Carowinds Discussion Thread

[michaellynn4]

Man, I really need to get back to this park. My only visit came in 2014 when I suddenly had to go to SC for work. Back then Fury was nothing more than dirt piles, rumors, and Roman numeral-themed teaser posters. Even then I only had three hours to experience the whole place.

[DefeatistNation]

Fury is the best coaster on earth. And I recently re rode MF just to make sure.

Edited June 20, 2016 by DefeatistNation

[Vonni]

^ My vote goes to Outlaw Run

[LiftThrill]

Makes me wish I had gone to Carowinds instead of Dollywood. But hey all the more reason to do an east coast/southeast trip a few years out.

[Virus]

All hail Cyclone's magical pink stripe!

[coasterbill]

At the park now. Every single ride in the park is currently closed and cycling empty. That's really weird. Ire never seen anything like that before.

[LiftThrill]

The closest thing to that I've seen is a partial power outage at SFFT... but they didn't cycle empty trains then obviously. Weird.

[megametal]

Sounds like they may have had a power blip yet again! If so, that's 3 times already this year!

[boldikus]

^ How could they have been cycling trains if there was a power outage?

[jarmor]

It could have went out and now they are cycling to make sure everything is ok.

[megametal]

^^ When I was there on the 12th, it was a momentary power surge, and it took them hours to fix. However, it could be that a short cutout of power would cause all rides to need to be tested before reopening.

[coasterbill]

So anyway. I'll spare you all the trip report but we were down in North Carolina for the weekend and on the way home we decided to swing by Carowinds for a few hours (this has become kind of a tradition for us). We only has about an hour and a half but we got on Fury (as the first and last ride), Afterburn, Intimidator and Plants vs. Zombies because we wanted to try it since it's new.

 

That was easily the best ride I've ever had on Intimidator. We sat in the back row and got some nice pops of air. It's still the weakest B&M hyper I've ridden but it was fun. Afterburn was it's usual self. It's a tremendous coaster with a really forceful whip into the pretzel. I really wish more B&M inverts did pretzel loops, it's absolutely their best element on both Montu and Afterburn.

 

Plants vs Zombies was pretty cool. I wouldn't wait more than 15 or 20 minutes for it but it was a fun, re-rideable attraction and I loved the team element of it. Honestly I'd love for every Cedar Fair park with one of these old theaters sitting around to do something like this. It's nothing amazing but it's undoubtedly a lot of fun. I'm confused though, is there any benefit to shooting anything else or should you just be shooting the gnome things? That's basically all I was doing. lol

 

And finally... Fury. I'm a really harsh critic of B&M. The rides they built pre-2000's blow all of their modern rides away. There's no such thing as a bad B&M except the old standups (minus Vortex at Carowinds which I enjoy) but it blows my mind that the company that gave us Montu and Kumba now builds forceless, uninspired rides like Intimidator, Leviathan, Hydra and Banshee. They're all good but B&M for the most part is a shadow of what they used to be.

 

I wanted to mention that because I wanted to let you know where I'm coming from when I tell you that Fury is an exception to that rule (probably the only exception). Fury is the best B&M I've ever ridden. It's an elite coaster... I'd rank it up there with rides like Maverick, El Toro, Millennium Force and Phoenix. I don't know what order they fall in, nor do I care... but my rides on it yesterday had me seriously questioning whether or not I'd ever been on a better coaster.

 

Our first ride was insane. We rode in the back and got incredible sustained floater air all the way down the drop. It has some forceful air back there and the transitions feel more like an Intamin than a B&M. We were blown away. For our second ride we sat up near the front and good lord. The first drop didn't have the same airtime back there but on the hill after the trim I was expecting a nice moment of B&M floater and was instead greeted with OMFG ejector air that felt more like El Toro's Rolling Thunder hill than anything B&M had ever built. The 2 bunny hops after that sent us flying into the restraints too. I'd have loved to have stayed all day and ridden it at night once it really warmed up. I couldn't believe how fast that thing was running and we rode it right at park open.

 

Fury is an absolute beast of a ride. I really hope B&M continues to move in that direction because Fury blows all of the recent (deserved) B&M stereotypes to hell. Everyone needs to ride this coaster. It's mind blowing.

[DefeatistNation]

So anyway. I'll spare you all the trip report but we were down in North Carolina for the weekend and on the way home we decided to swing by Carowinds for a few hours (this has become kind of a tradition for us). We only has about an hour and a half but we got on Fury (as the first and last ride), Afterburn, Intimidator and Plants vs. Zombies because we wanted to try it since it's new.

 

That was easily the best ride I've ever had on Intimidator. We sat in the back row and got some nice pops of air. It's still the weakest B&M hyper I've ridden but it was fun. Afterburn was it's usual self. It's a tremendous coaster with a really forceful whip into the pretzel. I really wish more B&M inverts did pretzel loops, it's absolutely their best element on both Montu and Afterburn.

