Married a Canadian
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Posts posted by Married a Canadian
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My son and I also went to the season pass preview night on Friday. To say this Toronto winter has been "long" is an understatement. The weather yesterday was rain for most of the day and strong winds from the north (which means COLD). Having said that, this didn't dampen the enthusiasm for the season pass holders, and if this was an indicator for the upcoming months, Wonderland will be looking at excellent attendance numbers!
We arrived at 535pm and went straight to Yukon Striker, and as expected, the line was already pretty long. We were told straightaway that the weather was causing delays (understandable as the wing was very strong), but they were going to start testing the ride using water dummies. They started this about 6pm, and when the first train went out there was a massive cheer, and when it did the "hang, drop" into the tunnel there was also a huge round of applause.
The testing went on for probably another 20 minutes or so before they announced that they would start operations (again the reaction was very enthusiastic...for all the worry earlier in the thread about this ride not having much "enthusiasm"...I can guarantee that the public this evening were VERY excited and very happy.)
They allowed us into the ride "queues" and it was at this point that I realised how LONG the line was. We probably waited for about an hour and a half from the end of testing till getting to the front. Part of the delay was the ride operations were understandably slow to begin with (have to get used to all the new operations and loading and unloading the public). They realised the line had built up, so they added another train (to make 3 on the course) about 45 mins in. This again lead to a massive cheer in the line, and once this had been added...the line moved pretty quickly.
The ride itself, my personal opinion is that it was brilliant, fun and really adds a different element to the parks lineup. I can understand a dive coaster not being to everyones taste, I can understand if it isn't your cup of tea, but from a pure adrenaline and "fun" perspective.....I don't see how you could say this wasn't a good coaster. The "hangtime" at the top of the 245 drop (I mean...isn't 245 feet good enough for some people!?) was 3 seconds. We were counting it in line so we could be ready. The view over the park (especially over Wonder Mountain and Vortex) was great....and the drop is exhilarating. I really tried to take the turn of Vortex into account as it is so unique but I found that I was in the tunnel and into the first inversion before I could really draw breath. All the elements are a lot of fun (the loop is super smooth) and even the bunny hop after the mid course break run had everyone smiling (they put the camera for the photograph here) and the spiral leading back into the station is an element that gives you a chance to take stock of everyone on the ground and pretty much admire what you have just done.
Canada's Wonderland definitely has a winner here........it had both me and my son smiling from ear to ear afterwards (he was super hyped after going on it....the ride attendant told a white lie to get him to strap in...telling him it was a 100ft drop...he was a bit nervous before hand....I shook him by the hand afterwards as he understood exactly what was going on....kudos to the excellent ride op staff).
I do enjoy Theme park review and fully understand that there are going to be different opinions on rides. I also understand everyone has different tastes and what works for some might not work for others, however,from a purely "business" perspective here....I think Wonderland has once again given themself a major boost in adding a ride that has provoked interest, gathered media attention and has even the non roller coaster fans talking (I got tagged SO many times on my FB asking if I was going to ride this thing). That in itself is all a park can ask for.....but the fact that the ride itself delivers on the thrills they were promising means that this will be a major success. All the "dive coasters are shit" talk won't make one difference on the parks bottom line this year, and given the amount of people out this evening....I don't think there were too many of them in line!
We wanted to ride Behemoth afterwards, but as that was so close to Yukon striker, the line was pretty long, so instead we walked over to Vortex for a "walk on", and also to take in YS from the other ride. By this time it was dark and it was my first time on Vortex at night. Very different!!!!! Unfortunately we missed the train from Yukon Striker as we went round our turn, and had to make do with a normal fun ride instead.
Leviathan had a very short line, so we finished the night with one quick circuit, and again being my first night ride, I noticed the eyes of the Leviathan on the tunnel actually lit up (which is something you won't see in the day obviously). Nice surprise. Blooming freezing on the rest of the ride.......but still...that first drop and the speed carried from it is something else!!
My phone decided to **** up of course...so I don't have any pictures. Both John Lloyd and Doppel Looping have done a good job of showing the upgrades, and the photos from media day of Yukon striker do justice to the ride, and also show the scale of the build and the track/trains.
I can only add my kudos to my fellow TPR board members, and thankyou for posting the updates and great photos.
This enthusiast gives the ride a thumbs up. Do as your admins say and get a Passport....come up to Canada (when it is warm....it wasn't pretty last night) and enjoy a day at a park that is definitely WAY better than the dark days of Paramount that has given the coaster loving public a ride to be proud of. Kudos.
