Carowinds Discussion Thread

[CPmillenia94]

^the "rotten" cushy strap restraints and solid hydraulics that keep the restraint from stapling you?

[grsupercity]

In my humble opinion Fury 325 will be better than Intimidator 305 but not as good as Millennium. On Millennium you have those wonderful tunnels with the lake nearby and the overbanked turns. Intimidator 305 has the drop and the curve at the bottom but that's it. The second half with the "twisties" is not enjoyable at all due to those rotten restraints.What was intamin thinking? Fury 325 won't have that problem, it is a beautiful coaster, but no tunnels unfortunately. As far as Carowinds Intimidaor, it's pretty good, but the airtime is very minor due to the trim brakes.

 

Some people love the twisties

[chickenbowl]

In my humble opinion Fury 325 will be better than Intimidator 305 but not as good as Millennium. On Millennium you have those wonderful tunnels with the lake nearby and the overbanked turns. Intimidator 305 has the drop and the curve at the bottom but that's it. The second half with the "twisties" is not enjoyable at all due to those rotten restraints.What was intamin thinking? Fury 325 won't have that problem, it is a beautiful coaster, but no tunnels unfortunately. As far as Carowinds Intimidaor, it's pretty good, but the airtime is very minor due to the trim brakes.

 

I respectfully and completely disagree with everything you've written. I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

[TyRush]

In my humble opinion Fury 325 will be better than Intimidator 305 but not as good as Millennium. On Millennium you have those wonderful tunnels with the lake nearby and the overbanked turns. Intimidator 305 has the drop and the curve at the bottom but that's it. The second half with the "twisties" is not enjoyable at all due to those rotten restraints.What was intamin thinking? Fury 325 won't have that problem, it is a beautiful coaster, but no tunnels unfortunately. As far as Carowinds Intimidaor, it's pretty good, but the airtime is very minor due to the trim brakes.

 

I respectfully and completely disagree with everything you've written. I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

I conquer

 

Edit: yes yes, concur****

Edited April 2, 2015 by TyRush

[CpBluestreakCp]

I'm going to the park Thursday April 9th. And I have a few questions:

 

1.) Is is spring break by then still and should I expect it to be crowded?

2.) Kind of a follow up to that question; would fastlane then be worthwhile?

3.) Plan of attack for the park in the morning?

 

Sorry if these have been responded to earlier in the thread, I just don't have time to look back into it at the moment. Thanks for any responses!

[Derek_Zoolander]

I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

I conquer

 

Concur* is the word you were looking for.

 

I am glad for variety in the giga spectrum, but it's likely due at least in part to that 'masterpiece' requiring millions in modifications and retracking.

[MagnumFreak25]

millions in modifications and retracking.

Since when did 1=1,000,000

[TheDark8]

millions in modifications and retracking.

Since when did 1=1,000,000

 

He was talking about cash. I'm pretty sure it didn't cost them $1 to retrack a roller coaster.

 

About Fury, after riding it over twenty times I have found the following aspects of the ride to be interesting:

 

1) The intensity- The first half of this ride is a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it. The drop is the best I've been on, and the transitions on the speed curves are nice. Going up the turnaround caused me to grey out, as did the bottom of the drop. I did not expect Fury to be this intense, to say the least.

 

2) The wait times- The wait peaked at about two hours on Saturday. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the line peaked at around 30 minutes. Monday morning was a walk on.

 

3) The airtime- The first time I rode Fury, the airtime was floater at best. I don't know what it is now (perhaps the warm weather) but the airtime is the best of any B&M in a long time. I can't imagine what the airtime would be like without that trim on the largest camelback. Also, there are surprise airtime moments on this ride. Descending down the first turn, transitioning into the second turn, etc. They all have some nice pops of airtime to them.

 

4) The turnaround- My favorite coaster element in a while. I understand the reason one greys out is because of loss of blood to the head. Heading up the turnaround, I grey out a little every time. The thing is, once you hit the top of the turnaround, the awesome sideways air shoots the blood right back into your head. It's one of the weirdest feelings I've experienced on a coaster.

