kunpc1

Neither am I Elissa, I'd be pretty blue/purple by 2013! I can't wait to hear the reviews when this opens.

I hope this coaster rides as well as it looks. Hoping for a Europe trip in 2013 and would love to ride a new, INTENSE B&M coaster!

Sounds like a parking deck would be the perfect solution to this parking mess!

I think this is the exact type of theming more water parks need to incorporate. Forget the plain old fiberglass slides, this is something that will definitely catch the eyes of both the enthusiast and the general public.

I made my first visit to SFGAm in 2011. Looks like I'll be visiting all my Chicago-area friends again this year to make a return visit! So who's going to let me spend a couple nights at their place?

Wow. Not surprised though. I remember being blown away by Tomb Raider when it first opened (for an amusement park). The overall ride was intense and the effects were great. I remember riding it 5 times in a row on my first King's Island trip (I LOVE top spins!). When I returned a few years later, after the Crypt transformation, it was such a disappointment. No pre-show, first row chopped off the gondola, no theming/show during the ride and a very weak ride program. I'm really impressed with Cedar Fair's overall park upkeep. They've done a lot of little things around Canada's Wonderland over the past few years. One of the first things noticed was repairing parts of the mountain and getting the top 2 waterfalls working again. I'm glad that is continuing across the entire chain. It's one thing to add tonnes of new rides but a completely other thing to keep up the old while adding new. I'm sure the new paint job will look great when it's done.

There is still quite a bit of electrical that needs to be run along Leviathan's course. They're currently working on the final track alignment. Once that's complete, they'll take the coaster "envelope" around the course to make sure all the clearances are adequate. Once all of these things are complete, they'll be able to start testing. Behemoth started around March 17 (if I remember correctly) so I'd expect Leviathan to start around early-mid March if all goes well (just a month away!). Hopefully the weather continues to hold up the way it has all winter. I'll definitely keep everyone here posted on any updates!

Yes, they're starting by removing the Cyber Central tech theming for the arcade and redoing the building facade. They're also matching the station to the area as well. There will be another large addition or two to the area that will really make it stand out.

The entry plaza is going to look great. They're really going all out to fit this coaster in to the Med theme.

The plan is to let people walk around and under the length of track around the front gate, including the first camelback hill and hammerhead. It's going to offer some awesome photo opportunities!

Now that's a little more encouraging. The retractable trim brakes are explained really well near the end of the first youtube video.

^I'm 6'1", the track is that big. Hopefully they won't be used on a regular basis. They're fully retractable so it's possible to have a completely trimless ride. Jeff and I will let you know what we find out once testing begins.

Hey fellow TPRers! Jeff and I were welcomed up to Canada's Wonderland yesterday for an updated Leviathan construction tour once again. FINALLY after all my updates, I got a nice, sunny day to bring you more pictures of the completed Leviathan. We also had the opportunity to speak with Dineen Beaven, Manager, Public Relations & Special Events. She had lots of info to share about Leviathan and lots of other new things coming to Canada's Wonderland in 2012. For those who didn't see our last update just a few short weeks ago, I've also added in our interview with Peter Switzer, Director, Maintenance & Construction. I've uploaded the picture highlights of the tour here to TPR. More pictures can be found in the gallery over at CWMania. Enjoy! January 23, 2012 update: February 09, 2012 update: What a gorgeous, sunny day to get some great pictures of B&M's first Giga Coaster. The last piece of track was installed just before the final brake run this past Tuesday. Lots of work was being done on the world's longest brake run. It's just like grouting tile at home, just on a much LARGER scale (yes, this is being done by hand on each individual footer). They really have done a great job matching the theme of the area with the station. The roof is almost done. Unfortunately, no Cedar Point construction workers caught in this corner, but the stone walls look great! In just a few months, a ride op will be in that framed booth yelling "CLEAR!" Goodbye Cyber Central... Hello Leviathan's future photo shop. I can't believe how much open space there is now that the large planter is gone and Rising Waters has been moved to the side. Who needs a gym membership when you can just take the stairs? Now that the final track pieces have been connected, poor Dragon Fire looks even smaller than I remember. Dragon Fire may be an oldie, but it's a goodie even with Leviathan towering above. What goes up... Must come down! That first barrel roll / overbank turn sure looks twisty. I can't wait to take this small speed hill at over 80mph! Hopefully there will be lots of airtime on the first camelback hill. Lots of electrical work still to be done. This is for the magnetic trim on the first camelback hill. These trims will be silent but deadly. Is that an inclined loop I see? Nope, just a BIG hammerhead. More twistiness near the front gate heading back to the station. I'll have a side of Leviathan with my lunch please. It gets REALLY close to the picnic area just outside the front gate. The second camelback hill. Hopefully this trim stays wide open for more airtime. I think pictures make this hill look more drawn-out than it really is. One last bit of twisty track before the brakes. Looking back at the final turn and drop before the brakes. It's been an awesome experience following the construction of Leviathan. This is one big coaster that makes a great first impression when arriving at the park. Jeff decided he would help with the track alignment by pushing on the supports. Phew... It's a LONG walk from one end of the course to the other. I think I'll just take a break here for a bit. See you all next time!

