FireChaser Express • Dollywood

This is not trying to be a record breaking enthusiast coaster. It is trying to be a fun, family coaster for children just getting out of kiddie rides. It is exceptional at what it is trying to do. Jus...

This is not trying to be a record breaking enthusiast coaster. It is trying to be a fun, family coaster for children just getting out of kiddie rides. It is exceptional at what it is trying to do. Just good solid fun for everyone.

The theming was fun, but the ride was ultimately somewhat boring. I rode in the back and front rows, and neither had any real forces. the backwards section feels forceless and slow. the fire effects i...

The theming was fun, but the ride was ultimately somewhat boring. I rode in the back and front rows, and neither had any real forces. the backwards section feels forceless and slow. the fire effects in the firework shed no longer work. I know it's a family coaster, but so is big bear mountain, which is infinitely better.

Hey Dolly, any chance you're hiding a third train somewhere? This runs 2 trains, but can do 3 pretty easily, based on how the block zones are set up. This pulls the longest line in the park, no questi...

Hey Dolly, any chance you're hiding a third train somewhere? This runs 2 trains, but can do 3 pretty easily, based on how the block zones are set up. This pulls the longest line in the park, no questions asked. Aside from having a minimum 45 minute wait on a low-crowd day, this has some decent airtime, and a neat little backwards section. 2 stars for creativity & theming, I can't in good consciousness give it more. Sorry, Johnny Cash. You aren't enough to save this ride.

It's an entertaining family coaster ride! You get a small launch at the beginning with a lift hill and the forward portion is fun. There are small pops of airtime here and there but nothing too inte...

It's an entertaining family coaster ride! You get a small launch at the beginning with a lift hill and the forward portion is fun. There are small pops of airtime here and there but nothing too intense. Then you hit the shed and the theming is cool with the fire setting off the "fireworks explosion". Going backward definitely bumped it up half a star. It's more intense than I expected with steeper drops without any visibility. I continue to be impressed with Dollywood's coaster duration. The lines weren't long the day I went but you would at least feel like you got your wait time worth on these theming experiences. 3.5/5 stars

Pretty mid. For a family coaster, it’s good, but not really appealing to me. Also, it was a staircase wait, and I still had to wait forty-five minutes because the operations were so slow. I simply can...

Pretty mid. For a family coaster, it’s good, but not really appealing to me. Also, it was a staircase wait, and I still had to wait forty-five minutes because the operations were so slow. I simply cannot comprehend why the operations at Dollywood are so slow. They take forever!

A nice concept for a coaster with high production elements and theming. Relatively tame in terms of intensity, even for a family coaster with a couple tricks up its sleeve. Quite a hit for young rider...

A nice concept for a coaster with high production elements and theming. Relatively tame in terms of intensity, even for a family coaster with a couple tricks up its sleeve. Quite a hit for young riders, but a bit of a snooze compared to Big Bear, Mystery Mine and Dragonflier for most others (in my observation).

This is an amazing family coaster. It's not to intense, which is to be expected, but the ride never felt boring. The theming on and off ride is really well done, and the location is very scenic. The l...

This is an amazing family coaster. It's not to intense, which is to be expected, but the ride never felt boring. The theming on and off ride is really well done, and the location is very scenic. The launches were also punchier than I was expecting. My favorite part of the ride was the backwards section. It felt a bit more intense than the rest of the ride, and it was just plain fun.

For some reason this is the only roller coaster I've ever been on that consistently makes me motion sick. If I had to guess why it's probably the rattle combined with the backwards sections, but I'm n...

For some reason this is the only roller coaster I've ever been on that consistently makes me motion sick. If I had to guess why it's probably the rattle combined with the backwards sections, but I'm not sure. The layout isn't anything special, just a lot of meandering around an admittedly beautiful hillside. Backwards launches are always a good addition to any ride, and this one is no exception. I just wish this one had better capacity; it's rather popular, and even with a very fast op team it just can't handle the lines. 5.5/10 - massive respect to the ride ops for munching on Sour Patch Kids mid-cycle

This is a decent family coaster, and actually packs more into it than you might expect. The backwards launch and navigation section is cool, but there are a few dead spots on the first half of the rid...

