Carowinds Discussion Thread

[redfoot12]

^I'm still fearful that I305 will get "modified" at some point.

[alpengeist04]

^Don't even say that or think it!!!

[gatorchomp83]

^I've heard from a lot of people lately that they seemed to have trimmed it to death.

 

Kind of funny when you think how fast it's big brother is up the road!!!

 

Once again, this is why for me, Intamin > B&M

 

I305 is trimmed in the second half and it noticeably affects the ride...However, its at a point where it doesn't detract that much in the grand scheme of things. Will you be singing your same praises of Intamin > B&M once they trim the first drop on 305?

 

It really is disappointing the difference between Carowinds' Intimidator opening weekend without the trims compared to now with the trims. But at least B&Ms' trains don't fall apart in the middle of a ride.

[King of Ka]

Will you be singing your same praises of Intamin > B&M once they trim the first drop on 305?

 

Bizarro, Expedition GeForce, megalites, Insane!, T-Express, El Toro, Goliath, Storm Runner. Yep, I'd say she will be.

[robbalvey]

But at least B&Ms' trains don't fall apart in the middle of a ride.

I'll take a Intamin ride that falls apart once every 9 years, but blows me away every time I ride it over most cookie cutter boring as hell B&M's almost any day!

[gatorchomp83]

You do have a point, however, not ALL of them are boring as hell. I mean, there's gotta be at least one in your top 500, right?

 

I just think it's so strange how you can find uber-intense Intamin coasters as amazing as you do, but hate getting your ass kicked on rides like Voyage, which is pretty much the epitome of an intense ride. Granted, I don't have the Intamin experience that you guys do, and I'm absolutely in love with 305, but I love it so much BECAUSE its the only steel coaster I've been on that even comes close to Voyage to me...

Edited April 30, 2010 by gatorchomp83

[Skycoastin Steve]

I'm not sure which Intimidator at Carowinds some of you guys are riding, but I've been on it 24 times now and not a single time have I not had REALLY good airtime. As is the case with most B&M hypers, it gets trimmed some, but I don't think it does to the point where it neuters the ride. And the 2nd drop/turn has some pretty good positive G's to it, as does the pull out from the 1st drop.

 

Sure, I305 is still better, but Intimidator is far, far, far from a bad ride.

[SharkTums]

^^Intense is different from rough. I can't even ride Voyage once without coming off with a headache from being shaken around so violently. I can ride intense Intamin's over and over again cause they're smooth.

 

I'm going to be brutally honest here, a lot of enthusiasts have given us crap over our Voyage opinion saying how it's not rough at all...but I ask you this, if it was so wonderful and perfectly fine would they really be getting new trains for it, and have to retrack like a third of it every year? Just because a lot of enthusiasts like something doesn't mean it's good for the GP. I know when KT turns 48'' I would NOT put her on Voyage or X2, because I think they are both way too rough for a child and anyone who likes their body!

[gatorchomp83]

/\ I rode CaroTimidator 24 times opening weekend and there wasn't even the slightest hint of a trim on the entire ride and it ended up earning #1 steel coaster for both me and my girlfriend.

 

I returned the following weekend with my friend Todd on our way back from Kings Dominion and the trims were on noticeably hard and just killed the fifth hill and the remainder of the ride. It instantly fell out of my top 10. Yes, it was still fun, but it was nothing compared to the previous week's experience that I had.

 

Perhaps having ridden 305 a couple of hours earlier impacted our view of it, but that doesn't change the fact that the trims were hitting hard.

 

And Elissa, I don't find Voyage rough at all. Opening year it had the nasty pothole before the third 90 degree turn, but that's since been fixed. I think it's so damn intense and relentless that it can easily be viewed as rough. Everyone has their own opinions, but that ride is the perfect roller coaster to me. I CAN see where you can see that it's rough, but to me and everyone I've ever ridden it with, it's just mind-blowingly intense and perfect. And I can't wait to ride it over and over again in a month!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^^I just think with Voyage everyone has a different tolerance and/or threshold for roughness on a coaster. Me personally, shuffling and potholes KILL me, but just the getting tossed around that happens on Voyage is as fun as it gets (weird, I know). I think Voyage's problem probably had more to do with PTC's trains just not being able to track as well as needed on that layout. Add that to the fact that the Timberliners are probably inevitably going to end up on every GG coaster sooner or later (much like Millennium Flyers on GCIs).

 

^I think you perfectly summed up my feelings on Voyage, word for word.

Edited April 30, 2010 by Skycoastin Steve

[robbalvey]

You do have a point, however, not ALL of them are boring as hell. I mean, there's gotta be at least one in your top 500, right?

That's why I said "most"

 

But seriously, I don't think there has been many B&M's that have opened in the past 10 years that have cracked my top 20. SheiKra and it's pseudo-clones and that's about it!

