General Carowinds discussion
By jeffdavis
#103842
Thanks RideWarrior for the Silver Scream feedback.

I'll probably get down there on a Sunday in October to see it all. Expectations are low from reading this forum but I always enjoy the shows, atmosphere, night rides, and interacting with Scaractors in the scare zones, even if the mazes are underwhelming. I know revenue is low because of the gold pass and I know the more times I experience the same maze the less thrilling it gets.
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By Carowinds Sully
#103853
Okay, so there is obviously a problem with Scarowinds right now: they are making what should be a mature/intense event into a family-friendly event. We can bash it all we want, but that won't change anything or make Scarowinds any better. We are the ones who are paying Carowinds money so our thoughts and opinions about the event should matter. I think that we should contact Carowinds (either by calling them or using the "contact us" link below) and just tell them that Scarowinds is not like it was in years past. Make it sincere and respectful and we may see some outcome. If we get enough people to share their disappointment, then Carowinds will get the point and might make some changes to the future of Scarowinds. I think that this is a much better option than doing nothing but bashing it on an online forum.

Here is the contact us link from the webpage:
https://www.carowinds.com/help/contact-us
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By Crave
#103854
Here's an update of my family's Scarowinds and Pumpkinfest experience after going on 9/29/18:

Pumpkinfest
My baby girl provided the best, most concise critique. "It was very fun!" The 4 & 8 y/o both said their favorite part was choosing a pumpkin and drawing/coloring in the craft area. They, along with my 2 y/o, also had a blast playing in the foam pins. Riding the roller coaster (Woodstock Express) was their next favorite part of the day. The maze and treat locations were a nice touch as well.

Scarowinds
I was on baby-duty while my wife, 15 y/o and 8 y/o went through mazes, so this is a write-up of their experience. My wife and I went through Dark Harvest and Slaughter House last week, so they did the other four. My wife says that all of them are better than those from last week. They're darker, more intense and have confined spaces. In one an actor followed my 15 y/o through half of the maze, which freaked him out, until finally passing him to scare my wife. They also mentioned good use of monitors that looked like windows coming on all of a sudden in dark areas with actors beating on the glass. There were three standout mazes. Silver Scream Studios, Urgent Scare, and their favorite Depths of Darkness. They really enjoyed the mazes, along with the opening ceremony and the friendliness/willingness of the cool characters to take photos with the kids. Good job and thanks Carowinds staff.

On a side note, it seemed to me that Fury was hauling all day. My son and I finally got a couple rides during the night time. Dispatches were averaging 43 seconds and the line was being eaten by the insanely good crew. I was right. Fury was hecka fast. Easily the best experience I've had on it with fast transitions all the way to the treble clef and powerful airtime on the back end. Awesome ride.
By RollerBee
#103855
Carowinds Sully wrote:Okay, so there is obviously a problem with Scarowinds right now: they are making what should be a mature/intense event into a family-friendly event. We can bash it all we want, but that won't change anything or make Scarowinds any better. We are the ones who are paying Carowinds money so our thoughts and opinions about the event should matter. I think that we should contact Carowinds (either by calling them or using the "contact us" link below) and just tell them that Scarowinds is not like it was in years past. Make it sincere and respectful and we may see some outcome. If we get enough people to share their disappointment, then Carowinds will get the point and might make some changes to the future of Scarowinds. I think that this is a much better option than doing nothing but bashing it on an online forum.

Here is the contact us link from the webpage:
https://www.carowinds.com/help/contact-us


Contacting the park in any form isn’t going to have an effect, the only way the park will change the event is if attendance changes. The park is marketing the event at their target market.

If we aren’t happy with SCarowinds as is, the best course of action is to not go. There are other Haunt events in the area that are far better.
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By Chris
#103866
RollerBee wrote:Contacting the park in any form isn’t going to have an effect, the only way the park will change the event is if attendance changes.

While the second part certainly has more of an impact, you couldn't be further from the truth with the first part. You're telling me if they receive hundreds or thousands of calls about one specific thing, they wouldn't look into changing it?
By RollerBee
#103876
Chris wrote:
RollerBee wrote:Contacting the park in any form isn’t going to have an effect, the only way the park will change the event is if attendance changes.

While the second part certainly has more of an impact, you couldn't be further from the truth with the first part. You're telling me if they receive hundreds or thousands of calls about one specific thing, they wouldn't look into changing it?

Hundreds no, thousands maybe, Tens of thousands likely.

