Carowinds with Coaster Crew/KD/BGW/CP roadtrip TR

[malem]

This past week (July 17-22, 2015), three members from here (exscream team, marth555 and I) took a roadtrip from the tri-state area to attend the "Coaster Crew Gets Fury-ous" event at Carowinds. We added Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Camden Park at some point, making this the first big "coaster trip" for any of us. Since we were an odd number group, we joined with fellow Coaster Crew member Rodney to make four on Saturday; enthusiast events are great for finding people to ride with.

A huge thanks to everyone at Carowinds for going above and beyond in welcoming The Coaster Crew. ERT was way more than generous for a group of our size (96), the catered meal was delicious (with service hours graciously extended when we arrived early), and a rotating message on the front gate sign made us feel welcome from the moment we arrived. They even surprised us with free Fast Lane Plus!

Also, thanks to Andy (exscream team) and Logan (marth555) for coming along even though we had a smaller group than originally intended. The long, hot days did get to us a bit, but overall we had a great time. Save for some large debris on a North Carolina freeway after dark. But that's a story for another day.

Heat index readings above 100°F resulted in minimal waits (except on Saturday, when we had Fast Lane Plus), so we did a lot of riding and went through many complimentary water cups. Each park (and most rides) exceeded my expectations; I highly recommend visiting them all. This was my first visit to Carowinds, Kings Dominion and Camden Park, and it was my first since 2004 to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

 

 

Part II coming soon.

[malem]

Part II: Coaster Crew Gets Fury-ous at Carowinds

I was more than a little excited pulling onto Carowinds Blvd for the first time; Andy told me that I looked like a kid on Christmas, which was probably about right. The park and the event were fantastic.

For another hour or so, Thunder Road is excellent. The classic layout is fun, well-placed pops of airtime provide an effective "out of control" feeling, and the head chopper into the brake shed is a great finale. Perhaps tellingly, it was a walk-on all day on a crowded Saturday of its second-to-last weekend. I'm sad to see it go tonight.

Fury 325 is visually stunning and fun to ride - especially at night. Lots of speed, very re-rideable, forceful turns, and plenty of length - including airtime hills characteristic of hyper coasters. I've seen mixed reviews among enthusiasts, but I place it among my favorites.

Woodstock Gliders ("our" Flying Eagles) were even better than I remembered. We rode many times, amusing the ride operator who kept calling out our numbers as the "highest flyers". Word of advice: don't snap so hard that you hit your head on the back of the glider.

Afterburn was another of my favorites. With its less forceful layout, it's a very different experience than Banshee (or even Raptor). The rest of the coaster line-up is impressive as well; Carolina Cyclone, Nighthawk and Carolina Goldrusher are must-rides. Hurler was the only disappointment; I found the ride overly rough and without much excitement.

Again, Carowinds really went out of their way to make the Coaster Crew group feel welcome - much appreciated after a long drive. We walked into the entrance plaza to be greeted on the video board above the front gate, and we were quickly presented with VIP lanyards and Fast Lane Plus wristbands. The tour of Thunder Road was excellent; they walked us back further than they had to, and park maintenance staff answered as many of our questions as they could. Especially interesting was learning about the rebuilding and extensive maintenance that has continued into this season, keeping Thunder Road in great shape through its last day of operation.

Our catered Carolina-style barbecue dinner was also excellent, with plenty of beef brisket, barbecue chicken quarters, side dishes, and a decorated Thunder Road legacy cake. We also ate at Harmony Hall with our platinum dining plans; I highly recommend the barbecue ribs and the pizza.

Night ERT was even better than we anticipated. As a relatively small group with Fury 325 and a highly-efficient crew to ourselves for almost an hour, Coaster Crew members got as many night rides as they could want. To top it all, Carowinds GM Mike Fehnel joined the group for several rides with enthusiasts. To close out the event, Logan and I managed to snag a back-row zen ride on the last train of the night. Overall, a great day at a great park!

We returned for a few hours on Sunday to get a few more rides on Fury, marathon the scooters (which lack a Fast Lane queue), and take our last rides on Thunder Road. Then we were off to Kings Dominion. (See part III.)

