General Carowinds discussion
By RRRAPIDS
#21474
Now they just need to advertise so people will know about the new hours.
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By bgwfreak
#21478
I think this just might work this time...

Think about it though, under normal circumstances the park stops receiving "income" via ticket purchases around say 2:00.

The initial rush is over for the day, but a few stragelers will come in late. But for the most part it's over as far as new folks coming in.

With the twilight admissions, you'll have a second "rush" of people coming into the park and I would imagine more than pay for the 2 extra hours of staffing.
By coasterdude89
#21493
yay...finally....night rides w/out lines!!!! so exciting, too bad theres only 3 weeks till i move away...oh man, oh well, three weeks of fun!!
By jmdarrall
#21505
This is definitely good news. I'm planning another visit in September, and this might work out quite nicely.
By RRRAPIDS
#21513
I'm glad everyone's excited about the new hours.

Today, guests were happy and looking forward to the new hours, but mad it didn't start today. ;)
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By Foghorn-Leghorn
#21514
I cannot wait to ride Top Gun at night.. it will be something else.. kind of adds a whole new dimension to thrill rides.. and it will be so much cooler than the scorching pavement heat.. nice! :D
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By Chris
#21523
Foghorn-Leghorn wrote: I cannot wait to ride Top Gun at night.. it will be something else.. kind of adds a whole new dimension to thrill rides.. and it will be so much cooler than the scorching pavement heat.. nice!  :D

Yeah... A night ride on Top Gun will be great!

I can't wait for a night ride on Drop Zone and the Skytower (the view of Charlotte at night)!
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By Foghorn-Leghorn
#21534
amen... unfortunately, Hurler will still give us whiplash regardless night or day
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By kewlaidkiddd
#21539
YAY This excites me too... I didn't even think about the night time ride on the Sky tower... that should be nifty. And for you guys that haven't experienced the rides at night via Scarowinds... Its quite awesome. Its usually the highlight of my year at the theme park... now I can experience it for the rest of the year... Totally Awesome!!!

In addition I always loved the idea of themeparks at night... kinda like in The Lost Boys... So will definitely love this.
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By Thriller
#21548
You know, I have never experienced a night ride on a coaster except for the hurricane that was at the Pavilion, MB. I can't wait to get back to Carowinds for this! I've been once this year and I have a season pass and parking pass? I bet Top Gun is awesome at night!
By KenB
#21553
^ :o

You've been missing out! Carowinds has a different atmosphere at night. For one, it's much cooler of course. County Fair usually looks really nice, with lots of light displays on the games. Screamweaver looks wild with the "taillights" on the cars being very visible and creating a neat effect, although it'd look even better with the light package that SFOG's Wheelie has. Ricochet looks nice at night.

Many of the rides are also better at night, especially the woodies and Top Gun. Wooden coasters tend to pick up speed after heating up all day and cooling at night, and extra speed is a good thing. Hurler is often really good in the front seat at night, as the extra speed adds to the airtime. Thunder Road is fun with the tracer lights going up the lift. I just wish they'd turn the tunnel lights off - those tunnels were nice when they were pitch black, but are lit up REAL bright nowadays.

Top Gun sometimes kicks into another gear at night after a hot day. Oddly my best rides on it are at night during Scarowinds, when it's not hot during the day and it's cool or cold at night. Still, it often runs a bit faster on summer nights than during the day, which makes a good ride even better. And you get some great views of lit-up County Fair. BORG seems to ride about the same at night, but has great views as well.

The one coaster that I used to love at night was Cyclone. It didn't seem to run any different, but the helix used to be enclosed and it got totally dark in there at night. Due to a bat problem they had to remove the roof, so that's lost a bit of it's nighttime charm.

Ride the Skytower for some great views of the city, including the skyline in the distance. And if hasn't cooled down too much, Rip Roarin' Rapids is an interesting night ride. It's much different going through there in near darkness, although it sucks if you get too wet with no sun to dry you off.

KenB
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By MarkD
#21554
You know, I'm ashamed to admit it but I haven't been to Carowinds, or any other park for that matter, this year. I haven't even processed the season pass I bought last year. Seems as if everything that could happen to one person has happened to me.

Anyways, with the new hours for a few weeks I might just have to visit a a time or two before C3 comes 'round.

I do love the parks at night.