- March 23rd, 2004, 3:11 pm
#4470
I guess I'll post my ride opinions here as well for the 16 times I was assimliated:
The first time I rode this thing was today. Getting tilted back in the station is kind of freaky, but I totally loved it. I couldn't help but think, my god, this is insane. Some of the people on the ride started screaming a little bit while laughing, so that was real cool.
When at the top of the hill, I tried doing different looks before going down each time. I would either look over my feet behind the ride, look up at the sky, or look ahead to the train/track in front. I think if you're riding in the front, it's fun to look ahead of you b/c you see the track and get a more open air feeling. If you're in the middle to back rows, try looking at your feet and then keep looking that way as you flip over. It's pretty fun to watch that view.
Going down the first hill wasn't as intense as I'd hoped, but it was good nonetheless. In other words, it's not as powerful of a dive as something like Top Gun obviously.
As for the horseshoe turn in the sky, I think the front is a little more intense than other rows of the ride. You get pushed up it fast, and you get turned down it real fast. The back seems to be a bit slower than the front while going up it before you turn around. But in reality, these are slight differences.
But, going into that loop is something else. You really hit two spots of heavy G's as you ride up the loop and as you hit down it. I couldn't help but laugh a little everytime because it was so intense. You don't get the pull effect of your body like you do on an inverted loop; you get this intense push into your chest and ribs instead which makes it so unique.
The borg sphere looked great, and I was really impressed with how close it was to the ride and the detail that was put into making it.
With the corkscrews, I think that the back row is the most intense here. The front is fun though b/c you get to see the track turn in front of you.
Overall, I say this ride is great, and it seems to fit Carowinds perfectly with the size/speed and landscaping. I actually liked riding on the sides, but I do for any ride, even if it was a little bumpier on the outside.
If I had to wait in line for the ride, I would say pick front row. If you can't get that, go for the back. But really, any train on this ride seems to be equal. I think the front gets the nods because of the wind in your face (sense of flight), the track is open in front of you (sense of height), and the horseshoe turn is the best in the front in terms of speed and a pulling effect (from what I remember and I think most people would agree on hopefully).
To me, it's not topping Top Gun, just because I like rides that are highly intense all the way through. With Borg, its more of a flow ride, which isn't bad of course, but I'm sure it'll be a lot of people's favorite in the fact that it's new and offers a totally new experience riding on your stomach.