Big Bear Mountain Review, Dollywood Vekoma Multi-Launch Coaster | America's Best Family Coaster?

[@paulwarsewa4558]

Big Bear Mountain reminded us a lot of Cheetah Hunt. It's of course a step down in intensity and thrill compared to Cheetah Hunt, but Big Bear Mountain is just plain fun in a similar way: Extremely smooth, good pacing, fun transitions, flows really well - just an all around enjoyable and pleasant experience.

[@mattcollins3591]

YES!!! I don’t know how anyone could be disappointed by it.

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

That sounds like a great comparison, taking in consideration the difference in thrill level.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I think coaster enthusiasts expected a bit more airtime, but as a family coaster, it excels.

[@randflam]

That’s what I said when I first got off of it! It felt JUST like a downsized cheetah hunt! Smooth, fun, and non restricting restraints!

[@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od]

@randflam why do people like the intamin hard ostrs

[@utahcoasterenthusiasts]

Big Bear is great! I enjoyed it very much. Fire Chaser is good too but its throughput is terrible. We only got 2 rides on Fire Chaser because of that but or 4 rides in on BBM. It was our first visit to Dollywood and we loved it. We will be back.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@teddym2808]

Dollywood really is jack of all trades and master of the family genre at least. I mean really, between this, the invert and firechaser express, the family coasters are second to none except for *maybe* Disney. And with Lightning Rod, they have one of the best thrill coaster airtime machines in the world. Will finally get on Lightning Rod in about 6 weeks, if it's down I will literally make sure I get to ride it before I move on. I might do another nearby park then go back to Dollywood again the next day and so on till I get a front and back row ride at minimum, The one thing Dollywood needs now is another thrill coaster in the league of LR so it has an extreme 1-2 punch. For family it really has the 1-2-3 down pat. But the other extremes at Dollywood are just good, not outstanding if that makes sense. Believe it or not, out of their current lineup, I'd take Tennessee Tornado as my number 2, and I've never said that about any arrow looper before. But it's still not a headliner. Thunderhead, Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine are just basic enjoyable enough rides. Nothing outstanding again. An RMC custom single rail, or even a B&M hyper, or Mack spinner would be amazing for Dollywood. Overall for thrill seekers I think Hershey Park still has the best mix of coasters on planet Earth.

[@mattcollins3591]

Lol definitely do not underestimate eagle, thunderhead and mystery mine lol all great rides. Thunderhead just completed a 3 year complete retracking. It’s better than lightning rod in my opinion

[@teddym2808]

@@mattcollins3591 Underestimate what? I have ridden them ALL bar lighting rod and big bear. Thunderhead does NOTHING for me. Wild Eagle is fun enough but no wing over which I really like, to me it's more like a standard B&M looper with wing seats rather than a coaster taking advantage of the design, Mystery mine I only rode before they removed the sideways horseshoe. It is way too rough for my liking. The EuroFighter in Australia is WAY superior (Abyss) with an insane speed airtime hill and jojo roll in the dark, but it is also too rough with OTSR. If Mystery mine got lap bars it would go to 3rd place for me, but it doesn't. If Abyss got lap bars it would be my 4th favourite coaster in Australia also, but it doesn't. I don't understand why people can't accept the opinions of others. I have ridden just under 620 coasters now, and I plan to hit the magic 1000 by end of 2025. I know precisely what I like and don't. I do not like GCI woodies, but they are built so well and stay smooth longer, but for layout, I like CCI and Gravity Group. GCI don't even come close for me. I have ridden ALL their coasters in the United states. Where I have to see if there's something I like from them is in Europe. Ghost Rider when running in peak form back row at night is my favourite woodie still, followed by Boulder Dash but they change spots depending on the year. Shivering Timbers is a firm third and Voyage 4th. That might give you an inkling to the types of rides I like.

[@mattcollins3591]

@@teddym2808 lol dude it’s not that serious I was just letting you know thunderhead has underwent a complete re-track and now myself (and many others) like it better than lightning rod. That isn’t anything to be upset over

[@teddym2808]

@@mattcollins3591 I'm not upset, I thought you were LOL. When I rode thunderhead it was brand new and smooth. I did not bother re riding on a subsequent visit.

[@CanobieCoaster]

The expansion Dollywood has gotten in the past decade is incredible. They have so many good rides now.

