🌟 Information about Dollywood's 2024 Season Passes, QR Codes, Entitlements and more burning questions - Answered! 🌟

Hi Everyone,

Are you ready for Dollywood to open its gates for the 2024 Season?  

If you have been keeping up with all the off-season changes going on at Dollywood, then you are already aware that Dollywood has upgraded their Season Pass operating system to accommodate QR codes, which will speed up the process of moving through the front gate.  I have to imagine it will help at food & merch locations as well - they often struggle with scanning the barcode on my season pass for the discount to apply.

Dollywood has written a blog post that answers many of the details about the Season Pass, Including:

• How to Redeem Entitlements
• How to Add a Photo to a Digital Season Pass
• How to Update a Season Pass with a Barcode to a Season Pass with a QR Code

You can find that blog post at this link - click here. OR, you can check out my screen grabs below.  Click to enlarge.

#dollywood #dollywood2024 #dollywoodthemepark #DollywoodSeasonPass

2024 Season Pass Renewal Info for Dollywood (Updated 10/11/23)

Hi Everyone, (Update & 2nd Update & 3rd update- Below)

On Tuesday October 3rd, Dollywood sent some passholders information about renewing their passes for 2024.  I did not receive the email and its possible many others didn't either.  However, I logged into my account and discovered that my pass was eligible to renew, and so I went through the process up until pulling the trigger at Checkout.

What I could not find was the info graphic that was all over the place online, but not anywhere to be found in my Dollywood account.  WEIRD.

Im not 100% sure this info graphic is the first one, or the updated one.⬆️

Here's the info graphic, above.

So, after studying I notice several components of the 2023 pass are missing, so is that on purpose?  I saw somewhere online that Dollywood is still working on details.  Typically, they have all of that worked out before an announcement, not that they don't tweak things, but usually it's mostly sorted out.

At this stage it feels too early to offer any type of color commentary or advice, so I will hang on for more information and be sure to pass that on to you all when I learn more.

My post last year about the 2023 passes was published on October 17, 2022, and you can read that HERE if you would like to.  I would imagine by the middle of October they will have more information to share.  Maybe they are just getting a jump start on the renewal process?

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Quick Update - Thursday 10/5/23

I am seeing a lot of folks online who are frustrated at this.  There are a lot of passionate Dollywood fans out there!!

At some point soon, all of the correct details will sort themselves out.  I hope that happens sooner than later, lol.

In my snail mail today, I received a newsletter with the info graphic for the passes.  I learned yesterday three important things on the Dollywood Annual Passholders FB page.

1) This promotion for early renewals was meant to highlight some key features but was not supposed to be detail oriented.

2) The original info graphic - the one up above, has some errors (i think), so ignore that one, maybe.

3) A follower of Dollymania.com pointed out on this same FB page, that they had done some in-depth research, and had some solid answers to many of the questions.  So, I'll show you all a screen grab from that informative exchange.   You can click the image to enlarge it. 

I hope this helps provide some much-needed information to those seeking it out.  And it all sounds like the entitlements are going to be pretty good, but until I see this information come straight from Dollywood, I hesitate to offer any suggestions or colorful commentary.  Kudos though to Dollymania.net for trying to get answers.

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Second Update - Monday, October 9, 2023

Dollywood has created it's own, official, Facebook page specifically for Season Passes, and all the information that goes a long with it.

go here: Dollywood Parks & Resorts Season Passholders | Facebook

This should be a great resource, so go and sign up for it.

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Third Update - Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Dollywood has updated their information, and it looks pretty complete, I think.

Where is this information??

Okay, on a desktop computer, you'll find it here.  Or, do the following:

1. Log into Dollywood.com
2. go to Theme Park
3. go to Season Passes
4. Scroll down to "Season Pass Renewals."
5. There, you will find this 2024 Info Graphic.  Dollywood is still selling 2023 passes, so be aware of what you're looking at, it's easy to mix it up.

2023 Season Pass info released by Dollywood

Hi Everyone,

Dollywood has released the details about their Season Pass structure for 2023.  It appears that there are several changes from how things have been in the past, so let's dig in to it.

Updates to this article are at the bottom of the article.

Types of Passes

There are three passes to choose from, Silver, Gold and Diamond.  Silver, the basic season pass, is $149.  Gold is $214 and Diamond is $314.  The prices do not include taxes (~12%) and it should be noted that there will be a discounted price for children and seniors, which has not been announced at this time.  Furthermore, there is a discount for military folks and that includes active duty, veterans, military reservists, spouses and dependents.  That discount has not been announced at this time either.

There is one additional pass for children born in 2018 or 2019.  The Pre-K Imagination Season Pass is available for free with registration.  Link here.

