Carowinds Discussion Thread

[thrillseeker4552]

Those are 100% Mack footer anchors

 

Yep! Went and double checked a few construction photos of Time Traveler and DC Rivals. Definitely very similar!

 

I'm so pumped for this. Assuming it's what we think it will be, this is a perfect fit for Carowinds, and the US gets another huge Mack coaster!

[CaptainUnknown]

I know this has been discussed before, but since I'm feeling lazy right now, what do people think of the Comfort Inn across from the park? I'm looking at booking three nights there the first week of August and I can get a really good deal there through my timeshare.

[hoppedup]

Just wanted to chime in and say that the US National Whitewater Center is really close to Charlotte and it is a ton of fun as well. There is whitwewater kayaking and rafting, climbing walls, zip lines, ropes courses, mountain biking, live music, food, craft beer and more. There is a $5 parking fee so you can go in and look around pretty cheap before you commit to an activity pass ($59)

 

 

https://usnwc.org/

[PKI Jizzman]

I know this has been discussed before, but since I'm feeling lazy right now, what do people think of the Comfort Inn across from the park? I'm looking at booking three nights there the first week of August and I can get a really good deal there through my timeshare.

 

Stayed there last year and it was fantastic. If we weren't driving to Columbia after the park tomorrow I'd stay there again. The employees were beyond nice, gave me the highest floor + facing the park when I asked, had a very solid free breakfast, and yeah it's right across from the park. Made it very easy in and out.

 

Very cool to see those footers! I'll be at the park tomorrow dodging thunderstorms so I'll take some pictures if I can carve out some time between Afterburn and Fury

[coasterbill]

I've never stayed at a bad Comfort Inn in my life and I've stayed at a ton of them.

[PKI Jizzman]

With the radar looking like abstract art, I'm thankful that we were able to get in a few rides on Afterburn, Fury, and Intimidator!

 

Flew in and went straight to the park at noon - the jumbo lockers are awesome. $22 bucks held all of the luggage for both my brother and I. 2 backpacks and 2 duffle bags! Get the lockers! Yay lockers!

 

The park had numerous amounts of school groups so most riders had 15-30 min waits. Fury, Intimidator, and Afterburner were doing an okay job with operations. School groups, you guessed it, equal tons of line jumping. It was abysmal.

 

Afterburn is still my favorite coaster in the park! It's relentless, but so smooth and there is 0 headbanging. Each element is so fluid and perfect it's crazy how fast you take them.

 

Intimidator is just fine for a B&M hyper. It exceeded my expectations last year and did the same this year.

 

Fury is such a re-ridable, hands up, pure fun coaster. It's not too intense to scare away riders and it's got more action going on than any of the B&M hypers. The twisty bits might surprise you with a little pop out of your seat, but don't expect any groundbreaking airtime. It's definitely got stronger than what you'd assign to a B&M coaster.

 

Random notes - haha what is up with these "nutritional shaved ice"s? Phone was in a locker so no photos but they're selling these shaved ice cones and billing them as nutritional haha.

 

Bathrooms everywhere. Most with AC. This was great!

 

Can't wait to visit again this summer and take my time going through the park.

-Zz

Hanging out underneath Fury!

Mother nature was furious today, but thankfully gave us a 3 hour window to ride some great B&Ms

[inlina]

I know this has been discussed before, but since I'm feeling lazy right now, what do people think of the Comfort Inn across from the park? I'm looking at booking three nights there the first week of August and I can get a really good deal there through my timeshare.

 

We were there spring break just gone. We were not fans. The rooms were old, beds uncomfortable, the bathrooms not very clean, air conditioners noisy and the breakfast just like most other similar hotels. I cannot recommend from our recent experience.

[sdcfan88]

Thinking about heading out that way for the first time next week after the holiday weekend. What would be the best day to go?

[bgtlover]

^Tuesday or Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday will likely have school groups.

[DorneyKid14]

Those are 100% Mack footer anchors

 

Yep! Went and double checked a few construction photos of Time Traveler and DC Rivals. Definitely very similar!

 

I'm so pumped for this. Assuming it's what we think it will be, this is a perfect fit for Carowinds, and the US gets another huge Mack coaster!

 

There was a photo of a wooden back that says Mack on it.

[jarmor]

Yeah it's the parks second Mack coaster . . .

[carowindsman]

Just some photos I took today. Park wasn't to busy but was nice easy walk ons for everything . Fury was the only one that was maybe 15 mins. I was never good at taking pictures so sorry.

[KIJester]

^Pic 5 makes it look as if Fury 325 is in a Six Flags park. WTF is all that gargabe under Fury's lift hill.

CF is better than this.

[jarmor]

It's a staging/storage area that doesn't wholistically affect the atmosphere of the ride at all.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Anyone going to be at the park on Tuesday? Send me a message if you are and would like to get in some Fury rides with me!

[thrillrider]

Looks like one of the parks bumper cars went up in flames....

 

http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/local-news/bumper-car-catches-fire-at-carowinds#/

[coasterbill]

 

If I ever bumped into a bumper car and it burst into flames I would brag about that until the end of time.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ I always said movies were inaccurate when cars would burst into flames. I stand corrected.

