Going to Carowinds this summer - ride suggestions?

[homestar92]

So thanks to my parents decision to go on a vacation in the South, I get to go to a new theme park, and that's Carowinds. My trip is in Early June, so I guess I should ask a few questions -

1. How crowded can I expect it to be? Not sure if I'll be going on a weekend or weekday, so info on both would be appreciated.

2. Any "must rides?" I love anything and everything Arrow, so obviously the Carolina Cyclone and the Mine train (whose name escapes me) are musts. Are there any rides that I should make sure I get to go on? Suggestions for Coasters and flats are all welcome

3. If I understand correctly, any Cedar Fair souvenier cup can be refilled at a discounted price at any Cedar Fair park. Is this correct, and could I use my 2011 KI cup?

4. For those who have ridden multiple WindSeekers - is the new view worth it? I know the view is part of WindSeeker's appeal, but I don't know if it's worth waiting in line for a ride I can ride any time I want at home.

5. Boomerang Bay - would it be worth it to take out of my one day at the park to go to boomerang bay? Is it significantly different from ours?

Thanks to anyone who answers my questions

[flightoffear1996]

1. I really hate questions like this since its impossible to tell. It depends on weather and park events.

2. Intamador and afterburn would be the only must ride coaster for me.

3. You could try it.

4. Never even been on one at Kings Island

5. I love water parks so I would.

[CoastersRZ]

Carowinds is a fun park. All the days I have visited it, the crowds have been on the lighter side (I visited opening day when Intimidator opened, and the longest we had to wait for the ride that day was twenty minutes). Afterburn is a really fun ride, and one of the best B&M inverted coasters I`ve been on. Don`t miss Hurler, it is a fun little ride (as is Ricochet). Vortex is a nice little standup from B&M as well.

When you go down there, don`t forget to ride the Flying Eagles ride that used to be at Kings Island. It is a must ride!

Carowinds is a really nice park. Their water park is surrounded by Thunder Road and more "integrated" into their park. Enjoy your trip, and share with us how you liked the park.

[ohiocolts]

Is our Flying Eagles the Woodstock Gliders at Carowinds? I was wondering because i'm going too. http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24980-carowinds-advice-and-crowds/page__hl__carowinds__fromsearch__1

[The Interpreter]

They are indeed.

And fun they are.

Snap!

[CoastersRZ]

And they actually let you snap the cables, hence the Snap! comment from The Interpreter.

They are a really fun ride. Its still ashame that they had to be moved from our park.

[kblanken]

They also encourage those in line to shout out which Woodstock is flying the highest, so the crowd interaction is fun too.

One unfortunate thing at Carowinds, at least in previous years, is the quality of the fries. Don't expect to get really good cheesy fries. The kind they had wasn't the same as Kings Island.

Also, it felt like Intimidator didn't have as much airtime as Diamondback, especially on the second hill where it turns at the top. It is still a fun ride though.

The viking boat ride swings all the way around, if you like that kind of ride.

[CoastersRZ]

Yeah. I was not all that impressed with Intimidator. It was a fun ride, I just found it to not be quite as fun as what Diamondback was. It did have a little bit less air time than what Diamondback has. The one thing that Diamondback has going for it is the site and surroundings is a lot nicer than waht Intimidator is; it straddles the parking lot for its entire run.

[WOF Guy]

Afterburn is my number one steel coaster. Definitely ride it.

As for the souvenir cup; I have heard that Carowinds has a more strict policy regarding refills. At one time they supposedly required a current year sticker to be visible on the bottle in order for it to be eligible for a refill. If they're not willing to refill their own cups from previous years I don't expect they will knowingly refill a cup from another park.

On the other hand, if your 2011 KI cup is the blue WindSeeker design you could be in luck. It's very likely that Carowinds will sell a near identical cup for 2012. If they do end up using that design, I think you could easily get away with a few refills.

[CoastersRZ]

Of course what has been done in past years may not necessarily hold true for this season. Remember, there is a different CEO this year, and the way things have been done in the past does not necessarily mean things will be done the same way this season.

[homestar92]

And all this time I thought the KD Flying Eagles were ours. I'll definitely have to give it a go then. Also, could someone explain the "snapping" Phenomenon that seems to be all the rage in these parts? I've never ridden a flying eagles, so I'm not sure what you mean by that.

[TOPGUN1993]

[CoastersRZ]

To put it in verbal terms, "snapping" refers to getting your tub to fly in a manner where it stalls out. In other words, you get some slack in the cables. When the cables then catch up to the motion of the ride, there is a snapping sound of the cables. Sometimes your tub is jolted upwards as your tub is yanked by the cables.

Flying Eagles are an incredibly fun ride. A ride that is still sorely missed from Kings Island all these years later after its removal.

[gad198]

The WindSeekers are worth doing at other parks IMO. I've been on the ones at KI, Cedar Point and Knotts and they've all offered different experiences. The actual 'ride' experience is the same on each but the unique surroundings of each area make them interesting enough to make it worth it.

As mentioned previously, Afterburn, Intimidator and the Gliders are the only must-do rides in the park apart from the Arrow coasters you mentioned. Carolina Cobra is perhaps the best boomerang around so it's worth a spin if the line is short enough.