 

[marth555]

You wouldnt know from the looks on our faces but we had a great time at this event

 

Random thoughts

You said you werent going to bring up the debris in the trip report

We really should have got a group picture near the Carowinds sign or the NC/SC border sign

Many thanks to Coaster Crew and the park for an amazing event (it was my first enthusiast event and Im not sure if it can be topped)

Fury is still by far the best coaster ive been on and I dont know if that back row zen ride (which we didnt ever notice it was until heading up the lift hill) will ever be topped

Afterburn which we rode a few more times on Monday is on the same level as Banshee if not better

Nighthawk is great

Carolina Cobra is by no means a must ride

The girl working the Gliders made a great ride even better (left her a compliment at guest services )

Oh and were famous now http://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/article27699295.html

Edit I now remember riding Fury in light rain

[malem]

Thanks for posting more pictures; I didn't end up taking many.

Carolina Cobra is by no means a must ride

Oops, I meant to type Carolina Cyclone. Fixed.

It was nice to ride Carolina Cobra again for nostalgic reasons (it came from Geauga Lake), but it's not one of the park's must-ride attractions - especially if the line is long.

[marth555]

I was pretty sure you didnt mean to say Cobra and I found those pics on Facebook

[jsus]

The girl working the Gliders made a great ride even better (left her a complement at guest services )

 

If we're gonna be correcting people, you mean compliment.

 

complement noun |ˈkämpləmənt |

1 a thing that completes or brings to perfection

 

compliment noun |ˈkämpləmənt |

 

a polite expression of praise or admiration

 

[marth555]

That is indeed what I meant to say

[malem]

^^^ In that case, don't forget to get permission (ask for it or check for a permissive license) and provide credit to whoever took the picture.

[BB1]

Thanks for the BB sign photo!

[exscream team]

When I get some time I'll have to write up a trip report and post some pictures from the trip.

[teenageninja]

I was at Carowinds on Saturday and even though it was REALLY hot, I found the park to be pretty quiet.  The longest wait of the day was in the Bay for Dorsal Fin Drop and it was about 35 minutes.

 

Walked onto Nighthawk, Thunder Road, Vortex, Hurler, and Carolina Cyclone.  Waited about 25 minutes for Fury, Ricochet, and Afterburn; and 35 minutes for Intimidator.

 

All of the queue lines at that park are remarkably small with the exception of Fury and Intimidator.

[malem]

Part III: Kings Dominion

After several long traffic delays, we made it to Kings Dominion just after 8pm on Sunday. I tend to avoid POV videos and "spoilers" of attractions that I have yet to ride, so I particularly enjoyed getting my first taste at night. The park's skyline is stunning after dark, and International Street comes alive with impressively renovated Royal Fountains and a Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular that lives up to its name. The park was lightly crowded Sunday evening, so we warmed up with a dining plan meal & several night rides to prepare for the following (full) day at the park.

I had a great time visiting, partly because Kings Dominion reminds me a lot of Kings Island from when I was younger. Today's Kings Island is great in its own way, but Kings Dominion seems to retain more of the charm that I remember from visiting KI as a child. Majestic music plays on International Street, area theming is pronounced & effective, Antique Cars provide a relaxing escape, and there's no shortage of trees or great-looking landscaping. The ivy tunnel and scooters named "Flying Eagles" were also nice throwbacks.

Much to our delight, the park was dead Monday with the scorching temperatures; nearly all attractions were walk-ons. Even Volcano was sending empty rows in the 9pm hour, and Andy was able to sit in the front row of Shockwave for ~40 minutes without getting off. After a hurried tour of the major attractions, we enjoyed most of the day at a leisurely pace - getting lots of re-rides and drinking plenty of fluids.

As I expected, Volcano was my favorite coaster at Kings Dominion. I actually did watch POV of this in advance, but it doesn't do the ride justice at all. The vertical launch and disorienting, record-breaking inversion make for a unique experience compared to other launch and inverted coasters. Make sure to ride both during the day and at night!

I had yet to ride a TOGO stand-up coaster, having missed out on King Cobra and SkyRider, so Shockwave was one of my bigger motivators for visiting KD in 2015. It might not be for everyone, but it turned out to be one of my favorite rides in the park. For me, it's significantly more comfortable than B&M stand-ups, and the layout is forceful & fun. Airtime hills on a stand-up coaster are (oddly enough) very enjoyable. I am sad to see it go, but I'm glad that I got to ride it plenty of times before it closes for good tonight.

