Themepark road trip , live

[Goldia]

Your poor feet, I hope they aren't hurnt after the water park. Seems like you are all having fun. I'm so enjoying reading along.

[ali-s]

Tuesday 21st June DOLLYWOOD and PIGEON FORGE

Back on the trolley today, it takes a little longer this time, just under an hour, but we aren't in a hurry. We want to repeat our favourite rides at Dollywood and see some shows.

It's busier today than Sunday, lightning rod is a 75 minute wait, wild eagle and thunderhead are less than 15 minutes. Again, Thunderhead feels faster than Lightning Rod even though it's 20mph slower.
Our first show is the Kingdom Heirs and we enjoy it. Even if you aren't into gospel/religious music ( we aren't ) you can appreciate the harmonies and sounds these guys make.
We also see the Smoky mountain string band, they are fun to listen to and get your toes tapping. The last show is Harmonies of the heart, Dollys songs and stories about her . This was so boring, I didn't recognise or enjoy any of the songs , I was watching the audience and saw only 2 people tapping their feet, a very disappointing finish to our day.
I have no idea where the time went, it was 5pm by the time we got the trolley , we got off at the transit centre and walked to the Old Mill area as I wanted to do moonshine tasting.

ID was required I had my driver's license with me , which was fine, but the copies of DH and DS passports were not accepted, so they couldn't taste. DS doesn't drive so I suppose he would have needed his passport , but copies have been accepted in loads of places over the years.
Anyway, I did the tasting, which was free. We were given 10 thimble sized cups and a list of moonshine flavours that would be offered ( there were probably 20 flavours, so you had to choose carefully ) I liked the elderflower, peach and French toast, but it tasted like any flavoured spirit, not what I was expecting, and at $27 a jar a bit more than what I pay at Aldi 😏 but I'd promised my brother I would get him some and I bought a jar for us as I felt bad that DH and DS had missed out.

We then walked to mini golf, a couple of streets over. This is a new one with a toy box theme and rave reviews. It was ok, the theming was around the course rather than a part of the course, and we couldn't help comparing it to Disney, so obviously it didn't make the grade.

DH wanted to take the trolley back to Old Mill for dinner, but we would have waited longer than it took us to walk. We were the last ones seated at the old mill pottery cafe and speed ate our dinner while the staff cleaned up around us. I had catfish fillets for the 2nd time, not sure why because they were as tasteless as the first time. 😆 I wasn't very hungry anyway, so left most of it.
Back to the transit centre to get the trolley back to the hotel. We could see the fireworks at Dollywood while we waited. They seem to do a pathetic few bangs at park close, then a better display 20 minutes later.
10pm by the time we get back to our room. We move on tomorrow so I'm trying to empty the fridge, that means drinking half a bottle and wine while typing my trip report 😆

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by ali-s

Tuesday 21st June DOLLYWOOD and PIGEON FORGE

Back on the trolley today, it takes a little longer this time, just under an hour, but we aren't in a hurry. We want to repeat our favourite rides at Dollywood and see some shows.

It's busier today than Sunday, lightning rod is a 75 minute wait, wild eagle and thunderhead are less than 15 minutes. Again, Thunderhead feels faster than Lightning Rod even though it's 20mph slower.
Our first show is the Kingdom Heirs and we enjoy it. Even if you aren't into gospel/religious music ( we aren't ) you can appreciate the harmonies and sounds these guys make.
We also see the Smoky mountain string band, they are fun to listen to and get your toes tapping. The last show is Harmonies of the heart, Dollys songs and stories about her . This was so boring, I didn't recognise or enjoy any of the songs , I was watching the audience and saw only 2 people tapping their feet, a very disappointing finish to our day.
I have no idea where the time went, it was 5pm by the time we got the trolley , we got off at the transit centre and walked to the Old Mill area as I wanted to do moonshine tasting.

ID was required I had my driver's license with me , which was fine, but the copies of DH and DS passports were not accepted, so they couldn't taste. DS doesn't drive so I suppose he would have needed his passport , but copies have been accepted in loads of places over the years.
Anyway, I did the tasting, which was free. We were given 10 thimble sized cups and a list of moonshine flavours that would be offered ( there were probably 20 flavours, so you had to choose carefully ) I liked the elderflower, peach and French toast, but it tasted like any flavoured spirit, not what I was expecting, and at $27 a jar a bit more than what I pay at Aldi 😏 but I'd promised my brother I would get him some and I bought a jar for us as I felt bad that DH and DS had missed out.

