When to queue
Go at 9am.
- Typical wait at 9am
- 0min
- At 3pm, its worst hour
- 18min
Carowinds
Vortex wait times
- Typical wait
- 14min
- At its busiest
- 22min
- Shortest queue
- 8pm
- Running
- 78%
14minTypical wait
A typical day, opening to close
Vortex at Carowinds averages 14 minutes. It is shortest at 8pm and worst at 3pm. It has run 78% of the park's opening hours recently.
Vortex queue times, day by day
Every reading through the day, against what Vortex usually does at that hour. Pick another day underneath.
Vortex over recent weeks
Typical waits from this ride's own recorded readings
Vortex has averaged about 14 minutes of queue across its recorded readings, peaking around 22 minutes, with the longest queues near 3pm, and the shortest near 8pm. Pick a date below to see that day minute by minute.
- Typical
- 14min
- Peak
- 22min
- Running
- 78%
- Busiest at
- 3pm
Last 8 days, tap one
Which day
Pick a Wednesday.
- Typical wait on a Wednesday
- 0min
- On a Saturday
- 34min
Does Vortex break down?
Now and then.
It was running 78% of the time Carowinds was open over the last two weeks, so it was down about 13 minutes in every opening hour.
- Running, share of opening hours
- 78%
- Queue readings recorded
- 3,614
The record
120 minutes.
The longest queue Vortex has held, on Saturday 17 October.
Every ride at Carowinds →When is the Vortex queue shortest?
Usually at 9am, about 0 minutes, against 18 at 3pm. Turning up at the right hour saves 18 minutes on a single ride.
Vortex queue times by hour
Typical wait, last 90 days · minutes
09a
210a
1011a
1612p
151p
92p
183p
164p
105p
76p
137p
38p
99p
1010p
811p
Walk on under 10 minShort 10-19 minModerate 20-34 minLong 35-59 minVery long 60 min and up
Best time to ride Vortex
9am on a Wednesday
Vortex averages 0 minutes at 9am. The longest queue it has ever held is 120 minutes.
14maverage
Which day is quietest for Vortex?
Wednesday, at 0 minutes on average, against 34 on Saturday.
Vortex by day of the week
8 days with a recorded queue
- Wed0m
- Thu5m
- Fri17m
- Sat34m
- Sun6m
Does Vortex break down?
It ran 81% of Carowinds's opening hours across 8 recorded days, and is improving. It ran without a recorded stop on Wednesday 21 Oct.
Uptime and closures
81% of opening hours · 8 days recorded
↑ improving81%
Average
Running 81% of the minutes Carowinds was open.
Each square is one day, its share of opening hours running. Tap a day to open it above.
How long can the Vortex queue get?
The worst queue recorded for Vortex was 120 minutes on Saturday 17 Oct.
Longest Vortex queues on record
Peaks in the last 14 days · Every one a real date
- 1Saturday 17 Oct120m
- 2Friday 9 Oct45m
- 3Friday 16 Oct10m
- 4Sunday 18 Oct10m
- 5Saturday 10 Oct5m
- 6Sunday 11 Oct5m
- 7Thursday 15 Oct5m
Which months are busiest for Vortex?
March runs longest at 29 minutes on average, and November is quietest at 6.
Vortex through the year
All-time average by month · minutes
6Nov
29Mar
29Apr
14May
9Jun
12Jul
9Aug
10Sep
15Oct
About Vortex
Vortex is one of 37 rides tracked at Carowinds, 15th longest of 37 by usual wait. It queues about 14 minutes on a typical day, about the same as the 14-minute park average.
Vortex has averaged about 14 minutes of wait over recent weeks, and is typically busiest around 3pm and quietest around 8pm. Over the last two weeks it has been open around 78% of the park's operating hours. It's typically quietest on Thursdays and busiest on Saturdays.
How we measure
- Readings
- The queue time Carowinds publishes for this ride, read every few minutes while the park is open.
- By hour
- This ride's own last 90 days, within opening hours.
- Day by day
- Its last 14 days.
- Running
- The share of the park's open minutes the ride was running.
Frequently asked
What's the current wait time for Vortex?
The live wait time for Vortex at Carowinds is shown at the top of this page and refreshed directly from the park's own ride system. Check live Vortex wait times.
Is Vortex open right now?
The live status badge at the top of this page shows whether Vortex is open or closed right now - it updates automatically from Carowinds's own ride system. Over the last couple of weeks, Vortex has been open around 78% of Carowinds's operating hours. You can also see the live status of every ride at Carowinds.
What's the best time of day to ride Vortex?
Based on historical wait time data, Vortex is typically quietest around 8pm. For most rides the queue is shortest in the first hour after the park opens and the last hour before it closes, with midday through mid-afternoon the busiest window.
What is the best day to ride Vortex?
Vortex is usually quietest on Thursdays, and busiest on Saturdays based on recent weeks - visit on a Thursday for shorter waits.
How long is the line for Vortex usually?
Over recent weeks, Vortex has averaged about 14 minutes, with lines usually longest around 3pm. Wait times usually build through the morning, peak from midday to mid-afternoon, then ease off before close. Weekends and school holidays run noticeably longer than quiet weekdays. This page shows today's live wait time, the day's average, hourly breakdowns and the full history of peak lines for Vortex at Carowinds.
Is Vortex often closed or broken down?
Over the last two weeks, Vortex has been running about 78% of the time. We track Vortex's uptime and downtime automatically - see the "Reliability" and "Downtime History" panels on this page for its full record over the last 30 days, including any current closures and how long they've lasted.
Where can I find Vortex at Carowinds?
Vortex is at Carowinds - see the park map and full ride list for its exact location. The Carowinds page also shows which rides nearby have the shortest lines right now.
Can I get wait time alerts for Vortex?
Yes - create a free alert and we'll notify you when Vortex's wait time drops below your chosen threshold (for example, "tell me when Vortex is under 20 minutes"). Great for timing your sprint from across the park.
More rides at Carowinds
Other rides at Carowinds
Crowd calendar · Best time to visit · Best rides · Ride reliability · Plan a day