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This actually bugs me about this coaster. In standard B&M form, besides the initial tunnel, they ignore everything around what they're building and just "plop" the thing on top of everything. That spot after the first dive loop is a perfect example of "Welp, we'll just build OVER it!" I'd prefer if B&M would incorporate the existing rides around what they're building and adapt the coasters' circuit to them. It would make their rides seem SO much less cookie cutter, and arguably, this one comes off just like the latter
Criticism is "OK" if you are actually critiquing and making sense! You are saying here that the first drop which goes THROUGH the turn of another coaster WHILE that coaster is actually in operation is "cookie cutter". They actually have adapted Yukon Striker to go through the course of Vortex in a pretty nifty way...and you say that you would like B and M to incorporate existing rides into the circuit. Well they have here...so what are you complaining about?
I said earlier...you could technically say that CW has a "duelling" element now...any train on the drop of YS and any train on the turn of Vortex will be in close proximity to each other. That seems OK to me.
As others have said....criticising the ride now before riding it is rather "odd". Criticising the layout for being "cookie cutter" is, dare I say, just wrong!
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Speaking of which, how long does it take you to get through a border crossing? We'll be heading from NYC to the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. Also, how much earlier should we get to the airport when taking our flight back home from Toronto?
Crossing into Canada at a land border is pretty straightforward, and if you arrive at a good time of day...you can be through within 10-20 mins tops. Obviously depends on traffic....but I have found as a rule of thumb, anytime from mid morning to mid afternoon is OK when driving (and I have a British Passport with Canadian residency/Nexus card).
If you are flying back from YYZ, they do US preborder clearance (customs) AT the airport, and the line ups do get pretty long. They recommend arriving at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours before a US flight simply because of the wait time in customs. I would not disagree with that. Again it does depend on your flight time...but the busiest times at YYZ are from 6am till 10am, then anytime from 2pm onwards (I work as an Air traffic controller at Toronto).....not much flexibility for arriving a bit "later" for your flight if you are travelling to the US.
It was the wait times that made us as a family apply for "NEXUS" which is Canadian/US preclearance...and means you get to skip the lines (FASTLANE/FASTPASS for airports!). Worth looking into from the US side of things as it makes border security a LOT easier. I think they call it "Global Entry" in the US...but NEXUS will also come up on any search you do. It is as good as theme park fast pass schemes and makes the airport experience a lot less "stressful".
The only plus point of customs in YYZ is when you arrive back in NYC...you arrive as a domestic passenger and don't have to line up again in security.
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don't miss the Rhine River cruise while there.. it's a nice 20 minute getaway (entrance is on the lake (on walkway between LNM (from front of park) & Carousel from German side).. . and offers some great views of Verbolten & Apollo from the boat.
Thanks for that tip Bert. Your advice for Kennywood last year was spot on, so we will definitely do this.
Give me a heads up if you are coming up to Wonderland anytime soon.
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Thanks for tips everyone. Very much looking forward to it...and we will follow the advice here. Beer selection looks awesome (love the Coors lite quip!).
I saw the QQ unlimited option, I think I shall wait and see till we get to the park (we are going on a weekday) as it sounds like we "should" be OK.
We are driving from Washington to Richmond, then to Williamsburg. On our first trip back in the day...I wasn't quite used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road, so part of the adventure was just getting there!! A lot more experience with that now!!!.....it takes me afew minutes to get used to being back on the "right" side of the road when I fly back to the UK each year!
Thanks again all, and if I have any other queries, this forum is always my first port of call.
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I love how it dives through the turn around of another coaster and then flies over top of the same coaster, very cool!
That coaster is "Vortex". It will be even cooler for the lucky ones that get to "duel" as they drop.
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We are visiting BGW in the first week of June (same week as we do Kings Dominion). It will be quite a nostalgia trip as this was the first US theme park I ever visited after moving to Canada (from the UK) over 10 years ago!. The reason why Apollo's Chariot ranks so highly in my list is it was my first ever B and M hyper and I just remember being blown away by the scenery and how smooth and fun the ride was. I am almost "scared" to go on it again as I don't want to ruin the memories from the past! Pretty sure it will still be great though!
I recall getting a kick out of the attempt at Irish accents in the show...a bit like me doing a US accent! I look forward to all the entertainment.
All the Quick Queue talk has convinced me that this is still the best way to go. I also wanted to ask...are the best beers still sold in the German beerhall area....or are there other places to go for "refreshment" also.
Is Tempesto a good evening ride.....or is better to do earlier in the day (both for capacity and scenery?).
Looking forward to our trip. My son is very excited that he gets to do TWO dive coasters this year...with Yukon Striker and Griffon on the list!
