Katherine T.

Review of The Dollywood Company

PLEASE NOTE THE LIGHTNING ROD IS CLOSED FOR THE RE...

PLEASE NOTE THE LIGHTNING ROD IS CLOSED FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2020!! (I was very disappointed at finding this out once I hurriedly made my way to the ride s entrance as I LOVE this coaster.)

As a frequent visitor of Dollywood, I am very aware of how wonderful this theme park is as it is nestled in the Smokies and offers a wide array of fun entertainment and rides for the whole family; however, you must be aware of the new changes due to COVID-19. You will be required to stand in a lengthy line to have your temperature checked prior to boarding onto the tram to get to the park entrance. Also, you are required to wear a mask at ALL times, EVEN on a roller coaster (hope your mask stays on!). They do have a few designated areas where you can take your mask off and those places tend to be crowded. My family and I went on a Saturday, which was an absolute nightmare. All the big rides had at least a 50 minute wait except Wild Eagle. Found out that at least with the Wild Eagle, all the seats get occupied, whereas, on the Mystery Mine, I ve seen a car leave with just ONE person on it. Mystery Mine had a 70 min wait time, even though we ended up waiting for nearly 2 hours just to ride. I do not understand why they are not seating more than one party per car?? They were only loading one car at a time so I began to see why the line was extremely long. This is uncalled for. As a visitor of Dollywood during the COVID-19 pandemic, you understand the risks of exposure so why should we prolong ride lines on a Saturday just to make it COVID-19 safe? There is no reason why a different family cannot sit behind a family on a roller coaster if we are all having to wear mask?? It s not like any of the stalls in the restrooms are closed off to keep people more separated? IF someone has COVID-19 while visiting the park, I assure you, there are NUMEROUS opportunities to catch it other than having to sit behind them on a ride?? I will NOT be returning to Dollywood until this COVID-19 procedures GO AWAY.