PKI Jizzman

Here's my report from my weekend trip to Carowinds with friends! Flew in Saturday at 530, quickly got a ride over to Carowinds new Spring Hill Suites hotel. It's right across from the parking lot so it's an easy 5 minute walk over to the park. The hotel does have a full bar, but does not have food or a restaurant. Amazingly the lyft driver had no sweat weaving in and out of the batshit insane traffic. Carowinds is right off the high way, but there's 2 huge intersections that really slow down traffic, so it just backs up for miles when busy. Carowinds needs their own exit if they can somehow make that work. So once we got to the hotel, we were pretty much stuck. No lyft/uber would ever want to come in and get us, and it would have taken an hour to get in; spoiler, the traffic stayed until probably 2am. Famous Dave's is within walking distance, but it closes at 8pm daily. Sooo we were forced to eat at Harmony Hall and I've still yet to have a good meal there. It's.....edible. Really disappointed that they can't serve better quality food. Saturday night was seemingly like all other American parks - so packed you could barely navigate some areas. We just had drinks, checked out the atmosphere, and were lucky to get 1 ride on Fury at night with a one use fast lane. Sunday much more manageable, although fast lane was needed to get in multiple rides and re-ride some coasters I hadn't done in years (Nighthawk). Let me first applaud Carowinds for their Haunt event. Their scare zones were packed with actors as were the mazes. The park really felt different at night and had me second guessing how to navigate with all of the different lights, fog, and decorations shining. Depths of Darkness: This maze should be your #1 priority if you're going to Scarowinds. An awesome blend of new technology, big physical sets, great scares, some find mind tricks, and you get some different angles of Intimidator as you walk under it! The best CF maze I've done in some time. Tooth Fairy: This is new for 2021 and you know you're in for some disappointment when it's called Tooth Fairy but the exterior of the build is.... it's themed to ...windows? There wasn't enough happening in this maze, nor were the decorations or effects much of anything to make it stand out. It was over too soon, and the finale was ok. But hey at least there was a finale. Slaughterhouse: Can we get rid of these mazes already? This one looked like a lengthy maze, but it was actually only one small section of the area being used and it ended before the scares started to come. Bummer. Silver Screen Studios: This seemed like a fun idea on paper, checking out this old movie set from a director that figured the best horror movie should be made by actually killing the actors! It was fun, but seemed like they just threw a lot of random things together. Missed our on the Reaping, I like those scarecrow mazes and it looked like they use part of rapids ride like CP does, I'm sure it was good. Rides! Or...coasters! We didn't do any flat rides because the drop tower is so small, sorry..., electro spin was down, and I've done enough Boo Hill shooters. What else is there? Windseeker was down uhhh... there's no pendulum/frisbee ride. Alright Carowinds let's get some flats in there. Coasters: Carolina Cyclone - Hey guess what! Vortex lives on, the trains were re-painted and are in use. It's takes the course pretty fast, so hold on right, it's a wild arrow looper. Goldrusher - This is an olddddd mine train where each the 3 rows in 1 car have to move the lap bar together, like at CP. So if you have 2 adults and 4 kids in 1 car, you're gonna have to be very stapled. Even still, we saw 2 young girls unbuckle there seatbelt and fold themselves out of the train right as it pulled into the station. They just...wiggled up and out. Our jaws were on the floor. So it's uncomfortable, but it's got a really fun layout. This thing spends half the time in trenches/in tunnels! Nighthawk - What the hell, might as well ride the OG Vekoma flyer. I have always like how the corkscrews ride vs the rolling trash can barrel rolls. Shocking... this thing is smooth. I don't think it's going anywhere for a while as Firehawk's trains are there on site for parts. Intimidator - It's just a fun re-rideable hyper, it's right next to the bar, it's a walk on with FL. Afterburn - Okay okay okay I've been on Montu now. No it doesn't have Montu's intensity but it's still a great B&M invert and I still think that final wing over between the trees is one of the best inversions on an invert in the states. It just rips your legs off! Fury 325 - It's loved by all for good reason. The drop seems endless, the speed keeps up the whole ride, the airtime is great, and sometimes that trim didn't hit. What was weird was we heard it making noises off ride walking in/out of the park, I didn't remember that. andddddd now..... new for me.... Copperhead Strike! I will be honest I passed up going to Carowinds a few times since it was added since I just didn't think it'd be worth going out of my way for and damn I am mad at myself. Copperhead will treat you to every G Force that's possible - the launches are barely worth a mention but you do feel them get you going. Laterals on tight turns, amazing hangtime in 4 different types, airtime ranging from floater to ejector, and this coaster has Cedar Fair's best attempt at theming. Copperhead is so unique, I really really enjoyed it and I really wanted to claim it as my favorite coaster in the park, but you can't compare this to anything else, especially Fury. What a gem Carowinds has and I can finally say Carowinds is a pretty well rounded park. They still need some more flat rides and they have a glaring need for a new wooden coaster. Hopefully they get one soon to really elevate the line up! I couldn't bring myself to ride the old Vortex stand up, haha. Do you prefer daytime or nighttime Fury? I think I choose night specifically for no wasps. There was tons on Sunday. Let's get the day going with a 1999 B&M invert! It still kicks ass! The biggest issue with the park right now. Not enough staff. There were no separators/groupers at the station so if you're a shitty kid/adult, you could just hop over into the FL line after the queue entry and walk right in. On top of that, guests had to merge themselves and this was a sticky situation since you'd get supervise-less kids not sure what to do/how to assert themselves; and then later in the day you'd have liquored up adults/teens getting into it when one tried to get in front of the other. Hoooooboy I hope they fix this ASAP. I made a number of team members aware of the issues I saw. Love the views of Afterburn from back here! Time for some Copperhead love! First time on one of these newer Mack launchers/loopers. The trains are gorgeous, lap bars are comfy, seats are fine but they do I guess give you a necessary hug around the sides, I wish they were a bit more open but I can understand the design. Very cool looking. Copperhead is so packed full of amazing elements that after the launch I forgot about the jojo roll start! You don't need to hang on, that's the lap bar's job! Some surprises await in here. Great job, Mack + CF team! A beautiful tangled mess of track! Copperhead is long, has great airtime, unique hangtime in 4 different ways, and it seems to go on forever. Definitely an elite coaster my book! I've always enjoyed this old mine train since it spend a lot of time below ground. Don't miss it! Carowinds has adopted the whole "don't touch your lap bar!!!!! never touch it!!!!!!!" ride op spiels.... whatever as long as the trains are moving quickly... Sycamore's puts out some amazing beer (Mountain Candy), but this one was just okay. Still, love the coaster brews! The ops had a funny "don't text and drive" spiel, yet they didn't want to actually address half the train that had their phones out on many of my rides. It's a solid B&M hyper, you can't not have fun on this thing. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (of course it was some stupid teen who did this, and no, his friend didn't fall for it) I could lay under the grass and watch Fury fly around me all day. I love how interactive it is. Uh-mazing. Take a 10 minute ride around the corner to Mac's Speed Shop for amazing friendly service, fantastic smoked meats, and the best onion rings in the world. This whole plate cost $11, by the way. Don't eat in the parks if you don't have to. Time for some night rides! Depths of Darkness takes you under Intimidator, cool! Hello Vortex trains! This wing over, man.....whew! Here's some funny photos the round it out. While it can be stressful to visit Scarowinds, just do yourself a favor and stay on site at the hotel. You get guaranteed entry, you can walk to and from, and it had plenty of available rooms so I guess it's mainly locals packing the park. Get back there for Copperhead if you haven't been on it yet!!! -Zach

