Carowinds Discussion Thread

[Erik Johnson]

I was able to visit Carowinds again this past Sunday. This would be my third visit to the park (2005 and 2010). I had a good time. Crowds were medium due to the weather, but we already pre-purchased our Fast Lane Plus bands in advance just to make sure we were going to get as many rides on Fury 325 as we wanted. Upon entering the park at opening, I immediately notice how spruced up and clean the entire park looked. Good job Carowinds! Yes, we first went over to Fury 325. We all liked the ride quite a bit. While it does not do anything really groundbreaking, it is a very solid ride. The ride operations were really cranking the trains through. I would say dispatches were between :30-:45 per train. Our first ride was on the front row (which I think is the best place to ride the coaster). The lift hill is pretty quick and yes, very tall. My ears always popped at the top. The first drop is great and the coaster really maintains it's speed throughout the course. There are three airtime moments in the second half. You get some air on them, but they are in the B&M style, so more floaty. There is one trim on the ride, but it was not being used. I was most impressed with the overall speed of the ride. Speed fans will really like it. Airtime fans may walk away disappointed. I just happen to be a fan of both. It is a great addition to the park, and it certainly blows away the Intimidator coaster on the other side of the park.

Good morning!

It was pretty foggy/misty that morning.

I guess no more funny pictures with the sign.

Great ride and a good addition for the park.

Just a couple of fools.

One of many shirts.

That is one upset hornet.

The Taste of Carolina is going on now. It is basically Carowinds version of Food and Wine. I was pretty impressed with the selections.

Another Windseeker credit!

I rode Intimidator the second weekend of operation back in 2010. While it was never a favorite, it was pretty good. This time it was a real disappointment. Too many trims and the overall sluggishness have killed the ride.

Afterburn is still really great.

My favorite ride in the park is still these fantastic set of flying scooters. The park also encourages riders to see how high you can fly them.

I simply love them!

So much fun!

305 at dusk.

The new entrance.

For you music fans.

Yes, they have added grass since the POV was shot.

The coaster just hauls through the course.

[pǝʇɹǝʌuı]

OMG I absolutely love that treble clef shot of the coaster! It's honestly my new favorite picture of any coaster! Nice job on that one

[coasterbill]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

 

I really like Intimidator but Fury really has a way of making it look bad. I remember riding it on opening day and thinking "oh, we're at the top already?". lol

[bert425]

Carrowinds is all over the news today, but not for a great reason. . seems that Fury got stuck AGAIN:

 

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/carowinds-tallest-ride-stuck-third-time-parkgoers-/nk4CH/

 

and it's not the only ride in the park having issues:

 

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/problems-plague-carowinds-rides/nkygq/

[Philrad71]

^ I can fully understand how the float switch in the underground tunnel could cause a stop if it malfunctioned. Perfectly understandable (and logical) safety mechanism/failsafe.

 

I assume the faults that are plaguing the Windseekers are most likely related (limit and safety switches sticking, malfunctioning or getting false readings, etc). It's not that the ride itself is unsafe - the sensors are doing what they're supposed to do, but occasionally they are bound to malfunction - sometimes in early stages of operation.

 

I find it funny how the GP & media make it seem like the ride is destined to crash and burn or even hint that Carowinds might be an unsafe park because of these recent glitches.

 

We have similar occasional issues with sensors on the engines that the company I work for builds. An oil, ambient or fuel pressure sensor will occasionally get false readings or be damaged or defective and it will cause the engine to throw a fault code or even de-rate depending on severity of the code. It doesn't mean that your engine is going to blow up, it simply means that there is an issue that needs further troubleshooting and just changing the faulty sensor sometimes might just be the true root cause.

[TyRush]

Its just hilarious to me that they run stories on the rides for stopping one time. If they had a crew on site at the park all day they'd be set on articles for a month!

[Gnome]

OMG I absolutely love that treble clef shot of the coaster! It's honestly my new favorite picture of any coaster! Nice job on that one

 

It took me a second to get it but then i was like

[nannerdw]

My favorite ride in the park is still these fantastic set of flying scooters. The park also encourages riders to see how high you can fly them.

When I rode it, the ride op called me out and was like "#1, you just went the highest!" I must have misinterpreted that, because I thought he was getting mad at me for snapping, so I stopped. lol

[bert425]

Its just hilarious to me that they run stories on the rides for stopping one time. If they had a crew on site at the park all day they'd be set on articles for a month!

 

from the stories, it seems as if people called the news stations, because it stopped a couple of times.

 

but yeah, the over the top implication that the park is unsafe is hysterical.

 

I shared because it's sad that's what folks will take out of it

[nannerdw]

I stitched this together from multiple photos, so it's got a few visible seams. I thought it turned out pretty well, though.