 

Plants vs Zombies was pretty cool. I wouldn't wait more than 15 or 20 minutes for it but it was a fun, re-rideable attraction and I loved the team element of it. Honestly I'd love for every Cedar Fair park with one of these old theaters sitting around to do something like this. It's nothing amazing but it's undoubtedly a lot of fun. I'm confused though, is there any benefit to shooting anything else or should you just be shooting the gnome things? That's basically all I was doing. lol

 

And finally... Fury. I'm a really harsh critic of B&M. The rides they built pre-2000's blow all of their modern rides away. There's no such thing as a bad B&M except the old standups (minus Vortex at Carowinds which I enjoy) but it blows my mind that the company that gave us Montu and Kumba now builds forceless, uninspired rides like Intimidator, Leviathan, Hydra and Banshee. They're all good but B&M for the most part is a shadow of what they used to be.

 

I wanted to mention that because I wanted to let you know where I'm coming from when I tell you that Fury is an exception to that rule (probably the only exception). Fury is the best B&M I've ever ridden. It's an elite coaster... I'd rank it up there with rides like Maverick, El Toro, Millennium Force and Phoenix. I don't know what order they fall in, nor do I care... but my rides on it yesterday had me seriously questioning whether or not I'd ever been on a better coaster.

 

Our first ride was insane. We rode in the back and got incredible sustained floater air all the way down the drop. It has some forceful air back there and the transitions feel more like an Intamin than a B&M. We were blown away. For our second ride we sat up near the front and good lord. The first drop didn't have the same airtime back there but on the hill after the trim I was expecting a nice moment of B&M floater and was instead greeted with OMFG ejector air that felt more like El Toro's Rolling Thunder hill than anything B&M had ever built. The 2 bunny hops after that sent us flying into the restraints too. I'd have loved to have stayed all day and ridden it at night once it really warmed up. I couldn't believe how fast that thing was running and we rode it right at park open.

 

Fury is an absolute beast of a ride. I really hope B&M continues to move in that direction because Fury blows all of the recent (deserved) B&M stereotypes to hell. Everyone needs to ride this coaster. It's mind blowing.

 

I know we were fighting earlier but now we should get married

[Password121]

Damn I wish I could get to Carowinds this year.

[bigcwd2000]

Coasterbill, your review of Fury is exactly how I feel about the ride. It is an amazing coaster.

[irideburton4]

Visited Carowinds for the first time the other day, during my 12 ride fury marathon, I realized they send a lot of random empty trains, does anyone know why they do this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CoasterGuy06]

Visited Carowinds last Thursday for the first time since Coasting for Kids 2012. Some thoughts:

 

-Got there right at 4pm and stayed until 10pm close. Got in 25 rides on Fury 324, 3 each on Afterburn and Intimidator, and 1 each on Hurler, Carolina Cyclone, and Vortex.

-While most employees were at least pleasant (big ups to DeeDee at Fury 325), all nine (!) employees at Hurler looked ready to shoot themselves.

-Half of the rides were assigning seats, the half you could pick your seat. Give it up Carowinds. When trains are going out half empty, let people pick their seats. I'm sure the Mom with her two kids loved have me as a random stranger riding with them on Vortex.

-Scanning a train FOUR times prior to dispatching is so frustrating to watch. Remember when Cedar Fair was big on capacity?

-Intimidator was running really well. Much better than it was back in 2012.

-Afterburn is still a kick ass ride.

-Fury 325, outside of two people that seemed to enjoy throwing their entire body weight into you as they checked restraints, had a great crew. They seemed to hit 40 or more dispatches each hour. Often times they were dispatching one train before the previous train crested the lift.

-Fury 325 blew me away. So intense. So much airtime. This is probably now my #1 steel coaster. Well done Carowinds and B&M!

Here.

Such an impressive entrance to a park.

New #1

Are you authorized?

It was hauling at night.

25 rides in 6 hours. Can't wait to get back.

[DILinator]

I love all the love for Fury! That coaster truly is amazing! I too, can't wait to get back on it sometime!

[DefeatistNation]

Anyone trying to meet up at the park and ride fury 56 times then go home? I will be there tomorrow

[nicman]

^Like theses people:

 

[prozach626]

Last Thursday a buddy of mine and I made the 10 and a half hour trek from St. Louis to Charlotte, starting at 4:30am, for a day and a half trip to Carowinds. We got to the park around 4pm, just as a lightning storm started to roll in, closing all rides. We were able to take a quick counter-clockwise walk around the park before the rain set in. Just as we approached Harmony Hall, it started to come down, placing us within the grasp of two ice cold Yuenglings. Fate? Who gives a Sh*t! Time to have a beer! We drank our refreshments on the patio and waited less than an hour for rides to start testing. At the advice of everyone else, we hoped on Intimidator before Fury. Not only was it better than I remembered from my trip a few years ago, but it really didn't seem as bland as everyone said.

