Carowinds

[CLTProductions]

Would it matter to a laymen? I mean, I can't think of what classified information would make this anymore spectacular

 

There isn't any lol

Edited March 23, 2015 by Jayvee

[11 HouseBZ]

Haha no classified info, just the why I got to ride. I was trying to play it safe, but I guess it came out sounding kinda dumb. My adrenaline was still pumping after riding it a few times.

[11 HouseBZ]

Disregard this post

Edited March 24, 2015 by 11 HouseBZ

[tozmervo]

via the twitters 

 

[ScottCLT]

Charlotte got a little bit of national attention on the Today Show yesterday for Fury 325. It's actually the second time they have done a segment on it. The first was just announcing the ride and trying to convince Jenna Bush to ride it. She didn't, but someone else from Today did. Here's the segment:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJRqt6lovQ

[CLTProductions]

Just got back, and I have to say wow......I've been on some of the best roller coasters in the world and grew up with Cedar Point. But this is no doubt a world class coaster. Got to ride it 4 times and EVERYONE should ride it this summer. Just a fantastic coaster of pure speed and some incredible air time elements.

 

Also, Carowinds is going to be expanding their water park next year.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Jayvee

[navigator319]

Charlotte got a little bit of national attention on the Today Show yesterday for Fury 325. It's actually the second time they have done a segment on it. The first was just announcing the ride and trying to convince Jenna Bush to ride it. She didn't, but someone else from Today did. Here's the segment:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJRqt6lovQ

 

NBC Nightly News just highlighted it too, full segment with a real correspondent reporting from the first rides today.   'New must ride attraction of the summer'

Edited March 25, 2015 by navigator319

[15895]

So is Fury 325 a pretty big deal in the coaster world?

 

Will that make Carowinds a premier destination (excluding obviously Disney). Was Carowinds an under dog before Fury? If it was, is it still an under dog? Is the #1 in the Southern US? Is it perceived as greater than anything Texas has or beneath or pretty equal?

 

I'm just wondering with all the hoopla surrounding Fury 325. I don't really like Theme Parks at all But it'd be cool to know we have something special! When I go to Carowinds, I'll just stick to my Vortex, Carolina Cyclone, Top  Gun ( I know, the names changed but I don't remember to what), and Carolina Gold Rush. I've never ridden Borg. It used to look so big &  scary and now it looks kind of puny with Intimidator, Fury and the Sky Tower and Windseeker towering above.

 

One last question: How is Borg (Again, I know the name changed) perceived? Is it a very special type of coaster to have or has it became a run of the mill that isn't anything too special about it?

[CLTProductions]

So is Fury 325 a pretty big deal in the coaster world?

Will that make Carowinds a premier destination (excluding obviously Disney). Was Carowinds an under dog before Fury? If it was, is it still an under dog? Is the #1 in the Southern US? Is it perceived as greater than anything Texas has or beneath or pretty equal?

I'm just wondering with all the hoopla surrounding Fury 325. I don't really like Theme Parks at all But it'd be cool to know we have something special! When I go to Carowinds, I'll just stick to my Vortex, Carolina Cyclone, Top Gun ( I know, the names changed but I don't remember to what), and Carolina Gold Rush. I've never ridden Borg. It used to look so big & scary and now it looks kind of puny with Intimidator, Fury and the Sky Tower and Windseeker towering above.

One last question: How is Borg (Again, I know the name changed) perceived? Is it a very special type of coaster to have or has it became a run of the mill that isn't anything too special about it?

Being in the coaster world I will say: Carowinds is still not a Six Flags Great Adventure/Magic Mountain, Cedar Point/Kings Island level destination. But it is certainly now a premiere mid level park. Definitely on par with six flags over Texas or Kings Dominion for #1 in the south. People will come from all over to ride Fury as, Carowinds may not be there, but Fury is bar none, a world class coaster.

And Borg (nighthawk now) is still decent. There are MANY like it and B&M (guys who did intimidator and fury) do a flying coaster version that's much better than Vekoma's (nighthawk). Growing up near Geauga Lake we had an identical ride called x flight that I rode so many times I might just be sick of this kinda ride.

So to conclude. Carowinds is most definitely on its way, fury is a top coaster in the world and Borg is just okay.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Jayvee

[nonillogical]

Being in the coaster world I will say: Carowinds is still not a Six Flags Great Adventure/Magic Mountain, Cedar Point/Kings Island level destination. But it is certainly now a premiere mid level park. Definitely on par with six flags over Texas or Kings Dominion for #1 in the south. People will come from all over to ride Fury as, Carowinds may not be there, but Fury is bar none, a world class coaster.

