Carowinds Discussion Thread

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Are the water rides usually open at the beginning of the season?

[tndank]

Water park opens May 28.  They don't have water rides outside of that.

 

[SwuaraeC]

Hello all! I was planning on flying down to Charlotte to visit Carowinds in June this year. The only issue I have with my plan is the 14 minute drive from the Charlotte Douglas Airport to Springhill Suits on the Carowinds property. I really don't want to rent a car just to park it for 4 days, would a taxi from the airport to the park be the best option for me?

[VF15]

^

If you don’t plan on going anywhere else in the area besides Carowinds and the hotel, a taxi/Uber should suffice. If you’re planning to walk to nearby restaurants or other establishments, be aware that Carowinds Blvd does not have  crosswalks and would not advise attempting to cross as it’s always a busy thoroughfare.

[tndank]

4 days at Carowinds? Can't imagine what you'd do on day 2-4. 

[bert425]

Fury 325, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator over and over.

and then watch every show in the festhaus hall (or whatever they call that large eatery with the stage at the front under Intimidator)

oh, and many rides on the Carousel (which hopefully is in better shape now than it was when I rode it in 2018, tho it did have a pink pony)

 

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I'll be there for opening weekend going full tourist and staying at the on property Springhill.  It'll technically be my 2nd time but my first was rained out after a couple hours that were mainly spent on Fury.  Only made it on Fury and Carolina Cyclone before the rains came.

 

In looking at the weather forecast, I'm not really expecting to ride much on Friday night.

 

[jarmor]

22 hours ago, bert425 said:

Fury 325, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator over and over.

and then watch every show in the festhaus hall (or whatever they call that large eatery with the stage at the front under Intimidator)

oh, and many rides on the Carousel (which hopefully is in better shape now than it was when I rode it in 2018, tho it did have a pink pony)

 

Wait, better shape??  They had just l did a full move and restoration in the off-season for 2018 and after a few weeks of operating, it was not in good shape?  I know they did not do every horse over, as they stated it would be an ongoing thing but I am curious as to what shape you rode it in. . .

[bert425]

50 minutes ago, jarmor said:

Wait, better shape??  They had just l did a full move and restoration in the off-season for 2018 and after a few weeks of operating, it was not in good shape?  I know they did not do every horse over, as they stated it would be an ongoing thing but I am curious as to what shape you rode it in. . .

Many of the horses were a pretty rough, and the whole thing felt a little bit stripped down.

it certainly wasn't the worst Carousel we were on that trip - that (hands down) goes to Six Flags America -  but there are many that are/were way better maintained.

keep in mind, I'm a huge Carousel fan, so yeah, I'm really picky about the overall experience - that includes flooring, animals, decor, cleanliness, lighting, and music.


EDIT:   yeah, looking at the Carrowinds blog - as you got me curious - they moved it in 2018 and started the refurb slowly -

to quote the blog:  "As part of the move and renaming, each offseason for the near future, several of the 68 horses and chariots are being restored and repainted once again so that another generation of Carowinds guests can continue to enjoy them for years to come."

so yeah. . it was still not even close to being fully refurbed, even tho it WAS in the the new location already (looking at a park map from 2019), at the time we visited

https://www.carowinds.com/blog/2019/as-the-carousel-turns

[jarmor]

Oh, ok I see where you are coming from now.

[BitterOldHag]

First I would like to apologize to anyone I may have offended a while back.  I was off my meds and needed a break.  Meds are back and I haven't caused a scene in a while, so again, apologies for acting like an idiot.  I'll take responsibility for it!

I have a question for Carowinds regulars.  I will be in the Charlotte area on Thursday March 31 where park hours are 9-6.  I won't be there until noon.  Is 6 hours enough time to get on all the big rides (I have season long FastLane, so that will help)?  I would think the park wouldn't be crazy busy due to the shorter hours, but Spring Break and all can bring larger crowds than usual.  I would also assume skipping Ricochet will be part of the plan if the line is long since it is not on FL, but it seems like most of the other coasters and flats I am interested in are on FL.  Having never been to the park, I look forward to checking it out and finally riding Fury 325. 

I appreciate any helpful info!    

[tndank]

You will have time to ride everything.  You will also have time for a few more laps on anything you like. FL puts you in the station on all of them.

 

[CarolinaCoaster]

Just thought I'd bring this account out of the woodwork and confirm that Cedar Fair has indeed quietly moved their headquarters to their Charlotte office. A few corporate departments remain in Sandusky but majority of them have transferred to NC.

[PKI Jizzman]

The new paint on that Arrow looper looks amaaaaazing. 

[grsupercity]

19 hours ago, CarolinaCoaster said:

Just thought I'd bring this account out of the woodwork and confirm that Cedar Fair has indeed quietly moved their headquarters to their Charlotte office. A few corporate departments remain in Sandusky but majority of them have transferred to NC.

Being further away from parks like MIA and VF now they will have an excuse why they forget about them lol 

[FeelTheFORCE]

Pretty awesome days yesterday and Friday at the park.  Friday crowds were nonexistent because of the slight rain, and yesterday was a bit windy, but great weather overall.  Fury and Intimidator were closed most of yesterday because of the wind, but I was able to sneak in two rides on Intimidator during periods of being open, and able to ride Fury Friday night, so no biggie there.  I was very pleasantly surprised with Copperhead Strike, and really enjoyed that.  Also a plus that it and Afterburn stayed running in the cold and high winds, and were right next to each other so I could keep going back and forth lol. I didn't know what to expect being so early in the season, but the only major coaster still down was Nighthawk with no train even on the track yet.  But such is life, and as a first time visitor, I really enjoyed this park. I definitely hope to be back sooner rather than later.  

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Friday was also my first time to this park, and I thought it was great. Nighthawk was the only one I didn't get on. Fury, Afterburn, and Copperhead Strike are all awesome. Harmony Hall had some great food too. Really impressed with Carowinds.

[hoppedup]

Happy 3/25! Can't wait to get back down to Charlotte soon and ride this beast.

[Jason Maier]

Do you think that Hurler will eventually get some kind of conversion (be it Titan Tracking from GCI, or some kind of RMC conversion) or will it be scrapped entirely? 

And is it as rough as SFoG's GASM?

[tndank]

No more GASM jokes. That guy has a bunch of new wood this year. 

Hurler isn't that rough. Not that bad of a coaster. However, the RMC conversion of Huler is much better and would be cool to have one or a similar refurb at Carowinds. 

[VegasBaby]

Carowinds has just about everything you could ask for coaster-wise except a RMC, so that would make a lot of sense for the next addition.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Hurler was actually fairly smooth last week when I rode it.  That being said, I still wouldn't bat an eye if it was replaced.

[jarmor]

It appears the park is ready to take the "first in flight" to new levels. . .

[BotanicalStig]

Part of hurler was retracked, and it is more *smooth* now. It isn't more fun, though. It's a really boring layout, it could be helped if it had some airtime.... But those hills just don't do it. 

[bill_s]

Both Hurlers was neutered in 2010 (Intimidators added) except for a brief period when the trims were turned off in Carolina after retracking. Before that it was a good but not great, and frequently rough coaster. It did look great in 2019, with lots of new wood and nice trains, but they've got to let it fly free and pay the cost -- at least they don't have other woodies to maintain. It could still be reprofiled to be a lot better.