nitrofan
04-18-2010, 01:07 AM
It was spring break and I didn't have any huge plans, so I decided to make a quick trip over to Carowinds. We drove up on 4/7/10 and stayed at a local Fairfield Inn. If anyone is ever going to Carowinds, I would highly reccomend this hotel. They have an excellent Carowinds package as well; I did a lot of research, and this hotel had the best value for Carowinds I could find.
The weather was kind of sketchy, so I was very happy with the rides I worked in during my time there. The weather held out most of the day with the exception of 2 downpours. Most rides were running in Rain Mode, Rain Operating Procedures, or 1 train operation due to the weather. It made the lines longer than they should have been, but I still got on 33 rides in the 8 hour day.
We started our day at Intimidator. I was really looking forward to this ride and it was the whole reason for the trip, but it did not deliver. I got 14 rides throughout the day in various seats, and it really just got worse as the day went on. It was crawling through the course and there was little force anywhere on the ride. The airtime was also disappointing. It was by no means a bad coaster, I just expected more from a B&M Hyper. Goliath and Nitro were amazing. I have ridden 105 coasters, and it left me with a "it might make my top 10, it may not" feeling.
We went directly to the ride at opening, and the queue was about 1/2 full. The ride opened about 15 minutes after the park, but the line only took about 10 minutes once they started loading trains. I was very impressed with the crew. They were flying and they rarely had a train stack. I was impresed with how the attendants were running around checking restraints while giving their speech over the microphones. That's multi-tasking! They had a supervisor there at all times in the morning, and it was nice to see that they didn't think it was below them to help check restraints.
Next, we went to Nighthawk. The 1 thing I learned from my visit 3 years ago was to always hit Nighthawk first. Well, I didn't listen. The line was about 1/2 way through the queue and took about 45 minutes. It was better than the 2 hour wait from last visit. Operations have improved, but they still could be better. You could also see a haunt from the station that still had the full facade up and looked as if no effort had been made to hide it or take it down. Something that probably shouldn't be there. Nighthawk was just like all the other Vekoma Flyers; fun, but not as good as B&M Flyers.
Next we headed to Afterburn. It was a lot of fun like I had remembered it. 2 trains were running and the ride was a walk-on. Afterburn also had a great crew. I never saw train stacking. The ride is very fast, lots of inversions, and lots of fun. It is very unique for a B&M Invert. The Batwing is lots of fun, but the hill over the station really kills the speed of the ride. It is recovered eventually though.
Next, we headed to Carolina Cobra. We waited 2 trains and were on the next train, it broke down... We decided to come back later.
Thunder Run was our back-up plan. The left side was running 2 trains and the right side 1 train, so only every other train on the left side got to race. The ride was fun, but I wish they could just finish the ride's refurbishment. It is very uncomfortable going from Jackhammer to butter smooth, then back to jackhammer. Millunium Flyers would be great on this ride if Carowinds could get GCI to agree to supply them.
We were allowed to re-ride without leaving the station, so we rode 6 more times before heading back to Caroline Cobra.
We waited 2 trains for Carowina Cobra, it broke again. The restraints were locked down, the same thing that happened earlier. About 20 minuter later, the ride was fixed and we were on. I really like the new reatraints, and I think every Boomerang should get them. They made the ride much more comfortotable. They were kind of difficult to put the restraint on though. They reminded me a lot of B&M Flyer restraints.
We headed back to Intimidator for another ride. As soon as out train left the station, it downpoared. The ride was extremely uncomfortable as the rain drops felt like bullets. Even when a B&M is running slow, it's still pretty fast! We got to the brake run and we had to sit there for about 10 minutes while maintnance switched the ride to rain mode. It was not a fun 10 minutes.
We got off and ate at Chick-fil-a. Every resteraunt in the park had very slow service. It is early season though.
After lunch, we went to Vortex. It was running only 1 train and they were loading very slowly. I still think they should find a way to put a release button on the back of each seat instead of the lengthy procedure of signals to the operator to adjust seats. The same issue happened on Chang and pretty much every other B&M stand-up.