[@walterandclaude]

I laughed so hard when you said Big Bare Mountain. That's one of the best coaster puns I've ever heard.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I've heard others call it that.

[@mattcollins3591]

Lol, mostly from people who haven’t even seen it in person lol 😂 They’ve planted trees on the hillside behind the waterfall. Not sure what people are expecting

[@mattcollins3591]

@@CanobieCoaster I’m just curious, why do you guys give other coaster a pass when there’s little to no theming but big bear apparently is a make or break? Lol 😂

[@CanobieCoaster]

For this particular ride and area, it's called a grove and the plot used to have a ton of trees. So it's jarring to not see many.

[@AMagicProduction]

Nice Review! Would have loved to see some more theming on this though, other than the near miss waterfall, it’s a pretty bare ride. At the very least it would have been cool to go by maybe some camp sites or something. My wish would have been to add more rockwork. Would have been really cool to enclose the long side by side launches in some sort of cave. Maybe they can always make improvements with this ride… one can wish

[@CanobieCoaster]

I hope they can plant more landscaping in the coming years.

[@mattcollins3591]

@@CanobieCoasterthey’re not.

[@mattcollins3591]

Everyone complaining about more theming lol as compared to what? Dragonflier right next door isn’t even themed. Thunderhead isn’t themed Tennessee tornado isn’t themed They actually took theming out of lightning rod Wild eagle doesn’t have any either I’m not sure what a few extra rocks are going to add to the experience when you go so fast through the waterfall … the coaster goes 50 mph. What’s going through a “camp” at 50 mph going to add?

[@mattcollins3591]

Maybe ya know, actually ride it instead of watching a KZbin video about it.

[@jeremymorgan4779]

Never thought this would get a review before AF1 and Wildcat's Revenge haha

[@CanobieCoaster]

I still need to get to Hershey for Wildcat's Revenge.

[@Didyus]

Seems like a really nice introduction to launches!

[@CanobieCoaster]

It is!

[@Yes2snake]

6:59 that’s good. All parks should do that

[@CanobieCoaster]

I wish they all would.

[@mattcollins3591]

LOVE the ride!!! It’s my new favorite at the park

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's a nice addition.

[@racheljackson4428]

@@CanobieCoaster will you be reviewing Gotham City Escape at Warner Praque Madrid?

[@teddym2808]

@@racheljackson4428 When he next goes there, I guarantee Mike will review it. That coaster looks really good and for sure the headlining coaster now at Warner Madrid. That park needed a real standout as it's sort of been left behind. The 1-2 punch will now be Gotham City Escape and Superman, although I heard the latter is not riding that smoothly anymore. They also have the giant inverted boomerang but I never rode it in that location. That park really needs yet another standout. All parks should have a killer 1-2 punch, period.

[@JMaster9877]

I just rode this yesterday and it was really good

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's quite good.

[@mitchellries256]

If this park didn't have Lightning Rod, this would easily be my favorite ride there.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I'd still prefer some others like Thunderhead, Wild Eagle, and Tornado.

[@Thrills_And_Chills_WQAQ]

I was skeptical when I saw the ride revealed but it looks very solid, and the “butterfly moments” seem nice and enjoyable (the not airtime airtime if you get what I mean)

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's perfect for families.

[@Thrills_And_Chills_WQAQ]

@@CanobieCoaster you should do a firechaser review next, nobody has any truly in-depth reviews on it lol

[@ndfsblueflame]

I think Santa village in New Hampshire might get this ride for 2024

[@CanobieCoaster]

I think it will be a smaller junior coaster like a roller skater.

[@theatreandrollercoasters]

I can't believe there actually isn't any airtime!!! The pov makes it seem like it has so many pops.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I was surprised too.

[@teddym2808]

Which means Jungle Rush coming to Dreamworld in my country will probably be the same:( Up until now I really thought it would have 12 pops of airtime LOL (this is what Vekoma advertises for both Big Bear Mountain and the upcoming Jungle Rush).

[@mattcollins3591]

There are some pop ups in air time during the last half, it’s WAYYY more forceful than firechaser

[@VelocicoasterFanboy]

Very Cool 😎

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sure is.

[@nizam5568]

Are you planning to visit Soaky mountain in the area? It looks like one of the best waterparks in the country.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Already did and really enjoyed the park!

[@nizam5568]

@@CanobieCoaster Any plans for a review or ranking?

[@CanobieCoaster]

Yes, next month.

