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vistaway

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Everything posted by vistaway

  1. Nice photos. I agree with what seems to be the consensus - this was the best CoasterMania in a long, long time. The park got it all right, and then some.
  2. Great photos of CW! You picked a nice day to visit. Shame about the Taxi Jam credit. If you need a Woodstock or Jr. Gemini one this Friday, I am sure my son would love to help you out. As for Canada Customs, it sure sounds like they have you or your license plates on a list. Three times? Yikes. I cross once or twice a month and have never had any trouble either direction. We'll see if tonight goes smoothly. See you tomorrow, bright and early. Once again I'm sure there will be a stupidly-long line for coffee, and once again, I will be in it...
  3. Great pics! I love the one of Niagara from what I am guessing is the top of MFI's Ferris Wheel. I didn't realize the view was so good from there, but it makes sense. I assume you could also see Dragon Mountain @ Marineland from up there too?
  4. I will be there Friday - 15 years since we started our annual pilgrimage to CoasterMania! This time we will have three generations riding (although my son can't get on much beyond the two kids coasters thanks to CPs restrictive height requirements). Can't wait to see the road show in person! Andy
  5. Not very newsworthy, but great photo accompanying the article (showing a couple people taking on-ride photos, no less): http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/05/26/wonderland-tells-customers-to-hold-it-in-or-go-to-the-back-of-the-line.aspx Wonderland tells customers to hold it in, or go to the back of the line By Jenny Wagler, National Post Canada’s Wonderland says it will not be relaxing its lineup policy, despite customer complaints it can prevent them from using the washroom for hours. Anyone who leaves a lineup can’t get back in — even if it’s just to use the toilet and your linemates vouch for you, park spokesperson Dineen Beaven said today. Ms. Beaven confirmed the park has recieved a customer complaint; one man cited in media reports waited in line three hours for the new Behemoth roller-coaster before being sent to the back of the line when he left to use the bathroom. She said the park will not review its policy, which states that anyone who cuts in line is inviting dismissal from the park without refund. The policy, available at the park’s Web site, explicitly states that the rule “INCLUDES USING THE REST ROOM FACILITIES OR TO PURCHASE FOOD OR DRINKS.” Ms. Beaven said the policy, which she calls “an industry standard across amusement parks in North America,” is there to ensure all guests have fair access to park rides. However, neither La Ronde in Montreal, nor Playland in Vancouver have clauses that identify bathroom runs as line jumping, according to spokespeople Martin Roy at La Ronde, and Laura Ballance at Playland. At Canada’s Wonderland, Ms. Beaven said, employees do make occasional exceptions to the policy for “special circumstances.” “When you’re dealing with a single parent with a small child and perhaps they’ve been waiting in line and the child needs to use the bathroom – we would certainly allow the parent to leave the line and come back in.” But for adults, she said, the no-bathroom policy is in place. “We do really try to stick to the policy,” she said.
  6. Zumba Flume at Canada's Wonderland was a great flume with a wonderfully-themed queue. The sheer size of the queue was shocking though (at least three rooms of switchbacks). Such a shame it's no longer with us.
  7. Ouch, sounds like Canada's Wonderland today...about a half-dozen rides down (inc. Behemoth) and big crowds...
  8. Yeah, that's pretty bad. The black and red was a classic color scheme that really matched the 'theme' of the ride well. I remember back in the day they used to use to use images of The Bat when advertising other parks Vekoma Boomerangs...SFOT was one that comes to mind, but there were plenty. That red and black was pretty distinctive.
  9. So, it's been revealed: http://www.niagarasfury.com/fury-revealed.html It has: - Circlevision-type projection - snow - motion (nothing too major it seems) - spray - wind - fog Basically an attraction like Twister, Backdraft or Armageddon... Looks cool. I like those.
  10. Thanks Paul. It's killing me that I couldn't be there today...in Dallas instead. Not a good tradeoff. Looks like I will need to get my running shoes ready for next weekend...
  11. LEDs? Very nice! Looks like the auction is about to 'sellout' all 64 seats, so the minimum bid price will start moving above $100 soon...good to see.
  12. Very nice new signage! Any other changes you noticed from outside the gates?
  13. I think $100 is fair. That way, the charity can make over $6k on the promotion, which is excellent. CW gets good press, and the riders get some bragging rights and eliminate the need to run like a banshee at rope drop or stand in line for hours. I bid, but not before realizing that I'm out of the country that week . Oops. Looks like it will have to be a gift to my Dad...
