Carowinds Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

That fact that Intimidator is in the top 20 is funny. That fact that it is in the top 10 is a joke!

I think we all know it got a lot of Furys goodwill, but with all of Furys goodwill I'm surprised Afterburn didn't place higher, it seems to be very revered by most enthusiasts.

 

I agree with this. At Wonderland I actually think Behemoth and Leviathan compliment eachother nicely but at Carowinds I actually think Fury makes Intimidator look bad. It does a lot of the same things and it does all of those things better.

 

On the other hand, Fury brought a ton of people to the park and all of them seemed to leave singing Afterburn's praises based on enthusiast trip reports. That ride is awesome and because it's bringing so many people to the park, Fury is helping to essentially "raise awareness" for Afterburn's awesomeness among enthusiasts.

[dakota381]

My Sister and I are going to Carowinds this weekend. This will be her first ever Halloween type thing in an amusement park. We were able to get our Sunday day-time tickets for free for purchasing Scarowinds tickets online. I'm not sure how long they'll run this special but it's a good deal if anyone is looking at going this weekend. We also got Fright lane with the skeleton key and I hope that wasn't a waste of money considering they're calling for rain on Sat. I'm trying hard not to hyper-focus on the weather forecast being it's 5 days away but I really hope it's not pouring buckets.

 

Neither one of us has been on Fury 325 even though this is considered our "home" park but I can't wait to check it out!!

 

Oh, and I love me some Afterburn! (I still want to call it Top Gun lol)

[coasterbill]

With Skeleton Key you're not really wasting money because even without lines you'll be getting bonus rooms. Plus I expect lines.

 

It's too far out to worry about weather but Weather Underground is just saying variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. A forecast for storms doesn't mean it's going to storm all day, it usually means mostly sunny and at some point there will probably be a brief storm and you can go ride Plants vs Zombies and shoot some of those gnome things or have a few drinks in Harmony Hall.

 

Have fun! Fury is amazing.

[dakota381]

Thanks Bill, that makes me feel better.

Rain or shine, here we come!

 

How would you compare Fury to Millennium Force or Intimidator 305?

[coasterbill]

Thanks Bill, that makes me feel better.

Rain or shine, here we come!

 

How would you compare Fury to Millennium Force or Intimidator 305?

 

You're welcome!

 

As far as comparing those 3 coasters, they're all elite rides but as far as picking a favorite it's really going to depend on the person. If you're all about relentless intensity then I305 is probably going to be your favorite. Nothing can beat those crazy transitions or grey-out inducing forces.

 

If you're all about speed then you might prefer Millennium Force. Unlike the other 2 rides it's not in an open field, so not only is it amazingly fast but it's flying by trees, buildings and dinosaurs and going through tunnels which really enhances the feeling of speed. It also has some nice floater air and awesome overbanks.

 

To me, Fury is probably the most complete of the 3 rides. The run out to the turnaround is low to the ground and a pretty amazing display of speed and it has a transition in there that's reminiscent of I305. I305 is more abrupt and forceful but this turn is pretty great in it's own right. The turnaround itself is great and provides some weird floater sideways airtime, the tunnel is fun and then it proceeds to deliver ejector airtime (especially in the front rows) all the way back to the station, mixing in a cool head chopper in the helix. To be fair, I305 has airtime just as forceful, but it's much more fun on Fury because of the lap bars. Plus it's amazing that B&M built anything with that type of airtime. It feels more like an Intamin than a B&M.

 

Personaly I prefer Millennium Force barely, but Fury is insane. And it's one of the best coasters I've ever ridden. You'll love it. It's an amazing ride.

[prozach626]

Both I305 and Fury were incredible for me. The difference that I encountered was that after I305 I felt like I needed a break, as opposed to Fury where I couldn't get enough of it. I prefer openness of the B&M trains as well.