I'll do some digging through this thread but would love to know food recommendations! Is there a sit down restaurant yet or is it all cafeteria style?

Thanks for the updates, it's sounding more and more like their fast pass is required to get multiple rides in and avoid long painful one train ops.

Great report! It's a shame how many rides are closed, but at least the Halloween event gives some new things to try. Black Widow down again?! Damn, that thing is so much fun.

Glad you found the front of Diamondback! My favorite seat is row 2 in those long B&M trains. Fun hang time at the drop and then the air up and over the hills is better than the pull in the back in my opinion. I also got stuck in the shed for 30 minutes and it sucked, but they did walk me thru FL as a reward when it was fixed, did they get you back? I'll never willingly ride Beast on a wheel seat COVID protocols forced me to last year and it was so bad I felt ill. One of the worst rides I've ever had on it. Front seat or nothing!

I saw some pictures from Saturday. Holy shit. Hey I did try to warn people! That's unheard of for it to be *that* busy that FL is that bad. Wow wow wow. Just the perfect recipe of weather, no other big events, and everyone within a 100 mile radius of KI has a pass.

We didn't have any issues visiting both Carowinds and Scarowinds so yeah not sure what is up with what they're emailing vs what they're doing at the park. Which is kinda funny since Carowinds/Charlotte is the CF headquarters now.

