News Project 2027/Otter: "Record-Breaking Water Ride"

[BlackWeird]

Pffff vortex is fine. I say the entire area by fury needs a refresh. Absolutely hideous area. The fury plaza is nice but it feels like paramount slop era stuff still yk. Idk how to fully describe it.

Thrill Zone is a really unfortunate area, I think it bares the scars of having originally been Wayne’s World and then losing the licensing after the CF acquisition. When it first opened, it was one of the most well-themed areas in the park and the warehouse station made sense for Hurler since it was themed to a live movie set. Now, it just looks like a mishmash of vague 50’s/60’s and 90’s theming and no one can tell what the hell is going on.

I think, and maybe with the entrance for the new flume being moved closer to Fury, that there’s an opportunity to refresh this area. The name “Timber Hallow” was trademarked, presumably for the new area w/ the flume, but I’d like to see Thrill Zone transformed into something like Rockville at Fiesta Texas.

Turn it into something rock and roll themed, which might be vague for the Carolinas, but I think there’s an opportunity to add a lot more neon lights and music motifs that could make the area feel more cohesive with Fury. Maybe even give an excuse for them to do a Gravity Group treatment of Hurler, make the warehouse more visually appealing.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

Pffff vortex is fine.

 

[Tacky3663]

I am deeply disappointed I have to go near Vortex still to access Fury 325. Very unfortunate.

I am disappointed anybody still has to go near Vortex for any reason whatsoever

 

[CoasterBroCam]

That whole area is just bleugh to me. Hurler, Ricochet and Vortex are massive eyesores. Cyclone and Fury are the only rides in that area that look pleasing to the eye.

 

[Tacky3663]

That whole area is just bleugh to me. Hurler, Ricochet and Vortex are massive eyesores. Cyclone and Fury are the only rides in that area that look pleasing to the eye.

Could bulldoze that whole area and put a new themed area with a major coaster and nobody would care.

 

[GASM]

I am disappointed anybody still has to go near Vortex for any reason whatsoever

I went on it because I didn’t find Georgia Scorcher overly offensive, mostly due to it being a short ride, and thought that maybe I’d feel the same about Vortex.

I still dislike Green Lantern and Rougarou much more, but Vortex still made the cut for my bottom 15. What an awful little torture device.

 

[CarolinaCoasters]

It was looking to be a bright year at Carowinds, but I really think these new plans are going to backfire. They’re keeping the service road, so for the majority of the ride, you’ll be looking at unkempt trees for the first couple of years and the backsides of buildings. I still firmly believe that this year will be the last for Vortex. I also noticed that they are keeping the old Scrambler plot, which is just another eyesore. Additionally, they scratched the plans for a new restaurant, which would have added a nice and genuinely pleasing seating area. The entrance for the ride is located on a narrow pathway that can easily become congested, and this area has barely any room for expansion. Another complaint I have is that they should have taken this opportunity to eliminate the service road. I’ve said it for years: we have one of the worst entry plazas in the world. The paint is faded on the buildings, there’s a temporary and cheap-looking stage with inadequate lighting fixtures, and when you walk over the bridge, you expect to see something other than a plain old asphalt service road. In short, little things like this are going to make Carowinds fail to boost attendance and instead demonstrate a lack of quality, which could lead to a decline in visitors. This park is slowly transforming into a true Six Flags park, not a Cedar Fair park—except for the back of the park, which is beautiful. But that’s not the quality people are receiving, and it simply isn’t going to provide the experience Carowinds has previously offered!

 

[Caleb Coasters 325]

The park is now on its 3rd set of revisions for the project.

The new pathway from Carousel Park to Fury325 is no more, the only access into the new area will be from Fury325 plaza.

2nd turntable following the backwards drop has had a modification to its covering / maintenance building.


Everything else otherwise is identical, it appears that they want to move forward with this new attraction.

View attachment 39236

Can you link where you found this updated site plan? I can't find anything. Also Carowinds Fans Only on facebook recently shared updated site pics and it looks like equipmement is off site which is not a good sign.