  14. As with any of these promotions, I think there's some who do it for 'bragging rights' of being the first on the coaster. While others do it to support the charity.
  15. Starting now, you can bid to be on the first train to officially run on Behemoth! All money goes to charity, of course. Riders will be on the first train, 4pm on April 25. They also get dinner, a gift, and a companion ticket. Bidding is open until April 22 at http://www.cafyr.org/public/HomePage.aspx Andy
  16. I miss the annual visits it would make to the CNE. Three weeks of having a great coaster within the city limits. I can understand the reasoning behind this, though. I was also under the impression that Conklin/North American Shows, had rough time after they merged, then un-merged...
  17. Yes, there would have been a schedule on their purchase contract that specifically stated noise levels, fireworks, etc. would exceed normal standards set by the Ministry of the Environment due to the park location. They probably got a free air conditioner to compensate for the fact that opening their windows would subject them to greater dB than allowed (although the 400 probably makes more noise than the park). That's pretty standard even for houses built next to major roads. Doesn't stop them from complaining, but they don't have a legal leg to stand on. Although the thought of falling asleep to the B&M roar is appealing in a way, certainly not every night.
  18. It's not about CW, or even Vaughan so much as it's about our suburban sprawl that CW is in the centre of. Here's the link: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Story.html?id=407713
  19. Not sure if anyone noticed the cover photo of the National Post's Toronto section this past Saturday. The article was about Vaughan (the sprawl-they-call-a-city where CW is located), but more-importantly, it was a great shot of Behemoth as well as a few others. Check it out:
  20. I think it will draw more people in. The complex that it's located in is simply the best location to view the Falls, and the most popular. They are almost done rebuilding the complex with more food and shopping options so it will become more of a destination. Pretty much anyone who visits the Falls will go past or through Table Rock at some point. The Niagara Parks Commission, who is building the attraction, is extremely well-run (if a tad secretive) and I am sure they did masses of market research prior to this. They will likely include this in their day pass offering or as an upsell, which means most tourists will visit it.
  21. Here's an interesting take on what it could be: "One source told me that Niagara's Fury is a type of floating theater where an indoor waterfall surrounds visitors and a multimedia display takes place on, in and around the cascades that immerses you in the history and power of the world's most famous waterfalls." I am inclined to believe it. It makes sense: it's indoors, fairly compact, family-oriented, unique, somewhat educational, etc. I had suspected they would do something more like Twister or Backdraft on a smaller scale - this sounds close to that.
  22. ^I thought the exact same thing! Who knows, maybe they could at least turn all three of the front ones on this year...
  23. Nice to see they reconfigured the pathways around Minebuster, Stunt Coaster and Behemoth. That Minebuster/SkyRider area was always way too crowded. Moving the Stunt Coaster entrance should help. Hard to tell, but sure looks like they moved SkyRider's entrance too.
  24. It's a great themed flume, but it's the only themed attraction in the 'park' so doesn't warrant a special visit. That said, you can pay-per-ride so it's not too costly to visit just for that. I will never go on that ride again, though. Four years ago, we were riding it (during our annual company picnic) and shortly out of the station, our log starting taking on water, fast. I knew quite quickly that it wasn't right, and the others in the boat (father and two little kids) also realized this. We screamed at the tower that we were passing, but there were no gates in this section to stop us. We kept taking on water. Perhaps 10 inches across the bottom by now. When we starting turning, the entire log would roll. We tried frantically to stop it, but really, what could we do? I was very, very concerned it would roll over entirely - it felt like it would. The father and I were trying to get the kids out when it slowed down, but I believe only one got out. We finally got to a gate that they closed, but then the built up water behind us starting rolling it. We had to jump out of the boat by ourselves - kids first, then the adults. No staff anywhere. The water, at that point, was at the seats. We were soaked and completely shaken. One of the little girls slipped trying to get out and had a few bruises. Ontario Place staff handled the incident terribly. They had no idea what to do, other than shut the ride down. We weren't offered anything - we had to ask for them to supply new clothes to replace our soaked ones. And that took nearly an hour. Terrible experience which I don't think I could ever forget. The lesson learned? Never let a government operate a theme park.
  25. Nice to see Canada's Wonderland holding on to the top spot among North American seasonal parks. This year should be even better.
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