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Carowinds Discussion Thread

P. 418: Camp Snoopy expansion announced including new family coaster

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As coaster enthusiasts, our opinions are astronomically bias. We know how to brace for a B&M rattle. Vortex is... GARBAGE. It is the only ride that everyone I know declares "Never again." They say "clear", you're beaten with baseball bats, then crucified on the brake run for 10 minutes.

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^But the fact of the matter is, if people are still riding something (and it sounds like a decent number of guests still are riding Vortex), it doesn't matter what anectodal evidence you bring up of people declaring it "never again".

 

Rides given divided by operating cost is perhaps the truest empirical way to evaluate a ride. The guests "vote with their feet", as they say. Sure, it might not be the best ride out there. But with being a standup, it at least provides some novelty value that is becoming more and more scarce. Its also reliable and probably has a relatively low operating cost.

 

Once again, its not going anywhere. Sorry. If you don't like it, then don't ride it.

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The Carowinds flyers might just be the most overrated thing in all of theme park dorkdom. You made the right call riding a coaster instead.

 

Being out of amusement parks for a decade or so, coupled with not being a flat ride fan before that, I've never ridden gliders before Mountain Gliders. Having ridden them a half-dozen times or so, they're probably my most favorite non-coaster ride in the park.

 

Yet, I hear how bad they are, or at least how bad they are in relation to how they were when previously at Camp Snoopy and (I believe) KI before. Can someone explain what makes them bad or overrated? I've never had a problem getting them to whip - at least what I would consider whipping it - and the feeling of doing it is great. So what made them better before?

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I haven't been on them since they reopened but I rode them in the Camp Snoopy location and I don't find them bad by any stretch. They're a lot of fun, but people act like they're a can't-miss ride when you go a long way to visit Carowinds and in reality they're pretty much identical to the Kings Dominion ones which nobody talks about ever.

 

They're fun and I have no complaints, I just don't get the hype for these specific flyers. They seem pretty standard.

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^I wish I understood the hype for gliders, period.

 

They say "clear", you're beaten with baseball bats, then crucified on the brake run for 10 minutes.

I think it's safe to say that you're riding with a bunch of wussies. (That's the PC word for something else.)

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We did the Coaster Campout this weekend. It was a blast. I counted 24 tents, so there were less than 100 people participating. Maybe 30-35 or so people took advantage of Copperhead Strike ERT. So we got many rides without leaving the train. They even encouraged us to get out and try another row without going around. If the row you wanted was occupied, they let us go back through the entry gate instead of going around. The ride ops were in high spirits and dispatches were fast. One girl said she rode it 19 times during ERT. Maybe it was the night ride, the excited crew, or the empty queue, but I had a lot more fun on Copperhead Strike this time.

 

Everyone decided to do the Fury 325 ERT, but all three trains were running, so it was the same experience as the night before. You could stay on and ride as much as you wanted. They started 30 minutes late due to problems with one train, but let us use our Campout wristbands as FL+ until 10:15. Nice gesture, but should have been more, IMO. After 10x Fury rides we decided to do some flats (what???). We did the Gliders, Southern Star (hadn't done this one since its opening season as Frenzoid), and Windseeker.

 

The only downer was that when we arrived Friday, most of the coasters were closed. So we had a late lunch. When we came out of Harmony Hall, Intimidator was testing. We headed over to Fury 325 and they were just reopening the queue. We waited for about 20 minutes before it was shut down due to wind. So we headed over to Copperhead Strike. It was still running, so we queued up. It shut down soon after for problems with one of the trains. Afterburn showed as still running on the app so we headed over there. Shut down again. When the coasters started opening back up around 7:15, it was time to set up camp, so I let my daughter and her friends get in some rides (2x Intimidator, 1x Afterburn) while I set up camp. During CS ERT, the park didn't post security guards until late, so we got to walk around a completely deserted park while taking a break.

 

As platinum pass holders with meal plans, this trip wasn't a great value to my daughter and I, but the cool factor of sleeping in the shadow of Intimidator, and the ERTs, made it a really nice experience. At $250 it really isn't a bad deal as you are essentially getting 8 daily passes, 8 meals, and ERT. The campground is the grassy area between Harmony Hall and the Intimidator gift shop.

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Night rides are the best rides.

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Sun going down on Shitehawk

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The view from our tent

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It's fun to stay at the...

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The real YOLO Coaster

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I haven't been on them since they reopened but I rode them in the Camp Snoopy location and I don't find them bad by any stretch. They're a lot of fun, but people act like they're a can't-miss ride when you go a long way to visit Carowinds and in reality they're pretty much identical to the Kings Dominion ones which nobody talks about ever.

 

They're fun and I have no complaints, I just don't get the hype for these specific flyers. They seem pretty standard.

 

I think the most noteworthy this is that Carowinds not only allows but I've had ops encourage snapping. I haven't seen that at any other park.

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^ This is true. The ops used to actually tell you how to get them to snap.

 

So I have a question, I'll be headed to Charlotte for work later this week. I've scheduled things so I can go to Carowinds on Friday before driving back to Atlanta. I see that it is an "education" day. Does anyone have experience with these? Is it going to be a s*^tshow? I'd like to know so I can plan accordingly.

