Carowinds Discussion Thread

[robbalvey]

 

I am just so sick of the petty arguments in this thread. It's gotten out of control. People quoting each other, taking comments out of context, trying to prove each other wrong... over what?

 

IT'S A ROLLER COASTER PEOPLE!!!

 

FOR F**K SAKE - SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LIKE IT, SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE IT AS MUCH!

 

Deal with it. Nobody is going to get more or less blow jobs based on how much you like or don't like a ride.

 

I'm going to start banning the overly obnoxious posters because I just cannot stand the sheer amount of stupidity being shown in this thread. We are better than this. Please start acting like it.

 

Thank you.

 

--Robb

Edited April 5, 2015 by robbalvey

[coasterchitchat]

I am just so sick of the petty arguments in this thread. It's gotten out of control. People quoting each other, taking comments out of context, trying to prove each other wrong... over what?

 

IT'S A ROLLER COASTER PEOPLE!!!

 

FOR F**K SAKE - SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LIKE IT, SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE IT AS MUCH!

 

Deal with it. Nobody is going to get more or less blow jobs based on how much you like or don't like a ride.

 

I'm going to start banning the overly obnoxious posters because I just cannot stand the sheer amount of stupidity being shown in this thread. We are better than this. Please start acting like it.

 

Thank you.

 

--Robb

 

This. It's a roller coaster. I'm glad to that there are a HUGE variety of coasters. Everyone has DIFFERENT opinions and we MUST respect each other's opinions. Different people and different opinions make this hobby fun.

[fraroc]

I am just so sick of the petty arguments in this thread. It's gotten out of control. People quoting each other, taking comments out of context, trying to prove each other wrong... over what?

 

IT'S A ROLLER COASTER PEOPLE!!!

 

FOR F**K SAKE - SOME PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LIKE IT, SOME PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE IT AS MUCH!

 

Deal with it. Nobody is going to get more or less blow jobs based on how much you like or don't like a ride.

 

I'm going to start banning the overly obnoxious posters because I just cannot stand the sheer amount of stupidity being shown in this thread. We are better than this. Please start acting like it.

 

Thank you.

 

--Robb

 

That is literally exactly how I feel when it comes to coasters. It's purely subjective.

[robbalvey]

^^ Oh, I have very little respect for most other people's opinions, I'm not suggesting people MUST respect what other people say, I'm just saying that there is no need to start dumbass petty arguments over them when there are so many other more interesting things we could be posting about. I've seen some INSANELY STUPID CRAP posted in this thread that I just can't even believe people would say, but I've kept my mouth shut for the most part, or deleted my comments when I realized it was just adding to the pointless drama.

 

I hope others people follow that example.

 

Case in point - I just posted some construction photos of a new family coaster in Arizona. Sure, it's not 325 feet tall, but for a state that only has a handful of coasters as it is going into a park that expanding to include this type of ride for the first time, I think that's by FAR more interesting discussion that going back and forth over whether or not someone has the right or wrong opinion of Fury 325. But I don't see many people commenting on that thread. Why not? Perhaps a change of perspective is needed?

Edited April 5, 2015 by robbalvey

[coasterbill]

Maybe I could have worded my post better Robb because I 100% agree with you and didn't mean to suggest otherwise. My point was just that I think people should ride a coaster before forming an opinion on it.

 

That's all I was trying to say in my post. I'm totally on board with what you said.

[robbalvey]

^ No, it wasn't really you. It was all the other people I had to delete. Those posts were much, much worse!

[ImNotOneOfYou]

Nobody is going to get more or less blow jobs based on how much you like or don't like a ride.

 

Words to live by

[GwaziBSRider1]

Read through some of the reviews of Fury from this past weekend, as I was at the park yesterday. I respect their opinions, but I don't understand how their rides on it were so radically different than mine. I found it to be quite forceful apart from the final helix, and I experienced zero rattle, even after riding it all over the train (and I typically notice it more than others do). It's absolutely a hit for this park, and EVERYTHING I heard from the other guests was nothing short of SUPER positive! I'll second that!

 

...now for the rest of the park. I happened to read TPR before we left that morning, and I purchased FL+ for all of our group after reading about the super high crowds on Good Friday. It wasn't nearly as crowded, but FL+ was still a much welcomed purchase. I liked the new entrance area, but I don't like it nearly as much as the new one for Cedar Point with Gatekeeper. There were several maintenance issues yesterday. Intimidator didn't open until the afternoon (not sure of the issue), Fury was delayed about an hour or so due to an issue with the trains, and Afterburn was up and down all day. Intimidator also seemed to be trimmed more than I remember from my previous visit. We also tried some new food options (at least they were new to us). The Oreo churros were absolutely delicious, but the Fury Freeze Dippin' Dots were a bit strange for my taste (Vanilla, Blue Raspberry, and Lime flavored).

