Dollywood’s TimeSaver Premium: Is It Worth It?

We’ve ventured to more regional parks in the past few years, and our time in those destinations is often limited. It’s much different than spending a week at Walt Disney World. This might be my only visit to that park, so I want to maximize the time. It’s expensive to visit a theme park, so I prefer not to spend more to skip the lines. But that’s often a bad strategy in the modern landscape at popular parks. This was definitely true on our recent visit to Dollywood over Spring Break.

We only had one day at the park and wanted to ride all of Dollywood’s deep coaster lineup. With that goal in mind, I decided to splurge on the TimeSaver Premium add-on. We spent an additional $99 per person on top of the $95 one-day ticket. It seems outlandish to pay nearly $200 per day for any park, especially one not operated by Disney or Universal. Even so, I mostly appreciated the choice. In this article, I’ll talk about my experiences at Dollywood and consider whether this option is right for you.

The Big Questions for TimeSaver Passes

There’s no perfect solution for everyone when it comes to line-skipping services. I always purchase Lightning Lanes at Disney parks, but I’m focused on big rides. Others might prefer dining and entertainment, so buying it doesn’t make sense. Your budget and time are also important, so it’s complicated. Here are the six big questions that you should think about when deciding about TimeSaver passes at Dollywood:

1. How many days are you visiting Dollywood?
2. What types of attractions are the priority for your visit?
3. What is your budget for tickets and add-ons?
4. Are you planning to stay on site at a Dollywood resort?
5. Do you plan to return to Dollywood in the future?
6. Which TimeSaver pass is the right one for you?

I’ll dive into each of these questions in the upcoming sections. In our trip, I expected to have very short lines or even no line based on the hefty price for TimeSaver Premium. That was definitely not the case, especially with the most popular family coasters. Compared to Universal Express, which has a similar price point given the better attraction lineup, Dollywood’s set-up was not as good.

I appreciated having the separate TimeSaver queue instead of going through the exit, but the end result was inconsistent. We also waited in a significant line to pick up our wristbands after entering the park. That queue would benefit from being separate from the line to purchase the service. It didn’t set up the day well given my expectations. However, I did end up appreciating the value from the TimeSaver Premium pass. But there is room for improvement. Let’s dive into the specifics while responding to these questions.

1. How many days are you visiting Dollywood?

We only visited Dollywood for one day, and it was our first time at this park. That made it an easy choice to purchase TimeSaver. I considered buying a two-day ticket and just spending the morning there before we left. That would have been a poor choice before taking our long drive, however. It worked out better to spend more for a shorter visit.

If you’re planning to spend two full days at Dollywood, I don’t believe you need to spend extra for TimeSaver. The exception is only if you want many rides on the top coasters, especially Big Bear Mountain and FireChaser Express. The other caveat is if you want to maximize every minute in the park. In that case, it still might be worthwhile. Dollywood has fewer big rides than a Disney or Universal park, so it’s a little easier. You should consider it if you’re visiting on a popular day. Dollywood keeps drawing more guests, so there are fewer slow days, but there are some exceptions.

2. What types of attractions are the priority for your visit?

Dollywood offers 10 roller coasters, but it’s hardly just a coaster park. There’s an entire area focusing on Dolly Parton, and the park is filled with live entertainment. You may also be more interested in grabbing cinnamon bread and a hearty meal instead of thrills. Our focus was the roller coasters, which made the perk more important. I also chose the TimeSaver Premium because of our interest in riding all the coasters. It’s the only pass that offers unlimited rides on Big Bear Mountain and Lightning Rod, which were our focus.

We only ended up riding Big Bear Mountain once due to the line, but we did three rides on Lightning Rod. It’s more thrilling, which eliminates some guests, but the standby wait was still 45 minutes each time. If you don’t mind missing out on these rides and just go with the flow, maybe it’s not worth buying a TimeSaver. I just didn’t want to take the chance that we would travel so far and not get to enjoy the headliners.