We then walked to mini golf, a couple of streets over. This is a new one with a toy box theme and rave reviews. It was ok, the theming was around the course rather than a part of the course, and we couldn't help comparing it to Disney, so obviously it didn't make the grade.

DH wanted to take the trolley back to Old Mill for dinner, but we would have waited longer than it took us to walk. We were the last ones seated at the old mill pottery cafe and speed ate our dinner while the staff cleaned up around us. I had catfish fillets for the 2nd time, not sure why because they were as tasteless as the first time. 😆 I wasn't very hungry anyway, so left most of it.
Back to the transit centre to get the trolley back to the hotel. We could see the fireworks at Dollywood while we waited. They seem to do a pathetic few bangs at park close, then a better display 20 minutes later.
10pm by the time we get back to our room. We move on tomorrow so I'm trying to empty the fridge, that means drinking half a bottle and wine while typing my trip report 😆

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Loving how you report honestly and objectively, warts and all.

A fascinating vacation and a report that opens up new horizons!

[sparklegirl]

This has been brilliant for me. We have 4 nights Boston and then 7 nights in DC before we pick up a car. I was planning to go to Dollywood from there and I am loving the routing you have chosen. Only downside for me is I go in early November so not as long in daylight. I do have friends in Roanaoke and family in both Williamsburg and also in Culpeper so will think on some inventive routing! How many nights in Pigeon Forge do you think would work? Is 2 too little if only Dollywood would be open for theme parks?

[ali-s]

Originally Posted by sparklegirl

This has been brilliant for me. We have 4 nights Boston and then 7 nights in DC before we pick up a car. I was planning to go to Dollywood from there and I am loving the routing you have chosen. Only downside for me is I go in early November so not as long in daylight. I do have friends in Roanaoke and family in both Williamsburg and also in Culpeper so will think on some inventive routing! How many nights in Pigeon Forge do you think would work? Is 2 too little if only Dollywood would be open for theme parks?

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I'm not sure Skyline drive or BRP would work in November as they close in winter and are prone to ice and snow at other times.
One day at Dollywood should be fine , unless they have some seasonal event on. Even then I don't imagine November would be busier than June. Pigeon forge is like one big I Drive, lots of touristy things to do but I wouldn't add extra time for it.
For ideas on routes I asked on Trip Advisor ( they have a road trips forum ) they were very helpful getting us from Pittsburgh to Front Royal , not so helpful on other routes, depends who is answering I suppose. Be very specific on what advice you require, I posted my intended route asking if I'd allowed enough time and for ideas of stops and got a load of people asking why was I flying into that airport when this airport would be better and Busch Gardens was going to be way too busy for my dates etc etc

[ali-s]

Wednesday 22nd June TO SANTA CLAUS

We're packed up and ready to leave Creekstone inn by 10.15 ( and I've only just discovered the make your own pancakes at breakfast )
Today's drive is the longest of the trip , 5.5 hours . We go east of Knoxville then North skirting Lexington and Louisville. I asked on TripAdvisor for suggestions of a stop to break the journey and was told Berea is almost exactly halfway and also known for its arts and crafts , it even has an arts college.
We are a bit slow leaving Pigeon forge, one lane is closed, 4 cop cars have surrounded a car with an open boot, once past that we make good time and get to Berea exactly 2 hours and 45 minutes later.

The artisan craft village is well signposted, but I still drive past and end up on the college campus ( parts are open to the public, but we don't have time to explore )I about turn and find the welcome centre with very welcome restrooms and helpful staff. We are given a map and directions and find a coffee shop for lunch a couple of minutes walk away. We love their cold drinks which are basically soda water with your choice of syrup added, must be 2 dozen flavours to choose from. I have rose, DH butterscotch and DS peach. They are all delicious.

I've allocated an hour for lunch and leg stretch so we have a wander around a few of the craft shops ( if they are open to the public they have a flag outside ) every craft imaginable is represented. I'm tempted by watercolours and earrings, but resist. At a fabric craft shop we are their first English visitors and we have our photo taken for their Facebook page 😐😆 an artist/ musician sings us a welcome song and plays us a tune on a 150yr old hammered dulcimer ( like a stringed xylophone) , she also proudly tells us she is partnered on minecraft ( whatever that means ) and showed us some of her minecraft creations based on quilt designs.

Our 1 hour break has turned into 2 hours and we then hit traffic near Lexington. Once through that we get caught in a thunderstorm. The rain is torrential, like having buckets of water thrown at the windscreen, visibility is poor but everyone slows down and puts their hazards on, it lasts for maybe 20 minutes, seems like much longer. Now we hit Louisville traffic, the second half of our journey takes 4 hours !