 

Overall, my friends and I had a FANTASTIC time, and we were blown away by Fury. When I first visited this park, I thought it was terrible, but Cedar Fair has really turned this place around over the past few years. I had zero attachment to this park until my visit yesterday, and I'm certainly going to be back later this season to take more of my friends and family to ride Fury!

[SuperShawn]

Went with two of my friends for a quick trip down to Carowinds this weekend and got one ride on Fury this morning. Both my none coaster friends and I found Fury To be great fun, we all had our hands up and enjoyed the ride and had no complaints at all. I personally was surprised by a couple of little unexpected pops of airtime and really enjoyed the 90 degree banked stall dive thingy that goes under the new entry way. The general public seemed to be loving it as well and that's really what counts. I heard lots of good things coming off Fury and walking around the park today. All in all a great and fun addition to the park.

[BeansproutMidget]

I visited Easter Sunday; crowds were way smaller than I anticipated, and started to gather around 3 or so. Fury was great, Intimidator was fun, and Afterburn is now in my (small) top ten (despite the ride breaking down twice while in line). I don't know if any other park has them, but those Plinko games are a really good way to (get money) and Fast Passes when you can't afford them! Heck, we won one and got to skip a two hour wait for Nighthawk (that wait looked terrible).

 

Carowinds was a solid park. I'll definately go back in the future. Coasters are solid, food is great (Chick-fil-a is always great), and the operators were fantastic! Especially those Fury ones! I got on twice in an hour because of that line!

[ScreaminNewEngland]

^Chick Fil-A doesn't open on Sundays, especially not Easter Sunday.

[Columbo_carD]

I was able to go back again thanks to another business trip!

 

The park was fairly busy in comparison to my last trip normal operation day there. I managed to get on some missing credits and Afterburn a few times between the down time.

 

Fury has managed to sneak up into my #1 spot. After the missing credits, it's now #1 of 518.

 

I haven't really followed this thread, but I can see why it got messy. As long as people are genuine with their views, that is really all I care about. I was upset after media day because I witnessed a few specific people who were intentionally talking crap about the ride, just because they don't like B&M. These were the same specific people who have put coasters in their Mitch Hawker Poll, that they sometimes have never ridden, to rank them really low, and sabotage the results. A friend of mine even witnessed people who never even made it to media day going on Facebook and giving the ride bad reviews.

[Skyllama]

I rode Fury on friday and thought it was great, but I haven't ridden as many coasters as most of you.

 

I will say I've been to Carowinds many times over the years, and I can honestly say it was slammed with people. Time will tell throughout the season, but it appears this coaster is accomplishing what it set out to do with getting the general public out there.

[TheDeac]

After riding Fury around 18-20 times now, I think its really best to ride in as many different places as you can. Obviously in the back you get "whipped" around more, whereas in the front, or at least this happened to me, your eyes water and your face gets pretty deformed for the picture. In all I think the front is better, but that's just me. This ride is, as most B&M rides that I have been on are, a thrilling, genuinely good roller coaster that I would and most truly will ride again. The only think I don't like is where the picture is taken. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that it is on the second hill. If I had the choice, I personally think it would look awesome if it was taken under the bridge, but that's just me. I went into this ride with average standards and it completely blew me away. I would recommend everyone to ride it.

[Khat26]

I have a couple of questions about the Clarion by Carowinds. Can you safely walk to the park from there? If not, does the hotel offer a shuttle service? Thanks for the help.

[Invertalon]

Oh yeah... Heads up for anyone who goes to Carowinds and plans to take pictures...

 

Taking pictures of Fury (or any rides) from the parking lot is prohibited due to homeland security concerns. I was approached by an officer while getting some Fury pics and was told I couldn't do it. I asked if I could go in the main gate area and get some, but was denied.

 

So unless your in the park, I suppose you can't take pictures... I am sure you will be fine with a cell phone camera (which makes no sense) but nothing else.

[DJeXeL]

^Interesting.

[GwaziBSRider1]

I have a couple of questions about the Clarion by Carowinds. Can you safely walk to the park from there? If not, does the hotel offer a shuttle service? Thanks for the help.

 

Those would be excellent questions to ask the hotel.

[Khat26]

^That's the opposite of helpful.

[DJeXeL]

The person that answers the phone at 980-335-1320 will have the answer you need.....

[Khat26]

I would call the hotel but I'd trust what you guys told me more. I doubt the hotel receptionist has ever walked or taken a shuttle to Carowinds from the hotel they work at.

 

I'd rather not stay at a Clarion but it's the closest hotel I found.

[ernierocker]

^We just stayed there a couple of weeks ago and I don't remember seeing anything about a shuttle. I would call the hotel to confirm.

 

And as for walking, you have to cross a highway without any crosswalks or sidewalks so I can't imagine it being too easy.

