Married a Canadian
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Posts posted by Married a Canadian
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Glad you had a good couple of days at the park.
Fully agree with you on Wilde Beast now, I am 44 years old and 6ft 2 inches tall..and I find that one breaks my back and teeth all at the same time. I seemed to do better on it in the Paramount days...but it definitely throws around a bit too much for my liking now!!
I really REALLY try not to be on of the "RMC every wooden coaster" folk if I can help it....but after riding "Twisted Timbers" this year at KD.....my son and I have muttered those letters afew times at Wonderland when surveying Minebuster and Wildebeast! I don't even know which one would be the better candidate for the RMC treatment....it makes for a fun debate I suppose....and I hope it happens, but I still am grateful to Cedar Fair for what they have done to the park.
I prefer Minebuster and find it less sore on the back....but the end is SUPER loud going into the helix!
Leviathan has been great fun this summer....seemed to be running super quick on the days we have visited. I prefer front row Leviathan and back row Behemoth...but horses for courses I suppose.
Thanks for the report.
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The term "cookie cutter" is used as an insult it seems...but if the cutter is being used to make choc chip cookies...then I am fine with it!
The guy who started the misery complained on the Wonderland thread that "Yukon Striker" was cookie cutter!? World's Tallest dive coaster with a vertical loop that drops into a lake through another coaster = cookie cutter. Right!
Anyway...Orion looks great (I love Leviathan so I know how good a B and M Giga can be). We look forward to getting out to Kings Island in the near future (might tie it in with "The flying pig!").
Will look forward to construction updates and hope the Kings Island parkgoers enjoy a great ride.
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Nah, it was just a joke. I also researched and everything you guys said, what I read from various sites online, and what I saw on Toronto Pearson's online source said to get to the airport three hours early. It was just a WTF moment since it didn't take very long and we got up so early. It worked out really well. We were able to relax in the diner right inside the terminal, drink coffee, and have a nice breakfast. Little did we know we had more time to kill... I think we were early enough to beat the US Customs morning rush. I think we were there at 5am
In that case, I apologise to you. You caught me in the middle of a cycle of night shifts (when I am a grumpy sod anyway!) and I misread the tone of your report...and that is on me. I realised after two responses (including yours) that I should have read it a bit more carefully...probably when I was more awake! It would have saved me a snarky response...when there should have been none. The only downside of social media sometimes is that it can be difficult to get the "tone" of a post or the like if you aren't fully concentrating or miss the sarcasm/humour in it. I did this time....and for that.....I offer "mea culpa" and apologies again.
In fact I will go as far to say..that you are one of the travellers that we LOVE at YYZ who actually do what the f*** is the sensible thing to do!!..as draining as it is!!
Thanks for the report...and I am glad it worked out in the end. Sorry Air Canada f***ed up for you. Glad you like Yukon Striker!
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I want to note that we woke up at 3:45 to get to the airport 3 hours early for our 8:15 flight, as suggested. Anyone who suggested this can eat shit.
I suggested it. You are welcome. Not often that you hear people complaining that it only took half an hour to get through US customs. I wonder how it could have been so short? Nothing to do with arriving early!
Just be aware that US preborder clearance at YYZ is notorious for long lines and delay (US customs is known for that worldwide) so my suggestion was based on what Toronto Pearson itself recommends, what my colleagues who work at the airport recommend and what I have experienced myself travelling out of YYZ (it is my home airport and I work there so I have "some" idea).
Saying I can "eat s***" because you had to get up early and didn't get screwed over at customs....don't really know what to say. Would you say the same to someone who suggested getting to a park for rope drop so that you can ride stuff without having to wait in line?
I am sorry your flight was delayed though...that is something I sympathise with.
I wouldn't normally respond to stuff like your comment, but it sounded like you would much rather get stuck in an hour and a half long line up at US preborder clearance. Glad you didn't this time...…..who knows next time. I suggest you experiment afew times with flying back into the US from various locations before giving abuse to someone who has actually done it.
Anyway......Glad that you had a good visit to the park...great pictures.
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Will be interested to hear if the park is busy today.
The estimates for downtown at present are around 2 million!!!....and they ain't going anywhere soon.
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Yeah, but I was thinking people might decide to go to CW after the parade since they took the day off anyway. Or a lot of out of town folks coming to Toronto for the parade might go to CW on Tuesday maybe. I fully expect every other tourist attraction like the CN Tower to be super-packed now. Then I think "do people want to go to an amusement park after standing at a parade for 2-3 hours? Probably not...so Monday seems better than Tuesday."I would imagine that bringing more people near the park will bring more people into the park, even despite the circumstances
Just my two cents on this, as I am Raptors fan and a coaster fan.
