Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition is the park’s largest single-attraction investment ever at more than $60 million. I rode it twice during the media ride dedication event, and its immersive storytelling and innovative ride system blew me away.

FULL STORY: https://themeparksbydon.com/dollywood-nightflight-expedition-60-million-ride-review/

AND.... not off the shelf.  Innovative, creative, immersive (and many other *.ive adjectives).

AND... you cannot find the experience anywhere else. Got to go to Dollywood. Very cool to have been among the first (a few turnstiles behind you) to ride it!

3 hours ago, Outdoor Man said:

AND.... not off the shelf.  Innovative, creative, immersive (and many other *.ive adjectives).

AND... you cannot find the experience anywhere else. Got to go to Dollywood. Very cool to have been among the first (a few turnstiles behind you) to ride it!

I mention this in my story. 

5 hours ago, Outdoor Man said:

AND.... not off the shelf.  Innovative, creative, immersive (and many other *.ive adjectives).

AND... you cannot find the experience anywhere else. Got to go to Dollywood. Very cool to have been among the first (a few turnstiles behind you) to ride it!

Really nice look at the whole thing, here: 

 

2 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

I mention this in my story. 

great article!

10 hours ago, Outdoor Man said:

AND.... not off the shelf.  Innovative, creative, immersive (and many other *.ive adjectives).

AND... you cannot find the experience anywhere else. Got to go to Dollywood. Very cool to have been among the first (a few turnstiles behind you) to ride it!

AND... 4 months late to open. That you can find / expect at Six Flags. 

IAAPA News reports on how Dollywood and Mack Rides collaborated to bring this ride to life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azIy5RE0CJY&list=LL&index=2

We were very impressed by NightFlight Expedition after our two rides yesterday morning, especially for a regional park. Considering how much it going on logistically with the ride system the entire experience flows remarkably well.

Herschend and Dollywood should be absolutely embarrassed by the opening of this ride. It was clearly not ready, as the ride can’t even stay open for longer than two hours a day. People need to stop giving excuses for parks that rush out barely-operable rides, regardless if it’s Six Flags, Herschend or any other park operator.

On 8/23/2026 at 12:04 PM, Timchat2 said:

We were very impressed by NightFlight Expedition after our two rides yesterday morning, especially for a regional park. Considering how much it going on logistically with the ride system the entire experience flows remarkably well.

Is Dollywood really still a regional

Park though?

On 8/24/2026 at 9:19 PM, brenthodge said:

Is Dollywood really still a regional

Park though?

After this weeks loss of Dolly; I want to say now more than ever, no.

On 8/24/2026 at 5:40 PM, WoodVengeance said:

Herschend and Dollywood should be absolutely embarrassed by the opening of this ride. It was clearly not ready, as the ride can’t even stay open for longer than two hours a day. People need to stop giving excuses for parks that rush out barely-operable rides, regardless if it’s Six Flags, Herschend or any other park operator.

I think we have gotten hints from Eugene this week that, no, it was not ready but there was a deeper push to get this open for Dollys biggest and last new ride opening. Sadly she was not fully able to participate, but now some of the decisions made in the last few days before and right after the opening make more sense. Just shows decisions are made with different filters at Dollywood/Herschend.

On 8/28/2026 at 8:41 PM, IndyGuy4KI said:

After this weeks loss of Dolly; I want to say now more than ever, no.

I fully agree. This past week has thrust this park back into the narrative more than ANY ride opening or new addition ever will. Now more than ever it is SUPER important for the culture, family and experience piece to be exactly as it was /should be. Dolly, in her passing, has given her passion project a renewed spotlight. They’d better be ready (and I think they know that, and will be)

10 hours ago, brenthodge said:

I think we have gotten hints from Eugene this week that, no, it was not ready but there was a deeper push to get this open for Dollys biggest and last new ride opening. Sadly she was not fully able to participate, but now some of the decisions made in the last few days before and right after the opening make more sense. Just shows decisions are made with different filters at Dollywood/Herschend.

I made that comment a day before Dolly's passing. With hindsight, that's certainly a possibility. However, Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom was also unfinished when it opened to the public, so I'm leaning on this being more of a Herschend thing than something that's specific to Dollywood. We'll see what happens with Miner's Mountain Express when that opens up next year at SDC.

On 8/24/2026 at 5:40 PM, WoodVengeance said:

Herschend and Dollywood should be absolutely embarrassed by the opening of this ride. It was clearly not ready, as the ride can’t even stay open for longer than two hours a day. People need to stop giving excuses for parks that rush out barely-operable rides, regardless if it’s Six Flags, Herschend or any other park operator.

Welcome to corporate America my friend… movies are rushed out, video games are often rushed out (Atari with their “early release versions”), quality control no longer exists for food products…

Even in education I’m being pushed into teaching things in a hurry and forging ahead even if it means students don’t master the concepts or skills.

7 hours ago, RollerColt said:

Welcome to corporate America my friend… movies are rushed out, video games are often rushed out (Atari with their “early release versions”), quality control no longer exists for food products…

Even in education I’m being pushed into teaching things in a hurry and forging ahead even if it means students don’t master the concepts or skills.

