- July 21st, 2015, 10:25 pm
#81378
Instead of doing a full on trip report, I just decided to list my favorite coasters at the park in order from best to worst.
1. Raptor (10/10) (3x)- I love inverts, and Afterburn would be my favorite coaster at Carowinds if it weren't for its short layout and a few headbang-y elements. Raptor has the length that Afterburn lacks and the general lack of headbanging. As for the actual ride, Raptor does every element with incredible ferocity from the first drop to the Raptor smack, and you cruise through every element with smoothness and ease. The helix finale and Raptor smack really showed off how powerful the ride is. Raptor is not afraid to be aggressive (in a REALLY good way), and that's what I love the most about the ride.
2. Millennium Force (10/10) (2x)- Millie kept fighting Raptor for my number one spot (overall), but it just couldn't match Raptor's incredible intensity. However, Millennium Force offers incredible views followed by a powerful drop and some of the heaviest positive g's I have ever experienced. And yes, Millennium Force does in fact have airtime. Ejector airtime in the backseat to be clear. The ride has some heavily sustained positive g's throughout its 6,597 foot layout and heavily sustained airtime ranging from strong floater to standard ejector airtime. The thing that I liked Millennium Force for the most though was the incredible sensation of speed. Now I had previously ridden Millie 7 years prior to this trip, and I had sort of pushed it to the back of my mind. I was quick to dethrone Millennium Force by placing Fury325 and Afterburn above it. And then I rode it Sunday morning. I wasn't 100% sure that I liked it better than Fury, but I got an evening ride last night in the backseat to solidify this coaster as my #2 overall behind Raptor. Millennium Forceless couldn't be more wrong of a nickname for this ride. It may not have the most interesting layout, but videos don't do the ride justice to how it performs in real life. I went in with low expectations and came off with one of the best coaster experiences in my life.
3. Maverick (9/10) (1x)- At this point of the trip report I know some of you may be eager to throw rocks at me. I really enjoyed Maverick. The first drop is incredible and it is the scariest moment of airtime I have ever experienced. The rest of the ride was really fun, but I didn't get off with the reaction of "OMG, THIS IS THE BEST RIDE IN THE HISTORY OF EVARRR!," I got off with the reaction of "that was really fun, let's go again" (which unfortunately did not happen because of Maverick's capacity). Maverick in my opinion is a very family oriented ride. Every element is done in the spirit of fun, but it wasn't super intense save for a couple airtime moments. It whips you around in a really fun way, but it wasn't the ride of the century that many have made it out to be. I may have overestimated the ride as I expected it to claim my number one spot, but it didn't really have that kick that I was expecting it to have. It's still a great ride nonetheless, and I will gladly ride it again the next time I'm at the park, but it just didn't scream #1 to me.
4. Wicked Twister (8.5/10) (1x)- Very intense, the launch was almost as shocking as TTD. It had pretty forceful rotations, not much else to say about it.
5. Top Thrill Dragster (8/10) (1x)- Great acceleration, I loved how it forced me to try scream over the noise of the ride. But the slow down before the top hat was pretty noticeable. Still, it was fun shooting over the top and having my ears pop.
6. Magnum XL 200 (8/10) (1x)- Personal reasons. I will say that I prefer sustained airtime though to Magnum's quick pops. But no matter how painful the ride is, you will have fun. It's still worth a spin or two at Cedar Point.
7. Gatekeeper (7.2/10) (2x)- Gatekeeper is a very fun ride. It's not as forceful as Raptor but it has some decent floater air and the helix isn't too bad either.
8. Blue Streak (7/10) (1x)- It's a fun little coaster with some great airtime, but after seeing Thunder Road's announcement, I fear Blue Streak may face a similar fate. I don't know how the structure is holding up, but it looked like it had declining ridership and a few unhappy riders. Hopefully Valravn will change that.
9. Gemini (6.8/10) (1x)- It had some nice airtime on the drop. The rest of the layout was simple but fun. I'd give it at least one ride.
10. Rougarou (6.5/10) (1x)- The floorless aspect is kind of cool in the front seat, but it doesn't really add to the experience. It was kind of meh after the MCBR. This may or may not be my least favorite B&M.
11. Cedar Creek Mine Ride(5/10) (1x)- It had some nice laterals but not much else.
12. Mean Streak (Burn It) (1x)- See Cedar Creek Mine Ride, but replace "not much else" with " it had trims galore, gave backaches and induced mild concussions". Never again.
I did not ride Corkscrew, Iron Dragon, Woodstock Express or Wilderness Run because I already had the credits. I also skipped Pipe Scream because it might not be a rollercoaster. We saw Bandstand USA which was fantastic, and Luminosity which had great effects but needed a different playlist. The show felt too contemporary. Overall, fantastic time at Cedar Point, it was a nice glance into Carowinds' future.