 

All kidding aside, I'm glad no one got hurt. It'll be interesting to see exactly how this occurred.

[pryonisys]

 

If I ever bumped into a bumper car and it burst into flames I would brag about that until the end of time.

As would I, It would be one of the biggest bragging rights of all time.

 

Looks like everyone was clear and there was no one who got injured so that is very good news

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Am I missing something or are the flyers gone gone? If so this is probably super old news (hey, I don’t check every thread on here that often), but I thought they had mentioned moving it when they talked about their plans for Camp Snoopy. What happened to it?

[Virus]

^ Apparently they're not coming back till next season... likely with the new Coaster.

[jarmor]

An update on the project alpha site. Drill on site. Looks like they maybe getting ready to work on the top hat footings as they may be the deepest and carrying the most brut.

[hendrixmarshalljames]

I got a few good pics the day I was there...Great ride you folks have!

[kylexy2298]

Hey guys, I recently visited the park this past Wednesday, June 6 with my brother and we had a great time! The park is very beautiful and is very clean with no trash along the walkways and all of the planters full of vibrant flowers and bushes! We got to the park at 11:45a or so and left around 6:00p, so we spent about 6 hours at the park.

 

I didn’t do a whole lot of research before coming to the park but I did know about the three big B&M’s the park has to offer and was very much looking forward to them. I had heard great reviews about both Fury 325 and Afterburn so I had some high expectations for the two rides and they did not let me down! Also thought that having two coasters over 200' and being nearly the same thing would make Intimidator feel less worthy of ride when Fury 325 is the same park. I'm happy to report that both coasters offer entirely different experiences with Intimidator having the classic big hills and big intimidating look when entering the park while Fury offers that fast paced low to the ground feel with less hills but more twists and turns than Intimidator. I’ll start off with some reviews of all the rides we rode in the order we rode them.

 

Intimidator (x1) – This was my first ever B&M hyper and I absolutely loved it! I thought the floater air was awesome and the overall sensation of going up and down the hills followed with some twists and turns made it a very enjoyable experience. Not to mention how smooth the ride was and that we only waited 5 minutes to ride. Just a very fun coaster to ride with friends and anyone who enjoys big drops and hills.

9/10

 

Nighthawk (x1) – The only other flying style coaster I have ridden was Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain with it being one of y favorite coasters I have ridden so far. I have heard that these Vekoma flyers are not nearly as good as their B&M counterparts but I beg to differ. I thought that the initial position of laying down and going up the lift-hill was a little weird and uncomfortable with the sun in your eyes the entire time, but I was going to let that set the tone for the ride. The ride itself was very fun and actually smooth with the different rolls and maneuvers offering some fun transitions between all of the elements. Still prefer Tatsu to this one but I would definitely ride it again when I visit.

8/10

 

Windseeker (x1) – I was one of the few people who was able to ride the Windseeker that Knott’s had and I thought there were fun rides. These rides are great for when you want a great view of the surrounding area and some time off your feet from walking around. I think these are perfect rides for what they are and offer something that other rides just can’t deliver.

10/10

 

Afterburn (x2) – Wow! Just wow! My new favorite invert! Granted the only other inverts I have been on are a Batman clone and Silver Bullet but this one is just awesome! The inversions are quick and snappy, and the forces that are felt on the bottom of the drops are amazing. Had to ride the coaster once more after the first ride cause I was so blown away! Also worth mentioning that the ride was only running one train when we rode but the crew was cranking though and getting it out to cycle again within a minute of the train returning to the station, so a big props to the Afterburn crew!

10/10

 

Carolina Cyclone (x1) – Nothing really special about this ride other than the helix after the two corkscrews but was still a fun ride. Not to rough and I absolutely love the color scheme that is on this ride!

6/10

 

Hurler (x1) – So I went into the ride thinking that it would be rough and that I wouldn’t want to ride it ever again. The station on this ride is probably one of the worst stations on a coaster I have seen with the industrial warehouse feel and chain-link fence for a wall. I mean what is the theme for it, cause I haven’t a clue. Got front seats on this one and was blown away by how smooth the ride actually is! The hills were a lot of fun and provided some nice floater air. Not what I was expecting but I’m glad that Carowinds still has a decent wooden coaster, but I wouldn’t say no to it being converted to an RMC!

7/10

 

Fury 325 (x3) – Another fantastic ride, and one of my new favorites beating out Cannibal at Lagoon! This coaster never lets up on its speed and provides some air in places you wouldn’t expect it! The air on the hills was mostly floater but still provided enough thrill and the turns were just pure fun as you went around them at a fast speed. The first drop keeps you out of your seat the entire time with your body making contact with the seat at the bottom of the drop, and then you get some more airtime in some of the turns and hills. I love how the ride interacts with the front entrance and the lift hill brings you to the max height of 325’ in only around 30 seconds. Made sure to make this the last ride of the day, and will definitely be riding a lot more this summer!

10/10

 

Scream Weaver (x1) – Wasn’t originally planning on riding this one, but since it was between Fury and Vortex we thought we would jump in the non-existent line and give it a ride. Great ride and would recommend if you are looking for an oldie but a goodie.