Dollywood Blog has provided a nice piece that discussed the benefits of each tier.  Its called Diamond Vs. Gold Vs Silver and you can read that here.

Splash Country

You can turn Silver and Gold passes into a two-park pass by adding Splash Country for $65+tax.  Since Diamond includes Splash Country, you can add a Dining option for $50 +tax.

Payments

For all of their passes you can chose to pay in full or opt into their payment plan.  If you choose to use the payment plan, then the monthly payments are spread over 10 months.  For Silver it's $16.93/mo.  For Gold it's $24.31/mo.  For Diamond it's $35.67/mo.

Blackout Dates

Dollywood has added blackout dates to the 2023 Calendar.  The Silver pass has the most blackout dates.  Gold and Diamond do not have any blackout dates.  I have confirmed, that if you renew a 2022 Silver Pass, you will be able to enjoy the Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival THIS YEAR, but in 2023 you will need to plan for the blackout dates of November 24 to the end of the season on January 6, 2024.  You will have 3 or 4 weeks in November to enjoy the 2023 Christmas Festival.  If you purchase a 2023 Silver Pass, you will have blackout dates this November & December 2022.   

Here's a Pro-Tip: These blackout dates are there for a reason.  Dollywood WILL BE extremely busy during the listed blackout dates.  If you're wanting to visit when it's not bananas crazy, then avoid the listed blackout dates all together.

Let's look at the comparison table below of the three passes.

source: here

It's all the usual stuff they offer, parking, discounts, etc.  The quantities have changed this year.  For example, my Gold pass in 2022 gave me one Christmas Bring-A-Friend pass in 2021 and then 4 more Bring-A-Friend passes for 2022, and now it's 2 BAF passes for 2023.  But, they took away the BAF blackout dates, so my guests can go anytime - that's a plus.  So, just carefully look everything over so that you'll have a good understanding of what you have to work with.  My Gold pass for 2022 was $184 and for 2023 its' $214, so if I did the math right, that's a 16% increase.   That's the year-to-year difference for me.

Purchase Passes

If you pre-registered OR if you already have a 2022 season pass, then 2023 passes are on sale beginning today, Monday, October 17th.  For everyone else, you will have to wait until October 31st when they go on sale for you.   If you're on the fence about it, I suggest buying sooner than later because they remove entitlements as time passes, so for the maximum number of benefits, buy now. I will add that Dollywood has done a Black Friday offer in the past.  They obviously don't announce in advance what that offer is, but I think last year they offered an upgraded version of the two-park pass and threw in a dining plan that you would receive one meal at every visit.  And they had a refillable mug special too.  If you want to read more about last year's Black Friday deal, you can look at this article from Amusement Today, here.

Helpful Links and Resources

For a link to Dollywood's Season Pass info page, Click Here.  You can purchase passes at this link as well.  There's also a "Passholder Hub'' web page for current passholders and that is billed as a one-stop shop for everything pertaining to your Season Pass....find that here.

The Dollywood Blog has a post explaining why the Gold Pass is the best choice.  Read that here.  One note, I see that the blog post mentions in point #4 that with the Gold Pass, you can upgrade parking to the Preferred Parking for $10 and conversely, the Comparison Chart says $5.  I'm not sure which is correct.

My Advice

Well, there are so many different scenarios, I'm not sure where to begin.  If you go to Dollywood more than two times, then one person in your party should have the Gold Pass, and the rest could have Silver.  That way the Gold Pass would get you free parking and the meal discount.  And that worked great in years past, but now with so many variables, I need a bulletin board with red twine and stickies to figure and sort it out.  That said, I recommend studying all of this and put your plan to paper before you pull the trigger.

I also suggest reading the FAQ Blog Post that Dollywood has published.  To read that, click this link.

Wrap Up

That's a lot of info and I hope I did it justice.  Season Passes have gotten very detailed and specific, and I would suggest you double check all of this because it is complicated.  I see lots of questions about passes on social media, and I get how its challenging.   In the olden days you just had a season pass, and that was that.  NOT ANYMORE! 🤣  

2023 Will be a big year for Dollywood.  Their 38th season will introduce us to Big Bear Mountain, their longest roller coaster yet, new festivals and much more that hasn't been revealed yet.

If you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments, and I will do my best to find an answer for you!

Thanks for reading!  

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UPDATES TO THIS ARTICLE, BELOW:

10/31/22 - Update from Dollywood Bloggers - Read Here.  2023 Season Pass Resources, FAQ, etc.

