[carolinaman]

How busy is it today?

[tarheel1231]

Got out to the park for the first time this year yesterday. I rode all of the B&Ms (Fury twice), Windseeker, and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena. Just some thoughts from the visit:

-Crowds were very light. Intimidator and Fury were about 15 minute waits and Afterburn was a walk-on.

-Intimidator was running really well. I don't know if it was because I rode it in the backseat, or because I hadn't ridden it for nearly ten months, but I found it more thrilling than I have recently.

-Plants vs. Zombies was okay. I couldn't really see where I was shooting (though I knew my number), and the video at the end was super laggy. It felt more like a video game than a ride. And that's not an exaggeration, it felt like being in a room with 30 people trying to play on one X-Box. So I wasn't immersed by the ride. The theming on the outside was great though. If they can theme the rest of the park like this, Carowinds will be on its way to becoming a world-class park.

-I rode Vortex for the first time in about 4-5 years. I didn't find it that rough because I lowered the restraint farther than my crotch. It was kind of boring though. The drop is gradual, so it doesn't rip you down like Afterburn. There's a nice amount of positive g's, but because you're standing, they really tire out your legs. It could be more fun with floorless trains, but I don't think I'd care if they did anything to it.

[KIJester]

Hello fellow CC'ers,

Just an odd observation....I am curious to know why KI and CP are starting their full seasons tomorrow (May 12) yet us and Dominion are holding off until May 27??

Shouldn't that be the other way around?

[coasterbruh]

Hello fellow CC'ers,

Just an odd observation....I am curious to know why KI and CP are starting their full seasons tomorrow (May 12) yet us and Dominion are holding off until May 27??

Shouldn't that be the other way around?

Tomorrow is may 12! oh my! I must have tinkered with my time machine again!!!

[tarheel1231]

Hello fellow CC'ers,

Just an odd observation....I am curious to know why KI and CP are starting their full seasons tomorrow (May 12) yet us and Dominion are holding off until May 27??

Shouldn't that be the other way around?

I believe Ohio schools get out for summer earlier and back in school in September.

[cwgator]

^Actually Cincinnati Public Schools last day is May 26 and Sandusky's is June 14th.

KIJester wrote:
Hello fellow CC'ers,

Just an odd observation....I am curious to know why KI and CP are starting their full seasons tomorrow (May 12) yet us and Dominion are holding off until May 27??

Shouldn't that be the other way around?

Not sure why their parks go to daily operation earlier. It may have something to do with historical attendance or something. It could be the number of people available for hire in those areas. Cincinnati & Sandusky are more known for tourism vs. Charlotte & Richmond...who knows?

As attendance increases at Carowinds I can see them expanding the season to start earlier and definitely later. King's Dominion is just following their

[kirkgun]

About these upcoming flats that will be for 2017:

Has anybody any information about which specific models of these rides have been bought, and will be installed for next year?

For example, on the wikipedia page for Break Dance, you can see that their have been four variants of the ride made.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakdance_(ride)

And Music Express has many more variants.

I'm most curious about Break Dance and Music Express. I figure if there was anybody who would know which variant of these rides was acquired, you guys would be the ones to know.

I'm really happy they're bringing the Music express, as it is the same thing as a Himalaya (which I have loved from childhood). I remember specifically hoping they would add a Himalaya in discussions about flat rides we hoped Carowinds would add, before anything was announced in the press. I don't think I've ever been on a Break Dance, but that looks good too. And of course the Top Scan is gonna be great.

We're definitely going to buying those 2017 passes late in the year, to take advantage of the free 2016 visit. I'm already looking forward to 2017 at Carowinds.

[RollerBee]

Breakdance 4(the family friendly one) and Mack Musik Express, one of the closest to the original Kinzler Musik Express.

[kirkgun]

hmmm the link in my above post does not work. Oh well.

Thanks. That's a little disappointing about the Break dance. So it goes. Still the addition of 5 new flats is excellent.

There's gotta be some reasonably priced Zippers out there Carowinds, just saying. That'd more than make up for the family friendly Break Dance.

edit--

Here, I did the hard part. And not too far away either.

http://www.usedrides.com/ViewAd.aspx?Ad=23783&view=i

[coasterbruh]

whats the capacity of a zipper per hour? it cant be more than like 100 with the way its set up.

[kirkgun]

Yeah, that's probably a good guess for a zipper capacity. It's got the same capacity problem that Ferris Wheels have, incredibly slow loading/unloading.

But the flip side, no pun intended, is that it is one of the most fun flat rides ever created. It's an absolute classic in the "county fair" circuit. And supposedly Michael Jackson holds a world record for riding his own personal zipper for riding 35 minutes straight. I've never gotten sick from a ride, but that sounds: .

I hate slow lines as much as anybody, but at least with a zipper you know your gonna have a fun ride once the wait is over. And that's something that many other flat rides don't really deliver on. It's a cheap investment, it takes up very little space, and gives fun rides. And it's great for spectators. If it had big capacity, it'd be perfection. Nothing's perfect though.

[pproteinc]

Well everybody should know by now that I'm a carnie ride freak because of the wild out of control feeling and sound systems and lighting packages. As much as I love the zipper, I'd op for the graviton. It's def a people eater holding up to 25 people at a time.

[RollerBee]

whats the capacity of a zipper per hour? it cant be more than like 100 with the way its set up.

Assuming 2 minute ride time and 3 minutes to unload and reload, 288 per hour. Probably about the equal to flyers.

[CoasterAddict11]

Does Carowinds run the rides in the rain as long as there's no lightning? The forecast for this weekend doesn't look good.

Carowx.PNG (92.53KiB)Viewed 3165 times

[RollerBee]

Yes except Ricochet and sometimes Reptar.