Couple of things work in your favour. The parade time is going start at 10am on the Lakeshore and finish downtown at Nathan Phillips square. The "festivities" are expected to last until around 3pm. So a 10 till 3 window covers the morning at the park.
Also, while the downtown tourist attractions might see a bump in attendance on Monday....that is because they are easily reached from the area. Canada's Wonderland is not. You can't just hop in your car from the downtown and drive there within 20 mins (and certainly not at 3pm!), and getting there on public transit from the centre is not going to be any quicker. Toronto may be a great city, but their public transit is not (it got stuck in the 70s).
There isn't going to be a mass surge in attendance because everyone is leaving the downtown core at the same time.
Lastly....the question to ask yourself is what demographic would be attending the park on Monday? At the moment you have school still in session, people working during the day and now...an NBA title parade in the city. The optics of that scenario say that there is a good chance the park will be pretty quiet on Monday.
The Raptors winning has been one of the biggest sporting events in the city since the Jays won in 93. It has caught the attention of people and folk want to be seen celebrating. Any locals who are Raptor fans are not going to be planning to go to CW on Monday....even less likely if they are Season pass holders as the park will always be there...a title parade will not. I don't think the mentality right now is people thinking "how can I see the Raps and ride Leviathan on Monday". It is one or the other...and I'd guess that most Raps fans who are thinking of going downtown on Monday are just going to stay there and enjoy it. I couldn't think of anything more logistically complicated in Toronto than to get from the Downtown Core to Canada's Wonderland at the time of day we are talking here in a timeframe that would make sense to enjoy the park (if spending a long time there was my goal).
I would say Monday is the more likely day to be quieter. Tuesday....who knows....I don't know how many people who would be coming to the city for a parade would be planning CW on Tuesday. Again though, school is still in session and the 9-5 work crowd who took a sick day to see the Raps will be back earning their coaster money again in the work environment. Wonderland on a weekday before the summer is more likely to be manageable than when the schools break for the holiday (last week of June). I wouldn't envisage it being a zoo on either day.
Good luck with whichever day you pick. I'll be leaving the park to you on the Monday....I fancy a wee jaunt downtown! Have a great day at the park.
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I booked my trip to Toronto last week, and not following the NBA at all, I had no idea Toronto was in the NBA Finals. Well, they won tonight! We arrive in Toronto on Sunday, June 16 and leave for Niagara Falls on Wed. June 19. The victory parade is Monday June 17 10 AM downtown, will probably last until 1 or 2 PM. I mean, there's probably going to be a million+ people in downtown Toronto for that. We aren't going to the parade. Would Monday afternoon/evening probably be a good time to go to Canada's Wonderland in terms of low crowds? Or would Tuesday probably be better?
So yes there is going to be a parade on Monday, and plus the schools are still "in" right now. Those optics alone probably mean that Monday would be a pretty good day to visit CW. The city has been pretty caught up in Raptor fever the last two months, and a championship parade "may" be a once in a lifetime for people.
Good weather plus the age dynamic will draw a lot of people to the downtown (ask yourself who is most likely to be visiting CW during the day on a Monday?....not the 9-5 work crowd, not the "in school" crowd and not the raptors fanbase who will be taking the day off work/school anyway which they wouldn't be for a park visit.
You never can know what a crowd level will be like...but I would say as a Raps fan myself....more people are going to be excited about a parade than riding Yukon Striker on Monday.
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Enjoyed your Niagara report.
The funicular down to the boat is new for this season. Was it busy? Do you have to get tickets for Hornblower before going down or can you now get them at the bottom?
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Great to read another trip report. Looks like fun so far.
You have a very understanding spouse! I made mine get up at 3am for a flight once and it wasn't pretty!! And we are both shift workers!
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Love the Galveston report,
We cruised out of there last xmas (Disney) and thought it was great. Weather was s*** when we were there and it actually snowed in Houston (which made front page news...understandably!!) which didn't impress the Canadian and the Scot that much!
I feel the same as you with the Boardwalk Bullet. I got off wondering if I really should have enjoyed it as much as I did (it never seems to get many comments on this forum).
I am hoping you stopped at "Buc-ees" on your travels in Texas. We wish they would bring that place up to Toronto (and the UK). When they say everything is bigger in Texas...they ain't wrong...including their service stops! Stopping enroute to Montreal/Ottawa/London/Glasgow is so boring now compared to that place!
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Nice report...although the blue sky in the pictures looks a bit odd! Are you sure you were in Toronto?
We liked Yukon Striker for the reasons you mentioned also, and I definitely felt they gave you a fair bit of hang time at the top....it seemed to be a long 1 2 3 DROP!! when we went on it.