^clicky

 

Edit: Added another pic

Edited April 28, 2015 by nannerdw

[Erik Johnson]

This is a good example how the coaster just flies through the track. This would be the "treble clef" portion.

trim.A50AF676-DB04-421B-B22E-7D5B8D416D14.MOV

Fury 325

[CanobieFan]

This is a good example how the coaster just flies through the track. This would be the "treble clef" portion.

 

I can't see it... where exactly is this part of the coaster?

[GCI Wooden]

^This part resembles a treble clef:

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

^This part resembles a treble clef:

If you look at it closely it looks like a music note.

[thrillseeker4552]

^I believe you mean a treble clef, which is what others are referring to. It's a clef music is written in, not a note. (I'm sorry, I'm sort of a music geek...I'm a little picky ).

 

Now we just need a bass clef element. Maybe a cobra roll sideways?

[nannerdw]

Now we just need a bass clef element. Maybe a cobra roll sideways?

Carolina Cobra. The bass clef would be missing the two dots, but you can just pretend they're there.

Also, Afterburn's batwing from above is clearly an alto/tenor clef.

[GCI Wooden]

I was going to say Maverick's twisted horse shoe roll, viewed from the top looks like a tenor/alto clef.

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

^I believe you mean a treble clef, which is what others are referring to. It's a clef music is written in, not a note. (I'm sorry, I'm sort of a music geek...I'm a little picky ).

 

Now we just need a bass clef element. Maybe a cobra roll sideways?

LOL. Maybe I need to do more research. I would of never known. But it does look great!

[johnnyknottsville]

I stitched this together from multiple photos, so it's got a few visible seams. I thought it turned out pretty well, though.

^clicky

 

Edit: Added another pic

 

Great Job both pics are gorgeous!!!

[ImNotOneOfYou]

Now we just need a bass clef element. Maybe a cobra roll sideways?

Carolina Cobra. The bass clef would be missing the two dots, but you can just pretend they're there.

Also, Afterburn's batwing from above is clearly an alto/tenor clef.

 

With a lot of patience, two planes might line up next to the cobra roll

[nannerdw]

Now we just need a bass clef element. Maybe a cobra roll sideways?

Carolina Cobra. The bass clef would be missing the two dots, but you can just pretend they're there.

Also, Afterburn's batwing from above is clearly an alto/tenor clef.

 

With a lot of patience, two planes might line up next to the cobra roll

or two upstop wheels

[Erik Johnson]

Why do I like the flyers so much at Carowinds? Keep an eye on #5.

trim.53A454ED-92FE-40D4-A55D-956C3B88A37B.MOV

Woodstock Gliders

[DevinC049]

Hey All,

Haven't been on here in awhile, but for a masters graduation trip I am headed down to KD and CW for my first vacation (about time) in a few days. I'll be at Carowinds may 9-10 and KD may 8-9 (splitting the morning and evening at carowinds/KD that saturday. Anyone have any input on how the park usually is on sundays down there? Saturdays are going to be a bear, but sundays are usually better anywhere, so theres at least that. Any experience or advice on the park would be awesome! Never been. BEYOND pumped for fury.

[Khat26]

^ I was at the park today. The crowds didn't get that bad. The park was dead until about 2pm. Ride Nighthawk first if you want the credit.

 

Fury was awesome, by the way. Strongest airtime I've had on a B&M.

 

Fury has a small queue now for the front row. It added about 5 minutes to the wait time.

[Khat26]

Sorry for the double post.

 

I thought I'd give the Cliff's notes version of a trip report.

 

Afterburn: Nice snappy invert. Month is still my favorite. Afterburn comes in between the dragons and Alpengeist in my invert ratings.

 

Nighthawk: Terrible. If I ever have a kidney stone, I'll come back and ride Nighthawk to jar it out.

 

Vortex: Not bad, only because it was short. My second favorite after Georgia Scorcher.

 

Hurler: Needs a RMC makeover.

 

Thunder Road: Not terribly rough but very boring. No airtime at all.

 

Goldrusher: Good mine ride. The tunnels added a nice touch.

 

Intimidator: Fun ride. It has the floaty airtime you would expect from a B&M hyper. I wish the trims didn't grab so hard. I put it even with Diamondback.

 

Fury 325: This coaster blew my expectations away. The first drop was awesome. The turns were fast and felt out of control. The turn around had weird sideways floater airtime. I'd put it on par with the best B&M hyper airtime. The first proper airtime hill was closer to ejector than floaty, as were the the last two. Overall, Fury is mostly about speed, which it does right. The airtime was an unexpected treat. I'd put it as my favorite giga coaster, just above MF and I305.

 

Overall, Carowinds was a great park. I loved the atmosphere. Taste of the Carolinas was pretty sweet too. I'll try to post pictures soon.