Paramount's Carowinds : March 31, 2002

I went to Carowinds yesterday, and since the last time I've been there (2000), I was really surprised by some of the changes that have taken place.

The North Entrance has been totally made over, from old wooden style buildings, to modern stucco ones, and the addition of some new shops and food places.

The Skytower has also changed, as it now has shades of blue and stars going up the tower.

The biggest change of all is Carolina Boardwalk, which has done away with the Blue Ridge area. I must say that Carowinds did a good job themeing this area, with everything from Nautical themed objects, to Carolina beach music (which I'm not a very big fan of, but hey) Ricochet was my first wild mouse coaster, and I was surprised. It was very quick, and I under-estimated the power of the hairpin turns. Those things are powerful! :)

Since no one was at the park, every single ride was a walk on, except Ricochet, which was the only line at the park. Heck, they made a regular announcement in every station that if no one was in the line for your car, then you didn't have to get out! Got Top Gun 12 times (8 times on the front row), got Hurler 8 times (6 front row, 2 very back row), got Carolina Cyclone 2 (once in front, once in back), got Drop Zone a whopping 14 times (I got over my fear of freefall rides :) yes!) Got Vortex once (very harsh coaster). Thunder Road was not operating that day. The ride operators were giving small children candy on Goldrusher, which I thought was a tremendous touch of generosity since it was Easter.

The day was awesome until 2'oclock.

I was taking pictures (which I intend on posting) and the park's Tornado sirens started going off. They made us get in the Action FX Theatre arcade, where we waited for 1 1/2 hours. The sky got very dark, and the tornado was about 10 miles from the park, according to park officials. Very scary. They made us leave, said the best time to evacuate is now. They shut down everything. First time I've seen part of a park go without power. So we left.

I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the way Carowinds staff handeled a situation where people were starting to panic. They handeled it with a serious attitude, but still kept the guests comfortable and calm. Good Job Guys!

Of the whole day, I was incredibly impressed with Carowinds. Between the way the staff handeled the tornado sirens and how they gave children candy, I was just blown away at how much Carowinds has changed. Gone are the days of unfriendly staff, and that bad smell near the Powderkeg Flume :) I have every intention of returning to this park many times this season. I give it a perfect 10 out of 10.

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"Enjoy your record-breaking ride on Millennium Force"

So let's see. I'm going to North Carolina soon and there was a tornado nearby? And they just had several tornados in Texas, another state I'll be riding coasters in. Scary stuff.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.

I was considering heading to the park after that storm passed, but I guess its a good thing I didn't since it was closed. Glad you had fun at the park even with that incident. I made my second visit to the park this season today, and I'll post my trip report soon. Since you are a fellow Carolinian I will point this out to you: www.carolinacoasters.tk

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|| Jonathan Hawkins ||
http://www.starcoasters.com
http://www.thrillspot.com

I was at PKI once, about 9:30 p.m., when they made everyone leave due to a tornado being close. I was on the Beast at the time of the announcement, and by the time I got off, there was nobody in the park. It was quite a scary moment.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

I too appreciated the kind ride ops there when I went on the 23rd. They did a great job with the lines, and I really enjoyed the early season pass rides. Oddly enough it was my first visit since '86! Glad you got through the day unscathed :)
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Brad Sherman
Don't.....look.....back! The Headless Horseman awaits you in 2002!
Model coasters and rides

Thanks to a business trip, I was able to visit Carowinds for the first time 3/29. Too bad, it was a solo trip for me but I did have a good time. You have to love the rerides. I was able to hit all the coasters numerous times in less than 2 hours. Since CP is my home park, I anxious to ride Top Gun and see how it compares to Raptor. I still like Raptor's helix but Top Gun is definitely worth riding. Overall the park was well maintained and the staff outstanding. My husband wants to go on the next trip....we'll see :)

I remember being there several times while they were testing the sirens & stuff. I need to get over to PC, it's not too much a drive for me to get to Charlotte, it's just one of those rides that seems longer than it needs to be.......

.....haven't been there since '95, & we used to go several times a season. My burnout has turned into longing.

Let me tell you this though, if you are ever there when the sirens go off because there is an actual tornado, stay where you are near the midway, park officials will come get you. I witnessed them stopping Top Gun's lift hill at the bottom, unlocking harnesses, and having people run into our shelter...freaky stuff.

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"Enjoy your record-breaking ride on Millennium Force"