[@joecandish3923]

I wonder if Dollywood now has 2 Vekoma's would a thrill Vekoma fit well next like the Tilt Coaster, Bermuda Blitz, Vekoma Hyper or the modern extreme Boomerang

[@CanobieCoaster]

I'd love to see an extreme Vekoma there.

[@bradyryan5105]

Well I heard Dollywood is in the process of removing Mountain Slidewinder. That whole area + the small grass area beyond Wild Eagle's immelman may be used to build a new coaster in the future

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I look forward to riding it, hopefully during Smoky Mountain Christmas, which I'm planning for a 5th straight year. Based on your review, I will probably say the same thing across the board. I was hoping for a little airtime like Manta (SWSD), but I'll love the immense length, smoothness, terrain usage, & on-board audio. I'll probably prefer Firechaser Express, which I have a soft spot for, but I'm sure I'll love this one too.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Night rides should be cool with that setting.

[@dytamic]

I have not ridden either but this is so much better than LRod

[@CanobieCoaster]

Not quite.

[@SkyrushFanboy]

What a coincidence that sky rocket showed up in the review as I rode that today lol

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@ChasingThrills]

I like Firechaser Express better but I’m probably a little bias because it was the ride that made me like coasters

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's understandable.

[@WCfanboy]

Wish this ride had 3 trains. Given the rides length and simple restraints, it seems it could easily do that or even 4

[@mattcollins3591]

The line is always moving, two trains is enough

[@evanthames4189]

Agreed. 3 trains would just stack

[@CanobieCoaster]

It would have been nice to have a 3rd train, but the line does move with 2.

[@stephenboshears4832]

It has enough block zones to run 3 without stopping mid ride, and it might increase theoretical capacity, but with its short 1:40 cycle time it wouldn’t give you much time to load and unload. (About 33 seconds) without mandatory lockers and a moving station you’d be hard pressed to met that kind of dispatch interval reliably.

[@rapunzel1701]

It's right up there with Hagrid's, just more trees!

[@CanobieCoaster]

I much prefer Hagrid’s.

[@teddym2808]

Oh come on, it's not even close LOL.

[@mackenziefritz8169]

Really wish they added more of that rockwork and water features on the ride. The one waterfall looks a bit random, and it would’ve been cool to have a waterfall mountain around that turnaround. Kinda like Big Thunder Mountain

[@jonny-b4954]

Yeah, same here. They should have taken that rock/waterfall feature and multiplied that a few times over.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I most want to see a lot of trees and shrubbery added.

[@mattcollins3591]

Thing about this is, if you’ve been to the park.. you’ll notice they’ve taken a lot of trees out around their “big” coasters. Lightning rod Tennessee tornado Wild eagle And now for big bear mountain The winds there in the smokies knock trees down on the tracks all the time. (Lightning rod was closed last year for two weeks because of this) as cool as it would be, trees around their coaster tracks are going to be a no go. The waterfall isn’t random, lol 😂 you’re in the smokies… Everything in the ride/around it is exactly what was rendered over a year ago. I remember back in 2019 everyone complained that wildwood grove looked too “bare” now it looks beautiful. Don’t know why people expect a full on landscaped and grown out hillside only a month after grand opening. Lol 😂

[@mattcollins3591]

@@CanobieCoaster yea good luck with that. Dollywood has been taking trees down around their biggest and most popular coasters. Do you want a reliable coaster? Or one that’s down for two to three weeks because a tree fell on the track? lol as long as a ride is good, that’s all I (and most of the GP) care about. I don’t make or break a ride depending on how many trees are around it

[@mattcollins3591]

Not everyone wants everything to be like Disney 😉

[@Bigbluespoon]

I wonder if the reason it doesn’t have a lot of trees is because from what I heard was there was supposed to be more theming like the water falls

[@CanobieCoaster]

I think the big thing was to get the land cleared for work.

[@maverickheartlineroll]

I agree more theming elements should have been added

[@mattcollins3591]

as compared to what? Lol dragonflier right next to it isn’t even themed

[@maverickheartlineroll]

@@mattcollins3591 I'm not saying anything big just maybe a little more than one rock tunnel, as he mentioned in the video

[@mattcollins3591]

@@maverickheartlineroll everything that’s in/around the ride is exactly how it was in the animation rendering that came out a year ago

[@CanobieCoaster]

Landscaping is what they need most to complete the experience.