 

David

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^ Depends on what time you're there. With education days, the park will empty as the groups leave for the day.

 

At $250 it really isn't a bad deal as you are essentially getting 8 daily passes, 8 meals, and ERT. The campground is the grassy area between Harmony Hall and the Intimidator gift shop.

You eluded to it a bit, but this isn't as good a deal with season passes and meal plans already. The only thing you're getting is the overnight camping and a few hours of ERT for $60/person. I wonder if they'd ever thought about a cheaper package for season pass holders to account for the tickets and meals, similar to the break in price for concerts there.

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At $250 it really isn't a bad deal as you are essentially getting 8 daily passes, 8 meals, and ERT. The campground is the grassy area between Harmony Hall and the Intimidator gift shop.

You eluded to it a bit, but this isn't as good a deal with season passes and meal plans already. The only thing you're getting is the overnight camping and a few hours of ERT for $60/person. I wonder if they'd ever thought about a cheaper package for season pass holders to account for the tickets and meals, similar to the break in price for concerts there.

 

 

As platinum pass holders with meal plans, this trip wasn't a great value to my daughter and I

 

 

I didn't allude to it. I stated it pretty plainly. But the event page said ALL proceeds go to Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America. I'm cool with that. The experience and memories made with my daughter made it worth it. And it is a great deal if you are not a pass holder. Her two friends want to go back next year. I'll probably ask their parents to chip in their $62.50 each next time. The breakfast buffet was actually really good as well: Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit.

 

We are going to be using our passes and meal plans at CP, KI, and KD this year. And lots of Carowinds trips, so we will be getting our money's worth.

 

With tickets, parking and food, I spent over $200 to go to Merlefest on Sunday so my daughter could see the Avett Brothers. As long as she is happy, the money doesn't really matter.

 

FWIW, our soda passes didn't work because we used the Campout ticket to get in. We had to go back to the front gate to get our passes scanned both days to get it to work. Weird, because the meal plan worked fine. A minor inconvenience.

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I wonder if they'd ever thought about a cheaper package for season pass holders to account for the tickets and meals, similar to the break in price for concerts there.

This was charity event. . .

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^ Depends on what time you're there. With education days, the park will empty as the groups leave for the day.

 

At $250 it really isn't a bad deal as you are essentially getting 8 daily passes, 8 meals, and ERT. The campground is the grassy area between Harmony Hall and the Intimidator gift shop.

You eluded to it a bit, but this isn't as good a deal with season passes and meal plans already. The only thing you're getting is the overnight camping and a few hours of ERT for $60/person. I wonder if they'd ever thought about a cheaper package for season pass holders to account for the tickets and meals, similar to the break in price for concerts there.

 

Thanks! I'll be going at open - don't need to hit Nighthawk as I've ridden it and didn't particularly care for it, don't need the mouse or Hurler (as I really dislike it.) TOTALLY looking forward to Fury and Copperhead Strike though! Those will be new to me. Also totally looking forward to the Flyers, Afterburn and Intimidator as well.

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Went to the park on Sunday. Park was busy when we were there but ride lines were not to bad. They removed the extra queues from the walk area around Copperhead strike. I definitely feel like it gives you a more up close look at the ride. Running great as it could. Fury is still a beast, and Afterburn was running strong, Intimidator was good. Flyers were snapping and was fun.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

So stoked to finally get to Carowinds tomm!

I am expecting crowds to be pretty light for an early June weekday? Im gunna hold of on fast pass and hope I can marathon without it, if not I'm guessing one will be available day of?

 

Its a park I never really bothered about, though Afterburn I've long wanted to ride, but with a pretty darn good top 4 I am pretty excited. Keeping realistic expectations about Copperhead and hope Im not overhyping Fury which I kind of expect to rival my #1 spot

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I would expect everything that matters to be 15 minutes or less.

 

You can't over-hype Fury.

 

Enjoy.

 

Music to my ears. And yeah, I know some downplay it or even bash it but 1: enthusiasts opinions (overall) never meant much to me 2: the reasons people give it flak are why I expect to love it. It SEEMS to me like a longer, better layout MForce which is still one of the all time favs so yeah, good times ahead.

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According to queue-times.com Fury is currently open with a 10 minutes wait.

 

JJ you'll have a great time I'm sure, as I enjoyed my trip back in April. I was fortunate that the park emptied out at night, so I got a lot of rides in the final hour. Fury 325 is a masterpiece, Copperhead Strike was a lot of fun, Afterburn is a great ride, especially at night.

 

Towards the end of the night, swing by CS if you can and check the line for yourself. Maybe it was just the time of year I went but even though the app said a 40 minute wait, it was a walk on. And the CS crew was really hustling to get the trains dispatched.

 

Have fun!

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I find the Cedar Fair apps are great at telling you if a ride is open/closed, but wait times are pretty slow to update. Personally I think Fury is the de facto way to end a night at Carowinds but Copperhead is great too.

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Was planning on visiting carowinds Saturday morning, it’s the only time I can visit, forecast looks pretty terrible.. will the park open? Does fury or copperhead run in the rain? I feel I might be getting a bust on this one, unfortunately my window Saturday only

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