As long as the amount of money they want keeps rolling in, I doubt they will listen to complaints. How often do people say they won’t go back to a restaurant only to do it, from my personal experiences....90%.
By jeffdavis
#103879
I think if the park received 100 formal complaints (email or phone) of a similar nature from guests it would have 100 times more impact than if those 100 guests (or even 100 families) chose not to attend. I suspect 99.9% of guests never communicate formally with the park about such matters. (Nevermind that economically for a gold pass holder to "boycott Scarowinds" would have absolutely no impact.)

Disclaimer: I haven't been to Scarowinds yet this season so I shall withhold judgement and I'll probably have a great time.
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By RiDeWaRrIoR
#103880
Carowinds Sully wrote:Okay, so there is obviously a problem with Scarowinds right now: they are making what should be a mature/intense event into a family-friendly event. We can bash it all we want, but that won't change anything or make Scarowinds any better. We are the ones who are paying Carowinds money so our thoughts and opinions about the event should matter. I think that we should contact Carowinds (either by calling them or using the "contact us" link below) and just tell them that Scarowinds is not like it was in years past. Make it sincere and respectful and we may see some outcome. If we get enough people to share their disappointment, then Carowinds will get the point and might make some changes to the future of Scarowinds. I think that this is a much better option than doing nothing but bashing it on an online forum.

Here is the contact us link from the webpage:
https://www.carowinds.com/help/contact-us



What do you mean by becoming more family friendly? I dont think it has changed much in the 18 years I have gone to it.... Some weeks are better than others, just like the 2nd weekend was better than the first. Saturdays are probably better than Fridays just based on teens going to football games etc. on Friday nights. The event is not for "mature adults" really, its recommended 13+ so it has to be "kid friendly" in some aspect.... I enjoyed it last Friday and cant wait to go back this week. I have not gone through all the mazes as of yet, but look forward to doing them. The only thing that has changed the most is the lack of characters and themeing really as the park expands the scenery seems to go down, but nothing major. Is there anything specific you are referring to? Of course as you get older, the less "fun" scarowinds seems. When I was 14 years old it was a lot better than now, but in terms of being intense etc. nothing has really changed much for the past 18 years... in my opinion...
By Glitch99
#103881
jeffdavis wrote:I think if the park received 100 formal complaints (email or phone) of a similar nature from guests it would have 100 times more impact than if those 100 guests (or even 100 families) chose not to attend. I suspect 99.9% of guests never communicate formally with the park about such matters. (Nevermind that economically for a gold pass holder to "boycott Scarowinds" would have absolutely no impact.)

Yes - complaints wont produce direct action. But they will influence future decisions.

A change in attendance forces them to guess the reason. They may or may not do something about it, but comments and complaints point them towards the actual reasons for dissatisfaction. And regardless of their desired focus, their ultimate goal is to have as many satisfied customers as possible.

Consider next year's planning meetings: "No one complained last year, so there shouldnt be any problem with toning it down even more this year." Verses: "We got numerous complaints about being too family friendly, maybe we can look at dialing things up in certain areas."
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By coasterbruh
#103893
RollerBee wrote:How often do people say they won’t go back to a restaurant only to do it, from my personal experiences....90%.

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By pproteinc
#103941
Scarowinds must be bananas tonight. The right lane is backed up all they to 485 currently as I'm passing by (which is normal). I have a friend who works at Cabala's and she says their parking lot, the firework warehouses and the hotel are full of cars and there's still stop and go traffic trying to get into Carowinds. I said if I was the manager of the stores I'd had someone at all entrances to the parking lot charging $15 like they businesses around SFOG does during Fright Fest. lol

Chris wrote:
RollerBee wrote:Contacting the park in any form isn’t going to have an effect, the only way the park will change the event is if attendance changes.

While the second part certainly has more of an impact, you couldn't be further from the truth with the first part. You're telling me if they receive hundreds or thousands of calls about one specific thing, they wouldn't look into changing it?


BIG FACTS!! They do listen. On the first night, I ran into Ms. Pat we have a pretty good relationship ever since I305 opened and she knows I'm at the park pretty much daily for food and to catch with old coworkers and friends who still work there. I simply suggested turning off the ride lights in County Fair for haunt as they're mad bright and I felt took away from an already confusing scarzone. Her response as she is a very nonchalant person, "Hmm we'll see." The next weekend I went they all off except for Rock n Roller of course. So they do listen and they def read emails as I send emails all the time with small little suggestions that I've seen come into fruition.
By sorashaun
#103944
I went tonight. There were two accidents, one blocking the main entrance and one blocking the exit from the South Gate. It was easily the worst experience I’ve ever had getting into the park. Left at 7:15 and didn’t get into the parking lot until 9:30.
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