Nice to see afew people coming to visit CW this season. I've always been consistent in the CW thread in that I think Cedar Fair has done an excellent job of investing in the park, and have made it more of a "revisit" park with some solid rides.
Glad you had a good day
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I am glad that I know you are associated with "CoasterBill" as when I read "CoasterBrit" I think...British person who likes coasters.....hey that is me!!!....ermmm no...you are better at this stuff than I am!
Great to finally read you. Glad you went to CW on a rainy day.....true loyalty! I was in Ottawa the day you were here and it p****ed down so I can imagine how wet it was in Toronto!!
Looking forward to reading the rest of the report and glad the Wonder Mountain's Guardian was met with satisfaction....I don't know if people think it is a bad ride or shall we just say they have rather unrealistic expectations of what a Cedar Fair park will put in, in the name of motion technology.
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Guys, I really appreciate all of the advice. I will have to get with Emily about our flight. To be honest, I'm not sure our return flight is booked, yet. We were waiting on our passports, just in case, and we just got them last week.
Prozach...just as an estimate, we fly down to DC for our Virginia trip tomorrow (Kings Dominion and BGW), I am just checking in with Air Canada now and their check in page is "suggesting" 3 hours in advance for an 830am flight. "Professionally" I would agree with them on that one. If you want to PM me when you get a return flight time I will have a good look a what is scheduled around the same time you leave. For example it is ALWAYS busy first thing as all the flights to the East Coast and Florida are departing. I'll check in on TPR over the next few days.
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I also just wanted to confirm again that we have to be at the airport 3-4 hours early to get through customs. (wtf)
I wouldn't go with 4......3 should be OK. It really does depend on the time of your flight. They are desperately trying to improve the US customs times at YYZ, and there is more of a lean for people getting "NEXUS". However....in doing pre border clearance in Canada..they are just moving the wait time you would spend at a US airport...to a Canadian one....so the 3-4 hours includes your check in/baggage, security and THEN US Customs. If you didn't have to do all 3..it wouldn't take quite so much time.
The logic is sound though as when you arrive back in the US, you land as a "domestic" flight and don't have to line up again for customs control, as you would if you had flown in internationally.
What time is your flight and who are you flying with? I can give you a better idea of how busy it is at the time of day you are leaving.
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Question for the regulars: Does this park generally close for bad weather? We're thinking of going Saturday (I know the fact that it's a Saturday works in our favor) and we're watching the forecast but I figured I'd check in and see if this was the type of park that would close "for weather" if attendance was low on a crappy day.
Also, how are they about running the rides if it's raining but not storming?
Second what JohnLloyd said, rain doesn't usually halt operations. The only thing that will is if there is a thunderstorm with a lot of lightning, but of course that is the same anywhere!
I will say that they get a bit "antsy" in very high winds (they did a LOT of testing for Yukon Striker on season preview night) but again that is not something that would be considered unusual, and although it was a gusty evening that night...the three "big" ones (Behemoth, Leviathan and Yukon) were all running fine.
Forecast is mixed for Saturday....but to be fair to the weather guys...it is really tough predicting weather around the great lake region......hopefully you will get lucky and the current outlook will peter out. Temperature looks OK.
Hope you have a good visit.
If you are looking for Craft beer in the city Coasterbill, "Liberty Village" is a popular area FILLED with craft pubs and microbrewers, just west of the downtown. I think there was a poster a couple of pages back that had beer suggestions also (possibly worked for a micro brewer!?) I have not yet tried the new brews at the park yet this year....will be interested to hear your opinion.
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Speaking of Guardian, I actually like that ride and want to go on it once or twicr. Does that ride's line tend to die down near closing?
I'm eying a trip there a week from Saturday and plan to rope drop it for my first ride seeing that it isn't on Fast Lane.
If you are getting Fastlane for your visit, then that is a good idea Canobie. Pretty sure you know your way round the park, Thunder Run and Vortex would be in close proximity to you once you've done Guardian, so three nice rides to start with...and Fastlane will take care of Leviathan, Yukon Striker and Behemoth.
Hope it works for you the weekend you go. I have never had any issues on it, and enjoy it also. Also hope you get some decent weather when you come up to visit.
I have to admit that I don't fully understand why it should be compared to rides at Disney/Universal as they are completely different types of parks with different business models that can afford the cost of the Avatar/Spider-Man/Harry Potter type stuff. Wonder Mountain's Guardian and Spider-Man don't even enter into the same comparison to me, Spider Man is more technologically advanced...and an excellent ride...but they are on two different budget planes and serve a different purpose and market.