And Borg (nighthawk now) is still decent. There are MANY like it and B&M (guys who did intimidator and fury) do a flying coaster version that's much better than Vekoma's (nighthawk). Growing up near Geauga Lake we had an identical ride called x flight that I rode so many times I might just be sick of this kinda ride.

So to conclude. Carowinds is most definitely on its way, fury is a top coaster in the world and Borg is just okay.

Echoing most of what you said, just wanted to add that Intimidator is also definitely considered a world class coaster, as its still one of the largest in the country and has gotten nothing but stellar reviews since it opened. Afterburner/Top Gun, while almost 20 years old, is still considered one of the better B&M inverted coasters though not one of the bigger ones, so I'd say its almost world class level but they just happen to be common. 

 

I'd argue that Six Flags Georgia also dukes it out with King's Dominion and Carowinds for best theme park for rides in the Southeast (can't comment on Texas). Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Tampa are amazing parks with theming and production values far beyond Carowinds or any non-Disney US park, but while the rides they have are all stellar they don't have all that many. 

 

Long story short, before Intimidator, Carowinds was considered a tiny, slightly sub-par theme park with a couple good roller coasters (the theming around the park in general is still sub-par IMO). Now it has the perception of being one of the best places to ride a lot of quality rides in an unusually compact area, and I think the coaster world knows that Cedar Fair is committed to expanding and focusing on Carowinds so there is a lot of buzz around it now. 

[AuLukey]

And remember, this (Fury, new entrance, sling-shot ride, upgraded concessions) is just one phase of Cedar Fair's $50M commitment to making Carowinds the number one attraction in the southeast (outside of Florida.)  It cut into their profits for 2014 but it doesn't look like they're very concerned.  I'll be interested to see what they have planned for next year aside from the water park expansion.  270 seasonal jobs and 15 full-time jobs is a lot of people for just concessions and water rides.  I know there are still plans to bring a hotel on site and they did just buy a significant amount of adjacent land not too long ago.

 

 

Examples of long-term initiatives that will launch in 2015 include ... the second phase of a multiyear investment at Carowinds park in Charlotte.

 

As far as an international splash with roller coaster enthusiasts, the ride is drawing some stark comparisons to Leviathan which is considered by most to be the best gigacoaster on the planet.  I found a new Theme Park Insider article comparing the two, but the comments give a more accurate impression on how the rest of the country sees the park.

 

EDIT: found some interesting info in an article about the Sling Shot ride

 

Fun fact #1: Between Intimidator and Fury, Carowinds has two of the ten tallest roller coasters in North America

 

Fun fact #2: Only three theme parks world-wide can claim to have more roller coasters on site than Carowinds' 14 coasters

Edited March 28, 2015 by AuLukey

[lit]

I went on Saturday. South Gate was opened and I got an awesome parking spot on the first row. When we walked past Afterburn there was a line to get into the queue line but they weren't allowing anyone to enter the queue which I thought was strange, kept on cruising, hopped on the Woodstock Gliders (my favorite ride in the whole damn park) since there was no wait. Stopped into the Harmony Hall cafeteria to ask about the season-long food-pass deal I'd purchased with my Gold Pass, then on to the FURY!!! While we were walking past the Intimidator, we noticed there was a line to get into the queue lines but they weren't allowing anyone into the queue, just like at Afterburn. FINALLY got to the line for FURY325, guess what!?! Nobody was being allowed into the queue lines so the line to get on the FURY went all the way around Thrill Zone, past the Cyclone all the way to the Goldrusher. Once we'd secured a place in line, we asked the nearest Carowinds person how long the wait would be from there, they said about 3 hours (and somehow they were spot-on). The park had been open for over an hour so we logged onto Social Media to see what the hold-up was. Lo and behold, B&M RIDES CANNOT OPERATE IF THE TEMP IS UNDER 40 DEGREES!!! We waited and watched as they attempted test-runs. Finally they opened up the queue lines and we literally walked in a big line from the Goldrusher all the way to the Fury as the back-and-forth lines filled up. The PURRCUSSION marching band was there and so was Homer the Knight's dragon mascot. Waiting in the back-and-forth lines was pretty mind-numbing. There's a huge diesel generator or some kind of machine that fires up to propel the trains up the lift hill then shuts off while there isn't a train on the hill and it was pretty loud. That coupled with the poppy Ariana Grande music and the cold temps (we all had to pee pretty bad) had us all about to go crazy before we got into the station to board. 