[@maverickheartlineroll]

@@CanobieCoaster thatd do the trick too

[@ericwilson5203]

Great video! I’d really like to know how you think it compares to thunder mountain? And more generally, is it possible that Dollywood may be the better family park than Disney considering disneys super long wait times and high cost? Is Dollywood trying to be the disney alternative ?

[@CanobieCoaster]

I still think Disney is a better family park, but it does need planning. This is close with Big Thunder.

[@teddym2808]

I think this is basically what jungle rush is going to be in Dreamworld next year. It claims the same "12 spots of airtime" so I am really disappointed to read there are only 2 and only in the back rows. But other than that, it seems very re rideable and fun for the whole family.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Maybe Jungle Rush will be profiled a bit differently for airtime, but I wouldn't expect it to be super wild.

[@redwolfcorprevamped8266]

No way this thing is as good as Verbolten... Could it be though?

[@CanobieCoaster]

I think Verbolten may be a notch above a family coaster with that indoor section to be honest.

[@kennyt7708]

Are u gonna also ride wildcats revenge then do a review soon

[@CanobieCoaster]

When I ride it later this summer.

[@diskyboy86]

@Canobie Coaster right now I'm on a cruise, royal carribean's oasis of the seas. I hate it. Line are terrible. Doing anything on a sea day is miserable. Also, the itineraries are terrible. There's a port in Florida near Orlando, but you're only there like 7 hours, so what can you really do. Maybe Sea World or Fun Spot? Maybe a Disney watetpark? Definitely not an actual Disney or Universal Park there. Then, you have Nassau. This ports even worse. There is nowhere to eat, everything is overpriced, the only affordable waterpark closed at 6, while you get in at 1:30, therefore making it completely unworth it, and there was no way I was paying for Atlantis. The one in Dubai is better anyway. I wish I would've gone to Baha Bay though, but I was already paying for Royal Carribeans waterpark on their private island, and no one else in my family wanted to go. Only royal carribeans private island was any good. I reluctantly payed for a full day pass, knowing that wait times would likely take away any fun factor, but it didn't. This waterpark was a blast. The half pipe slide and the tallest slide there had terrible waits early on, but everything else had shockingly short waits. Some rides were even walk on! By the end of the day, the tallest slide only had a 15 minute wait, but the half pipe slide was still long. Overall though, I had a blast and got on everything atleast once. Just a shame about the rest of the vacation. I wish you could get to the waterpark without cruising.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I haven't done a cruise, but the limited time at ports is one reason I am hesitant. I also checked out your video. I would recommend recording audio yourself rather than using an automatic reader since it gives it a more personalized touch.

[@diskyboy86]

@@CanobieCoaster fair reason to be hesitant. My personal favorite cruise was the Disney one I went on. I did their oldest boat, the Magic which first sailed in 1997. They made a new cruise just last year with a neat looking water coaster. It doesn't seem particularly good in regards to thrill factor, but you know what I say, even a weak water coaster is better than most waterslides. Plus, Disney's private island wad awesome from what I remember, though it was like 50 degrees on the day I was there. If I would recommend a cruise to you however, I'd say do a 4-day Royal Carribean boat out of Florida, just because that's the best to experience the awesome waterpark, and because sea days are terrible. Judt make sure if you do this, you get to the private island on a day just your boat is there, or if there is another boat, its on the smaller side. Daredevil's Peak and Dueling Demons must be experienced by any water slide fanatic. Also, I'll be making a video on the top 10 slides at Thrill Waterpark. I plan on switching to use my real voice someday, but I need more practice and an actual good place to record, so for now I'm keeping the AI voice around. I find it's monitonness can be funny at times.

[@hazza5999]

Life is tough. 😂

[@diskyboy86]

@@hazza5999 good summary

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I have been on 15 cruises in my lifetime, and while I enjoyed every one of them, I haven't sailed since late 2014. A few months later, I got my first amusement park season pass, and I discovered just how much more fun I can have doing that. I loved my cruises, but I was feeling that the cruise experience & guest enjoyment was on a decline, and from reports afterwards, it certainly was. Meanwhile, if done wisely and with some modest strategy, the experience of amusement parks have improved greatly, and I can't even imagine going back to cruising anytime soon. Amusement/water parks are just too much fun.

[@ICU306]

Why do you say synchronous like that? It’s (sing-kruh-nuhs)

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's how I had heard it said.