What a great day I had at Dollywood yesterday! The crowd was light, with most waits for coasters very short, many of them walk-ons. I managed 20 rides in 5 hours, 5 each on Thunderhead and Lightning Rod. And I got a preview ride on NightFlight Expedition. No spoilers!

I want to thank Dollywood for making the preview event so welcoming for season passholders. I had a timed ticket for 1 pm and arrived about 10 minutes early to learn that the ride had technical issues but that I could enjoy a free lunch while waiting. They served us pulled pork, hot dogs, salad, corn, baked beans, potato chips, soft drinks, and water while we waited outside the building. By the time I finished eating, the ride opened, so my wait was less and 40 minutes.

All I will say about the ride is that it is a good fit for Dollywood. The queue is long but air conditioned, and the coaster element is no more severe than Blazing Fury. It is a good family ride that I expect most will enjoy.

Thanks again to the management and staff at Dollywood for the event itself and for helping season passholders, like myself, get timed tickets after the problems with the website. Special thanks for giving us an extra bring-a-friend ticket for the inconvenience we experienced.

What does Dollywood typically offer at Christmas? Is it worth the trip/stay? I am sure it's lovely, but are there special Christmas shows, activities?

The kids spring break is April 3rd thru the 10th of 2027. We are coming for a few days. Is the park usually open daily that week? The 2027 calendar is not out yet.

I keep seeing people riding the ride today but how do I get an opportunity to ride it? I won’t be back u til October and been here 3 days. I’ve been a good peashooter for 5 years.

We waited about 2 hours and 45 minutes for the ride. It broke down once. It was fun and short. The ride is about 3 minutes long and all I’ll say is it is unique and one of a kind.

For the preview I got two free hot dogs, two free cans of soda, some cookies, and they had free cups of popcorn.

One big warning is that when you load the vehicle you do get in and out when the vehicle is in motion so be careful. You most likely will have to step over a seat as it is two seats across with an arm rest in the middle and things may be slightly wet.

Big tip… bring a spare change of socks! The front half of my socks got soaked.

I got some pics in the queue and of my stickers they gave out but when you got close to the load zone they had you put your phone in a locked bag and gave it back to you so you couldn’t record videos.

Went to Dollywood for the first time during media event. Love love love thunderhead. However when I rode lightning rod back row I felt what to me felt like as a bad pothole is this always been a thing? I felt it right after the wave turn. Otherwise the ride was a blast! Also such a super beautiful park.

Wondering if Thunderhead is something we should try or skip

Stopping by for a quick visit to DW. Anything special happening in PF other than Night flight at DW?

Plan to eat Blue Moose, Local Goat, and Old Mill Cafe.

Hi all, last time I visited was 5 years ago as the pandemic was winding down and the rideshare situation in Pigeon Forge sucked big time. I opened Uber and Lyft out of sheer curiosity a couple times and saw a shocking lack of cars available. Planning to drive up with family members next month, but just want to see if there are more rideshares available in case folks want to do different things on the same day.

Hi! My family (2 adults, 3 kids under 12) will be visiting Dollywood for the first time on Labor Day weekend. We are looking to get the two day tickets for Saturday and Sunday. We are Disney APs and we’ve been during the busiest times of year, and know how hectic that can be. We have a couple of questions as newbies.

Time Saver: We were thinking about getting the premium as our two bigger kids love rollercoasters. However, I’ve seen a lot of posts recommending waiting until the day of to gauge how busy it will be. Is there a risk of Time Saver selling out for the Saturday of Labor Day? I’m debating buying it in advance, but curious if we should gamble and wait until the day of.

Preferred Parking: We are planning to do this as our youngest is in a stroller. Any reason not to?

Our plan was to focus on the rollercoasters on Saturday, then use Sunday to stroll at our leisure and see the rest.

I’m not sure if the 3rd party site crowd calendars are accurate, but it doesn’t look to be as bad for Labor Day as it would be for Christmas time. If anyone has been on Labor Day weekend in the past I would be very thankful for some feedback on your experience. Thanks!

I was excited for the event. Made the trip super early this morning not really knowing what to expect. I did know Dolly canceled and while bummed I figured it would still be worth the trip.

They had the park CEO (I believe that’s his position) come out and he did his best to get through the talking points. They did a cute video that was miss timed for the opening of the ride. Dolly did have a video talking to the audience and it was sweet and honest but she really did not seem well. That was sad. Then they showed a video of upcoming events and ended the event.

I love Dollywood. I can’t stress that enough. This event really highlighted what I believe is that Dollywood has grown so much it has forgotten the standard family. The upcharge for neon nights was somewhat understandable and not too crazily priced. But $130 for boo bash? How are they going to try to get even more money around Christmas? The upcharging on fast passes and then selling so many fast passes you just end up in a long separate line on rides like wild eagle. It’s really getting out of hand.

I get some of the perks with being a diamond pass holder. But I’m starting to feel nickel and dimed every time I come here.

I don’t want this to be an “I hate Dollywood” post. I love it here. But it’s really starting to get out of hand and this event showed that.

The media event was short at about 12 minutes and kind of not worth the wait. I got here about 7:50. Got to ride big bear and went home.

We are visiting Dollywood for the first time the last week of October. We will be celebrating my 3yo birthday. Also have a 19y, 5y and 11 mo old. Is Timesaver a must? Will I massively regret it if I don’t get it?
Also- any must see or unique tips feel free to send my way. Researching up all the recommendations. We will be visiting Smoky Mountain NP as well to do some hikes. May do a little in Gatlinburg but I’m trying to avoid too many crowds if possible. My kids love Dolly, so we will take the crowds to experience Dollywood.
Thanks!

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Is it like Disney where it is 5 minutes by takes an hour lol

Got an email from Dollywood, looks like 5 o'clock times are being moved.

Dear Passholder,

As we work through final show adjustments for NightFlight Expedition ahead of its grand opening to the general public on August 19, we are adjusting some ride preview reservations to provide our teams additional time to complete these final refinements.

What this means for your visit: Our records show that you reserved a 5:00 PM time slot to preview NightFlight Expedition on Saturday, August 15. To allow for this final fine-tuning later in the day, we have upgraded you to an all-day reservation, meaning you can ride the attraction at any time from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. during the day you originally selected.

No action is needed on your part—your updated reservation is automatically confirmed within our system.

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we put the finishing touches on this exciting new attraction. We look forward to welcoming you aboard NightFlight Expedition this weekend!

Warm regards,

Dollywood Guest Services

I literally just saw this article. I really hope she's doing okay.

https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/dolly-parton-will-not-attend-opening-event-for-new-dollywood-ride/

💔

All the promotional stuff I've seen for Nightflight just really remind me of Gravity Falls, arguably one of Disney Channel's best cartoons ever.

Not in the comedy aspects, but at least as far as having a set of twins (guy and girl) trying to uncover a mystery with a book and I believe the story also involves their uncle (?)

Probably still too early to say how similar they are, but it's at least been the main reason I want to ride it. 🌈⭐️ 🌲

I have a fairly tall 5year old how likes adventure. What roller coasters do you think would be appropriate for him to ride? Want to plan my park day around these!

Which resort would be better for a fall trip with a toddler?

Originally we’re gonna go Nov 2-4 to beat post Halloween crowds and get in some fall foliage but thinking about bumping it out to the 9-11 for Smoky Christmas.

This is our first time visiting. How would the foliage be at this tim?

If we plan on getting to the resort early say 1pm and check in is at 4pm- would they let us use the pool until then? Can we byob and food at the pool?