Quick rant: Sunday was much more manageable, but still troubling as far as staff/ops. No groupers/separators at the station entry so anyone could just hop in the FL line once you're past the queue entry. Also for some reason there's an excessive amount of kids (definitely not teens) with FL just standing at the station entry not sure what to do until you tell them just go in and find a row. No wonder so many fights happen, what do you think is going to happen when you have people trying to merge without supervision? Copperhead Strike is fantastic! So unique! And they actually put a lot of effort into theming! Get to Carowinds to check out that amazing coaster! More photos/trip report later.

It's amazing how bad the traffic is. The crowds stay alllll night long. Lines close 30 minutes + early. We were pretty much forced to eat in the park since it would take a lyft/uber driver 35 minutes to get in to us at the hotel, and then get out. The one walking distance restaurant, Famous Dave's, closes at 8pm daily!!! If you have FL you're going to have a great day, but just don't go on a Saturday. We figured we'd just do one or two rides if the crowd thinned out but that never happened. I bet people were stuck in traffic till 130 or 2am. I bet the reached capacity or got very close to it.

I'm staying at the park's hotel which guarantees park entry when staying with them, so very interested to see how this all pans out. More on this story at 11!

80* and sunny this weekend, it's going to be amazing....but very busy! And all of Green Bay is in town for Pack v Bengals tomorrow, UC already played, most high schools played last night, and I've noted there's not as many independent haunted houses around anymore.

Idk anything but it's had issues this year. I was there 2 weeks ago and didn't ride but also didn't see it running when I was in the area around 630-730. It has had some emergency repairs on the track for reasons we don't know but after the wonderful results of the Gravity Group refurbishment on Racer hopefully the park invests on a full Beast refurbishment GG pre fab style. Maybe kill some brakes as a wish..

Very excited to check it out next weekend!

Sorry man only separate. Unless you want to marathon the mazes, and I suggest you don't as most are shit, just focus on Kill Mart and Madam Fatale's and do those at opening. Pocket the fright lane for more beer $

Alright that's where I'm going to get 1000% pissed off. I didn't get that update as a Plat Pass holder. I'm going to be livid if I go back into Scarowinds with my FL and they try to say I need to pay up for another visit. On top of everything their socials won't respond and their call center is closed. F off. If I wasn't browsing reddit and theme park forums how am I supposed to know this other than some 16 year old shaking in their boots trying to hand down the message from corporate?

It's not a big deal, I'm sure I won't need it during the day hours based on queue times, and the entire trip is essentially free with my plat pass. Not used to dealing with this type of thing from CF and really having to find where in the fine print it is displayed... especially when there is no one on their phone lines or socials to get a direct answer. Must be a pretty damn good event! Glad I didn't redeem it right away in the morning. $230 + tax to have FL all day on Saturday, woooooowie.

Shady, Carowinds! How are you supposed to know your $115 FL is only good a portion of the day? Oh that fine fine print. Ya got me.

That's crazy! Damn, I mean there's nothing telling me that it only covers one portion of the day, nor is there a: Scarowinds FL pick here! DAYTIME ONLY pick here!

Carowinds has not responded to me so while I am waiting for official word... Fast Lane works all day, both during the day and Scarowinds, right? You don't have to buy 2 separate fast lanes for 1 full day? Someone is telling me they switch the colors during their break from 5 to 7. It seems absolutely absurd to have to pay $115 for the day and $115 for Scarowinds right?!

SDC is essentially a once or twice a decade park for me so even skipping a 30 minute wait is nice. Queue times showed PK and TT averaging 30-40 minutes. Thanks for the advice!

That's a long time for Mummy to close. They're really relying on Potter at Studios. Really hoping that new, thrilling, innovative rides will be coming ASAP. It's already the nostalgic classics park, the most exciting things there right now are RRR, Bourne, Gringotts, MiB, and Mummy. So without Mummy.... yikes.

Definitely going to ride it and not going to Google what it is! Appreciate it!

Probably just a layover of Space Fantasy if we're talking 2022?

Appreciate it! Never heard of Cyclone Sam's haha. Good to hear especially about the condor! We'll be there Friday night and a just for the morning Saturday before going to SDC.

How's Worlds of Fun been lately? Going to be visiting on a Friday night in a week in a half for the first time! Looks like the HUSS Condor has been down, which is a bummer. Everything else been running/any limited capacity or Haunt suggestions? Thanks!