[littlescarfgirl]

Hi all! I'm new to these forums, although I've been lurking for a couple weeks.

Little background, I've spent most of my life being completely terrified of rollercoasters. I have a fear of heights, and I absolutely hate that "falling out of your seat/stomach dropping/airtime" feeling that you get on the drops on log flumes. My parents would have to bribe me to try and get me on Powder Keg Flume as a kid. (This fear is the main reason I have avoided coasters until this point.) The only true "coasters" I had ridden prior to this year were Goldrusher, Woodstock Express, Supersaturator, Flying Ace Ariel Chase, Ricochet, and the taxi one. (I'm not sure that last one should really count, haha.) I don't mind fast, and I don't mind upside-down. (Screamweaver is one of my favorite rides at the park.)

Anyway, this year I started trying to pinpoint which rides give me that feeling I hate, and which rides might not actually have it. I started out with Top Gun (does anyone really call it Afterburn? lol) after a LOT of psyching myself up and convincing by my friends. I figured with the over the shoulder restraints, it couldn't be but so bad. I loved it! It was fun, fast, intense, and no stomach-dropping feeling on the first drop. (I had a stress headache like you wouldn't believe leading up to that first drop, though. I was so anxious.) For my second coaster, I tried Vortex, since I felt like it had a similar build to Top Gun, and again, over-the-shoulder restraints. Also enjoyed it! Definitely rougher than Top Gun, but I went in knowing that.

So now I'm trying to psyche myself up for my next coaster, which I have decided will be Carolina Cyclone. It's got over-the-shoulder restraints, which console me a little bit, but that first drop looks a little more sudden than the "slight turn into a drop" that both Top Gun and Vortex have. I imagine the restraints would prevent much of an "airtime" feeling, but since my friends are terrible at explaining feelings that they get on coasters, I'm kind of unsure of what to expect. So my question for you all is: how does Cyclone compare to Top Gun and Vortex, ride-wise? Is the first drop a lot more sudden/jarring? Or is it really not that bad and I'm just freaking myself out?

Thanks in advance!

~Little Scarf Girl

[Jonathan]

The first drop does have some airtime in the back of the train. If you sit near the front of the train you'll probably be fine. It's funny because that feeling you hate is probably one of the best feelings in the world to a lot of people on this forum.

[littlescarfgirl]

The first drop does have some airtime in the back of the train. If you sit near the front of the train you'll probably be fine. It's funny because that feeling you hate is probably one of the best feelings in the world to a lot of people on this forum.

Haha, oh I know. I'm sure that if you enjoy that feeling it can become addicting. Maybe someday I'll learn to like it more. Thanks for the reply!

[shane235]

Cyclone shouldn't be a problem for the stomach-drop feeling if you are near the front. It actually is like that on most of Carowinds' coasters. When you are in the front, you kind of slowly go down the hill until the back catches up, and the back goes over the first drop. The closer to the front, the better it should be.

About the whole stomach-drop thing - It really is addicting. You just have to embrace your inner adrenaline junkie and eventually you will love it too. I remember when I was terrified of the Scooby Doo Coaster (now Woodstock Express) and the Taxi coaster for the same reason, but now I have kind of adapted to that feeling, and I can only get that feeling on a few rides at the park. I'm not trying to force you to ride something that you don't want to ride, but Drop Tower has over-the-shoulder restraints too!

[HavenHamilton]

I think the first drop on Afterburn is significantly more stomach-droppy than on Cyclone. And Afterburn is about a million times more intense than Cyclone, overall. So I highly doubt you'd have a problem.

[littlescarfgirl]

Cyclone shouldn't be a problem for the stomach-drop feeling if you are near the front. It actually is like that on most of Carowinds' coasters. When you are in the front, you kind of slowly go down the hill until the back catches up, and the back goes over the first drop. The closer to the front, the better it should be.

About the whole stomach-drop thing - It really is addicting. You just have to embrace your inner adrenaline junkie and eventually you will love it too. I remember when I was terrified of the Scooby Doo Coaster (now Woodstock Express) and the Taxi coaster for the same reason, but now I have kind of adapted to that feeling, and I can only get that feeling on a few rides at the park. I'm not trying to force you to ride something that you don't want to ride, but Drop Tower has over-the-shoulder restraints too!

