[BS1983CLT]

Here is my 2017 predictions...

The 5 new flat rides.

New County Fair section of the park (most of the flats will go here)

1 New flat ride. Either Delirium like the new one at Kings Dominion or Skyhawk like what Canada's Wonderland received this year.

Pacific Spin from Knott's Soak City relocated to Carolina Harbor

Parking lot gets repaved

Vortex gets Floor-less conversation with new name and color scheme.

Theses are my predictions. Especially after watching the 2017 teaser video that was posted on the parks FB page.

If we were just going to get the 5 used flats then they wouldn't of created a teaser video for that.

So what are your predictions?

[coasterbruh]

My prediction?? I predict this will turn into another "wish list" thread.

[RollerBee]

The five new flat rides and Pacific Spin.

[tarheel1231]

^ What he said, and possibly a campground expansion/some other type of new accommodation.

[gabed]

My prediction?? I predict this will turn into another "wish list" thread.

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[FamousAmos]

Do you have any idea how much it costs to re-pave an existing parking lot?
Try at least $3,000 per-space. Or 10,000 if creating a new parking lot from the ground-up.

[RollerBee]

^and? At $15 times 100 days(I don't know how many there is in a season.) that is $1,500 a parking space year or 4 years to make double the cost of paving(based on your estimate, which I dare say is high but maybe not in Charlotte). Retail is 400% markup, so 8 years to make that....
The parking should be paved more often than every 30 years to never.

Edit: Google Search of paving costs is anywhere from $1.25 to $4 per square foot, using 200 square feet to represent a parking space(I guessed the length and width), the cost per space is $800.

[Edwardo]

A very quick glance and some may looking at google maps before the new parking lot was put in and your $800 figure puts that around 6million dollars (a very low estimate)They're not going to spend that just to pave it all at once. Not when they can get 5 flats that actually help them make money. Parking lots don't get much budget because spending on them havevnearlyna zero return on investment. And eight years to pay off a parking lot? Every time you comment on how you'd run a business I'm glad you're not running a business.

IF (big if) we get more than those five rides then fine. Realistically, I forsee the video as a marketing ploy to push interest in an announcement where we all know what's coming. I figure the 'more' that is coming is enhancements to the midways around the new rides like they've done at CP, Knotts, Vallyfair, KD, and a couple other parks over the last couple years.

And I'd almost bet money that the funnel from Knotts is going in with CP's new water park expansion.

[RollerBee]

8 years to make $6,000 off ONE parking space, that doesn't include the roads between parking spaces or the labor involved in charging for the parking spaces nor did I say to repave the parking lot every 8 years.

[tarheel1231]

And I'd almost bet money that the funnel from Knotts is going in with CP's new water park expansion.

You're probably right. As much as I'd love to have it at Carolina Harbor, Surfer's Swell is probably a pretty similar experience. And Cedar Point doesn't have many unique slides other than Dragster H2O.

Then again, there is a funnel at Wildwater Kingdom....

__________________

I still think Camp Wilderness will see some deluxe cabins like the ones at CP and WoF. Accomodations are checked for 2017 on the investment matrix.

[TheCoasterMan1]

Thought I would share this...came through my email on the Carowinds newsletter.

[uscbandfan]

Regardless of the cost, paving can be done in stages. The new parking area outside the front gate is beautiful with the islands, trees and the new lighting. I hope they carry it throughout.

Maybe a 3 or 4 year plan. (If they plan on adding a hotel or retail to the existing lot, it may not take as long.)

First year, do from where they stopped at the main gate over to where Intimidator juts out into the lot adding new pavement, islands and lighting.

Second year, do from there over to the South Gate.

Third year, do the rest from South Gate over to where they stopped the new Carolina Harbor lot.
(Or maybe swap the order around)

In any event... IT NEEDS IT and I think it will make the park much more presentable as well. After 40 years, IT IS DUE!!!!

[Edwardo]

But they are paving in stages. They focused on their two new entrances over the last couple of years. Will they pour money into it every year? Probably not. Parking lots don't make money. Find me an amusement park that has dumped that kind of money into their parking. There's simply no point.

[uscbandfan]

Probably right but that's one nuisance I've had against Carowinds for years. The horrible parking lot. If they split it up enough, it could work into the budget.

One thing that might help is to evaluate the number of spaces. I haven't seen cars in the corner next to the entrance sign (across from Cabela's) in YEARS. Maybe turn some of the lot out there into green space, or even retail. Put a restaurant in that corner. I don't know.

If they ARE going to bring a hotel or resort to the property, they're gonna want it looking good to market it as a destination.

[Edwardo]

I don't know what parks you guys go to but I don't see how Carowinds' lot looks any different than any other large park out there. I mean, Disney's lots look exactly the same and people are still parking in them.