7/10

 

Vortex (x1) – Not a big fan of B&M’s stand-ups but Riddler’s Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain is a great ride and made me wonder if any of the others would be good. This is not one of the good ones. I knew I was in for a rough ride when the small turn after the lift was already banging my head around. Only slightly enjoyable part of the ride was the loop and that’s being generous. Glad I got this one ride on it but you won’t see me waiting in line to ride this one again.

3/10

 

Carolina Goldrusher (x1) – After my head getting a beating on Vortex I needed a ride to help with the headache that still would be fun. Goldrusher was the ride we chose to help in this regard. The ride is fun but a lot shorter than I thought it would be, but still a fun ride that offers a great spot for younger ones looking for a “bigger” ride.

5/10

 

The Flying Cobras (x1) – Before this boomerang the only other one I had ridden was Knotts’ version when they had one and that one didn’t leave a great taste in my mouth for the other models. Glad I gave this one a shot as it is one of the highlights of the day since I wasn’t expecting that much fun from a boomerang. Will happily wait in line for this one and look forward to my next ride!

8/10

 

Electro Spin (x1) – Last new ride of the day for us but one of the better ones. The theming for the ride is a history of what people may have thought the history of electricity would be for the following eras from a 1950’s viewpoint. The readings on the signs provided some entertainment while we waited to board. Fun experience and had some great g-forces with the way the arm swings you around.

10/10

 

Had an awesome day at the park and I’m glad we both have gold passes so that we can come back some more while I’m still in South Carolina. Still some rides that I have to get to like Woodstock’s Whirlybirds, Southern Star, Drop Tower, and the rest of the coasters. Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures!

Welcome to Carowinds! Love the main entrance and the way Cedar Fair is adding these updated entrances to their parks!

First ride of the day is also my first B&M hyper, Intimidator!

Some shots of the ride from the parking lot.

Nighthawk was surprisingly really good! A lot better than I originally expected.

Beautiful day to be at the park

Love the grass and landscaping that goes into all the sections of the park.

The atmosphere of the park is awesome and you can tell some love goes into keeping the park clean.

First ride of the day is also my first B&M hyper, Intimidator!

Afterburn's loop peaking through the trees as we approach the entrance.

A little hard to get good pictures of this one but offers great photo opportunities in some spots.

That zero-g-roll offers some great close calls as you get pretty close to some of those supports.

Again, can't express how pretty the park is!

First ride of the day is also my first B&M hyper, Intimidator!

After lunch at Wings we walked through the boardwalk section of the park. Some great theming in this section

Didn't ride the coaster but the sign we passed look cool

There be a cyclone hitting this parts!

Love the color transitions on Carolina Cyclone!

I like how the entrance to the ride goes under the second loop.

Hurler is the biggest wooden coaster at the park and offers a great ride

I see you Fury! Will be riding you soon

A great wooden coaster with a very ugly station.

Hurler with Drop Tower in the background. Didn't get to Drop Tower on this trip but will on the next one

Now onto the big blue, green, and white coaster we saw at the entrance!

The train climbing the lift.

15 seconds later the train is already 325' in the air!

Some awards Fury 325 has won.

This was the line length the entire day for Fury. With the AMAZING crews operating this ride, the wait was only about 5 minutes.

Those turns were a lot rougher than I thought they would be.

Looks pretty and the colors do stand out, but thats how the park tricks you into riding it.

I don't like this ride.

Another mine train named Goldrusher! Personally prefer the one in California over this one, but it still offers a fun ride everyone can enjoy!

The Flying Cobras were out today and could be seen through the trees.

The queue didn't provide a lot of shade, and could use some especially on a hot day like this.

The other half of the train

Also a big fan of the way the park themed the trains to planes. Fits the whole North Carolina quote of being the state of flight or something like that.

Tried to get an artsy photo, but it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. Still looks cool though

Some theming

More theming

Entrance to the ride looks great!

My first time riding a ride like this, and I'll have to ride some more!

Electro Spin was the last new ride of the day for us.

In case you were wondering who made this ride

As we were walking out of the park, I couldn't help but feel happy about all of the rides and fun we had. A great park that has a lot to offer

Where you enter and exit the trains that might give you a headache.

The park even has a Starbucks inside in case you get the cravings for a coffee.

I'll leave you guys with some shots of Fury and Intimidator as we walked back to the car.

The rocking chairs are a nice touch to the entrance area of the park and gives it southern feel to the park. Love all the little details that went into this park!

Amazing curves on Fury!

Thanks for reading!

Edited June 14, 2018 by kylexy2298

[Samuel]

Nice report! Sounds like you had a lot of fun, and thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

The scoop on the Hurler station is that its theme has long been gutted after originally being based on Wayne's World during the park's Paramount days. From the coaster's Wikipedia page:

 

"Originally, the queue wound underneath the coaster through a 'hot set' on location filming scenes from Wayne's World. Upon entering the station building, park guests passed through a full-scale set of the iconic basement hideout of Wayne and Garth. Since removal of the Paramount references, the queue and station building are loosely themed with the remains of the original theming." Link