3. What is your budget for tickets and add-ons?

Dollywood tickets don’t cost as much as Walt Disney World’s, but the prices can add up quickly. They charge $25 for standard parking, food isn’t cheap (including the famous Cinnamon Bread), and you have possible hotel and transportation costs. There are special deals out there, but the regular price for tickets is around $95 per person before tax. A two-day ticket is a better value around $125 per person, but that’s still a lot for a family of four. Adding another $60-$139 plus tax for a TimeSaver pass might seem unreasonable, and that totally makes sense.

The biggest concern for me is always getting the best value. I look for every possible sale and special deal first, but I make sure to think about what I’m getting for the price. I always look at Season Passes too, which can really help because of added perks. With that approach in mind, I decided to spend the extra $19 per person to upgrade from the middle tier (TimeSaver Plus) to the highest tier (TimeSaver Premium) because you received a lot more.

With us only having one day, it made sense to maximize the value of that time versus saving a small amount. Every person is different, so it’s really about getting comfortable with your ultimate choice. You can have a great day without any extra perks at Dollywood with the right mindset.

4. Are you planning to stay on site at a Dollywood resort?

Dollywood has two on-site resorts, the DreamMore Resort & Spa and the HeartSong Lodge & Resort. They’re located just a short bus ride from the parks if you’d like to avoid the parking time and effort. Both also are attractive spaces, especially the Wilderness Lodge atmosphere of the HeartSong Lodge. I haven’t stayed at either resort but strongly considered it for our visit. One reason is because you receive a TimeSaver pass along with your stay. They also offer packages that include tickets along with your accommodations.

I compared the price of staying offsite and buying the TimeSaver Premium against a two-night package at the resorts. I expected there to be a big difference between the costs, but the Dollywood resorts were pretty competitive. Even so, it was cheaper to stay at the nearby Fairfield Inn (about a 10-minute drive away) and splurge on the high-end line-skipping option.

The Resort TimeSaver is a fourth option that offers the chance to experience both Lightning Rod and Big Bear Mountain. However, it only gives you five entries and excludes Dragonflier, FireChaser Express, and Mystery Mine. Not having the chance to use TimeSaver on those rides made the difference. In particular, FireChaser Express had long lines all day, topping out at nearly two hours. We waited nearly an hour just in the TimeSaver queue for that popular family coaster.

If you’re planning to stay at a Dollywood Resort, there is the possibility to upgrade to the higher tier TimeSaver passes for a reduced price. You’re already ahead of the masses with your Resort TimeSaver, so that might be enough on most days. I should also mention the Golden Hour perk, which allows use of the TimeSaver queue for any ride in the first hour of the day. I think that a lot of those guests were in the line with us at Big Bear Mountain that morning. If you aren’t careful, you can use that entire hour for the one ride. Even so, it’s a reminder to explore all the different options including the on-site resorts.

5. Do you plan to return to Dollywood in the future?

Dollywood is preparing to open Nightflight Expedition, a massive new ride that promises to become the park’s new headliner. This mix of a water ride, roller coaster, flight simulator, and more should arrive in the next few months. I mention this attraction because it should entice a lot of past guests to return. It could also change the best strategy for using the TimeSaver lines at other attractions.

Beyond those changes, this question could play a role in how you approach Dollywood. If you don’t expect to return, you may want to purchase TimeSaver to maximize this visit. After experiencing Nashville traffic, I’m in no hurry for another long car trip across the rolling hills of Tennessee. If you’re in a similar boat, I might suggest TimeSaver Premium to make sure you can enjoy more of the park. There are few duds among the major rides and shows at Dollywood.

6. Which TimeSaver pass is the right one for you?

If you decide to purchase a TimeSaver, the final decision is which option works best for your trip. The above image comes from the Dollywood site and does a good job presenting your choices. I suspect the restrictions will change once NightFlight Expedition opens. It might just become a new tier and should at least be similar to Big Bear Mountain. You do get both Thunderhead and Wild Eagle (#2 and #4 on my coaster rankings) with any pass.

Setting aside the Resort option, the big difference with TimeSaver Premium is having unlimited entries on all the rides offered. TimeSaver Plus gives you a lot but omits Big Bear Mountain. If you choose that pass, I would suggest arriving early for the sprint to Wildwood Grove for Dollywood’s newest coaster. Big Bear Mountain appeals to both coaster enthusiasts and younger riders, so it draws a big crowd.