We are staying at Santas Lodge in Santa Claus , the home of Holidayworld.

It's Christmas every day here. I think they must be fed up with it by December and I think Santa looks a little worse for wear, that's what happens when he's on duty 365 days a year . 😆

We have pizza and basket meals at Frostys fun centre which is thankfully just across the carpark, I've had enough driving for today

[ali-s]

Thursday 23rd June HOLIDAYWORLD


Holidayworld opens at 10, so I've nagged DH and DS to get up, have breakfast and be ready for the 5 minute drive by 9.45.
Very few cars in the carpark when we arrive, and nothing to pay, parking is free at Holidayworld .We almost make it, we get through the gate at 10.30.🙄
There are 4 areas , Thanksgiving, Halloween, 4th July and Christmas , which is the area around the entrance. So weird seeing decorations and hearing Christmas songs when it's 28 degrees . We hurry to Thanksiving for The Voyage ( voted best coaster 5 years running, which years and by who it doesn't say ) we are met by ropes and signs ' this area opens at 10am ' , I check my watch ( yes, I'm one of those rare people who still wears one ) 10.35 , but people are sitting waiting patiently . Then it twigs, when we arrived at the hotel yesterday evening DS said the bedside clock was out an hour and adjusted it. The clock was fine, we had changed time zones between Kentucky and Indiana . So we were early after all. 😆

It's less than a 10 minute wait for front row of The Voyage when it opens. What a lovely , smooth ride, especially for a wooden coaster.
Thunderbird was next, a launch coaster. Again, less than 10 minutes wait and a very smooth ride. Both get 8 out of 10 from me and DH, DS is harder to please , only 7 out of 10 for Thunderbird .

It's another warm day and we are already thirsty. Drinks are also free here, for everyone. And not just cheap, generic pop, they have more choice than the other parks we've visited. Pepsi, mountain dew, Sierra mist, dr pepper, root beer, fruit punch and more. Drinks stations are everywhere and you help yourself whenever you want.
Sun cream is also available in large pump dispensers.

Refreshed we ride the other wooden coasters, The legend and The Raven, both a solid 7 out of 10, but outshone by the previous coasters.
They have a few shows here. We watch a dive show, more entertaining than I expected, I didn't know there were so many ways to jump off a board, the highest was 70ft.

Then a show with dogs ( all rescue dogs ) doing tricks and agility stuff. Not as slick as Orlando , but fun and worth watching.

Lunch is build your own tacos or burrito, at $8.99 my vegetarian burrito is the best value and tastiest themepark food I've had so far.

We want to spend a few hours at the waterpark ( both parks included in ticket price) so after we've done a few of the minor rides ( indoor shooting with turkeys and spinny fairground thing for DS ) we fetch our swimwear from the car and head into Splashing safari. ( we could have carried it with us as belongings can be left on ride platforms for all rides )

Unlike Dollywood, the pavements here are mostly shaded or wet, in the queues little water jets keep the ground cool and I overheard someone say some surfaces were treated so they didn't get hot.

The waterpark is busy and there is a 45 minute wait for Cheetah chase voted best or longest water coaster, can't remember which ) DH sits this out so it's just me and DS who get to the front of the queue in time for it to develop a technical problem. It's soon up and it gets a 7 out of 10 from us . Another long wait for Mammoth , one of the longest water coasters in the world . DH doesn't like water, but queues for this thinking it's a mild, family raft ride , the rafts are filled to capacity so we ride with 3 others on the wettest water ride I've ever done. It was fun, we laughed non stop, except for DH who refused to do another ride and sat minding the bags .😆

Because of the longer wait times DS and I only have time for 2 more slides before the waterpark shuts, we do Wildebeest ( another best something ) and Baklili , both good fun , shame we couldn't do more.

We go back into Holidayworld to ride The Voyage and Thunderbird again. DH and I decide The Voyage is our favourite coaster of the trip.

There are a group of Brits in yellow t shirts we've been following all day, they are The Pleasure Beach Experience club and are on a coach tour of themeparks, they are going to be in the next 3 parks on the same days as us.

The park closes at 8, but there is a drone display at 8,40, until then there is music , DJs and a party atmosphere. The drones were worth waiting for. How they fly them so accurately and turn the lights on and off is incredible. I took photos but they don't show how the images moved.

It was gone 9 when we left the park , and 9.30 when we got back to the hotel to find nowhere open for dinner ( it's a small, rural town ) luckily my burrito filled me up and we have cheese biscuits and snacks to tide us over until morning.