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10/20/22 infographic from Dollywood:

source - Dollywood's Facebook Page: Link

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10/19/22 - Update from Dollywood Bloggers - Season Passes Most Asked Questions - Answered

Click Here To Read It 

2023 Dollywood Season Pass Registration & Pre-Sale

 Hi Everyone,

It is almost that time of year to decide if, or which Season Pass you want for the Dollywood 2023 Season that begins mid-March.  You need to figure out when you're going to ride their new roller coaster - Big Bear Mountain in Wildwood Grove!  Additionally, buying your pass at the beginning of the sale-period ensures you get the most added entitlements, such as multiple Bring A Friend Passes, Refillable Mug, and other stuff.  ALSO, buying the pass in October means you can enjoy Smoky Mountain Christmas 2022 in addition to all of 2023 - that's pretty cool if you ask me.

Dollywood has opened up Registration for 2023.  If you are a 2022 Pass Holder, you have been automatically Registered - so you can proceed to October 17th - the first day to purchase a pass.  If you're not Registered, You have until September 30th to do so.  The last day to purchase passes before they're available to the General Public, is October 30th.

Recap of important dates:

• Today thru September 30th - Register for Pre-Sale Opportunity.
• October 17th - First day of Pre-Sale to purchase passes with most entitlements.
• October 30th - Last day of Pre-Sale to purchase passes with most entitlements.
• October 31st - Season Passes are available to General Public, with fewer entitlements.
• November 5th, 2022 thru January 1, 2023 - Smoky Mountain Christmas - available to 2023 Season Pass holders.
• Mid-March 2023 - Season Passholder Day - usually a Friday, not yet announced.

The Dollywood Blog, once again, has posted helpful information on this topic, so I'm turning this post over to them to explain further.  Please follow the Dollywood Blog just as you do this blog :)  

I will have another post in October going into more detail about each pass offered, price structure, etc, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, if you want to see what the 2022 Pass structure looked like, you can see that on Dollywood's Website here.

Now, Read Dollywood's Blog post for more details - until next time!

Check out my YouTube Channel for all kinds of Dollywood Videos!

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Editor’s Note: This blog was written by Brooke McCarter, Dollywood’s Season Pass Manager

Things are going to be BIG in 2023 thanks to our newest addition to Dollywood, Big Bear Mountain! With an attraction this big, you’re not going to want to miss out on a single second of adventure. We know next season is going to be jammed-packed with family fun; so, we are giving our guests the opportunity to make the most of it with a special offer on 2023 Dollywood Season Passes!

Now through Sept. 30, guests interested in purchasing 2023 Season Passes at the lowest price with the most benefits can register for our pre-sale. Already a 2022 Season Passholder? As a special thank you for being part of our passholder family, you are automatically registered for the pre-sale!

You might be asking yourself a few questions. What exactly is a pre-sale? How do I register? Wait, Dollywood’s building a new coaster? We hope this blog answers a few of those questions and gets you prepped and ready for the 2023 season!

What is the Pre-Sale?

Starting Oct. 17, we will give a select group of guests (those who register for the pre-sale by Sept. 30 and existing 2022 Season Passholders) the opportunity to purchase 2023 Season Passes before they officially go on sale to the general public. These guests will get access to the guaranteed lowest price on 2023 Season Passes, the longest payment plan option available and access to an early ride event on Big Bear Mountain this coming spring. Learn more about the ride in this blog.

Also, remember that we only sell a limited number of Diamond Passes. They are our top tier, and they are exclusive. The people who have access to the pre-sale have first dibs on buying Diamond.

We recommend the person buying the passes is the one who signs up for the pre-sale. Not everyone in the family needs to register for the pre-sale.

Register or Link Your Passes

I know. Now I’ve got your attention, right? Here’s how you can get in on this deal.

If you are currently a 2022 Dollywood passholder, you are already registered for the pre-sale. All we need you to do is make sure to link your current passes to your online My Dollywood account. Check out this blog we wrote last year for helpful tips on linking your passes.

If you aren’t a current passholder and want to register, just fill out this online form by Sept. 30. There is no cost to sign up– so, get on it!

What Happens Next?

MAKE SURE YOU ARE SIGNED UP FOR OUR EMAILS.

If you haven’t received an email from us in a while, we recommend calling 1-800-DOLLYWOOD to double-check that you’re opted in to receive Dollywood emails. Our team of helpful hosts will make sure you are ready to go.

During the first week of October you will receive an email outlining the 2023 Season Pass prices and benefits available during the pre-sale. On Oct. 17, the pre-sale will officially begin and you will be able to purchase or renew your passes!

If you are a current passholder, just log in to your account and select the passes you would like to renew. If you registered for the pre-sale and are not a current passholder, you will receive a special link and promo code to access the sale via the email address you provided when you registered.

The pre-sale will only be available until Oct. 30; so, be sure take advantage of these exclusive perks while you can! We promise the deals won’t get better than this.