I gave it three chances, but I couldn't enjoy Intimidator 305 at all. For me, the ride starts with a grayout, then I'm slightly lightheaded for the rest of the short (for a >300' coaster) course. For those looking for raw intensity, this might be your ride. But it's not an experience that I find even remotely fun.

Fifteen years after its original debut, Geauga Lake's second-best coaster still impresses at KD. Dominator was a bit nostalgic for me, having last ridden in 2003. The ride is great; the only negative is that unobstructed views of the parking lot are visually jarring compared to the rest of the park.

Luckily, I tend to discount critiques of rides until experiencing them myself. After reading middling reviews of inverting pirate ships and having a not-so-enjoyable experience on Aero 360 at Kennywood, I didn't think that I would enjoy Berserker (or Southern Star at Carowinds). It turns out that I enjoyed them both, and I inexplicably found them less nauseating than Kings Island's non-inverting Viking Fury. Hanging upside down can be a lot of fun.

We were all entertained by The Singing Mushrooms; it's great to see details from the park's past make a return. They draw crowds with shows every 15 minutes, adding a whimsical element to Candy Apple Grove. Andy enjoyed them enough to purchase ~$70 in themed merchandise on the way out of the park.

All in all we had a great time, and I'm already looking forward to a return visit. Kings Dominion went all-out for their 40th anniversary - so much that the celebration is (justifiably) continuing for a second season in 2015. I'm really hoping to see similar investments at Kings Island in future seasons!

A few miscellaneous notes:

• The Crypt was closed both days of our visit. HUSS downtime isn't limited to Ohio.
• KD's Flight of Fear has a smoother ride than KI's in 2015.
• Grizzly is a fun wooden coaster, with airtime and a classic layout in dense woods. Like The Beast, it is best ridden at night.
• Those who think KI's Drop Tower is scary need to ride KD's. The drop is significantly longer, and the open feel of the gondola adds to the thrill.
• The spiel-less ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower seems awkward after frequenting Kings Island. I almost asked a question to break the silence.
• Aside from my personal dislike of I-305, Rebel Yell was the only ride that disappointed us - mainly because we were comparing it to Thunder Road.
• We greatly appreciated that the restrooms were air conditioned.

[Joncars05]

Sounds like you had fun! I visited KD for the first time This year I agree with you on almost every point you had. I-305 is a bit overrated and is almost not enjoyable because of the gray out portion of the ride. Grizzly is a great ride especially at night. FOF is way smoother at KD. Also DT at KD is beyond scary. I literally screamed "please stop, please stop" because the drop is so long and the ride brakes so late it truly is scary! I think the reason why KD scenery feels better than KI scenery is because the trees are more full at KD. That plus the fountains and little things like the singing mushrooms separate KD and KI.

[marth555]

KD at night is very impressive and even though you and Andy kept saying we need a Harmony Hall at KI (which is true) I would rather have the glowing fountains and tower if I had to choose
I loved the grassy tunnels at both parks and really wish we had one at KI.
Antique Cars was very nostalgic even though the ride op at the end was very rude.
Volcano is an amazing ride on every level and is by far the best ride in the park.
I agree with all of your thoughts on Shockwave.
I 305 was alright at best but it was cool to get 2 gigas in 1 day.
Dominator was also a good deal of fun with its huge loop and some suprising airtime after the mcbr.
Even having ridden Shooting Star once before on my 1st Carowinds trip both it and Berserker still manage to frighten me slightly which I cant say for many rides I have done twice.
The silent climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower was so awkward.
Thunder Road was by far the best of the racing woodies.

The tacos we had near the front of the park were by far the worst food of the trip.

Like ive said on here before I havnt riden KIs Boo Blasters since it was Scooby Doo but KDs seemed like it was in good shape and was a fun ride.

I had a great time (even when I was ditched  ) and my only complaints were not getting to ride the Crypt since it was down and being denied a reride on volcano with only 2 people behind us that they were going to let ride. (kinda soured the night)

 

Also It made me laugh that you mentioned Andys mushroom obsession

[malem]

Part IV: BGW.

And I was reminded again that I still need to finish this trip report.