I get that, but Herschend has previously been one of the biggest gold standards when it came to quality control in the amusement industry. If this was at a Six Flags park, I wouldn't be nearly as critical since the lack of quality control is to be expected from that chain.

32 minutes ago, WoodVengeance said:

I get that, but Herschend has previously been one of the biggest gold standards when it came to quality control in the amusement industry. If this was at a Six Flags park, I wouldn't be nearly as critical since the lack of quality control is to be expected from that chain.

You know, that’s definitely fair. It’s exceedingly frustrating when a company known for high quality starts to lower its standards.

One may question whether fast food is high quality lol, but this is an interesting parallel....

"Wendy’s new CEO basically admitted the company cut corners on food quality to save money... and now they’re trying to win customers back.
Which is pretty incredible considering Wendy’s spent DECADES telling us:
“WHERE’S THE BEEF?”
Apparently the answer was somewhere in the cost-cutting spreadsheet. 😂
Wendy’s built its entire brand around quality, fresh never-frozen beef, and Dave Thomas being obsessive about doing things the right way.
Then somewhere along the road, the company started prioritizing efficiency and savings... and customers noticed.
Wendy’s has now fallen behind both McDonald’s and Burger King in U.S. burger sales, while hundreds of underperforming locations have been targeted for closure.
That’s what happens when a brand spends years telling customers what makes it special... then slowly chips away at the exact thing people showed up for.
Dave Thomas spent decades building Wendy’s around quality.
Turns out “WHERE’S THE BEEF?” hits a little differently now."

9 hours ago, disco2000 said:

One may question whether fast food is high quality lol, but this is an interesting parallel....

"Wendy’s new CEO basically admitted the company cut corners on food quality to save money... and now they’re trying to win customers back.
Which is pretty incredible considering Wendy’s spent DECADES telling us:
“WHERE’S THE BEEF?”
Apparently the answer was somewhere in the cost-cutting spreadsheet. 😂
Wendy’s built its entire brand around quality, fresh never-frozen beef, and Dave Thomas being obsessive about doing things the right way.
Then somewhere along the road, the company started prioritizing efficiency and savings... and customers noticed.
Wendy’s has now fallen behind both McDonald’s and Burger King in U.S. burger sales, while hundreds of underperforming locations have been targeted for closure.
That’s what happens when a brand spends years telling customers what makes it special... then slowly chips away at the exact thing people showed up for.
Dave Thomas spent decades building Wendy’s around quality.
Turns out “WHERE’S THE BEEF?” hits a little differently now."

En****ification, or platform decay. It's becoming common across everything in American life right now. Companies that built a reputation in quality eventually shift from focusing on customers to maximizing profits for shareholders.

I hate Wall Street... It used to be that a shareholder was someone who believed in the company, wanted to promote it and give it more capital for growth. But now? In this day? It's people who probably don't eat, shop, pay or visit the companies and locations they "own". Just soulless ghosts who could care less about the actual company or the product.

And it used to be we could fight back with our wallets by refusing to buy, but now these "shareholders" and corporate suits can just shift money around, short sell and more to stay wealthy... And if the brand dies we the consumer just get blamed for it.

23 hours ago, WoodVengeance said:

I made that comment a day before Dolly's passing. With hindsight, that's certainly a possibility. However, Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom was also unfinished when it opened to the public, so I'm leaning on this being more of a Herschend thing than something that's specific to Dollywood. We'll see what happens with Miner's Mountain Express when that opens up next year at SDC.

Or there is an underlying issue / issues in the industry as a whole? Remember when the car industry had lots full of vehicles, they were unable to sell due to a chip shortage?

54 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

En****ification, or platform decay. It's becoming common across everything in American life right now. Companies that built a reputation in quality eventually shift from focusing on customers to maximizing profits for shareholders.

I hate Wall Street... It used to be that a shareholder was someone who believed in the company, wanted to promote it and give it more capital for growth. But now? In this day? It's people who probably don't eat, shop, pay or visit the companies and locations they "own". Just soulless ghosts who could care less about the actual company or the product.

And it used to be we could fight back with our wallets by refusing to buy, but now these "shareholders" and corporate suits can just shift money around, short sell and more to stay wealthy... And if the brand dies we the consumer just get blamed for it.

"Shareholders" as in people with a 401k?

45 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Or there is an underlying issue / issues in the industry as a whole? Remember when the car industry had lots full of vehicles, they were unable to sell due to a chip shortage?

"Shareholders" as in people with a 401k?

You got me there.

I guess I don't really have retirement on my radar since I'll never see it myself personally, oh which is a fallacy bias of my own making...

2 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Or there is an underlying issue / issues in the industry as a whole? Remember when the car industry had lots full of vehicles, they were unable to sell due to a chip shortage?

Rides today are more innovative and immersive than ever and combine that with the repetitive safety measures it shouldn't be a surprise that a ride like NFE has had opening issues.