 

There are only about 3 or 4 B&M's in the world that I can think of that I haven't been on, and the only ones that even make it in my top 30 are:

 

Kumba

Nemesis

SheiKra

Dragon Khan

Pyrenees

Dueling Dragons

Montu

Dive Machine

Dive Coaster

Katun

 

I just think it's so strange how you can find uber-intense Intamin coasters as amazing as you do, but hate getting your A$$ kicked on rides like Voyage, which is pretty much the epitome of an intense ride.

 

I don't find Voyage "intense" I just find it rough as hell and totally pointless. I don't find it fun in the least bit at all.

 

Oddly enough though, all the other TGG woodies I really like a LOT! Put me on Fireball, Hades, or Ravine Flyer II any day! LOVE THEM!

 

But Voyage...I can easily give it a miss. Terrible ride, IMO. Just terrible.

 

It will honestly always be a mystery to me why so many people like that ride. But it doesn't bother me. Same thing with Legend, really. Everyone seemed to *love* that coaster...at least until The Voyage came along. No matter though, people can ride the Voyage all they want as long as I can continue to ride The Raven over and over again...

 

--Robb "I can honestly say my last rides on Ghostrider were WAAAY better than my last rides on The Voyage." Alvey

Edited April 30, 2010 by robbalvey

[cfc]

I think Voyage is a great ride, and it made my top ten last year (albeit two rungs below Raven). But it's not something I could ride all day, unlike Expedition GeForce (well, not today, but you get my point ).

 

OK, back on topic. I'm looking forward to checking out Carowinds' Intimidator on Saturday. I'm especially curious to see how it stacks up to Diamondback, which I like a lot.

Edited April 30, 2010 by cfc

[gatorchomp83]

I'm honestly amazed that the dive machines find their way in that list for you! All of those B&Ms that I've ridden are their more intense models, and the ones I haven't ridden, I've heard nothing but reviews stating how intense they are....But the dive machines are so graceful and different, that it really surprises me they rate that highly in your opinion. Interesting.

 

I knew Voyage didn't hold a very tight spot in your heart, but "terrible?" "Pointless?" What's terrible and pointless is half of El Toro and its boring as hell ending.

[robbalvey]

I'm honestly amazed that the dive machines find their way in that list for you! All of those B&Ms that I've ridden are their more intense models, and the ones I haven't ridden, I've heard nothing but reviews stating how intense they are....But the dive machines are so graceful and different, that it really surprises me they rate that highly in your opinion. Interesting.

 

I knew Voyage didn't hold a very tight spot in your heart, but "terrible?" "Pointless?" What's terrible and pointless is half of El Toro and its boring as hell ending.

I'm really not going to have an argument over The Voyage because it's all been said before and I don't care about the ride enough to waste any effort discussing it. I think it's a pointless, rough and stupid ride. If you love it, GREAT!!! You won't see me trying to argue you against it like you are with me for it.

 

As far as the Dive Machines go, I like them so much because they are so "different" from the typical cookie cutter B&M style.

 

Although, having said that, it's one of the reasons SheiKra is higher on my list than the others. I thought Griffon was kind of pointless how it's just the same ride two times in a row! WTF was with that? "Did you like that drop and dive loop? I hope so because you're going to do it all over again!" If there was any coaster that deserved the name "Deja Vu" it's actually Griffon!

 

And the China dive coasters, they are both good too, but SheiKra has much better overall presentation than the other two.

 

I can see SheiKra being one of those coasters that drop out of my top rankings though as rides like i305 are added.

 

--Robb

Edited April 30, 2010 by robbalvey

[SharkTums]

I knew Voyage didn't hold a very tight spot in your heart, but "terrible?" "Pointless?" What's terrible and pointless is half of El Toro and its boring as hell ending.

 

Isn't El Toro's ending REALLY similar to I305 which you seem to love so much!?!? Low tight turns!

[ginzo]

I just think it's so strange how you can find uber-intense Intamin coasters as amazing as you do, but hate getting your A$$ kicked on rides like Voyage, which is pretty much the epitome of an intense ride.

 

If you think Voyage is intense, try Tele2 Insane without riders on the other side of the car for balance.

[robbalvey]

I knew Voyage didn't hold a very tight spot in your heart, but "terrible?" "Pointless?" What's terrible and pointless is half of El Toro and its boring as hell ending.

 

Isn't El Toro's ending REALLY similar to I305 which you seem to love so much!?!? Low tight turns!

That's exactly what it is.

[redfoot12]

I think Voyage is a great ride, and it made my top ten last year (albeit two rungs below Raven). But it's not something I could ride all day, unlike Expedition GeForce (well, not today, but you get my point ).