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They filmed it on a dreary and probably cold day
We are still waiting for spring here in Toronto....it has been a long winter...Easter Monday was the warmest day we have had in a while (18C) and then back to the dreary again. With the amount of rain we have had recently...they probably didn't even have to fill the lake back up after it was drained.
Pretty sure come the summer it is going to run pretty quickly (if Leviathan and Behemoth are any indicator). It did seem to slow down a bit on the MCBR but I am not overly worried.
Nice video though....and there is a lot of "notice' being taken of the ride in Toronto, both on social media and with the GP.
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Also going to sneak preview night on Friday (our first).
For those with experience at these events, would you say they are "busy", or in this case likely to busy because of a certain new coaster that has been built.
Just looking at the timeframe for the evening and trying to figure out whether to arrive for 530pm (yay traffic on the 400!) or a bit later.
Do they do Fastlane at these preview nights?
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A platinum pass is a platinum pass, it doesn’t matter where you got it. You get all of the perks everywhere. This includes early entry.
Thanks CB. Unfortunately we won't be down on a weekend, so will miss early entry times. However I am going to assume that being there on a weekday when the schools are still in, will make it not as busy (and I always budget for Fastlane anyway), so the extra hour won't be needed quite as much. We hope to use it at CW for when "Yukon Striker" has early entry!
I am very pleased with the Platinum pass though, the savings add up when you use it as intended. With Cedar Point, Kings Island and Kings Dominion all within easy enough reach of us here in Toronto....there is plenty of scope to use it!
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I got free parking last year with my Platinum Pass at each park.
Good to know thank you, one less thing to budget for!
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In the middle of planning for our trip to Virginia at the start of June (both KD and BGW). We are very much looking forward to it.
General query at this point, We have Platinum Seasons Passes for Canada's Wonderland, the aim this year being to use them for entry to KD also. Does anyone know if parking, which is included on them for CW, is also valid at KD (or any other Cedar Fair park for that matter) or is this specific only to the home park you purchased them for.
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I don't think I've ever seen a thread this amazingly dead in the months leading up to a new 200+ foot coaster opening. Why isn't there more enthusiast hype for this ride? It looks great.
Most of us have been outside shovelling snow so much this winter, we haven't had time to pass comment.....we are "almost" thawed out now...so I am sure interest will pick up soon. Even this polar bear has become rather tired of the cold and snow this year! There is definitely "talk" about the ride though in Toronto, and a lot of my work colleagues are "interested".
My son is SUPER excited....it will be his first dive coaster, and as we are going to BGW in June, he will also get to go on "Griffon". "Two dive coasters in one year Dad!!!".
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don't skip Racer. ..the retracking they did had it running AMAZING in the summer of 2018.
(sure it's just an out and back racing woodie. . but man, was it fun. . and in the rain it was *flying*)
Thanks Bert, your advice for Kennywood was spot on last year, so we will definitely be doing "Racer". While it is disappointing that Volcano will be gone, we picked KD for this years trip (along with BGW) because they have an excellent line up of rides. I'll be on this thread in a month or so asking for further tips and general preferences.
We have our Florida trip coming up in a week, so I haven't really turned my attention to our June schedule yet. The Volcano news just caught my eye this morning....and given that my son wanted to ride it, I had to break the news to him this morning! At the moment he is more focussed on "Rip RIde Rockit" and "Hulk" at a certain park in Orlando. I am focussed on dressing up as a princess in the upcoming races in Disney (seriously!!). KD will soon be my focus after I let my inner princess out!
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Well I have our visit planned for the first week of June, and had Volcano on the bucket list! Scratch that!!
Shame really as it looks like a fun ride (when it is working!). That still leaves I305, Dominator and Twisted Timbers to look forward to though....so it isn't all bad.
It would be interesting to know the decision making process behind removing a (popular) ride from a park. Factors of cost, safety, maintenance, will it be replaced with something "better" etc etc. Whilst it can be frustrating for coaster fans, I am sure there are lots of factors at play...and this is not a decision they take lightly.
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dit: You know what... fffk it. Next time I won't explain and I can just let the comments from the easily offended rain.Easily offended is a fairly loose definition. I missed the "point" of your joke...I sort of get it now.
The problem is that there are some "coaster enthusiasts" out there who aren't joking and will say every negative thing possible about the ride because it isn't "x y or z". Unfortunately I thought you were one of those with that original comment. I wasn't offended......just "bored" with what I saw as criticism (wrongly) of the ride. My bad.
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Bullshit. Yukon Striker isn't the tallest fastest anything
Pretty sure it is the tallest and fastest coaster named "Yukon Striker". That is good enough for me, pretty sure it will be good enough for a large proportion of Wonderland visitors this year. Does it really matter otherwise?