It's when rides like Racer, Beast, DB etc. go down it bugs me- probably more than it should. I have often defended a park when a ride goes down but as of recently its been grinding.

We have experienced Disneyland in 2024 & Disney World in 2025 & 2026. Each day no matter the park there were rides down for extended amount of time. Some rides like HM that have existed for multiple decades and others like RoR or SDD that are newer designs but have been around long enough to have the bugs worked out- in theory. Muppets went down early in our day @ HS and we almost didn't get on it. But....even though it was rethemed, it's the same ride system and still goes down. So yes- I believe it is the industry as a whole.

On 8/24/2026 at 10:19 PM, brenthodge said:

Is Dollywood really still a regional

Park though?

I would say at the moment yes. I don't think they get the attendance that KI gets and KI isn't a destination park.. However, Herschend has been investing heavily into Dollywood which could, in the future, position it to be a destination park. Dollywood has added two resorts since 2015 and now a 50+ million-dollar indoor family coaster. A ride that can help them mitigate attendance loss from unfavorable weather, keep people in the park longer and potentially extend their operating calendar.

Speaking of Dollywood did anyone else see the big fat billboard with a Dollywood ad on it, in downtown Cincinnati? Right when you get off 471 north to go 50 west?

On 8/31/2026 at 10:29 AM, WoodVengeance said:

I made that comment a day before Dolly's passing. With hindsight, that's certainly a possibility. However, Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom was also unfinished when it opened to the public, so I'm leaning on this being more of a Herschend thing than something that's specific to Dollywood. We'll see what happens with Miner's Mountain Express when that opens up next year at SDC.

Flying fox was operationally complete. A lot of the cosmetic work/landscaping and decor still needed to be installed. I think they knew they needed to get it open when Hollywood nights was happening in HolidayWorld since there would be people in the area checking out both parks. Being open incomplete didn’t affect the running of the ride like NFE opening early seems to have.

2 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I would say at the moment yes. I don't think they get the attendance that KI gets and KI isn't a destination park.. However, Herschend has been investing heavily into Dollywood which could, in the future, position it to be a destination park. Dollywood has added two resorts since 2015 and now a 50+ million-dollar indoor family coaster. A ride that can help them mitigate attendance loss from unfavorable weather, keep people in the park longer and potentially extend their operating calendar.

Speaking of Dollywood did anyone else see the big fat billboard with a Dollywood ad on it, in downtown Cincinnati? Right when you get off 471 north to go 50 west?

Dollywood is definitely a destination park. I’d say at this point KI is WAY more regional than Dollywood. They’ve made it very clear they are intent on being even more of a national destination (Dollywood) in the coming decades.

3 hours ago, Tr0y said:

Speaking of Dollywood did anyone else see the big fat billboard with a Dollywood ad on it, in downtown Cincinnati? Right when you get off 471 north to go 50 west?

I did notice that. Was very surprised and confused. Of course I’ve seen Holiday World advertised heavily in my area lately (Southeastern Indiana).

2 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Dollywood is definitely a destination park. I’d say at this point KI is WAY more regional than Dollywood. They’ve made it very clear they are intent on being even more of a national destination (Dollywood) in the coming decades.

I think that is what he said.

7 hours ago, Tr0y said:

I would say at the moment yes. I don't think they get the attendance that KI gets and KI isn't a destination park.. However, Herschend has been investing heavily into Dollywood which could, in the future, position it to be a destination park. Dollywood has added two resorts since 2015 and now a 50+ million-dollar indoor family coaster. A ride that can help them mitigate attendance loss from unfavorable weather, keep people in the park longer and potentially extend their operating calendar.

Speaking of Dollywood did anyone else see the big fat billboard with a Dollywood ad on it, in downtown Cincinnati? Right when you get off 471 north to go 50 west?

There's several Dollywood ads in Cincinnati. There's another one on I75 south by St. Bernard.

4 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Dollywood is definitely a destination park. I’d say at this point KI is WAY more regional than Dollywood. They’ve made it very clear they are intent on being even more of a national destination (Dollywood) in the coming decades.

Another big part of that is the whole Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area being a huge tourist spot for anybody living within a 4-6 hour radius of it. Including people who live in the Cincinnati area where Kings Island is.

3 hours ago, RollerColt said:

I did notice that. Was very surprised and confused. Of course I’ve seen Holiday World advertised heavily in my area lately (Southeastern Indiana).

There's a Dairy Queen near my house that has discounts for Holiday World tickets. Holiday World is 2.5 hours away and Kings Island isn't even an hour from where I live.

13 hours ago, WoodVengeance said:

There's several Dollywood ads in Cincinnati. There's another one on I75 south by St. Bernard.

Another big part of that is the whole Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area being a huge tourist spot for anybody living within a 4-6 hour radius of it. Including people who live in the Cincinnati area where Kings Island is.

There's a Dairy Queen near my house that has discounts for Holiday World tickets. Holiday World is 2.5 hours away and Kings Island isn't even an hour from where I live.

Nice view of the Great American Tower in the backdrop: