Park Review: Dollywood +Interview with GCI

Park Review:

Dollywood - (Pigeon Forge, TN)

This review is the second in my 3-part review series of the American Coaster Enthusiasts 2005 Spring Conference.

In this review, I will be using the Eric Griswold rating system, which rates parks and coasters on a scale of -3 to +5, as follows:

+5 - THE ULTIMATE
+4 - Golden Ticket Material
+3 - Excellent
+2 - Very Good
+1 - Good
+0 - Okay
-1 - Lousy
-2 - Miserable
-3 - Tear it Down and Try Again


THE STORY:

Hearing all of the positive reviews of Thunderhead, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that the 2005 ACE spring conference was coming to Dollywood. After hitting The Raven, The Legend, and Shivering Timbers in 2004, I now had the chance to add another top wood coaster to my repitoire. But to be honest I was unsure about what to expect from Thunderhead, because lateral g's are my favorite part of wooden coasters and Thunderhead used perfect banking. Lots of ACErs have raved about its speed, but I was thinking "What is speed with no airtime or lateral g's" Well, the coaster proved me wrong. I will get to the details later.


THE PARK - low +4

Dollywood has one of the most beautiful natural settings of any park I have been to. The Great Smokey Mountains are an intimidating backdrop, and the looming peaks some 15 miles to the south provide a great chance for some awesome use of terrain for coasters. The best part about this park is the shops... it is like a trip back in time to the early 1800's. This is just about the best place to see a blacksmith hammer away, a glass blower make exquisite creations, or grab some home made kettle corn and and sweets. the detail that has been put into this park is breathtaking. The prices at all the shops are practically a steal, especially in the sculpted glass shop, and the staff are as friendly as at Cedar Point and Hoiliday World. The shows are also fun to watch. The only gripe I have with this park is that they don't have alot of big rides. There are a couple good rides in the county fair section, and of course they have Thunderhead and Tennessee Tornado, but not too much else. So, the real attractions are Thunderhead and the shops. My final complaint is about the park layout. The 2 big coaster are on oppisite ends of this huge park, and it is a real hike to get from one end to the other. Still, this park is a gem. There are lots of mid-sized rides for families to enjoy. add on the tradition and you have one great family amusement destination. Me and my mom liked it so much that we are already planning a return trip in 2007.


THE STORY:

After a long day of driving and picture-taking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, me and my mom got to Dollywood just in time for the BBQ dinner. The food at Dollywood is great! Once we were one there, I headed over to Tennessee Tornado while Mom hit the shops. The rain was coming down in buckets all day, so the park was pretty empty. After just one ride on Tennessee Tornado, the park was closing. This was a 2-day event, so we arrived so late on purpose in order to spend the day driving through the Smokey Mountains. All I cared about was what was up next... the ERT session on Thunderhead. It took about a half hour for the guests to empty the line, but we finally got our session going at 8:30 PM. Whenever there are ACE members on a top rated wood coaster, you know that it is going to be a blast. This time was no exception. For the next hour, you could not believe how much cheering and clapping was going on. Everyone had an absolute blast! At 9:30, the gates closed and we headed back for the hotel.

Day 2:
My mom had a class to teach back in Tampa, FL, so she left early. This day was all mine to enjoy. The day began with an ERT session on Tennessee Tornado, which I went on 3 times over the 2-day event. It wasn't as lively as the previous night's ERT, but we all had fun anyway. Then, I ran clear across the park for a final binge-riding session on Thunderhead. My final count of rides on Thunderhead was 11. I couldn't get enough of this great coaster. Following my morning of nonstop action on Thunderhead, ACE got an exclusive tour of Dollywood's new water park. I must say that the progress is looking fantastic, and I only wish that it was open so I could have gone there. The final official event was the italian lunch buffet, followed by an exclusive question and answer session with Chris from Great Coasters International. Then, 3 upstop wheels from Thunderhead were auctioned off... going for around $50 each. The event was now over for me.

The Side Trip:
I had originally planned to stay in Pigeon Forge another night and drive straight to my summer hangout in Cambridge OH, but Thunderhead was such a great ride that I was left with a tough decision of where it would fit into my top 5 list. I decided to answer this question the only way I could... taking a side trip to Hoilday World to compare it to The Raven and The Legend. (It was only 3 hours out of the way, so why not?) So, I left Dollywood early to hit the road. I liked this park alot, and will be going back as soon as possible.



THE COASTERS:


Thunderhead - +5

WOW! I can't believe how far GCI has come in the last 6 years. Thunderhead is their greatest creation by far, and it combined just about every feature that you could possibly want in a wood coaster. The first drop off the hill is INSANE! In the back seat, you get thrown completely off your seat going down it. The speed on this thing is non stop. You are thrown every which way... in your seat, left, right, out of your seat. It is 2 minutes of complete insanity. The airtime on this ride is absolutely amazing! You get thrown out of your seat at least 10 times, and are hanging on for dear life. The positive g's are disorienting, and you never know where you are going or what is coming next. There are no slow spots on the whole ride... due to the great use of terrain, you feel like you are going faster and faster through the whole ride. By the end, you are left completely breathless. This is such a great ride... words can not completely describe the feeling. It is a thrill-gasm. It is glass smooth, insanely fast, has great airtime, and feels completely out of control. If you ever have a chance, you have to ride this monster. It is not only the "wildest ride in the woods", it is the second wildest ride in the WORLD in my opinion (see updated top 10 list on the bottom...) You have to ride this coaster. It is just great.


Tennessee Tornado - low +3

When you ride this coaster, it becomes very apparent why Arrow Dynamics did not survive long against B&M and Intamin. It is by far the best Arrow mega looper out there, but that isn't saying much when you are comparing it to crap like Orient Express and Drachen Fire. The ride setup is great, but the ride itself is still lightyears behind B&M and Intamin. It is the smoothest Arrow looper out there, and the most thrilling, but it still has very basic problems. 1: the trains are very uncomfortable, as are all Arrow trains except "X". 2: the ride is very short. 3: The pop of ejector air at the end, although a nice surprise, really hurts due to the poor train design. I like the loops, though. And the first drop is pretty good. So, overall, this is a great ride, but just doesn't stand up to the top steel coasters out there.


Blazing Fury - high +0

This is a really small enclosed coaster/water ride. I basically rode it for a credit (up to 81 now...) and didn't expect much. Well, I was right. This was a small, slow, not too thrilling ride that is more like a mediocre dark ride than a coaster. Ride it for credits.



UPDATED TOP 10 LIST:
as you can see, I am undecided between 4 coasters for the top wood spot, which is why I took the side trip to Holiday World to settle the dispute. Thunderhead was such a great ride that I couldn't figure out where it fit on my top list.

Wood:
1?(tie) The Legend
1?(tie) The Raven
1?(tie) THUNDERHEAD
1?(tie) Shivering Timbers
5. The Villain

Steel:
1. Millennium Force
2. Magnum X-L 200
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. Montu
5. Nitro

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for....




EXCLISIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS FROM GCII!!!

Here are some of the best moments from the question and answer session that ACE had with Chris from Great Coasters International during the Sunday luncheon.


Chris: First off, I want to welcome you to the qustion session. We're glad that you all like Thunderhead... (Everyone Cheers)... Thank you. During the next half hour, I will answer any question that you guys have. So, who wants to start us off? Okay, you...


Q: Are you ever going to make a coaster with a straight drop?

Chris: What? Make a coaster with a boring straight drop? I think that we have proven with Thunderhead that a curved drop can have just as much lift as a straight one. Well, I guess we can take a vote. Who here likes curved drops? (20 or so hands go up) Okay, who likes boring straight drops? (about 150 hands go up) Hmm, interesting. Well, we'll consider it. I liked curved drops myself. Okay, next question?


Q: There have been rumors that you are going to build a coaster at Silver Dollar City... is there any truth to that?

Chris: I'll leave this one open. We have contacted them, but the park is still unsure about what it wants to do. They are interested. I will tell you that they are building a new coaster within the next 2 years, but nothing is final.


Q: Have you ever considered re-building the Crystal Beach Cyclone?

