[Littlegiles]

Coasterbruh, I really like that pic you posted. I think most of us who are guessing (and not in the know) are really thinking too small. I'm thinking this expansion is going to be huge! I wouldn't be surprised if it had multiple additions/subtractions and a complete overhaul.

do you think it possible that they will make it a separate park and charge additional or independent entrance fee? It seems with the space they are carving it, they really could make use of a dedicated entrance and parking on that side of the park.

Honestly, I'm not a huge waterpark person, at least of the type we currently have at Carowinds. Personally, I found it uncomfortable and crowded. I have been to Typhoon Lagoon at WDW and that was a completely different beast and well beyond what we would be getting, but it was fun.

Now if I could just talk someone at corporate into sending me an invite to the big announcement. HAHA.

[Bigcoasterguy]

I'm sure there will be an extra charge in season pass prices next year.

[arby]

Based on the hints that I have seen so far, it seems like it is going to include some kind of beach with sand. I also wouldn't be surprised if it included additional attractions in the water park.

I have no doubt that season pass prices will continue to slowly rise. With all the work they keep doing at Carowinds, it is certainly justified and one way to help them recoup some of the cost of the improvements.

[Bigcoasterguy]

Not to get off topic but if they keep adding quality infrastructure and new attractions I am more than willing to pay for the price increase. I'm the person who buys the pass the dinning plan and the cup so I spend no money (except a dollar for a drink) in the park and my pass has paid for itself in the first month.

[psychoticbiotic]

...eeep, I can barely afford the prices now. I'm basically poor and I have to pay those bills. Thank god for online coupons!

edit: I do live three hours away though, so I have to factor in the price of gas as well. Something those that live close by don't have to worry about quite so much :/

[pproteinc]

Not to get off topic but if they keep adding quality infrastructure and new attractions I am more than willing to pay for the price increase. I'm the person who buys the pass the dinning plan and the cup so I spend no money (except a dollar for a drink) in the park and my pass has paid for itself in the first month.

Well you may not have to worry about the cup either if they continue with the option of the all season refill souvenir cup. I do agree I am the one who purchases the plat pass with all season dining plan and cup, I'll be fine with the increase with all the improvements being made. The GP on the other never see it this way and will complain that the park is just taking more money out of there pockets and find the simplest things to complain about and threaten to not ever walk thru the gates again.

I would be amazed if we got something similar to this like at Hershey park, it's definitely a kid friendly attraction that blows out our current play structure.

I do believe CF works with the White Water Company. They did CP and Michigan Adventures' play structures and CP's mat racer. I wouldn't be surprise if they work with them again. White water have some nice products to offer.

[coasterchitchat]

I would be amazed if we got something similar to this like at Hershey park, it's definitely a kid friendly attraction that blows out our current play structure.

I do believe CF works with the White Water Company. They did CP and Michigan Adventures' play structures and CP's mat racer. I wouldn't be surprise if they work with them again. White water have some nice products to offer.

Yeah, Cedar Fair goes with White Water West a LOT. They bought the slide complexes that was installed at Dorney, Worlds of Fun and Kings Dominion. Seems like they would go with White Water West even though I prefer ProSlide.

[coasterbruh]

Carowinds most recent slide are in fact from proslides... . They work with whoever it seems...wonder if they have looked into Polin.

[TheCoasterMan1]

If they have looked into Polin I hope we get this play structure because it is truly massive. I could definitely see myself riding all these slides for the fun of it! It is a "Big" splash!

[uscbandfan]

^ That looks really cool but, a lot of those just seems like a variant on the one next to it. Get in, go around a couple (or 3) 360's and out.

I truly hope Carowinds gets something that can be a signature element. Don't get me wrong, we need more generic slides for sure (and the play structure surely could use upgrading), but lets do something unique. Some other things that are sorely needed to "keep up with the Jones'" are drop slides and some kind of racer.

[redrunner97]

I'm just gonna leave this here ('cuz I want it really, really bad!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdLvXF-7BvU

BTW! I'm gonna put my insomnia to good use and rant for a little bit:

At first I didn't love the name 'Carolina Harbor'. It just seemed too... shipyardy. And the alliteration that goes along with Carolina Cove just sounded better to me. But recently I really warmed up to the name, and it got me thinking. They could have VERY easily just shoved the Soak City name onto our "new" water park, or just kept it as Boomerang Bay. But they actually are giving Carowinds a unique name, one that will stand out among the others in the chain.

That fact gives me hope that Cedar Fair is really trying to make Carowinds the theme park it was meant to be, it's just a process that's gonna require a little give-and-take (sometimes the take being a lot harder to swallow than the give; like with Thunder Road <3 ). But in the long run I really believe Carowinds will benefit from this attention from Cedar Fair, and who knows? Maybe it could end up being the big park one day.

As for what I think is coming next year? I'm crossing my fingers on a log flume, even though that dream seems a little fleeting as the countdown under the Carowinds Connection banner ticks away. I expect that Carolina Harbor will be our new waterpark, completely rehauled with new paint jobs / color schemes, new facades for the buildings, reworked changing areas / bath houses, new theming and, of course, new attractions (like the rain fortress). I think their names will be loosely generic, but with some ties to the Carolinas.

I also suspect there will be a direct path leading to the water park from the South Gate. It's something lots of fans online have been demanding. I don't know if they would make it a separate ticketed gate or not, but I guess we'll find out soon. The County Fair area is obviously gonna be shuffled a little bit. I doubt it is being eliminated all together, which gives me hope it might get a much needed makeover with a new flat (three words: ferris. wheel. please.) and some theming to actually look like a county fair area within the larger park itself.

Some of that might seem a bit unrealistic, but I'm just hedging my bets. I do think that most of us are/were underestimating what the park actually has up their sleeve, which in the end might make this years announcement very exciting!

[tarheel1231]

Does anyone think Carowinds could be going the Gemini Midway/Route 76/Knotts Boardwalk route to revitalize the County Fair? I think the main attraction could be a new disco surrounded by a couple of flats. They could relocate Scrambler and put some Antique Cars where Action Theater and Thunder Road's station is. A log flume would be ideal, but I'm not holding my breath for one. But it would make sense to do something like that to the County Fair if they're talking about improving it.

[mightyray23]

As you already know Carowinds has been teasing the F*** out of this water park expansion. I mean, who does that
So we are probably going to get something big...and I am all for the afterburn being re themed to the Wright Brothers

[Chris]

I'm hearing some things and this is going to be big, folks.

[FamousAmos]

I can say that I'm perfectly okay with Thunder Road not being there next season. Especially for this; a "first of it's kind". At first, I was upset, but now I'm all for it!