DH and I agree this was the most enjoyable day so far, Holidayworld is our kind of themepark.

[ali-s]

Friday 24th June KENTUCKY KINGDOM

We leave our Christmas bubble today. It's a one hour drive to Kentucky Kingdom , it opens at 11 so we think we will get a lie in , until we remember we lose an hour crossing back into Kentucky 🙄 DH and DS actually manage to get up and have breakfast at a reasonable time and we leave at 9.15.

We arrive at Kentucky Kingdom ( which seems to be within the Louisville city limits ) at 11.20. The park is very quiet and we wait just 5 minutes for front row on our first coaster, Storm chaser, another wooden/steel hybrid. Lots of airtime and smooth, it moves into our top 5 ( my top 5 are all wood or wood/sterl hybrids )

T3 is next, an inverted coaster ( hanging down) it has technical problems just as we are about to ride so we move onto our 2nd wooden coaster, Thunder run, it was ok, 7 out of 10. Back to T3 which is now working. It has unusual restraints. A bar over your thighs/ lap and webbing shoulder straps. On the first inversion the bar locks down over my thighs so tightly I'm surprised I'm not bruised. 5 out of 10 for painful restraints and a rough ride. (Still not as bad as Phantoms revenge at Kennywood 😉 ) Lightning run was the last of the 4 coasters an ok 7 out of 10 .

There were no other rides we fancied doing ( most were kiddie or fairground rides ) . They have a 5D movie ride based on Ice Age . We waited 20 minutes for this . You sit in individual semi reclined seats with seat belts and it could have been good, but the seats flung me around so much I had to hold my 3D glasses on ( was wearing them over my glasses ) DH said there was too much sideways movement and the best effects are from forward movement.

There were 2 shows we wanted to see, another dog agility style show which we missed because we were watching The Harlem Globetrotters . A team of 5 did trick shots and showed off their ball skills and were rather impressive.

Lunch was the usual burger and fries, and then all that was left to do was ride Storm chaser again, which we did in the back row , which was even better than the front. The amount of airtime was incredible and it was still smooth. The back row moves it into our top 2 coasters, which is confusing as Kentucky Kingdom as a park is at the bottom of my list. Maybe it lacked atmosphere because it was so quiet, we were ready to leave at 4.30 .

We had a 2 hour drive to Hampton Inn Cincinnati/Kings Island . Several 'stalled cars ' slowed traffic ( why are they always described as stalled ? ) and there were lanes closed due to roadworks, but we arrived before 7pm so had plenty of time to change and go out for dinner ( was determined we wouldn't be eating crackers in the room again) we walked 4 minutes to Perkins where we satisfied our craving for vegetables and shivered for the first time in 2.5 weeks, the air con was cranked up so much the next table requested a blanket when the server asked if they needed anything else.😆

[ali-s]

Saturday 25th June KINGS ISLAND

A long day today and I'm beginning to flag. Breakfast at Hampton Inn is 6-8am so we are up earlier than we'd have liked. Kings Island opens at 10am, both DS and DH go back to sleep until it's time for the 5 minute drive to the park . 😆

The park is already busy when we arrive, same sort of theming and layout as Kings Dominion. It's well signposted with finger posts pointing to all the rides and maps up in convenient places, we also pick up a paper map ( a rare find ) . Only one ride ( Orion ) requires a locker, all the others have bins on the platforms for belongings .

Though it's busy we still manage Orion ( a giga coaster, just ) and Diamondback ( hyper coaster ) with less than 10 minutes wait each. Both get 7/10 . Then onto Beast, a wooden coaster that goes through multiple tunnels , it feels much faster than 65mph in a confined space ,it gets 8 and 9/10 , Banshee, a hanging down coaster, Mystic Timbers, another woodie, another 8/10 .

The queues get longer as the day goes on. Most are around 30 minutes. In the heat it seems longer, especially as we haven't had to queue much so far this trip. We experience our first queue jumping ( all the parks have signs up warning of the consequences of cutting in line and everyone has been well behaved until now ) 3 young girls are stood behind us and I can hear them murmering and giggling, one squeezes past us and her friends follow saying 'we need to fetch our friend back ', except they don't move back but stand there infront of us. I'm normally non confrontational but when I'm hot and tired that goes out the window. I stare daggers at the nearest girl, who pretends she can't see me, so I push past her and she says ' oh, she's getting her spot back ' , I reply 'yes, I am getting my spot back thank you very much , ' the 3 of us form a barrier for the rest of the wait as the girls are joined by 3 guys who seem determined to repeat the offence. DH was all for reporting them but I couldn't be bothered.

