- August 9th, 2015, 10:12 pm
#82333
The next coaster is still 4-5 years down the road, but what should the park add (excluding floorless Vortex)? This is less of a wishlist thread and more of an observation and prediction thread. What would make Carowinds' collection more rounded?
1. GCI/TGG woodie- This is the obvious choice with the absence of Thunder Road. The park needs a new signature woodie, and unless it gets the "Thunder Run" treatment, Hurler won't cut it. I just wonder how marketable a traditional wooden coaster would be. I'd take a mega woodie from RMC if it didn't have inversions, but I think Cedar Fair would opt to get a woodie with inversions.
2. Manta-sized Mack Launch- This addition would be so PERFECT for Carowinds! It would fill two voids in our lineup: the good family-thrill coaster void left by Thunder Road, and the launch coaster void. I honestly can't think of anything negative about this addition. It wouldn't even have to be made by Mack, Zierer could come in and make a scaled-down, non-themed Verbolten.
3. B&M 4D coaster- The enthusiast in me is DYING to see this become a reality, but it wouldn't fill the family-thrill coaster void or the wooden coaster void left by Thunder Road. It would probably carry a height requirement of no less than 52" which is better than the other B&M's but still not as accessible as rides like Carolina Cyclone or Hurler. But coasters are the future of Carowinds, and a 4D coaster would give the park more national appeal. We got height and speed covered with Fury, and we probably won't see a new strata in the chain anytime soon, so Carowinds needs something unique. I doubt many people on the east coast have ventured out to Texas or California to experience the current 4D coasters, so this would be pretty unique to the region. It could put Carowinds back under the national spotlight like Fury did, so it wouldn't be a bad addition. It's just not something the park needs.
Out of these three options, the Mack launch is probably the one I'd pick. It's just so perfect I'd have to be insane not to choose it. But we'll see what the park has in mind in 2019 or 2020.
Coaster Count: 63