Ah, I never thought about it like that! I sort of gravitate toward the back when I can because I don't like to see where I'm going, haha. I'll try to scope out somewhere toward the middle-front for my first go-round on Cyclone then. It sounds like it won't be too bad. I think I've always been toward the back on Top Gun/Afterburn so far, and I was somewhere in the middle-front for Vortex.

I went on Woodstock Express last month for the first time in a long while, and while I did enjoy it after the fact, I was still gripping the lap bar down the hill! Drop Zone does have over-the-shoulder restraits I suppose ... although I think it'll stay on the 'no-ride' list for now, haha! Thanks for the reply!

I think the first drop on Afterburn is significantly more stomach-droppy than on Cyclone. And Afterburn is about a million times more intense than Cyclone, overall. So I highly doubt you'd have a problem.

Oh, well good to know! I figured Afterburn was definitely the more intense coaster, but the drop looks a little less scary since it sort of eases into it with the slight turn. Thanks for the reply!

[MarkD]

If you sit in the front the drop really isn't anything but, as you go through the loops you will get those forces of being pushed. it's like forcing you into the seat. Totally different feeling than in the back. I love them both, the middle just ain't for me.

[uscbandfan]

Something else to think about. If you sit in the front, the first drop wont be as bad BUT, with Intimidator, Fury, Hurler, (and TR), you will be thrown out of your seat at the crest of each subsequent hill because of the speed of the train pushing you up the hill. Likewise, in the back, you'll be pulled over the top. While that's worse on the initial drop, each subsequent hill will have less airtime beacuse you'll be cresting it at the train's slowest speed. Of course you could ride the middle to split the difference.

With coasters like Afterburn, Cyclone and vortex, you don't have to worry about that because theres a new element one after the other and not a repetition of hills. I'm not the biggest fan of being thrown out of my seat on the initial drop so the back isn't the first seat I choose. I still ride there.. just not my favorite. I love the front beacause of the airtime in the middle of the ride and the INTENSE SPEED you feel being pushed at 95mph on Fury.

[HavenHamilton]

That's why I love front row for Fury (intense speed) and back row for Intimidator (being violently whipped over and pulled down the lift hill).

[littlescarfgirl]

Something else to think about. If you sit in the front, the first drop wont be as bad BUT, with Intimidator, Fury, Hurler, (and TR), you will be thrown out of your seat at the crest of each subsequent hill because of the speed of the train pushing you up the hill. Likewise, in the back, you'll be pulled over the top. While that's worse on the initial drop, each subsequent hill will have less airtime beacuse you'll be cresting it at the train's slowest speed. Of course you could ride the middle to split the difference.

With coasters like Afterburn, Cyclone and vortex, you don't have to worry about that because theres a new element one after the other and not a repetition of hills. I'm not the biggest fan of being thrown out of my seat on the initial drop so the back isn't the first seat I choose. I still ride there.. just not my favorite. I love the front beacause of the airtime in the middle of the ride and the INTENSE SPEED you feel being pushed at 95mph on Fury.

Thanks for all that! It's very interesting to me, even though Fury and Intimidator and probably two coasters I won't be riding anytime soon.

As a follow-up to my first post, I ended up going to the park last night with the intent that Cyclone would be the only new ride for me. It was pouring when we got there, so we got a drink and some fries at Chickie's and Petes first. Then we did Goldrusher, and I got talked into Cobra (another new ride for me) right after. It was not too bad! Would ride again.

We did Cyclone right after that. We sat pretty close to the front, and the hill wasn't bad at all. I actually really enjoyed it and would definitely ride again! Later that night we actually circled back around to it and road in the back just to see the difference. I definitely noticed the bit of airtime sitting in the back. It wasn't "bad" enough that I wouldn't ride in the back again, but I definitely prefered toward the front!

Somehow I also got talked into Nighthawk, and since I was being brave, I decided to go for it. I really did not care for it at all, though. It's hard to describe but it was just sort of unnerving and uncomfortable when you're down on your belly. I actually liked the parts when you're on your back, but not enough to want to ride it again. Plus they were only running one car and it took forever despite the fact that it was late on a weeknight after a rainstorm. x_x

Thanks for all of the advice guys! Slowly working my way up there with the coasters, though my dislike of airtime is probably going to keep me away from Intimidator, Fury, and Hurler for now.

[tarheel1231]

Once you get past Hurler's drop, the airtime is almost non-existent.

[Merthecat]

Once you get past Hurler's drop, the airtime is almost non-existent.

Actually, I find that the hill after the high-speed turn provides a decent bit of airtime.