The wait is finally over, and now the waiting in line can begin! After being announced nearly a year ago and an unplanned delay, Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition is ready to take flight.
Dollywood launched its newest ride with a dedication ceremony Aug. 14, inviting news media and a few season passholders to soar over the glowing mountains and plunge into rushing rapids.
"I think we're going to shock a lot of people. This ride is the most that we've ever spent in an attraction in our history. It's the biggest and most technology-advanced ride we've ever done," Dollywood President Eugene Naughton told Knox News.
The ride cost more than $60 million, Naughton said, which is more than the park spent to open DreamMore Resort and Spa 12 years ago.
Dolly Parton - who has been dealing with health issues for nearly a year – was scheduled to appear at the event but had to cancel the day before. Naughton led the kickoff festivities in her place, with the help of Parton's appearance by video instead of in person.
"Eugene, I've had my butterfly wings a-flappin' since May 15th when we were due to open the first time, and again in June," Parton said in the video. "But I know we have to make sure that this is the safest since it is the newest and most expensive ride that we have ever added to Dollywood."
"This ride truly is an adventure that lets you see the mountains the way I always remember them, full of wonder and beauty," Parton added in a press release. "I’m also excited that with NightFlight Expedition we’re able to tell stories about what happens in the mountains after the sun goes down."
The indoor attraction is not only the largest single investment in Dollywood’s history, but it also offers a unique ride experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Here’s what it’s really like to take a ride on Dollywood’s NightFlight Expedition.
What is the NightFlight Expedition experience?
The outside of Hidden Hollow Aviation – the building that houses NightFlight Expedition – looks like a massive (and normal) hangar. But once you walk inside, you’re immediately immersed in the bioluminescent world of the Great Smoky Mountains and tasked with an important mission: to find the shimmering Secret Lake that illuminates the glowing roots of Dollywood's Wildwood Tree.
Twin scientists Cora and Jasper Oakley lead the journey that takes you on that epic nighttime adventure.
Before the expedition even begins on the special boat, you see twinkling fireflies and hear cicadas. And then you're off soaring over the mountains. The journey is filled with unexpected jolts and drops, and you might get wet. But all around are bright hues of purple, blue and green bioluminescence. Even the water glows!
NightFlight Expedition is a “groundbreaking thrill ride” for all ages that combines four ride experiences into one. The custom-designed attraction features vivid multimedia projections, dynamic onboard and offboard audio and special lighting effects.
"It represents our 11th coaster on property, but it's much more than just a coaster," Naughton told Knox News. "We're bringing to life what happens at night in the Smoky Mountains, and people normally don't get a chance to see the really cool bioluminescent creatures that exist along our Smoky Mountains at night because the park closes. So, this is our chance to tell that story and to share what happens."
The ride, a “first of its kind” indoor family coaster featuring water and other immersive elements, is the park's longest ride and is housed in a 44,000 square foot building.
"NightFlight Expedition represents a defining moment not only for Dollywood but for the theme park industry as a whole,” Naughton said in a press release. “This attraction redefines how a family ride can be used to tell a rich, authentic story true to your park and its surroundings."
The “rip roaring rapids” are among the ride’s most exciting elements for Naughton. The ride has 500,000 gallons of water. But the water factor, the speed of the ride and the indoor temperature can all be controlled.
“There are a couple of tricks in this ride that I think people are really going to say, ‘Wow! That was really cool’ or ‘I'm not really sure what that was, but I can't wait to get back on it and see if I can figure out what that is.’ And that's really the fun of the design and development of this ride,” Pete Owens, Dollywood’s marketing vice president, said during a preview back in February.
To preserve the surprises for first-time riders, Dollywood did not allow media to take photos or video during the actual ride.
The five-and-a-half-minute ride is meant for families. The average 5-year-old, along with parents and grandparents, can ride it. And the speed tops out at 29 mph. Dollywood says 1,200 people per hour will be able to ride NightFlight, and the park expects about an hourlong wait. However, it took Knox News about two hours to get to the front of the line. The good thing though: Most of the queue is indoors, keeping you cool and dry while you wait.
The innovative and award-winning rocking boat vehicles and conveyance system on NightFlight Expedition are manufactured by Mack Rides and designed to operate on land and in water. And while a theme park in France uses them, too, the NightFlight versions were customed-designed to fit the storyline and immersive experience Dollywood developed for the attraction well before production.
“So, if you want to ride it, you've got to come to Dollywood,” Owens added.
Why was the NightFlight Expedition opening delayed?
NightFlight initially was scheduled to open sometime in the spring. However, as that time approached, social media users and Dollywood fans questioned whether the ride would be ready in time. In June, the theme park announced the ride's opening date would be pushed back by about two months.
"Well, we're going to be having to do a little bit more work to get the ride ready for operation," Naughton said in an Instagram video posted June 16.
When can you ride NightFlight Expedition?
NightFlight Expedition opens Aug. 19 for all guests. However, season passholders are eligible for early previews Aug. 14-18.
What's next for Dollywood after NightFlight?
NightFlight's journey is just beginning, but Dollywood's president continues to look toward the future.
"If Big Bear Mountain opened in May of '23, three years later, we're opening NightFlight, you better believe I'm knee-deep into '29 and '30 right now," Naughton said.
Dollywood is open about 10 months every year. Extending its operations and ultimately becoming a year-round destination remains one of Naughton's goals, especially when Christmastime is one of busiest times for the park.
"When water rides go offline because they're outside, I want to make sure that I'm adding indoor experiences because it adds capacity to our property that will never close. And so, I'm really focused on doing some unique things," Naughton told Knox News.
NightFlight moves the park one step closer to that year-round goal, and developing the ride reaffirmed there's space in the market for indoor attractions.
"There was so much excitement for what was happening inside the building," Naughton said. "It really showed me that was a really good idea."
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What it's like to ride Dollywood's new NightFlight Expedition