This is a decent family coaster, and actually packs more into it than you might expect. The backwards launch and navigation section is cool, but there are a few dead spots on the first half of the ride that do make for a pretty view, but a boring experience in terms of intensity. I would ride this again, but I wouldn’t wait more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Gives a good variety of ride experiences similarly to Cobra's Curse, and its target demographic is the same so that's very useful for a step-up coaster like this. Not as intense as I would like, but t...

Gives a good variety of ride experiences similarly to Cobra's Curse, and its target demographic is the same so that's very useful for a step-up coaster like this. Not as intense as I would like, but that's every family coaster.

As far as family coasters go this is one of my favorite. It’s a family coaster so the forces it has aren’t too strong, but it has 2 fun launches including a backwards launch, some enjoyable floater mo...

As far as family coasters go this is one of my favorite. It’s a family coaster so the forces it has aren’t too strong, but it has 2 fun launches including a backwards launch, some enjoyable floater moments and some nice turns and s bends. It’s also a long ride with a nice location and great theming plus on ride effects. Definitely just a plain fun ride.

Another awesome surprise at Dollywood. It is a family ride. So, I wasn't expecting much at all. I love going backwards and I had no idea that this did that. I only wish it did it for longer. Exce...

Another awesome surprise at Dollywood. It is a family ride. So, I wasn't expecting much at all. I love going backwards and I had no idea that this did that. I only wish it did it for longer. Excellent theming and theatrics to boot. The ride itself is decent enough--obviously not too terribly fast or thrilling, but definitely not a total bore fest. Of course, it is comfortable and smooth. Overall, way, way better than a typical mine train, "family" coaster or any of the compact kiddie coasters out there. It does more than just provide a lame ride to entertain the kiddos, it is good enough and unique enough to entertain even seasoned coaster fanatics. Perhaps the best family coaster I have ever ridden.

FireChaser Express was a little underwhelming. It's longer than it needs to be. This leads to a lot of pointless moments. FireChaser Express does have some good moments. The backwards section is very ...

FireChaser Express was a little underwhelming. It's longer than it needs to be. This leads to a lot of pointless moments. FireChaser Express does have some good moments. The backwards section is very fun. There are a few moments of great positive g's. FireChaser Express isn't supposed to be Dollywood's finest. It's just a fine family coaster with some very good theming.

My two favorite steel family coasters are this and Cobras Curse. They both execute what a family coaster is supposed to do perfectly. A well themed, not too intense ride with some fun moments that eve...

My two favorite steel family coasters are this and Cobras Curse. They both execute what a family coaster is supposed to do perfectly. A well themed, not too intense ride with some fun moments that everyone can enjoy. On this ones it’s the two launches and a few moments with some decent airtime. A great family coaster.

FireChaser Express is a surprisingly punchy and enjoyable family coaster. The launches’ sheer force surprised me — as while 16mph in 1.6 seconds right out of the station may not sound fast or intense,...

FireChaser Express is a surprisingly punchy and enjoyable family coaster. The launches’ sheer force surprised me — as while 16mph in 1.6 seconds right out of the station may not sound fast or intense, it actually pulled some DECENT G’s! A few pops of airtime here or there are also present, along with the fun section of S-bends right before the second launch. Theming is also very prevalent on this coaster with several passes through former zipline structures, the midcourse show scene and a cool firehouse-inspired station. However, capacity is a major issue on this coaster; while Dollywood staff are efficient at operating this ride lines can get long quickly. Only three 14-person trains run on the course at a time, limiting capacity to 750 riders per hour. This is definitely a family coaster worth a good wait, but I’d avoid anything over forty minutes.