Lunch is included in our passes and I choose shrimp and fried rice from Panda Express, makes a change from fries.

We see 3 shows. A bmx/scooter/skater stunt show, ok but I've seen better on Britain's got talent 😆 a 70's dance and song medley of chart hits and TV show themes. Fun for the adults, confusing for the kids . And a really bad, boring thing with ghosts and jokes that weren't funny. I realised afterwards I could have taken the opportunity to have a nap.

A woman sees DHs Rollercoaster club of great Britain t shirt and stops to talk. She is American but her husband is in the club 😐 she tells us to be sure to stay for the fireworks and to ride Mystic or Beast in the dark. The park closes at 10pm so that means a 12 hour day.

We have dinner ( Panda Express again ) and repeat Mystic Timbers, Banshee and Racer ( like the Grand National at Blackpool, but there is a wall between the coasters at the finish line so you can't see who has won) it's 9pm and we've been saving Beast to ride in the dark , we think we've timed it right as the fireworks will start as we finish the ride. 9.15 we are in the queue ( approx 40 mins wait ) when they announce that for safety reasons the Beast will go down at 9.30 and not resume until the fireworks are finished. If you are still in the queue at 10pm you will be allowed to ride ( but will obviously miss the fireworks ) we decide that as we have ridden once we will go see the fireworks instead, but why the ride stopped 30 minutes before I don't know.

The fireworks were ok. Not Disney standard but not bad. And they used drones , not as many as Holidayworld, but a nice effect.

Another late night and we still have to be up before I for breakfast tomorrow.

[ali-s]

Sunday 26th June To CEDARPOINT

It's finally here, the day we drive to our last park and the reason for our road trip. DS has always wanted to visit Cedarpoint but it's a long way to go for one park, so I had to add a few more to make it worthwhile 😁

We are up in time for breakfast and decide to pop back to Kings Island before we hit the road. We want a 2nd ride on Beast and there is some spinny thing that DS wants to do ( I don't do spinny ).

We use our passes for drinks before leaving at 11.30 . It's a 3.5 hour drive to Cedarpoint and I don't plan on stopping unless traffic holds us up or a rest break is needed.

Traffic is fine. We take the I-71 north, then after a couple of hours Google takes us off the interstate and we see some of rural Ohio. More interesting than the busy , main route ( which in turn is way more interesting than the UK motorways with their embankments blinkering your view ) lots of small farms with their red and white buildings. The lack of fences around property is so unbritish, can you imagine your neighbour being able to see into your garden with nothing to stop them wandering across your boundary ? 😯😄

We arrive at Hotel Breakers only 10 minutes later than Google predicted ( I did stop for fuel and milk, unlucky with the latter, the tiny shop didn't stock it as the minimum delivery was $100 worth ) we then encounter our longest queue of the trip. 5 staff on reception and the line went round 3 sides of the room. 80 minutes from joining the queue to getting into our room.
Once again we are paying for location. The most expensive hotel of the trip, no breakfast included and no tea/coffee facilities in the room. We have our hotpot and tea bags and they do stock milk in the hotel shop. We also have a fridge, so all ok.

It's now 5.30 and we haven't eaten since breakfast. We have meal credits on our passes but our stomachs are rumbling and there is a Perkins restaurant right by reception, so we eat there, I tell DH and DS this is the last time I'm paying for food. ( that promise is broken 4 hours later )

Hunger satisfied we walk to the park. Hotel guests have their own entrance and a shuttle bus if needed. Unlike Kings Island there is a distinct lack of signs and maps. Seems you are expected to download the app, which I do, but it's a pain having to rely on your phone all day.

Our first coaster is easy to spot being another giga coaster , Millenium Force. It has a 30 minute Unlike the other gigas which seem to rely on the initial drop to provide the thrill and then peter out to a tame ride, this one has some airtime and keeps the fun going. We vote this our favourite giga coaster and maybe best steel coaster.

Next is Magnum XL200 , a hyper coaster and a rough one to boot, a low 7/10 , Valrvn is a dive coaster , like Shiekra , I prefer the other dive coaster we rode at Busch Gardens, The Griffon .

We haven't used our meal credits today but don't really fancy anything they are valid for. I would like a fruit cup, DS and DH want something sweet, but all we are allowed are burgers, hot dogs, pizza and fries, pasta or salad. The meal plan is still good value but it does limit you. We end up with pizza and pasta, just to use some credits, but I leave half of mine.

Back at the hotel we are still craving dessert so I break my promise and buy cookies, granola bars and fudge from the hotel shop .