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Canada's Wonderland: Home park. Looking forward to Yukon Striker.
-WDW Florida: our annual Snowbird vacation. Doing the Disney runs round MK and Epcot this February for the first time. Am looking forward to that (probably a major coaster fan sin...running round the park rather than walking!)
-Universal Florida: Same as above minus the running part!
-Kings Dominion: Our "new" park for 2019. Father and son have "I305" and "Volcano" on our respective bucket lists. Will be perusing the forum for tips and advice in the early new year. Thankyou already to the people who have given advice on travel and operating schedules.
-Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Back to where it all first started for me in North America. Revisiting the first park I visited outside of Europe. We are very much looking forward to it (loved Apollo's Chariot back in the day) as there have been so many additions. We also loved the historical part of Williamsburg when last there, and plan to spend a couple of days in the area.
Two Disney Cruises, one to the Bahamas. One to Norway. Looking forward to the Norwegian cruise as it is out of my home country (UK) and my parents will be joining us for the first time on a cruise.
S***loads of overtime required between now and these trips!!
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The "fancy red lights" are wheel heaters which explains why it's hauling A$$
I did wonder because last week did seem seriously quick!, especially compared to when I went on it in the summer.
I'd expect nothing less from a Canadian theme parkWhich means you should expect every ride to be open in winterfest in the cold weather with all the Canadians walking around shirtless complaining that the weather is too warm and that it was always "colder back in the day".
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Crazy how they fast they dredged the lake again
I was also thinking that! I will presume that they will leave it empty over the winter now as there are only two weekends left for normal operating hours?
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Nice visit to the park today in an overcast and chilly ish Toronto. Got my son on Leviathan for the first time which was another "wow" moment for us. It was seriously quick today (more than the summer it seemed), and lets just say the wind was on the cooler side.....even for this polar bear.
"Wild Beast" seemed to break even more teeth than usual! The older I get, the rougher it seems!
Yukon Striker is coming along nicely. The first drop has taken shape, and there is a lot of work going on in the station area. Lots of enthusiastic comments from the public today which is good to hear. CW has a winner on their hands, whether the enthusiasts like it or not!
View of the first drop. Apologies for the overcast weather!
First drop entering and exiting lake.
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Fly porter to washington dc and rent car from there.Fly into DC, you'll find a lot more options and way better fares. It's only about a 2 hour drive to KD from there
Thanks for that, I hadn't considered DC as an option (just because I have flown to Richmond before). Not worried about flying out of YYZ as I live close by (and also work there) and it is a lot easier to get to for me than downtown to city centre airport (although that is a great option if it is easily reachable for folk).
Will start making plans based on the tips here. Will be back in a month or two no doubt with the local questions.
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before Volcano has a chance to f*ck itself in spectacular fashion
Are we talking premature eruption here??
Good to know that opening day onwards is all good....thanks.
We definitely plan on doing BGW again.....that park has special resonance for me as it was my first ever park in the US of A. That is why I rank Apollo's Chariot so highly (at the moment) because it was my first Hyper outside of the UK and I just remember loving it at the time (I almost don't want to go on it again and spoil my memories).
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We are planning to visit Kings Dominion next year as our annual park outside of Florida. I305 and Twisted Timbers are on the bucket list for sure. I have to say that I am intrigued by Volcano also, as it definitely looks different from other hanging coasters!
Early planning stage, but just had a couple of timing questions.
First, when does school break up for the summer in Virginia?
Second.....the park does not yet have the hours for 2019 yet on the website (which of course is understandable), but I am going to assume that the park is open on weekdays in June? If not, when is it safe to assume that it is open on a daily basis and not just at weekends.
Just trying to figure out leave picks at work right now, and flights to Richmond from Canada. Thanks in advance.
Help with Canadian coaster trip.
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted · Edited by Married a Canadian
Definitely this.....Wonderland gets VERY busy at the weekends...and even more so in the summer months. Fastlane PLUS it....or be ready for lineups.
Marineland is only a must do if you are interested in the Dragon coaster....otherwise...just hang around the Canadian side of Niagara falls (which is better than the US side..outwith Cave of the Winds). In the last two years they have built ziplines that run down the side of the gorge (Mistrider), and if you go down to the "Whirlpool" they have built one of those treetop rope obstacle courses right next to the gorge (spectacular view if you are able to get to the top level!).
La Ronde was "interesting" in a weird weird way. When we were there they had "Le Vampire" running backwards, which I just couldn't really get into....it summed up the park for me that day (although Goliath WAS good fun...I have to admit that!). As others have said....Montreal the city is a LOT better to visit...and if you are a foodie...some great spots to eat at...and awesome Poutine or smoked deli sandwiches.