Photogenic but far from phenomenal, Arrow loopers are more or less a one and done for me. I can't hold it against Carolina Cyclone that it topped Corkscrew's three inversions with what was then a world breaking four back in the day as Corkscrew ain't too much fun anymore and neither is this. And with these coasters more isn't always such a great thing.
Still, I can't help but give these old school throwbacks a spin when I see em. Carolina Cyclone gets points for going over the midway, too, just like Cedar Point's Corkscrew. (Can you tell I grew up going to Cedar Point?) Not all of these Arrow loopers go over the Midway (tssk tssk Valleyfair and Michigan's Adventure) and it is such a cool added element.
With a name like Cyclone and its aforementioned age it's probably no surprise to hear this coaster is a bit bumpy. Really only the two teardrop inversions are the somewhat uncomfortable parts of this ride for me but there was a whole peanut gallery of complainants on my train. I tipped the two gals behind me on my method of holding my head slightly forward from the headrest on the brake run as they pissed and moaned about the achiness they felt but of course it was a moot point by then as it didn't sound like they were planning a reride. I don't know where all the vocal critics were on Vortex. It's far worse than Carolina Cyclone. To me this coaster is clunky but mostly harmless- but also really not all that fun. If a company figures out how to replicate this classic look but make it a smoother and more thrilling modern coaster they'd probably make out like bandits going around and replacing these museum pieces. read more