1. Raptor (10/10) (3x)- I love inverts, and Afterburn would be my favorite coaster at Carowinds if it weren't for its short layout and a few headbang-y elements. Raptor has the length that Afterburn lacks and the general lack of headbanging. As for the actual ride, Raptor does every element with incredible ferocity from the first drop to the Raptor smack, and you cruise through every element with smoothness and ease. The helix finale and Raptor smack really showed off how powerful the ride is. Raptor is not afraid to be aggressive (in a REALLY good way), and that's what I love the most about the ride.
2. Millennium Force (10/10) (2x)- Millie kept fighting Raptor for my number one spot (overall), but it just couldn't match Raptor's incredible intensity. However, Millennium Force offers incredible views followed by a powerful drop and some of the heaviest positive g's I have ever experienced. And yes, Millennium Force does in fact have airtime. Ejector airtime in the backseat to be clear. The ride has some heavily sustained positive g's throughout its 6,597 foot layout and heavily sustained airtime ranging from strong floater to standard ejector airtime. The thing that I liked Millennium Force for the most though was the incredible sensation of speed. Now I had previously ridden Millie 7 years prior to this trip, and I had sort of pushed it to the back of my mind. I was quick to dethrone Millennium Force by placing Fury325 and Afterburn above it. And then I rode it Sunday morning. I wasn't 100% sure that I liked it better than Fury, but I got an evening ride last night in the backseat to solidify this coaster as my #2 overall behind Raptor. Millennium Forceless couldn't be more wrong of a nickname for this ride. It may not have the most interesting layout, but videos don't do the ride justice to how it performs in real life. I went in with low expectations and came off with one of the best coaster experiences in my life.
3. Maverick (9/10) (1x)- At this point of the trip report I know some of you may be eager to throw rocks at me. I really enjoyed Maverick. The first drop is incredible and it is the scariest moment of airtime I have ever experienced. The rest of the ride was really fun, but I didn't get off with the reaction of "OMG, THIS IS THE BEST RIDE IN THE HISTORY OF EVARRR!," I got off with the reaction of "that was really fun, let's go again" (which unfortunately did not happen because of Maverick's capacity). Maverick in my opinion is a very family oriented ride. Every element is done in the spirit of fun, but it wasn't super intense save for a couple airtime moments. It whips you around in a really fun way, but it wasn't the ride of the century that many have made it out to be. I may have overestimated the ride as I expected it to claim my number one spot, but it didn't really have that kick that I was expecting it to have. It's still a great ride nonetheless, and I will gladly ride it again the next time I'm at the park, but it just didn't scream #1 to me.
4. Wicked Twister (8.5/10) (1x)- Very intense, the launch was almost as shocking as TTD. It had pretty forceful rotations, not much else to say about it.
5. Top Thrill Dragster (8/10) (1x)- Great acceleration, I loved how it forced me to try scream over the noise of the ride. But the slow down before the top hat was pretty noticeable. Still, it was fun shooting over the top and having my ears pop.
6. Magnum XL 200 (8/10) (1x)- Personal reasons. I will say that I prefer sustained airtime though to Magnum's quick pops. But no matter how painful the ride is, you will have fun. It's still worth a spin or two at Cedar Point.
7. Gatekeeper (7.2/10) (2x)- Gatekeeper is a very fun ride. It's not as forceful as Raptor but it has some decent floater air and the helix isn't too bad either.
8. Blue Streak (7/10) (1x)- It's a fun little coaster with some great airtime, but after seeing Thunder Road's announcement, I fear Blue Streak may face a similar fate. I don't know how the structure is holding up, but it looked like it had declining ridership and a few unhappy riders. Hopefully Valravn will change that.
9. Gemini (6.8/10) (1x)- It had some nice airtime on the drop. The rest of the layout was simple but fun. I'd give it at least one ride.
10. Rougarou (6.5/10) (1x)- The floorless aspect is kind of cool in the front seat, but it doesn't really add to the experience. It was kind of meh after the MCBR. This may or may not be my least favorite B&M.
11. Cedar Creek Mine Ride(5/10) (1x)- It had some nice laterals but not much else.
12. Mean Streak (Burn It) (1x)- See Cedar Creek Mine Ride, but replace "not much else" with " it had trims galore, gave backaches and induced mild concussions". Never again.
I did not ride Corkscrew, Iron Dragon, Woodstock Express or Wilderness Run because I already had the credits. I also skipped Pipe Scream because it might not be a rollercoaster. We saw Bandstand USA which was fantastic, and Luminosity which had great effects but needed a different playlist. The show felt too contemporary. Overall, fantastic time at Cedar Point, it was a nice glance into Carowinds' future.
Last edited by tarheel1231 on March 29th, 2016, 5:24 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Coaster Count: 63
