- July 1st, 2014, 8:01 pm
#56792
Made a quick trip to the park last night. We got there around 6:45 when it was raining. Apparently, there had been some lightning, so most rides were shut down for the mandatory 45 minute wait period. That was good news for us, because people were leaving in droves! It resulted in short lines for the rest of the evening, which was great.
I was with a group of five other ladies, all in our 30s and 40s. I am the only coaster enthusiast in the group. (In fact, they all seemed to think I was quite a weirdo for being as into coasters as I am. Although they seemed put off by my enthusiasm, they all asked lots of questions about the park, the rides, and plans for expansion. Thanks to this site, I was able to answer almost all their questions.
I became their own personal Carowinds tour guide...geekiness and all.
Once the lightning delay was over, we were in the second group on Intimidator. It was my first ride since they added seatbelts. Honestly, I didn't really have a different experience with the seatbelts vs without before. It was still a fun ride with great airtime.
Next, we went to The Hurler. All the ladies I was with have season passes, and none of them even knew this part of the park even existed! It would be nice to find a way to make people more aware of that area. I guess it will be more well-known next year.
Everyone enjoyed The Hurler, and they all wanted to ride again, especially since it was walk-on at the time.
After Hurler, we moved on to the Carolina Cyclone. I warned everyone to make sure their heads were all the way back on the headrest before the corkscrew. They didn't listen, so several complained about their heads being slammed into the restraint thru the corkscrew. Maybe they'll listen next time.
Next up was Carolina Cobra. This is one of my (tall) 6-year-old's favorite coasters, so I was amused by the extreme fear some of our group displayed while waiting for the ride. After waiting through 2 ride cycles, we got on. Everyone enjoyed the ride more than they expected.
We split the group for a bit after that, two of us on Windseeker and four on Thunder Road. The North Carolina side of Thunder Road was open, and it's my favorite side, so I was excited about that. Those of us that skipped Windseeker rode it twice, and everyone enjoyed it. The two that did Windseeker enjoyed that, too.
Next, we went to Afterburn. It was walk on at that time, too. I had never done this at night, and it was AMAZING in the dark! I especially loved how dark the tunnel was! When we finished the ride, the next train had some sort of issue and was unable to depart the loading station. We ended up being stuck on the ride for around 15 minutes. My friends were freaking out. I thought it was a cool experience, and I was excited we were at least at the very end of the ride when we got stuck. I took my phone out of the button pocket on my pants and snapped a selfie of our group while we waited. It's the only Afterburn selfie I'll ever have, so at least there's that.
We ended the night back on Intimidator. I hadn't ridden it at night, either, so I was thrilled to have that experience. It's even better in the dark, IMO.
All in all, it was a fun (and eventful) night. I think getting 9 coaster rides in over the course of less than 2 hours was pretty good! Can't wait for my next visit!
I was with a group of five other ladies, all in our 30s and 40s. I am the only coaster enthusiast in the group. (In fact, they all seemed to think I was quite a weirdo for being as into coasters as I am. Although they seemed put off by my enthusiasm, they all asked lots of questions about the park, the rides, and plans for expansion. Thanks to this site, I was able to answer almost all their questions.
I became their own personal Carowinds tour guide...geekiness and all. Once the lightning delay was over, we were in the second group on Intimidator. It was my first ride since they added seatbelts. Honestly, I didn't really have a different experience with the seatbelts vs without before. It was still a fun ride with great airtime.
Next, we went to The Hurler. All the ladies I was with have season passes, and none of them even knew this part of the park even existed! It would be nice to find a way to make people more aware of that area. I guess it will be more well-known next year.
Everyone enjoyed The Hurler, and they all wanted to ride again, especially since it was walk-on at the time. After Hurler, we moved on to the Carolina Cyclone. I warned everyone to make sure their heads were all the way back on the headrest before the corkscrew. They didn't listen, so several complained about their heads being slammed into the restraint thru the corkscrew. Maybe they'll listen next time.
Next up was Carolina Cobra. This is one of my (tall) 6-year-old's favorite coasters, so I was amused by the extreme fear some of our group displayed while waiting for the ride. After waiting through 2 ride cycles, we got on. Everyone enjoyed the ride more than they expected.
We split the group for a bit after that, two of us on Windseeker and four on Thunder Road. The North Carolina side of Thunder Road was open, and it's my favorite side, so I was excited about that. Those of us that skipped Windseeker rode it twice, and everyone enjoyed it. The two that did Windseeker enjoyed that, too.
Next, we went to Afterburn. It was walk on at that time, too. I had never done this at night, and it was AMAZING in the dark! I especially loved how dark the tunnel was! When we finished the ride, the next train had some sort of issue and was unable to depart the loading station. We ended up being stuck on the ride for around 15 minutes. My friends were freaking out. I thought it was a cool experience, and I was excited we were at least at the very end of the ride when we got stuck. I took my phone out of the button pocket on my pants and snapped a selfie of our group while we waited. It's the only Afterburn selfie I'll ever have, so at least there's that.
We ended the night back on Intimidator. I hadn't ridden it at night, either, so I was thrilled to have that experience. It's even better in the dark, IMO.
All in all, it was a fun (and eventful) night. I think getting 9 coaster rides in over the course of less than 2 hours was pretty good! Can't wait for my next visit!