 

[CarolinaCoasters]

Can you link where you found this updated site plan? I can't find anything. Also Carowinds Fans Only on facebook recently shared updated site pics and it looks like equipmement is off site which is not a good sign.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I looked a little more into this and saw that the project was marked as complete. I’m not an expert in this field, and this could mean nothing, but I don’t think it’s looking too great for this project…

 

[Caleb Coasters 325]

Look I can understand cancelling a project that is in early stages and/or hasn't broken ground yet. However, cancelling a project that was basically broken ground on last fall and was well underway all summer with footers being poured is just straight up incompetence! The project has to have at least been partially paid for and backing out of that project last minute can lead to a bad relationship with contractors. Hopefully worse case scenario it is delayed until 2027, but I'm not giving up on this still happening next year quite yet.

 

[CoasterBroCam]

So... What happens now? We have an ugly area with cleared out land and an empty plot where scrambler used to be. Are they just gonna leave it as it is?

 

[Caleb Coasters 325]

Ok so I found a link to the site with the original site plans on a reddit thread from several months ago and on the attachments part there is a "Final Design" that was uploaded on July 30th, but there's no accessible link on it.

 

[Zachary]

Is there a reason people suddenly think this project has been cancelled? Work vehicles being removed some the site for a couple days and a permit being marked complete shouldn't send people running to that conclusion.

Assume everything is progressing as planned unless we see some really good evidence over a long window of time suggesting otherwise. Turning a project off at this stage would be a major upset and is highly unlikely.

 

[CarolinaCoasters]

Is there a reason people suddenly thing this project has been cancelled? Work vehicles being removed some the site for a couple days and a permit being marked complete shouldn't sent people running to that conclusion.

Assume everything is progressing as planned unless we see some really good evidence over a long window of time suggesting otherwise. Turning a project off at this stage would be a major upset and is highly unlikely.

If we're being realistic, Carowinds has not teased anything, not even an emoji resembling water or timber, which is surprising. My biggest concern is the fact that they haven’t just removed machinery; they also took out parts that were supposed to be used for finishing the footers, which Carowinds has not completed. It’s likely that Six Flags made a big mistake by announcing these attractions ahead of time, thinking the chain would bring in much more revenue. I believe what’s happening is that they simply cannot fund all the previously announced additions, which has led to the decision to delay the replacement for the King Da Ka. Right now, they have about 50% of the footers done, and I suspect that Carowinds is at a similar stage. I don’t think this is just a Carowinds issue. I believe we’re about to face significant delays at several parks, including Carowinds, Kings Island (which seems to be replacing it with something smaller, like whatever they’re doing with Boo Blasters), Magic Mountain, and of course, Great Adventure. And I can’t even begin to address the negative press they’ll receive if all these attractions are delayed. It's already problematic with the press surrounding the parks that are closed during the haunt season and winter.

 

[GAcoaster]

If this is a Mack ride (most likely) the cost shot up because of tariffs, just like Great Adventure's announced addition. Costs going up is a valid reason to postpone a new ride.

 

[wasteman]

Why do you think this is Mack? I think it’s much more likely this is Whitewater West.

 

[Tacky3663]

Why do you think this is Mack? I think it’s much more likely this is Whitewater West.

Oh yeah. WWW does flume rides, I forgot about that lol

 

[wasteman]

Also one thing I wanted to point out in terms of the construction timeline, there’s no reason to expect this to be ready opening day. Charlotte is generally in the 60s in March, not hot enough for them to want this ready for. I’d imagine they’re aiming for a May or maybe even June opening, so I don’t think them pausing construction this far back is a big deal at all.

 

[Thrills & Chills WQAQ]

i actually like standups xd

 

[Nomrah]

I know some with more detailed knowledge of the inner workings of theme parks could provide some insight, but I'm wondering if the timing of the announcement was delayed from the typical August announcement as Six Flags had already announced that Gold Level memberships would provide access to all of the six flags parks earlier in the month. That way, they could generate a surge in season pass purchases two times in 2025. Once with the season pass announcement, and then another surge when they announce the new ride in 2026. Or I could just be over thinking it and they are really delaying the project....