 

After that, we walked toward Fury. I have to admit, 300+ feet looks a lot less tall than it did the first time I gazed at Millennium Force, eight years ago. I was excited, but I was trying not to let myself down. Yes, it looked awesome walking in and it really screamed over the walkways, but was it going to be another I305 let down experience for me? Was it going to be too much, or two little? I was prepared for the likely possibility of either. The park was empty, so we pretty much walked right up the station, as we pretty much did throughout our trip. The ride ops were kicking A$$, so within a minute or so, we were climbing up the lift hill somewhere in the middle of the train.

 

Mother of God... This thing is... perfect, or about as perfect for me as anything else I've ridden at this point. The first drop is endless. After that, the ride has its way with you with its quick transitions and mixtures of positive and negative g-forces. The ride lets up after the trim, but the airtime hill is still incredible and the helix is taken at a great pace with a nice head chopper near the end. The last few bunny hills also provide great air. When we crashed into the break run I was almost speechless. I don't really play the top 10 lists/top favorites game, but I think if I had the choice to ride any coaster at this moment, it would be Fury 325. I parallel with almost everything Bill said a few posts ago. We'll have to see how this thing stacks up against Millennium Force on Friday, since it's been so long since my last ride.

 

As far as the rest of the park goes, it's a great combination of three great rides stirred in with an assortment of mostly really sh*tty or bland rides. If I had to describe the park, I would say that it's what Worlds of Fun (at least the better parts) wants to be when it grows up. The landscaping is nice and subtle. The entrance is exciting and reminds me of a modern sports complex. I like how you can see the large rides looming in the background and there really are great views from every angle. I like the various areas to relax/eat/enjoy a beer/etc. Everything in this park just looks great and it's very adult oriented while offering plenty of attractions for kids. I can't believe how small the park feels, despite its incredibly large attractions. The park is a nice place to spend time at. For lack of more masculine words, the Carowinds is incredibly 'charming' and exciting at the same time.

 

Luckily, throughout our couple days the park was not crowded at all. We spent Thursday night riding most of the 'meh' coasters so my friend could snag the credits. On Friday we just relaxed and moved from Intimidator, Afterburn, and Fury, with the occasional beer (after 4pm) or food break in between. We capped our last hour off marathoning Fury after multiple beers. I think we got around 15 rides total throughout the trip, with a couple in the front and several in the back row. For the first time in a long time I can say that I wish I had ridden it even more than 15 times.

 

I also spoke with two enthusiasts on Friday, who were easy to spot. One guy was riding solo on Ricochet (clue #1) and wearing a Son of Beast shirt (clue #2). I told him I liked his shirt to get the conversation going. We chatted for a few minutes about other parks, Fury, and flying coasters. He seemed like a nice normal guy. Later that day we spotted another guy riding alone next to us on Fury (clue #1), wearing a vest with a cargo pockets (clue #2), and a FP+ (clue #3). With all of those things combined, I asked him where he was from on the break run and he said Orlando. So, I asked him how Mako was to key up the conversation and reveal my enthusiast identity. We talked for a minute or so on the break run. Another nice normal guy. It felt good to have a quick chat with people who shared the same passion, since I don't meet many of these people. Most of the enthusiasts I see are easily identifiable by their obnoxious comments or flamboyant behavior, which are among people I avoid at all costs. These guys seemed approachable and I enjoyed our quick conversations.

 

All in all, it was an awesome trip. This is a park I'd like to visit semi-regularly, if for no other reason than to marathon Fury and Afterburn, while sneaking in a couple rides on Intimidator. Here are my thoughts on some of the coasters:

 

Fury: Top dog in the park, no doubt. It's as visually stunning as it is to ride. The g-forces are constant, but not overwhelming like I-305. This may actually be my 'favorite' coaster. Just one question... What the hell is the noise played over the speakers on the lift hill supposed to be?? It sounds more like an evil spirit than a Hornet. Banshee's sister, maybe?

 

Intimidator: Not fantastic, but I think it gets a lot of unnecessary crap. I really enjoyed this ride. It had great floater air time. I almost feel like if you can't have a good time on this coaster then it might be time to take a break from riding. That's just my opinion.

 

Afterburn: This is the hidden gem in the park. I really enjoyed the hell out of this coaster, as I did during my last visit a couple years ago when I drunkenly marathoned it to park closing time, while my frustrated/bored wife stood by.