[prozach626]

I hadn't been to a haunt event in ten years since my first visit to KI's haunt last fall, with SFSTL having been my only means for comparison. I was curious how Scarowinds compares to KI'S haunt. We were pretty impressed by KI's haunt last fall.

[Afterburner]

That fact that Intimidator is in the top 20 is funny. That fact that it is in the top 10 is a joke!

I think we all know it got a lot of Furys goodwill, but with all of Furys goodwill I'm surprised Afterburn didn't place higher, it seems to be very revered by most enthusiasts.

 

Intimidator has ranked in the top ten since 2012 though, so it's not just Fury's goodwill.

 

I don't understand it either, but one of my home parks being able to advertise the number one steel coaster in the world and two of the top ten is good for business, which should help them continue to make major improvements, so I can't really complain.

[TBpony414]

Excellent reply from Bill regarding MF vs. I305 vs.Fury! I agree on all accounts and also with Zach regarding I305 not being easy to marathon, while Fury and MF most definitely are.

[dakota381]

Thanks all for the input! Great comparisons Bill. You're the man!

I'm very excited for this trip and can't wait to try out Fury. My sis is excited about Intimidator but I keep telling her Fury is going to be better and it sounds like I'm right. She's only been to a handful of parks but so far her favorite has been Apollo at BGE so, I think she's really gonna love Fury.

 

Last haunt I went to was Scarowinds 4 years ago and we didn't do any of the mazes because of lines. It was so packed that Sat night it was hard to do anything. (Why I bought fright lane this time)

There was 4 of us and we were so frustrated we almost didn't go back on Sunday but were glad we did as there were no lines at all!

[prozach626]

That's discouraging. I was hoping that Carowinds would be like KI last year, when all of the haunts were packed at first, but then only a 10-20 minute wait max after around 10. We're getting fast lane for sure, but I'm not sure about fright lane, yet.

 

How are the Friday night crowds? We were going to stop by the park after a day on the town, probably sometime after 9. Will it even be worth our time, since our main purpose on Friday night will be to grab a few rides on Fury, without fast lane?

[BotanicalStig]

We did a Friday last year. Lines at the park were similar to a summer Saturday. I think fury was an hour and a half wait. The mazes varied from 20-60 minutes.

 

I wouldn't pass on an opportunity to visit during scarowinds, but that's just me.

[TBpony414]

Dang, I was banking on ride lines being nonexistent as well. Guess we won't know till we get there on the given day. We don't do mazes and try to avoid anything horror related in general so we'll be there purely to ride Fury and the Flyers. Can anyone clue me in on if they have big scare zones up front or are they mostly around other parts of the park?

[dakota381]

If you go during the day on a Sunday, you won't have to worry about scare zones or lines. If you're going on a Fri or Sat night when they reopen for Scarowinds be prepared for lines. The scare zones are scattered throughout the park with different themes. I don't remember any being directly up front but there were some around Intimadator. If you start freaking out when you see one, they'll come over and mess with you. The only one that got me was over by Cobra and only because he'd run by and scream in my face when I was talking to someone in my party and not paying attention.

 

Albeit it was 4 years ago when I went, Sunday was lots better than Saturday night. I can't speak for Saturday during the day. AND, the closer it gets to Halloween, the more crowded it becomes.

Saturday night the first couple hours of Scarowinds wasn't too bad. The later it got the worse all the lines got. We tried to get on Afterburn an hour before close and they had closed off the line because it was about 2 hours long.

 

I'll be happy to report back after I go this weekend.

[dakota381]

I'm sorry if I made it sound like a terrible time because it wasn't really bad until later in the evening. We still had a blast just walking around and taking pictures of the employees all dressed up. We even got to all the coasters once except for Afterburn Sat night. Night Hawk was our 2nd of the night and was an hour wait.

Sunday, we could've marathon'd anything we wanted.