 

OK, back on topic. I'm looking forward to checking out Carowinds' Intimidator on Saturday. I'm especially curious to see how it stacks up to Diamondback, which I like a lot.

 

Chuck--please pick me up on the way to ride I-232! I'll be quiet and sit in the trunk and you can throw me ketchup packets or something.

[gatorchomp83]

No no no Robb, I'm not trying to change your opinion or force mine down your throat. Just trying to discuss why you think it's so boring and pointless, and letting you know why I think it's the most amazing ride I've ridden. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

And what's funny about your opinions on Griffon/Sheikra is also completely opposite of mine, as I find Griffon a MUCH better ride than Sheikra! I'm going to BGT today for a couple of hours and probably won't even ride Sheikra, but if I was off to BGW, honestly Griffon would be the first thing I'd want to do!

 

The thing with El Toro's ending for me, is that it seemed to REALLY putter out and lose steam very quickly after the insane Rolling Thunder Hill. It kinda just went through the motions on its way to the brakes and ended with a leisurely route to the end, which was rather boring to me. What the rest of the ride did, though, was still good enough to be #2 wood for me behind Voyage, until I rode Hades. And with I305, it does putter out at the end, but everything it does before that is MORE than enough to solidify it at #1 steel, if that makes sense.

 

To each his/her own. I'd be curious what you guys thought of Intimidator compared to the other B&M hypers, although I'm about 99% sure I already know that answer.

[coasterbear30]

I love B & M hypers. They are my favorite coasters out there, along with dive machines. I went to Carowinds last weekend with my boys and I must say that I was SEVERELY disappointed with Intimidator. I fully expected it to beat out Goliath SFOG (my #1 steel) because it is higher and faster and has a steeper drop but the only thing I liked about it was the first drop. The rest of it sucked. It didn't even break my top 10 like I thought it would. They trimmed it too much and after the MCBR there was nothing...no forces, no airtime, nothing. I kept hearing good reviews but it just did nothing for me. I have never been more sad about a coaster I thought that I was going to absolutely love.

[jsz1002]

I love B & M hypers. They are my favorite coasters out there, along with dive machines. I went to Carowinds last weekend with my boys and I must say that I was SEVERELY disappointed with Intimidator. I fully expected it to beat out Goliath SFOG (my #1 steel) because it is higher and faster and has a steeper drop but the only thing I liked about it was the first drop. The rest of it sucked. It didn't even break my top 10 like I thought it would. They trimmed it too much and after the MCBR there was nothing...no forces, no airtime, nothing. I kept hearing good reviews but it just did nothing for me. I have never been more sad about a coaster I thought that I was going to absolutely love.

Where did you sit? I've rode it 5 times (twice in the back and 3 times in the middle to front) and had massive airtime on every hill.

[robbalvey]

No no no Robb, I'm not trying to change your opinion or force mine down your throat. Just trying to discuss why you think it's so boring and pointless, and letting you know why I think it's the most amazing ride I've ridden. Nothing more, nothing less.

Steve, don't take this the wrong way or anything, I just honestly don't really care to discuss it again.

 

I'm well aware that a lot of people think it's the most amazing thing ever, which is why it's ranked #1. I just don't have the time, nor do I really care to know the details of why people think it's the most amazing ride ever. All I care about is that *I* think that it's not the most amazing ride ever and I just don't have the time, nor do I really care to explain the reasoning behind my rankings either. And unless some sort of voodoo magic dramatically changes the ride to where my thoughts on that matter changes, I'll give it one courtesy ride per visit to make sure my opinion still stands (or in the off chance perhaps changes) and then I'll be off to ride the attractions at Holiday World that I actually like.

 

It's also further more not appropriate discussion for the Carowinds thread as my thoughts on the ride has already been discussed in the Holiday World thread and the Mitch Hawker poll threads in the past.

 

--Robb

[dougstanton]

I also found Intimidator to be extremely boring. I can't believe they even trim it. The airtime is extremely weak. I have been on Goliath (SFoG), Behemoth, Diamondback, Raging Bull, Nitro, and Apollo's Chariot. I have Intimidator at the bottom. I rode in the very front row and middle. My friends got to ride in the back and said it was nothing special. I think I'm pretty lucky that I have Goliath in my backyard and was expecting Intimidator to be an improvement over Diamondback and Behemoth. Unfortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. I think that more negative reviews will come out once more people that don't live relatively close to the park get to ride it.

[coasterbear30]

^^^I rode it in the 2nd to front seat and I rode it in the back. Neither mattered. They were both extremely weak. The trims and I think the length of the train totally kill any airtime there was to be had. It is pretty sad actually as I had really high hopes for this coaster.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^I rode in the 2nd row today and my butt wasn't even remotely hitting the seat on any of the hills.