The day started abruptly with a 6:30am fire alarm at the Courtyard Marriott. In what turned out to be a blessing, we were able to get an early start by grabbing breakfast and heading to lineup at the park gate. We arrived around 8:20am for the 9am park opening and took our place in line among the group of approximately 40 other diehards.
When they opened the gate (shortly after 8:40am), the race to the parking booth was on. It was hilarious to see all the minivans and tiny sedans loaded down with 5+ family members jockeying for position.
After racing to our parking spot in the front row of the lot, we made our way to the park entrance to pick-up season passes.
We headed straight for Copperhead Strike, the new for 2019 attraction. After a short wait (with Fast Lane), we got our first ride in the front row. We ended up doing it once more later on in the back, but I definitely preferred the front on this coaster. Fun launches, awesome hangtime–it is a great new addition to the park and I am excited to get back on it again later this season.
The rest of the day was a pretty typical visit to Carowinds: minimal lines and a healthy amount of rerides. The only coaster we missed this trip was Afterburn (yes, we even hit Nighthawk). That was a bummer as Afterburn is my second favorite in the park behind Fury. Definitely gives us something to be excited about for next visit though.
Texas-Ranger Travels 