 

Fury 325 is an amazing ride to say the least, and it is tied for I305 for #1, and here's my main reason why:

Fury has the amazing drop of Millennium Force, the speed and intensity (not quite as much) of I305, and the airtime of something like Diamondback. It's honestly a joy to ride.

[cwgator]

I'm going to the park Thursday April 9th. And I have a few questions:

 

1.) Is is spring break by then still and should I expect it to be crowded?

2.) Kind of a follow up to that question; would fastlane then be worthwhile?

3.) Plan of attack for the park in the morning?

 

Sorry if these have been responded to earlier in the thread, I just don't have time to look back into it at the moment. Thanks for any responses!

 

1: Spring break for Charlotte schools is next week (starts this Friday) and the park will be pretty busy next week. If the weather is lousy it may not be as bad, but with Fury who knows.

2: If you are going to be at the park only one day you may want the FL+ if you wish to have multiple rides on Fury 325 and the other coasters. You may want to wait until you get to the park to be sure you need it.

3: Ride Nighthawk first before the park gets crowded as it has the slowest loading/dispatch times due to design. Even with FL+ you may wait several cycles depending on how many others have it who are trying to ride. After that you can pretty much hit the rest of the park counter clockwise. For lunch (or dinner) you should try Harmony Hall over by Intimidator. They have quite a variety of food choices.

[mystery03]

Hello,

 

I;m traveling this weekend to visit Carowinds from Atlanta to ride Fury 325. I have not been to the park in 20 years and I have a few questions for the Carowinds experts.

 

1. We are planning on going both Saturday (4/4) and Sunday (Easter). How crowded should I expect the park to be both days?

 

2. We want to get as many rides as possible in on Saturday so we are considering getting Fast Lane +. Should I go ahead and purchase FL+ online or can I wait until I get to the park? I am not sure if they sell out.

 

3. They do not sell 2-day passes online or at the gate. I can get single day tickets from AAA for 37.99 each. Is this my best option or does anyone know where to find cheap 2-day tickets?

 

4. What discounts come with a season pass? I didn't know if it would be worth just getting one to get early ride times as well as the discounts. What are your thoughts?

 

5. Has anyone stayed at the Comfort Inn across the parking lot. We were thinking of staying there to save on parking. Does anyone have any good or bad reviews to share? If you stayed there how bad is the walk?

 

Thanks in advance for your help. I can't wait to ride Fury 325

[TyRush]

I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

I conquer

 

Concur* is the word you were looking for.

 

I am glad for variety in the giga spectrum, but it's likely due at least in part to that 'masterpiece' requiring millions in modifications and retracking.

Yes it 'twas thank you sir

[simaticable]

Seems like I need to plan an "East Coast"er trip this summer to experience the best this side of the US has to offer.

[coasterbill]

I respectfully and completely disagree with everything you've written. I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

 

I love Fury325 and I love I305 and I expect this to be a major debate for years. The rides are very different and there's no clear winner between the 2, it all comes down to what you like in a coaster.

 

I305 is more intense (it has the fastest transitions of any coaster I've ever ridden except for Maverick), Fury has more moments of airtime, lap bars and that unique turnaround. I think Fury is a much better ride but if you're all about intensity and super fast transitions then you're going to like I305 better. Fury isn't a cookie cutter B&M hyper / giga like Intimidator, Nitro, Apollo, Diamondback or any of those... it's unique and it is intense but if you're judging it purely on intensity I305 is going to win... I305 would win against basically everything though (except Maverick, which I actually prefer to I305 and Fury).

 

I would suggest going out and riding both for yourself, they're both absolutely amazing coasters but don't judge this ride without riding it first because it completely broke the B&M mold. I'm guilty of judging it before riding it and it made me eat my words. I never thought this ride would belong in the same sentence as I305 before I rode it, now I have it ranked ahead of I305.

