It was a rainy day, but the Carolina Cobra media day had a positive feel and pointed to a bright future for Carowinds. The event was attended by the local media, park officials, live snakes, and some Nick characters. A local cover band played a few crowd-pleasers while Dora, Diego, and the Rugrats entertained guests. Next, the park addressed the media. Then, an official ribbon cutting was followed by the ‘Cobra’s first run with guests.
Carolina Cobra Mini Review – The Ride
I got a seat towards the middle on the first train open to the public. Immediately, I noticed the new restraints. They have fleixble straps that reminded me of backpack straps. Then, on top of those were the larger, sturdy over-the-shoulder restraints. The main difference of these restraints from your typical restraints were their width. They were much further away from the sides 
of your head. This makes any head banging that often occurs during the loops nearly impossible. Which in effect makes this Vekoma Boomerang more enjoyable. Aside from that, it was a pretty standard boomerang shuttle coaster.
The average park-goer should really enjoy the park’s new 12th coaster. The train is pulled backwards out of the station up a 120′ tall lift hill. At the top, the train is released. It plummets back down the lift and through the station. Then it enters the cobra roll which includes two back-to-back inversions. Next, the train traverses a standard vertical loop and then it climbs the other lift hill. At the top of this lift hill, the train is released again and now traverses the course backwards. It’s compact, but turns riders upside down six times in the matter of just a few minutes. Taking that vertical loop backwards on the way back to the station is still a weird sensation to me and I’ve been on a number of boomerang coasters in my travels.
Coaster Geek Analysis
Sure, Carolina Cobra is a relocated Vekoma Boomerang from Geauga Lake, but it’s an interesting addition for a number of reasons. It’s the only Vekoma Boomerang for at least 300 miles, so the locals aren’t likely to have experienced anything like it. The closest one that I know is in Southern Georgia at Wild Adventures. Also, Cedar Fair put some money into ‘Cobra in a new paint job and most importantly that brand new train. As soon as there was buzz about the the coaster heading to Carowinds, I speculated that the Cedar Fair could surprise us by giving it new trains. I had hoped for lap bar restraints, but this still shows that the park is interested in the quality and rideability of the ride even though it’s recycled. The new restraints make Carolina Cobra the best Vekoma Boomerang you’re likely to find anywhere.
Cobra Points to a Bright Future for Carowinds
While this isn’t the largest coaster at the park and doesn’t set any new world records, it does signal that Cedar Fair is ready to invest in Carowinds. With the 2010 coaster rumors already swirling around the Net and the many other park improvements, all signs point to Cedar Fair giving Carowinds more love than the the previous owners, Paramount. Dani Swords, Public Relations Manager for Carowinds, stated that Carowinds is in one of only two growth markets (Charlotte, NC) in the whole Cedar Fair chain. The other is Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto which received the impressive Behemoth hyper coaster in 2008. She mentioned that Cedar Fair will be looking to invest especially in these markets because that’s where they can see the most potential.
See all my pictures from the Media Day including my onride photo on The Coaster Critic Facebook page.
What’s Your Take?
Have you ridden Carolina Cobra yet? Are you looking forward to Carolina Cobra? Leave a comment below. Picture 3 courtesy of Carowinds Connection.
April 16, 2009 at 09:43
I rode carolina cobra opening weekend and it was awesome. With its smooth ride and new restraints it is now my second favorite ride.
April 19, 2009 at 18:56
Yep Brandon. It's a lot more enjoyable when you don't have to worry about your head being banged into the restraints.
August 5, 2009 at 21:48
I rode the Carolina Cobra when it was Head Spin at Geauga Lake. This was and still is my daughter's favorite.
August 25, 2010 at 18:36
There's a coaster called Corkscrew at Genting Highlands theme park in Malaysia with these same new Vekoma trains.. Its a Vekoma Corkscrew with Bayerncurve. The new trains make the ride so much more smoother compared to the originals. I have some pictures of one of the original trains that were kind of abandoned.. Heres a link to the pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043373&… . Genting Highlands also has a mine train, A custom Zamperla Powered Coasters(One indoor and one outdoor), A Zamperla Volare and a Pinfari Zyklon Z40 with some other flat rides…
September 4, 2012 at 01:34
I rode this on my first visit to Carowinds this summer. No head banging into the new restraints, but it did bang my head back into the headrest / seat. It was "one and done." At least it was better than Carolina Cyclone, the old Arrow looper (which I did not enjoy). The most notable thing from my ride was watching someone barf when they went down the exit ramp, fortunately they went over the side of the path, not in the path or on the train. Sorry to mention this.
Intimidator was a lot of fun, although not as much as Skyrush. Afterburn was the most intense in the park and had short to no lines. Vortex was OK but Georgia Scorcher was far better designed.
January 13, 2013 at 20:17
They had a media day for a boomerang! Thats mighty PR
January 20, 2013 at 06:11
Almost every new roller coaster gets a media day. They're news worthy to the general public and worth promoting by the parks after investing a good bit of money even in the small ones.