[prozach626]

Our flight gets into Charlotte late Friday morning on 10/21. Does anyone have any recommendations on how we can fill our afternoon? Are there any outstanding micro breweries in the area where we can grab a few beers or take a tour? Suggestions for lunch are also welcomed.

[grsupercity]

Our flight gets into Charlotte late Friday morning on 10/21. Does anyone have any recommendations on how we can fill our afternoon? Are there any outstanding micro breweries in the area where we can grab a few beers or take a tour? Suggestions for lunch are also welcomed.

 

The epicenter in downtown Charlotte!

[defrocker]

The Old Mecklenburg Brewery is a kinda cool place. It's also on the way to the park from the Charlotte Airport. You could certainly kill some time there. If you decide to brave downtown, you have tons of options.

[BotanicalStig]

Dang, I was banking on ride lines being nonexistent as well. Guess we won't know till we get there on the given day. We don't do mazes and try to avoid anything horror related in general so we'll be there purely to ride Fury and the Flyers. Can anyone clue me in on if they have big scare zones up front or are they mostly around other parts of the park?

 

 

They are kind of sprawled out around the whole park. I don't think you *have* to walk through any of them though. There might not be a way around London Terror over by Intimidator... I can't really remember. Scare actors do walk around the whole park, but there weren't too many. Just put on a smile and laugh when someone comes up to you- they'll leave you alone. The best part is everyone else's reactions Here is the Scarowinds park map.

 

[prozach626]

If you decide to brave downtown, you have tons of options.

Enlighten me on these options, sir! I remember Chartlotte being really clean when we went a few years ago, especially compared to STL. We wouldn't mind going down town.

[defrocker]

Honestly, one of my favorite places is up I77 a ways. Exit 36 maybe? It's about 25 min (depending on traffic) from the airport. It's a place called Duckworth's. They have a huge rotating selection of local and international taps. Their beer menu is on tablets at every table so that you can peruse the menu without pestering a server or a bartender about your options. Food is great too. A word of caution, Don't go if the Panthers are playing, it's a madhouse.

[dakota381]

Dang, I was banking on ride lines being nonexistent as well. Guess we won't know till we get there on the given day. We don't do mazes and try to avoid anything horror related in general so we'll be there purely to ride Fury and the Flyers. Can anyone clue me in on if they have big scare zones up front or are they mostly around other parts of the park?

 

 

They are kind of sprawled out around the whole park. I don't think you *have* to walk through any of them though. There might not be a way around London Terror over by Intimidator... I can't really remember. Scare actors do walk around the whole park, but there weren't too many. Just put on a smile and laugh when someone comes up to you- they'll leave you alone. The best part is everyone else's reactions Here is the Scarowinds park map.

 

 

Where did you find this map? I looked all over Carowinds' website trying to find this.

**edit**found it

 

(I love it when someone starts freaking out over one of the actors all dressed up and they just immediately start harassing them more)

[TBpony414]

We'll be there not this weekend but the next. Thanks for the tips and that scare zone map is very handy! Looks like I'll have to go thru zones 4 and 5 as we only want to ride Fury, the flyers, and maybe I232 a couple times. I absolutely hate scary stuff but will ignore the actors and pretend like I'm totally cool with them. Fake it till ya make it and all that.

[mjk91383]

We'll be there not this weekend but the next. Thanks for the tips and that scare zone map is very handy! Looks like I'll have to go thru zones 4 and 5 as we only want to ride Fury, the flyers, and maybe I232 a couple times. I absolutely hate scary stuff but will ignore the actors and pretend like I'm totally cool with them. Fake it till ya make it and all that.

For what it's worth, Planet Snoopy was closed off last year during Scarowinds.

[DILinator]

ignore the actors and pretend like I'm totally cool with them. Fake it till ya make it and all that.

 

This is what I did at Haunt at KI last year, and will do when I go there again this year. I don't get "scared" of the actors, but have some personal space violation issues that they trigger, so ignoring seems to be the best bet for me.