We were one of the first cars at BGW on Tuesday. After a ~10 minute wait at parking tolls, a ~20 minute wait at the front gate, and a ~20 minute wait at the Italy rope drop - we were finally in the park!

With its (relatively) low capacity, Tempesto was the first order of business. It's enjoyable with some good intensity, though it sticks out among the park's world-class coasters as a short ride. It's themed nicely with Festa Italia and overall is a nice addition; I just wouldn't recommend waiting a long time to ride it.

After Tempesto, we walked onto the rest of the park's coasters (minus Verbolten) in the first hour of operation.

• I prefer Diamondback or Intimidator, but Apollo's Chariot is well-worth riding. Impressive first drop, nice views of Roman Rapids, and plenty of airtime.
• Griffon was my first dive coaster, and it didn't disappoint. Riders enjoy a nice view of the Chesapeake Bay in the distance at the holding brakes, and the 10-across floorless trains are an experience themselves.
• Alpengeist isn't quite a Banshee or an Afterburn, but it's enjoyable in its own way. The theming works well, and its low-to-the-ground layout has effective foot chopper elements.
• Loch Ness Monster is still a fantastic ride. Very smooth and comfortable for an Arrow looper. I had forgotten how long the
  helix tunnel

  was.

We slowed down a bit after finishing the coasters. We waited ~30 minutes for Curse of DarKastle as lines started to pick up a bit; the combination of CGI and real set pieces is really impressive - especially for a ride that first opened a decade ago.

We then walked around Germany to see if Verbolten was open (it wasn't), then settled for a very dry (back row) ride on Escape from Pompeii before returning to Germany for lunch at Das Festhaus. It's one of the pricier places to eat in the park, but the authentically German food & the very efficient service make it worth the price. Side substitutions generally aren't possible, so picky eaters might want to go elsewhere. (Most meals are ~$12 without a drink before tax; the very large sampler platter is $15.)

After lunch, an annoyingly persistent storm cell shut down most rides for over 3 hours. Luckily, almost everything had a minimal wait (while open) with the exceptions of DarKastle and Verbolten - again thanks to ~100° heat indices.

While waiting on the storm, we saw one show: Roll Out The Barrel. Though park ownership has changed, and the once-numerous Budweiser carts are gone, this new show is a reminder that the park is still very much in the shadow of a major brewery. The show is enjoyable, albeit very corny; its worth watching while eating at Das Festhaus.

Once rides finally reopened, we made a point to ride Verbolten. This is an amazing ride. I avoided reading much of anything about the ride in advance, so you can imagine my surprise at the

drop table

element. Big Bad Wolf was one of my favorites in 2004, but Verbolten might be better. (Cue the tomatoes.) Ride it more than once during the day (as the experience changes), and don't miss it at night.

After this, we re-rode most of the coasters and also did several non-coaster rides. The log flume is surprisingly good & shouldn't be missed. Mach Tower is much more fun than its relatively short stature might indicate. The Rhine River Cruise is a great change of pace from thrill rides, but be prepared to walk down (& up) about 100 steps to get there (& back). We skipped Roman Rapids, as none of us wanted to be drenched at the Thrill_Biscuit level. (Lesson learned in 2004.)

Later that evening was dinner at Trapper's Smokehouse in France (again very good food; somewhat better value than Das Festhaus with ~$10 meals), dusk/night rides, and shopping at the main gift shop. Overall, BGW is a very impressive park with its well-themed areas and world-class rides. I'm a fan of terrain, so I particularly appreciate how well the park incorporates the Rhine "River" (actually a cleverly-disguised reservoir).
 
Finally, this trip was coming to a close, but not before a last-minute decision to stop at Camden Park. (Part V coming soon. And I'll try not to take a month.)

[IndyGuy4KI]

Thanks for the great PTR/TR. Makes me want to get to KD and Carowinds even more!

[electricsun]

I'm glad Verbolten opened while you were there! It was a favorite in June. Before my visit, I was very much impressed by someone's enthusiasm for the ride and he said there was something completely different about the experience. I then made sure not to read anything about it until after my visit - which was super hard! I rode it twice, with the same theme, but once in the front and once in the back - the back was better for me. 

 

That ride...jeez...it was fun and nothing like I was expecting. There were several texts back and forth that may have included lots of exclamation marks. I can't wait to ride it again soon.