Next I rode Drop Tower. It was your average Intamin drop tower, but the drop seemed faster than normal. It may have just felt that way since I haven't been on a drop tower in a while.
We followed Drop Tower with Hurler. It was running 1 train with a 7 train wait and very slow loading. The ride itself was extremely rough. It definately hurled me around. I hope GCI moves to Hurler once they are done with Thunder Road.
After that, we went to ride Woodstock Gliders. I heard a lot about these, and they are a ton on fun! Make sure to ride them if you ever go to Carowinds. They look like a kiddie ride, but they're not. I saw more adults and teens on them than kids.
We then went to Flying Ace Aerial Chase. All I have to say is I'm glad I know the proper Vekoma riding position. If you brace yourself very firmly, headbanging is minimal, but with most kids, their heads go flying back and forth. Woodstock Express is the kiddie wooden coaster. It was fun for what it is, but the seats are pretty small for someone who is 6' 1".
That was followed by 12 rides on Intimidator to finish our day. The rides were pretty much the same; slow and forceless. I really hope the weather was just messing the ride up.
A few notes:
-Ricochet was closed all day
-Carolina Goldrusher was broken down every time I tried to ride it
-Carolina Cyclone's paint job looks good, but unfinished.
-They were having huge problems with rides breaking.
-Staff was friendly for the most part.
-The stickers on Intimidator don't look nearly as bad in person as in the pictures.
Overall, the day was probably 7/10. They lost points for Intimidator and slow food service.
Ride Count:
Intimidator: 14
Afterburn: 5
Nighthawk: 1
Carolina Cobra: 1
Hurler: 1
Thunder Road: 7
Woodstock Express: 1
Vortex: 1
Flying Ace Aerial Chase: 1
Woodstock Gliders: 1
And just because I promised Austin I would make a Photo Trip Report:
http://amusementparkauthority.com/forums/trip_reports/nitrofan/caro_4_8_2010/26868_1299006668303_1024476372_30659650_4095334_n. jpg
Future site of a Huss Giant Frisbee
http://amusementparkauthority.com/forums/trip_reports/nitrofan/caro_4_8_2010/26868_1299006108289_1024476372_30659649_3790060_n. jpg
The trains
I really have an awesome cell phone camera.
The weather was kind of sketchy, so I was very happy with the rides I worked in during my time there. The weather held out most of the day with the exception of 2 downpours. Most rides were running in Rain Mode, Rain Operating Procedures, or 1 train operation due to the weather. It made the lines longer than they should have been, but I still got on 33 rides in the 8 hour day.
We started our day at Intimidator. I was really looking forward to this ride and it was the whole reason for the trip, but it did not deliver. I got 14 rides throughout the day in various seats, and it really just got worse as the day went on. It was crawling through the course and there was little force anywhere on the ride. The airtime was also disappointing. It was by no means a bad coaster, I just expected more from a B&M Hyper. Goliath and Nitro were amazing. I have ridden 105 coasters, and it left me with a "it might make my top 10, it may not" feeling.
We went directly to the ride at opening, and the queue was about 1/2 full. The ride opened about 15 minutes after the park, but the line only took about 10 minutes once they started loading trains. I was very impressed with the crew. They were flying and they rarely had a train stack. I was impresed with how the attendants were running around checking restraints while giving their speech over the microphones. That's multi-tasking! They had a supervisor there at all times in the morning, and it was nice to see that they didn't think it was below them to help check restraints.
Next, we went to Nighthawk. The 1 thing I learned from my visit 3 years ago was to always hit Nighthawk first. Well, I didn't listen. The line was about 1/2 way through the queue and took about 45 minutes. It was better than the 2 hour wait from last visit. Operations have improved, but they still could be better. You could also see a haunt from the station that still had the full facade up and looked as if no effort had been made to hide it or take it down. Something that probably shouldn't be there. Nighthawk was just like all the other Vekoma Flyers; fun, but not as good as B&M Flyers.