 

ON TO THE COASTER!!! The initial drop is INSANE! It feels like you're falling forever and then comes the best part, the ass-out-of-seat moments. I think this ride has at least twice as much hang-time (when your butt's out of your seat) as the Intimidator. We went by one of the trims and it was either very quiet or they didn't feel the need to apply any brakes. By the time it was all over, I couldn't feel my fingers but I was smiling uncontrollably. I can't wait to ride it again!!!

 

Also, I got the Food Pass which was an extra $80 on top of my Gold Pass. The food options in the Harmony Hall cafeteria are amazing. I'll get my money's worth this summer for sure!!!

Edited March 31, 2015 by lit

[teeg]

I finally made it down to Carowinds on Friday afternoon.  I have never seen the place that busy.  I've only been taking the family there for 5 years, but have visited enough on major holidays and spring breaks to have some perspective regarding typical crowd levels.  

Edited April 4, 2015 by teeg

[dcharlotte]

I got to ride Furry this weekend and the ride and wait are beyond worth the hype for the coaster. I've been into the roller coaster scene for years and all my friends from across America are planning their trip to Carowinds this year or next. Many want the true 'hype' of the coaster to wear off locally so they can ride multiple times in a day. I was able to ride Intimidator twice with no line yesterday. 

[swampfox43]

I was at Carowinds yesterday and the wait for FURY was just over 15 minutes. I had a friends visiting from Atlanta and Australia. The Aussie has been traveling the USA over the past 2 weeks gathering information on a documentary to be released on Australian TV in a few months. He will post it on You Tube he said. We all loved FURY (I've personally ridden 9 times now) and my guests says it has the best first drop of any coaster they had ever ridden, and they have ridden many all over the globe. I have another Australian friend coming in May or June just to ride FURY. Yes, the hype has reached global proportions. On media day there were TV crews from China there. I stood by as they were doing their commentary on the bridge that FURY dives under. I couldn't understand anything they were saying obviously except when they attempted to say "FOOWY".

[CLTProductions]

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2015/04/furious-work-to-build-fury-325-at-carowinds-now.html

 

Here's a little article on the extreme amount of work it took to get Fury 325 completed on time. Not much in here, seems more like a plug for the dudes construction company but whatever... Here are the highlights:

 

The challenges of Project Fury included ensuring more than 42 subcontractors — numbering 400-plus employees — worked in a safe and expedient manner. We had to work in two states and counties with differing permit and inspection requirements.

We worked in extreme weather conditions, placing more than 7,000 cubic yards of concrete, 243 coaster footings and three miles of electrical cabling. We built seven structures, two bridges, one tunnel, a 900-space parking lot and a massive stormwater-management system. Plus, we were all focused on meeting a hard deadline.

Edited April 10, 2015 by Jayvee

[navigator319]

i don't think since the DNC has the metro got this much attention on anything.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-designing-fury-325-roller-coaster/

[ES Charlotte]

Carowinds and Fury325 are trending on FB... too bad it's not good publicity. Apparently it's been stuck 3 times in the past week.

[MilZ]

Carowinds and Fury325 are trending on FB... too bad it's not good publicity. Apparently it's been stuck 3 times in the past week.

Seems like the safety switches are working well, so I guess that's better than the alternative problem... Hopefully they can keep the ride working consistently in the near future. No one likes standing in line for hours, only to be told the ride isn't working.

[skymiler]

Can't believe no one's mentioned the closure of Thunder Road on July 26th. I hope Cedar Fair's future plans are worth the removal of this piece of history.

[Norm2]

Can't believe no one's mentioned the closure of Thunder Road on July 26th. I hope Cedar Fair's future plans are worth the removal of this piece of history.

I have a feeling that the future plans would be a huge expansion of the water park, which would just completely suck :-(

[skymiler]

Norm 21499, I agree with you. If that's all that happens then I will be upset. They could have accomplished the expansion to the water park without removing Thunder Road.

I'm still holding out hope that when it's all said and done, as much as it sucks to lose an icon to the park we'll be pleasantly surprised with what's announced to replace the out and back racer.

[CLTProductions]

I am willing to bet they are not removing it, but that they are doing structural work to it so that a path can run under it into the water park expansion.

[ajfunder]

^I think they are removing it, that's what retiring typically means.

[15895]

It's going bye bye... Look at social media...

To that I say BOOOOOO. How in the world could they tear that down?!?! It's thunder Road. THE roller coaster of Carowinds. It's iconic and it's big... It's a main attraction.

I guess our tradition of knocking down old stuff isnt limited to uptown