenience

Invertigo and Vortex - no issues

 

I have been on Thunderbird and Gatekeeper, which no issues that I can recall either.  I am just under 6 foot tall, so I can see no issues there.

 

Based on these, is there anything there I should watch out for?  I would hate to drive 5.5 hours and just watch.

Thanks.  Wild Eagle's restraints are basically the same as Banshee (other than the vest tightening up which I have never had it do on Banshee).  I rode in row 4 all three times and didn't have any problems.  If you don't have any restraint problems with Beast or Racer, you'll be fine on Thunderhead.  You won't have any problems getting on Tennessee Tornado or Firechaser Express either.  Blazing Fury as one bar that goes around everybody and you won't have any problems with it.  Mystery Mine I have never had any problems with but if you can get on Banshee and Diamondback you should be fine with it (there is also a test seat out front for it as well).  Lightning Rod has the most restrictive seats and as best I could tell it was the same size seat in every row so there are no bigger row seats like the B&Ms have.  I did see a guy about 10-15 pounds larger than me (I'm 6'1" and around 258 lbs (I'm working on being smaller next time I ride it )) not get on it.  But I think you should be fine though if you have no problems with Banshee.

 

 

Great!  Thanks for the information.  Now it seems the big trick might be staying away from all of the good food it looks like they have there

[Rivertown Rider]

You're welcome.  Yeah they have lots of good food and the prices are reasonable for a theme park.

[Vortex lover]

Great TR! Im so happy you got to enjoy the park and ride Lightning Rod!

[Xdog42]

I went to Dollywood in 2015 but was to scared to ride anything. I'm planning to go again with family next year and when I enter the park I'm taking a sprint to Lighting Rod. and I'm making sure to get back row. Thanks for the experience 

[Vortex lover]

I went to Dollywood in 2015 but was to scared to ride anything. I'm planning to go again with family next year and when I enter the park I'm taking a sprint to Lighting Rod. and I'm making sure to get back row. Thanks for the experience 

If you got cinnamon bread even if you didn't ride any of the coasters the trip would have been worth it