NightFlight Expedition at Dollywood in 2026!

[Timchat2]

https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/rides/nightflight-expedition

This looks VERY ambitious. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

[Diamondback_Is_King]

It looks very cool indeed! Can't wait to hear more about this!

 Dollywood says, "Expanding on Dollywood's Wildwood Grove, NightFlight Expedition is a groundbreaking hybrid coaster and whitewater river ride with Cora and Jasper Oakley leading you on an extraordinary journey to discover the mystery of the legendary Secret Lake. Embarking on a daring journey aboard remarkable vehicles, adventurers will experience four thrilling experiences in a first-of-its-kind attraction as they fly through the Smokies, conquer raging rapids, climb mountain peaks and glide across a shimmering lake. Follow the roots and light the way!"

Here are the stats:

[brenthodge]

Also very interesting. With the 26 season pass presale, they are cutting way back on the free admission incentives. Last year my son’s child silver got 2 free tickets- next year none and my Diamond got 4, now 2. Guess they don’t need to give away the gate like certain other parks. And passes sure aren’t 99.00. They know they have a quality product and aren’t afraid to price it that way. 

[ahank]

Seems like a perfect fit for The Crypt building 

[CoasterJack]

18 minutes ago, ahank said:

Seems like a perfect fit for The Crypt building 

potentially, it sounds like this show building is much larger though, so we'd have to see some sort of extension

[WoodVengeance]

Just a reminder that this is a $50 million attraction Dollywood is putting in. I can't imagine Kings Island ever investing that much in a new ride, especially under Six Flags.

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, CoasterJack said:

potentially, it sounds like this show building is much larger though, so we'd have to see some sort of extension

LOL you mean TEAR IT DOWN and build it new - have you SEEN how much larger the building is?

 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

A building like that would probably take up most if not all of what Timberwolf takes up. 

[DonHelbig]

7 hours ago, ahank said:

Seems like a perfect fit for The Crypt building 

The Crypt building is too small by comparison. I did a construction tour today and what Dollywood is building is massive. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

This ride looks really fun and the part that makes me the most excited is the white water rapids part. Eugene Naughton (CEO of Dollywood) said that there would be over 500,000 gallons of water used. I'm curious to see how wet you will get on this ride.

I also really like the part in the video when the lights on the boat go out and the ride drops. This is a very cool concept and REALLY cool theming ($50 million of course). I'm also curious about how long the "coaster element" will be in this ride. Not sure if it will be a short little segment splashdown like Journey to Atlantis (Seaworld Orlando) or something bigger like a water coaster. You can see some coaster track in the background, but that doesn't mean it will actually look like that.

Finally, I'm wondering if the "soaring over the Smokies" part will utilize screens like a motion simulator-type thing, or if it will be more like a coaster.

 

Those are just my first thoughts after watching the announcements a couple times today. This is a very cool ride, and I think it will be a big hit at the park!

[Captain Nemo]

I’m just so appreciative to see parks investing in Dark Rides. The list for best new Dark ride for next years Golden Ticket Award is building!

Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare at Kings Island. Sally Omnimover reskin.

SeaQuest: Legend of the Deep at SeaWorld Orlando. VEKOMA suspended dark-ride

NightFlight at Dollywood. MACK water-coaster hybrid

 

 

[WoodVengeance]

50 minutes ago, Captain Nemo said:

I’m just so appreciative to see parks investing in Dark Rides. The list for best new Dark ride for next years Golden Ticket Award is building!

Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare at Kings Island. Sally Omnimover reskin.

SeaQuest: Legend of the Deep at SeaWorld Orlando. VEKOMA suspended dark-ride

NightFlight at Dollywood. MACK water-coaster hybrid

 

 

I'm certain of those three, NightFlight is probably going to win.

[brenthodge]

10 hours ago, Diamondback_Is_King said:

This ride looks really fun and the part that makes me the most excited is the white water rapids part. Eugene Naughton (CEO of Dollywood) said that there would be over 500,000 gallons of water used. I'm curious to see how wet you will get on this ride.

I also really like the part in the video when the lights on the boat go out and the ride drops. This is a very cool concept and REALLY cool theming ($50 million of course). I'm also curious about how long the "coaster element" will be in this ride. Not sure if it will be a short little segment splashdown like Journey to Atlantis (Seaworld Orlando) or something bigger like a water coaster. You can see some coaster track in the background, but that doesn't mean it will actually look like that.

Finally, I'm wondering if the "soaring over the Smokies" part will utilize screens like a motion simulator-type thing, or if it will be more like a coaster.

 

Those are just my first thoughts after watching the announcements a couple times today. This is a very cool ride, and I think it will be a big hit at the park!

I think the "flying" part will be screen based. I could even see it being a "turntable" type thing where cars can be cycled through then "rejoin" the track for the coaster part.  I wonder if the "story" will have you raft, climb to the top of the mountain, soar, then "discover the hidden lake" then "dive down" - splash down, then calmly float through the secret lake to the unload. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

32 minutes ago, brenthodge said:

I think the "flying" part will be screen based. I could even see it being a "turntable" type thing where cars can be cycled through then "rejoin" the track for the coaster part.  I wonder if the "story" will have you raft, climb to the top of the mountain, soar, then "discover the hidden lake" then "dive down" - splash down, then calmly float through the secret lake to the unload. 

I was thinking something similar to this in regards to the storyline. I hope that they use lots of large physical sets to make the ride even more immersive, and rely more on physical sets than screens

[DonHelbig]

9 hours ago, Captain Nemo said:

I’m just so appreciative to see parks investing in Dark Rides. The list for best new Dark ride for next years Golden Ticket Award is building!

Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare at Kings Island. Sally Omnimover reskin.

SeaQuest: Legend of the Deep at SeaWorld Orlando. VEKOMA suspended dark-ride

NightFlight at Dollywood. MACK water-coaster hybrid

 

 

And the winner is … 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

16 hours ago, WoodVengeance said:

I'm certain of those three, NightFlight is probably going to win.

Which is unfortunate for Kings Island, but it's not like Six Flags really cares about winning any Golden Ticket Awards anyways  

[Diamondback_Is_King]

Here's the reveal of the ride vehicle for NightFlight Expedition. It looks REALLY cool, and I cannot wait to ride this new ride whenever I end up back at Dollywood! I see multiple speakers inside the boat, which is really cool to see as well! Super excited for this new addition!

Also @IndyGuy4KI-Are we able to rename this thread to be a NightFlight Expedition thread in general? I wasn't sure whether to put this in this thread, or make an entirely new one. Please move this to another thread if it needs to be moved. Thanks!