I appreciate Cedar Fair for giving us something "different" for a park like Canada's Wonderland. It definitely opened up some new use for the mountain, and I believe, from way back in the thread,....isn't only about half of the mountain actually used for rides inside (Thunder Run and WMG)?? Could someone confirm this (John Lloyd...you are good with these questions?)
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Guardian is one that we are interested in doing. I was assuming that rope-dropping it would be a priority?Why the Wonder Mountain Guardian hate? We love that thing
Subjective opinions I suppose. Personally I like it, and it is different from your normal coaster...different theme, game element attached to it and a nice ending.
No fastlane...line gets long...so yes...rope drop would be a good idea...and then same for Thunder run.
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When I'm really skeptical of crowds, I usually try to give it until noon to make my decision, which almost always... well... always... ends up in favor of FL+. If you're like me, shaving 10-20 minutes off of queues to parks I rarely visit is worth it. It will probably be worth it for TT, alone if RMC hybrids are your thing.
I'm with you on that, and I think this will be the way we approach it.
I have only been on Iron Rattler on the RMC front and LOVED it, so very much looking forward to TT. It will be my son's first time on an RMC coaster (he wasn't quite ready when we were in Texas) but now is super excited! He wants to go to Dollywood next year to ride Lightning Rod! I better start planning!
I agree that for the big rides Fastlane plus is the way to go..especially if it means re-rides later in the day. We always budget for it anyway. Will let you know how it works out. Thankyou for the advice.
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No plans for getting Fastlane
If no Fastlane, Monday will be the day that will be lighter on the crowds (always is OK when school is still in). If the weather is "iffy" it will be even better.
Sunday will be busy...but obviously weather dependent.
The plan of attack is always subjective...although on the Monday you should find the time to get everything done that you want. The only piece of advice that I normally give is that both "Wonder Mountain's Guardian" and "Thunder Run" are popular rides that are NOT on either Fastlane package. As a result the line ups get pretty long for them at any time of day, so these would be the rides to do first, and on the Sunday morning if you are there. They are both located in Wonder Mountain so distance to walk is not an issue. There should be more of a draw towards Yukon Striker (and always Leviathan) so with luck there will be less people going towards the mountain to start the day. Thunder Run is popular because it is a great family coaster but still has a bit of force for the adults!
Apart from that, I hope you have a great trip.
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The main reason to get FastLane Plus was Volcano and now that's out of the equation
Don't remind me!! My son has already asked me to confirm whether Volcano really is done for good!! My fault for not getting to KD earlier!! We are both consoled with I305 and Twisted Timbers though...which are the two rides we are most looking forward to.
Thanks for the advice, appreciate it....and I will take the wait and see approach. I pretty much figured that it would be similar to Canada when the kids are still in school, but always good to get the local and expert opinion.
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I doubt that it'll be that busy on a Monday in early June
Appreciated, thanks.
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Question regarding visiting KD when the school term is still ongoing.
My experience at Canada's Wonderland is that the park tends to be less busy on these days....and therefore Fastlane/Fastlane Plus becomes more of a "wait and see" type affair.
Would it be fair to say that this is the case at Kings Dominion? We are heading to the park on Monday June 3rd.....I normally always get Fastlane in advance for our travels, but this is the first trip for us in a while where we are travelling when it is still term time (outside of Disney/Universal) Given that I don't know the park or the area that well...seems best to ask here.
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Any recommendations on getting from the Toronto Pearson Airport to CW? I have an 8 hours layover and was probably going to Uber/Lyft but it seems like renting a car a week before is super cheap. Any other ways such as trains or buses? I'm not to familiar with the area so any help would be appreciated
Uber/Lyft would be quicker than car hire as you don't have to worry about filling out forms and the like, and on return you can get dropped off at the terminal rather than going to the car rental garage.
Uber is now allowed to pick up at YYZ, so it is quick and convenient.
Trains/Buses......just too long winded. Toronto is not public transit friendly!!
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Senile moment earlier...posting two responses in the Canadian trip thread when I meant to post one of them in this one.....ooops!! Oh well......my blonde moment for the day!!
In regards to getting to CW from the airport.
UBER/LYFT is definitely the better option now in Toronto (it is now allowed to pick up from the airport...they have their own designated pickup point). It is more reliable than a taxi (for me anyway) and of course the fare will be shown in advance. Getting to CW by public transport from the airport would be a waste of your time......it is sooooo convoluted!! Great city this might be...but Toronto really has not moved on from the 70s in terms of public transit infrastructure.....it is a bit frustrating really!..
Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
The video you refer to is ever so slightly "click baity"! and is made by an enthusiast rather than a qualified engineer. I'm not quite sure whether the purpose is to make people nervous...or actually show some "interesting" stuff about how coasters are built.