[chargersmichael]

So from watching the webcams this morning before the park opens for the day, I see that Fury testing without riders and in the morning...appears to look a lot slower than it does from a full train of riders in the afternoon. Either way, I'm sure it is still a great experience whether it be riding first thing in the morning or the afternoon.

[coasterbill]

So from watching the webcams this morning before the park opens for the day, I see that Fury testing without riders and in the morning...appears to look a lot slower than it does from a full train of riders in the afternoon. Either way, I'm sure it is still a great experience whether it be riding first thing in the morning or the afternoon.

 

Empty trains will always run much slower than full trains on any non-launched coaster. We rode it first thing in the morning on Saturday and on Monday and despite low temperatures the ride was insane both times so you're 100% correct on all counts.

[cfc]

I305 is a masterpiece of a coaster. I'm almost positive there is not a single existing B&M that can come close.

I conquer

 

Concur* is the word you were looking for.

 

I am glad for variety in the giga spectrum, but it's likely due at least in part to that 'masterpiece' requiring millions in modifications and retracking.

 

I305 still better than any other B&M coaster I've ever ridden. I'm planning to see how Fury 325 stacks up later this month.

Edited April 2, 2015 by cfc

[shivtim]

I conquer

 

[DJeXeL]

^Agreed.

[coasterbill]

To say the park is slammed today would be an understatement.

 

Webcams

 

Fury's line is already full and spilling out the entrance, there's a huge line of people waiting to even be allowed into the entrance plaza and there are a massive amount of cars waiting to go through the parking tollbooths. Congrats to Carowinds, it looks like everyone in North and South Carolina got a case of Fury Fever today.

[chargersmichael]

^WOW! This makes me happy! Good for Carowinds! Fury 325 is a great addition to the park!!!

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

This weekend is going to be insane! Spring Break and Easter Weekend = LARGE CROWDS! Looking at the webcam I'm like: "Fast Lane is definitely going to sell out today." LOL. I'm just patiently waiting for Apr. 17th. Hopefully, it want be too crowded.

[DJeXeL]

Looking at the Webcam it looks like the crew is cranking the trains out. Glad Fury has proven to be a success for the park. Looks like trains pause on the transfer track for 15-20 seconds before proceeding to the lift. I assume the PLC does this to prevent a block setup.

[cwgator]

This weekend is going to be insane! Spring Break and Easter Weekend = LARGE CROWDS! Looking at the webcam I'm like: "Fast Lane is definitely going to sell out today." LOL. I'm just patiently waiting for Apr. 17th. Hopefully, it want be too crowded.

 

It shouldn't be too crowded in the morning with schools in session. However after school lets out in the afternoon it will get much busier since the park is open until 10 that night.

[oriolat]

Looking at the Webcam it looks like the crew is cranking the trains out. Glad Fury has proven to be a success for the park. Looks like trains pause on the transfer track for 15-20 seconds before proceeding to the lift. I assume the PLC does this to prevent a block setup.

 

So, it's not just me having a look at the cam to see the wonders of an efficient 3-train operation. I think that the PLC let's the train roll onto the lift hill when the previous train has cleared the turnaround.

[robbalvey]

I am glad for variety in the giga spectrum, but it's likely due at least in part to that 'masterpiece' requiring millions in modifications and retracking.

Ignorant posts like this are really annoying. For one, I assume you're talking about i305. Secondly, do you have any idea just how many rides have had to replace pieces of track over the years? You say that as though i305 is the only ride that's ever had to do this! And finally, if you *actually believe* that B&M's layout had anything to do with i305 then this is the dumbest comment I'm going to read all day! (I hope!)

 

Please, people, I beg of you...if you don't know what you are talking about, please don't post. You just make everyone else dumber by thinking you might actually have some insight on the subject matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkodTydUR0E

Edited April 4, 2015 by robbalvey