Next we headed to Afterburn. It was a lot of fun like I had remembered it. 2 trains were running and the ride was a walk-on. Afterburn also had a great crew. I never saw train stacking. The ride is very fast, lots of inversions, and lots of fun. It is very unique for a B&M Invert. The Batwing is lots of fun, but the hill over the station really kills the speed of the ride. It is recovered eventually though.
Next, we headed to Carolina Cobra. We waited 2 trains and were on the next train, it broke down... We decided to come back later.
Thunder Run was our back-up plan. The left side was running 2 trains and the right side 1 train, so only every other train on the left side got to race. The ride was fun, but I wish they could just finish the ride's refurbishment. It is very uncomfortable going from Jackhammer to butter smooth, then back to jackhammer. Millunium Flyers would be great on this ride if Carowinds could get GCI to agree to supply them.
We were allowed to re-ride without leaving the station, so we rode 6 more times before heading back to Caroline Cobra.
We waited 2 trains for Carowina Cobra, it broke again. The restraints were locked down, the same thing that happened earlier. About 20 minuter later, the ride was fixed and we were on. I really like the new reatraints, and I think every Boomerang should get them. They made the ride much more comfortotable. They were kind of difficult to put the restraint on though. They reminded me a lot of B&M Flyer restraints.
We headed back to Intimidator for another ride. As soon as out train left the station, it downpoared. The ride was extremely uncomfortable as the rain drops felt like bullets. Even when a B&M is running slow, it's still pretty fast! We got to the brake run and we had to sit there for about 10 minutes while maintnance switched the ride to rain mode. It was not a fun 10 minutes.
We got off and ate at Chick-fil-a. Every resteraunt in the park had very slow service. It is early season though.
After lunch, we went to Vortex. It was running only 1 train and they were loading very slowly. I still think they should find a way to put a release button on the back of each seat instead of the lengthy procedure of signals to the operator to adjust seats. The same issue happened on Chang and pretty much every other B&M stand-up.
Next I rode Drop Tower. It was your average Intamin drop tower, but the drop seemed faster than normal. It may have just felt that way since I haven't been on a drop tower in a while.
We followed Drop Tower with Hurler. It was running 1 train with a 7 train wait and very slow loading. The ride itself was extremely rough. It definately hurled me around. I hope GCI moves to Hurler once they are done with Thunder Road.
After that, we went to ride Woodstock Gliders. I heard a lot about these, and they are a ton on fun! Make sure to ride them if you ever go to Carowinds. They look like a kiddie ride, but they're not. I saw more adults and teens on them than kids.
We then went to Flying Ace Aerial Chase. All I have to say is I'm glad I know the proper Vekoma riding position. If you brace yourself very firmly, headbanging is minimal, but with most kids, their heads go flying back and forth. Woodstock Express is the kiddie wooden coaster. It was fun for what it is, but the seats are pretty small for someone who is 6' 1".
That was followed by 12 rides on Intimidator to finish our day. The rides were pretty much the same; slow and forceless. I really hope the weather was just messing the ride up.
A few notes:
-Ricochet was closed all day
-Carolina Goldrusher was broken down every time I tried to ride it
-Carolina Cyclone's paint job looks good, but unfinished.
-They were having huge problems with rides breaking.
-Staff was friendly for the most part.
-The stickers on Intimidator don't look nearly as bad in person as in the pictures.
Overall, the day was probably 7/10. They lost points for Intimidator and slow food service.
Ride Count:
Intimidator: 14
Afterburn: 5
Nighthawk: 1
Carolina Cobra: 1
Hurler: 1
Thunder Road: 7
Woodstock Express: 1
Vortex: 1
Flying Ace Aerial Chase: 1
Woodstock Gliders: 1
And just because I promised Austin I would make a Photo Trip Report:
http://amusementparkauthority.com/forums/trip_reports/nitrofan/caro_4_8_2010/26868_1299006668303_1024476372_30659650_4095334_n. jpg
Future site of a Huss Giant Frisbee
http://amusementparkauthority.com/forums/trip_reports/nitrofan/caro_4_8_2010/26868_1299006108289_1024476372_30659649_3790060_n. jpg
The trains
I really have an awesome cell phone camera.