Chris: To be honest, we have thought about it and dismissed it. One of the things we do besides build coasters is sell models by request. We built a model of the Cyclone for someone, and I didn't think the layout was very interesting. It was just a bunch of curved drops mixed with the trick track. I think that the real thrill of that ride was in its reputation, and it would not be exciting enough for a modern day park. Good question, though. We have thought about it.


Q: What about the Riverview Park Bobs?

Chris: That ride had a boring straight drop... seriously, though, this coaster has been re-made to some extent already, over at Geauga Lake. (Raging Wolf Bobs).


Q: How about the old Airplane Coaster?

Chris: Now there is an interesting project. If a park ever wants it, we would love to build something like that.


Q: How about Cyclone Racer?

Chris: Okay, enough questions on old coasters being rebuilt... There actually has been speculation about re-building something like this beautiful coaster on the pier, but there are no official plans. Stay tuned. Okay, who has a question not related to old coasters?


Q: Have you guys been worried about the competition with Hades this year?

Chris: Hades? Nope, never heard of it. (winks).


Q: Do you offer any internships?

Chris: I have been trying to get the idea of internships for some time now, but there is nothing right now. We might be offering them soon, though, so send us your resume if you are really interested.


Q: How many coaster projects can you take on in one year?

Chris: We can work on 2 per year. We are planning a major expansion within the next few years, though, so we should be able to take on 3 or 4 coasters by 2009. Right now, we have plans in Europe and Silver Dollar City, so we are booked through 2007. (Oops, did that just slip out of his mouth? The SDC plans sounded pretty difinitive to me... rejoice, coaster fans in Missouri...)


Q: Do you think you will ever build a wood coaster as tall as Son of Beast? I'm sure you would do a better job than Stengel did.

Chris: To be honest, we do not do coasters that big. Woodies won't need height to be good. But, just to check, Who here thinks we should build a coaster like Son of Beast? (1 hand goes up) Okay, and who thinks that we should stay under 150 ft? (170 hands go up). Enough said... the market for tall woodies is just not there.


Q: Do you market to parks, or do the parks come to you when they need a new ride?

Chris: The parks usually come to us. Our reputation is international, and almost every park knows just how good our coasters are. (lots of cheers from the crowd...) We also put up a display at IAAPA, but our reputation usually speaks for itself.



Carol Sanderson: Okay, we have time for one more question. I want to thank the folks from GCI for their wonderful coasters, and for answering our questions. Once this question is over, we will auction off a set of actual upstop wheels from Thunderhead, so stick around.



Q: How long does it take you to finish a coaster project from the initial call to opening day?

Chris: Usually between 10 and 18 months. Dollywood ordered Thunderhead in June 2003, and it was opened 11 months later. Some projects take longer or shorter, but the average is about one year. Okay, thanks everyone for your questions, and I hope you like our future coasters as much as Thunderhead. Thanks agian, and we hope to see you all again in the future.




And so ended the 2005 ACE Spring Conference. I left Dollywood and headed for Holiday World. In the review of Holiday World, you will get to find out the real scoop on just how good the park is, and get a behind-the-scenes preview of their new-for-2006 coaster. Till next time, this is cjd signing off.

nice review cjd. liked that questionare. very interesting to know a new GCI will open within two years at SDC. only 8 hours away
and I's gots a question for ya. how sweet is thunderhead? ive seen videos and it looks cool, but how does it ride? smooth or super smooth?

thanks man.

It is one of the smoothest woodies out there, and the banking is so high that the catwalks become headchoppers. As I said in the review, Thunderhead ranks up in the leauges of the best wood coasters in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if it hits #3 or better in the Golden Ticket Awards this year. It is completely insane. The speed seems to get higher and higher as the ride goes on. Anyone that has the chance should ride this monster... it is worth any distance of travel to ride.

It doesn't look good in the videos, but it rides like a dream.

[coolbeans326]

Right now, we have plans in Europe and Silver Dollar City, so we are booked through 2007.

You ramble on about a slip of tounge, he said nothing was final, but apparantly thier planning something. [;)]

sweet. and cool, planning something is still sweet, specially a GCI!

The ride actually has laterals too, in the weirdest spots. Also has air in the oddest spots as well which adds to its uniqueness. Its in my top 5 for sure, but will be bumped once I get to Holiday World and a few other spots...