The official blog has been updated as well: leviathan.canadaswonderland.com/public/latest/blog/2012/2/8/Last_Piece_of_the_Puzzle.cfm

Oh the Symphony of Fire... What an AMAZING event that use to be. After banning Benson and Hedges from sponsoring the event, I believe it was completely shut down for a year or two. It returned for a couple years but went from weeks of fireworks to just 3 or 4 nights. I don't think it's been held at all over the past couple years. I always found the space between the Cinesphere (Marina area) and the water park to be very awkward. The buildings just looked so run down in that area.

As far as I know, no sand to mute the roar.

Track installation should be completed by the end of next week. They've already started track alignment. Once that's complete, the clearance envelopment frame will go around the track (mainly to check tree/branch clearance ). Then testing can begin!

Going along the night life avenue mentioned... A few years back, Ontario Place had the nightly Chinese Lantern Festival. It was an impressive display and I remember it being fairly crowded on the few occasions I went. Just goes to show that if you have a unique night life, people will definitely come.

I just heard a more accurate attendance number for 2011. Only 300,000 people attended! It's a shame, they added a couple new water slides during the late summer last year (I don't think they've even been used yet).

It was announced this morning that most of Ontario Place will not open this summer. As it stands now, Molson Amphitheatre, the marina, the Atlantis Club and parking facilities will remain open, the other facilities will be closed (including all rides, waterpark and Cinesphere). A new task force has been created to discuss future redevelopment options. They hope to have a report available for the Ontario government by this spring. Over the past 40 years, attendance has dropped from 2.5 million in the 70's to around 1 million in 2011. http://www.680news.com/news/local/article/325684--parts-of-ontario-place-to-be-closed-this-season

Agreed. Just when you thought Cedar Point couldn't kill the little theme they had any more... I'd really prefer they "fix" Gemini and put the 5th and 6th trains back on there instead

Looks like they've already been testing out the Gemini trains on CCMR... Thanks to Screamscape:

A bit of both. The first drop area was completely dug up and dirt pushed out around it. Parts of the coaster have been built directly over the parking lot and will have driveways/walkways under neath it. The park hasn't officially announced any landscaping details yet. New Leviathan update on the official page and Facebook page: http://leviathan.canadaswonderland.com/public/latest/ The rising waters building has been moved to its new location:

It's definitely LARGE. It's quite a walk going all the way from the front gate to the bus loop (near the bottom of the first drop). During our last construction tour, we were told the walkways & driveway/parking lot will be redone right around the supports for the large camelback hill (directly under the ride). So the potential is there to be walking or driving beneath this beast as trains whiz by!

I've had very mixed experiences on Millennium Force rides. When it's colder, there's no air. But getting some rides in during a hot day when it's running faster, you can definitely get some floater air on both hills. Sure, it's not the typical Intamin ejector air many of us love, but the gentle, floater air is there.