 

Hurler: Very rough, but not as bad as I remembered. Hopefully my last ride ever.

 

Carolina Cobra: The restraints are nice, but boomerangs make me sick, regardless.

 

Nighthawk: I hate Firehawk... It sucks and it makes me sick. I was dreading this, as I missed it on my last trip, BUT.... I actually found it tolerable. Most people prefer Firehawk, including the barrel roll, but I actually liked this ride better, including the setting. That said, I don't want to ride it again.

 

Cork Screw (or whatever it's called): sucked/ouch/nuff said

 

No other coasters are really worth talking about. I really wish the park had a flume or a train. They did have the modernized light show at night, which was cool. Here are some mediocre pictures taken from my cell phone:

 

Just in time for the storm!

 

I can't think of a better way to kill time.

 

So much for the rain stopping. I should have had another beer.

 

Fury looming in the distance, waiting still prior to my first ride.

 

My first Fury train ever.

 

Still not sure what to think.

 

TOTAL F****** WIN!!

 

In other news.

 

Great looking park.

 

Ducks! They're probably here for the Yuengling.

 

Intimidator looks nearly as good as Fury.

 

Blah. The only thing I like about this ride is how it roars and you can hear it from a distance.

 

As a regular fitness/nutrition guy, park visits are opportunities to binge on an assortment of terrible for you beverages, including Coca Cola.

 

The views from the entrance are great. To the right ^^

 

Annnnd to the left ^^

 

And somewhere in the middle...

 

Just great looking.

 

Everything flows really nice.

 

Very classic looking.

 

Harmony hall was a nice place to grab a cold beer.

 

Your typical night shot.

 

The park looks great at night.

 

At least the Cobra 'looks' cool.

 

Snoopy light show area. Better enjoyed with my wife than a dude. (sorry, Kirby)

 

More lights.

 

Then, the rain pretty much called it a night, before we could get one last lap on Fury.

 

As you can tell from the glare, it started to pour.

 

Red and green welcomed us for day 2!

 

Definitely the hidden gem of the park, with walk on rides throughout the trip.

 

As someone mentioned a couple TR's back, the wheel covers are cool. I like the redbirds showing their teeth.

 

Shark train agrees.

 

Thank you Afterburn, for whipping us around on your awesome batwing.

 

Very underrated and forgotten.

 

My buddy Kirby in plants v zombies. I was not a fan. I couldn't really tell what the hell was going on or where I was shooting. I must be getting older.

 

This park looks great from every angle.

 

It was probably a good thing for us that the margarita stand wasn't open.

 

This thing again.

 

I see plenty of open ground for me to build my home here.

 

My front porch could face this way, right next to the machine gun nest and landmine field to keep coaster enthusiasts out.

 

The open area is a nice change of pace from cramped entrances.

 

This element provides a fantastic opportunity for intoxicated to shout at pedestrians.

 

Beers... rocking chairs... roller coasters. Heaven?

 

Pretending it's not 95 degrees.

 

"Bazinga" (I don't even know what that means)

 

Time to for binging on more things I don't frequently indulge in.

 

At one point we had to pick up an item or two to smuggle back to St. Louis.

 

But, this one was brought here from the homeland. Of note, there is no evidence of an open beer here.

 

However, there is an open beer in this guy's hand.

 

And wouldn't you know, there's one in my hand two.

 

Another reason why KI is one of my my favorite parks is because beer is NOT restricted to certain areas, unlike many other parks. Also of note, I am approximately 1/2 inch in FRONT of the sign, for those of you cry babies who are losing your minds at this point.

 

I think this picture is actually from day 1. Hence the clouds.

 

This looks much better at night than it rides... not unlike a couple of women I used to know.

 

This picture may be highly edited, but it really is a good area of the park. It was as close as I could get to the actual feel of the area.

 

All of the colors throughout are really nice.

 

Thanks for our last ride!

 

What a great park. Fury really turned this into a destination park for me. I WILL be back. Cheers!

[anonymouscactus]

Great TR! looking forward to my first visit in October! Thanks for sharing!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Ah, yes, Yuengling. I picked up some of that from a random gas station off I-71 in Ohio. Pretty cheap, and while not the best beer I've ever had, not too bad at all.

[prozach626]

while not the best beer I've ever had, not too bad at all.

 

Kind of how I feel about it, with a little more love. It's not the best beer I've ever had, but it's really solid. I love to drink it when we're east enough to be in their market, so at this point it's synonymous with vacations and trips. This makes me appreciate it even more. Also, it's respectable from a bottle or can, but it's delicious on tap!

[DefeatistNation]

I think you nailed it when you said the drop goes on forever. Maybe it's the shape, but it feels almost twice as tall as mf.

 

Also Fury has the rare distinction for me of being a FRONT ROW ride.