[Khat26]

^Thanks. I'll probably go for a nicer place further away. I've had a not so great experience with Clarion before.

 

I'm going to the park on May 3rd. We will have fastlane plus, so I should get my share of rides on F325.

[mystery03]

WOW! Last Saturday I drove to Carowinds from Atlanta to ride Fury and it was well worth the trip. The last time I was at Carowinds was 20 years ago so there a lot of new things for me to expirence. I purchased tickets through AAA and Fast Lane + online before arriving at the park. I'm going to review Fury and then Fast Lane + because both were equally the standouts of the road trip.

 

FURY 325:

 

After 15 rides on Fury, 4 in the front row, I can officially say I have a new favorite roller coaster. I went to Carowinds not knowing what to expect. Hyper coasters are not my favorite type of coaster and the only Giga I've ridden is Millennium Force. I'm a diehard B&M invert and sit down lover but just looking at this beast I knew I had to ride it. Since it was so close to Atlanta I no excuse. I've got admit was not prepared for how different this coaster was going to be from everything else I've ridden before Saturday. Fury was obviously built to showcase it's speed and it doesn't let up the entire length of the ride.

 

The station and queue are not special and the trains look like your typical B&M hyper train but once you leave the station everything about Fury becomes special.

 

The lift is fast and the part where it speeds up at the 200' mark adds an extra element of excitement to the feeling of being so high. The drop on Fury is obviously steep but you are at that angle for what seems like forever and then all of a sudden you are just flying at the bottom of the hill. You don't have anytime to process the drop or the speed because the over banked turn is intense and fast as well. Then you enter my favorite section of the ride. The ridiculously fast, low to the ground, twists into a beautiful airtime filled turnaround that ends with an underground tunnel. This is my favorite turnaround on any hyper / giga I've been on. It is so much fun seeing the guest stand against the glass as you dive into the tunnel.

 

I read a complaint on a blog about the over banked hill after the tunnel messing up the pacing of the ride but whoever wrote that must not have needed a second to catch their breath and stop yelling like I did. I imagine this hill/turn is so spread out to allow the rider time to think about what all just happened to them in the previous minute or so. If they had more low turns instead of the elongated hill/turn I'm not sure Fury would be as re-ridable as it is.

 

The final section of Fury starts with a huge floater hill that has a small break. You don't notice the break in the front but you do in the back. It is not strong enough to make the finale any less thrilling. I do wonder how fast it would go through the helix if it wasn't on.

 

The helix is nice and offers a neat head chopper on the right side of the train. It really scares people who are not ready for it. It's probably just me but I felt like it was a nice throw back to the Morgan helixes of the 90s. I'm so glad they didn't go with an awkward helix like intimidator.

 

The final 2 floater hills are just fun and make you smile and laugh. At this point on the ride I had been yelling so much it was a relief to make a different noise.

 

Every single train that rolled into the station was cheering and clapping. Carowinds has a huge winner on their hands and I hope they keep up the building pace of the past few years. Hopefully Fury will make more people like myself travel to the park. Now with Fury they are a global player in the industry and they need to spend a lot of money making Carowinds a park you would want to revisit.

 

This park needs a lot of TLC. The back half was extremely depressing. No themes, rundown looking rides, and faded paint everywhere you looked. It felt like 2 separate parks.

 

 

The biggest surprise of the trip FAST LANE +

 

I've never used used a pay system like Fast Lane before and after my expirence I will never go to a theme park without paying the extra money. The lines for Fury and Nighthak were over 2 hours and Intimidator and Afterburn were over a hour at certain points during the day. We never waited more than 5 minutes for any ride. It felt so surreal that only $75 gave me the privilege to skip lines all day long.

 

The biggest roadblock I find when trying to get friends to travel to theme parks is that everyone over 30 seems to dread waiting in a line. Now that I know how easy and awesome these systems are it will be so easy to find travel buddies. I can just tell them that for the same price as a ticket to WDW they will not stand in a single line. I have I feeling I will be visiting a lot more parks in the coming years without having to beg friends to go with me.

 

My only complaint with the Fast Lane system at Carowinds was the location of a few of the fast lane queues. It was somewhat uncomfortable walking past people that were irritated with waiting in line for so long. As I walked past some of the people in line they would take their frustration out by yelling at us or making rude comments as I walked past. I just had to keep reminding myself that they have the same opportunity to purchase this perk.

 

Overall the day was perfect and I can see myself visiting again after the finish all the improvements to make it look more like a Cedar Fair park.

[coasterbill]

Great report! I totally agree with everything you said about Fury, the ride is awesome and that initial run out to the turnaround is relentless.

 

I'm a diehard B&M invert and sit down lover

 

I'm curious to know what your thoughts were on Afterburn... I think it's one of the best inverts around and as soon as I saw this comment I figured the ride would be right up your alley.