The final factor could be the price that’s available on the date that you visit. There’s a $40 range for each pass; the options were all at their lowest points on my Thursday visit over Spring Break. It might be different in the height of the summer. I’m not sure that I would have spent $139 per person if that was the cost for TimeSaver Premium. It again comes down to your budget and goals for your park day.

My Experience with TimeSaver Premium

Our day at Dollywood started out slowly; we pulled into the parking lot at 9:30 a.m. By the time we boarded the parking tram and made our way inside the gates, it was close to 10 a.m. I would suggest arriving an hour before opening. It was a bit hectic especially with the wait for wristbands. Thunderhead was closed in the morning, so we headed to Big Bear Mountain. Even in the TimeSaver queue, we still waited an hour. The result wasn’t much better at Firechaser Express with another 45-minute wait.

Thankfully, those experiences were the exception as the park’s two popular family coasters. We only waited a few minutes at Dragonflier and had 15-minute waits at Thunderhead and Wild Eagle. Lightning Rod was a walk-on all three times, and Tennessee Tornado also had no wait. The TimeSaver queue also led to a quick boarding for two rides on Smokey Mountain River Rampage. It was a chilly day, but its line was pretty long as the park got warmer in the afternoon.

This is a rough estimate, but I believe we saved about five hours of waiting using the TimeSaver Premium. A lot of that came from three quick rides on Lightning Rod, but even the slower lines were a lot shorter than their standby queues. Big Bear Mountain and FireChaser Express basically had two-hour waits, so ours were a lot less. Breaking the price down to per-hour rate, we spent about $20 per hour. I’m okay with that price.

Room for Improvement

I don’t regret purchasing TimeSaver Premium and believe it was a decent value, but I do have a few suggestions to improve it. There was a lot of confusion about which line was which at the busiest rides, especially Big Bear Mountain. I’ve visited a lot of parks and still wasn’t sure if I had entered the right line. It would really help Dollywood to have an employee stationed out front to direct traffic and answer questions. At a minimum, they need one at FireChaser Express and Big Bear Mountain.

Dollywood also doesn’t scan your TimeSaver passes until you reach the loading area. This could create a situation where someone inadvertently enters the TimeSaver line and doesn’t realize the mistake. I didn’t observe this happening, but it seems likely. While it’s not a big deal with a short line, that could have been a big deal at the headliners. It might be worth at least having someone look at the pass up front.

Finally, I think that Dollywood sells too many TimeSaver passes. It’s obviously a big revenue driver and perk for resort guests, but the ratio felt a little off during my visit. I’m part of the problem by spending extra to skip the lines. However, there’s almost no other option given the nature of my trip. Particularly early in the day, it didn’t feel like as much of a perk because so many guests did the same thing. If we’re all getting TimeSaver, that limits how much time we’re really saving in line.

Final TimeSaver Thoughts

Setting aside the costs, I can see the value of TimeSaver passes for most Dollywood guests especially on busy days. The Premium option gives the most flexibility especially for coaster enthusiasts, and you can do a lot with it. It isn’t as smooth as Lightning Lane from Disney or Universal Express, but it generally works okay. I do wonder if we’ve moved too far into upcharge territory, but the industry continues to move in this direction.

I’m excited to see Herschend invest in Dollywood with the massive NightFlight Expedition. It could increase attendance up front, and that added capacity should really help in the future. It will take some pressure off FireChaser Express and Big Bear Mountain and is another ride with broad appeal. Some of my concerns might be solved with another headliner joining the attraction lineup. I should also note that Mystery Mine was closed when we visited, so that gave people one less option to enjoy.

If you have any questions about TimeSaver that I haven’t addressed in this article, send me an e-mail to dan@tomorrowsociety.com. I’d love to try and help you maximize your day. It’s a great regional destination with a lot to offer! NightFlight Expedition should only make Dollywood even stronger as a true alternative to the major players.

Have you experienced TimeSaver at Dollywood? If so, how did it go?

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