Married a Canadian

I am a Harry Potter fan, so I am not too disappointed by this news. I appreciate the detail that goes into both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and I have to admit I was very impressed when visiting "Kings Cross" for the first time as they even had the correct trains on the departure board. Sad details I know, but I just liked the attention to the little things. When you look at Universal Orlando's webpage and they have "Potter packages" on it for their holiday choices, they obviously have a large enough market to cater for, including myself. I do understand however the other side of the equation, particularly in a coaster community. I look at the coaster in Universal Japan they built for Jurassic park and think that would be GREAT in Florida, and having ridden Dragons before, you can count me as one of the people who think they were both great fun as coasters. I hope that whatever they put in their place will have some "wow" factor. I remember Gringotts being described to me as "The Mummy on steroids", and I was distinctly underwhelmed after riding it...given the build up it had! As a Potter fan...I prefer The Mummy!

Thank you. You already had me sold, and this makes even more sense. We do love the Disney cruises as a family, but what I like from your trip report is that there seems to be a more "relaxed" feel to it, while still retaining what makes the cruise so good (the Disney touches). Looking forward to the next updates.

Loving the pictures, and you have sold us on an "Adventures by Disney" vacation. It looks amazing. We are big Disney cruisers, this looks even better. Thank you for the report and the awesome shots! One question, is it like the cruise in that you choose your own port adventures, or does Disney create an itinerary for you to follow?

Great pictures. Loved the look of Kidzania, that will be on the bucket list for sure! Was it hotter in London than in Florida!? We aren't as good at "heatwaves" in the UK!!

Home park is Canada's Wonderland. If I am with my son we will do Backlot Stunt Coaster first as that is the one he REALLY likes, I have no problems with that, in fact it is either that or Thunder Run. If I am by myself, probably Leviathan. If I am with tourists from the UK, Wonder Mountain's Guardian.....not because it is the must do ride, but because it has no fastlane and gets too busy later in the day.

Thank you, I couldn't figure out the scale from the photos...but it makes sense now you say that. I am looking forward to when it is completed.

What is the coloured piping from on the left side? Almost looks like from the water park but doesn't look wide enough to be a slide.

Gumbo Having just seen that your son has ridden "The Big One"....Behemoth and Leviathan will actually be fine for him. You can sell him on the comfort level and how much smoother they are compared to it. He will feel a speed difference for sure, and the different restraints.....but I would say they are MUCH more comfortable (personal opinion). Having seen that you live close to Blackpool....you probably get your shirt off in March and are down on the beach when the sun is out for 5 mins....I know they do in Aberdeen!!

Gumbo Fast lane is always worth it, especially at the time of year you are coming over. The park does get REALLY busy in late July, August, so it is a worthwhile purchase and will definitely make the day go smoothly. What height is your son at the moment? Would he be tall enough to ride Behemoth or Leviathan? Obviously they don't have flips or inversions.....so depending on the "braveness" factor and his height.....they might be ideal....which will mean Fast lane. The only coasters you would probably want to avoid with him are "Flight Deck" and possibly "Dragon Fire" (which have loops). Everything else is do-able....especially when you mention the word "brave". If the weather gets the way it can (we hit 35C plus humidity in Toronto last summer) then the water park is a great option, but the queues can get pretty long. I have found in the past that it is best to do the water park when it first opens as everything is manageable. There are now a nice selection of water slides to choose from (including a pod drop) so it is easy to spend a couple of hours there. If you come to the water park later on a hot Saturday afternoon....you will probably find it too crowded (there are no queue options available in the water park). Everyone has their own preference of ride order at CW. I don't believe there is any right or wrong answer. My own personal preference is to do "Wonder Mountain's Guardian" first...as it doesn't have a Fastlane option available (ie do it at Park opening). After that, it just depends on your schedule for the day and when you decide to go to the waterpark. IF the weather is hot...and you are a pasty BRIT like me, factor in plenty of shade breaks and drink stops. We had a heatwave last year with a high humidex factor, and it was not the type of weather to be outside on the go all day. I am from the North East of Scotland...so I normally end up half dead in the shade somewhere!!! Parking is $20 CDN if you purchase in advance. If you have not been to Toronto before....factor in the traffic with any travel time from where you are coming from (traffic is pretty bad here..and public transit is not very good). If you have been before..then it hasn't got any better! I'll leave it at that for now....there are plenty of knowledgeable people on here to help out. Hope the travel plans go smoothly. Remember they have changed the entry requirements into Canada now for the Brits...I think you need to get some form or waiver now?

Haven`t yet made it to the park this season due to work cycle. Weather forecast starting to look good so this week might be the week to go and take a look. Soaring timbers looks interesting, but I hope the loading procedure becomes more streamlined than that described earlier, as otherwise in the summer months it will be pretty much a no go if the queue lengths get anywhere close to the norm. I do however like that in adding these rides each year, the park is trying to keep the lines constant everywhere over the park, and when you add the waterpark upgrades, as busy as the park gets...there are lots of options spread out over a wide area to hopefully keep queues tolerable over the busy months (and if not..then just get Fastlane). For the flat ride gurus out there, Wonderland definitely has a pretty decent selection.

No reason it shouldn't be ready for opening day? Are you serious....how about that between Dec-Feb you usually expect there to be a few feet of snow on the ground with the first couple of feet of top soil completely frozen through. Once it gets to March you are into either the last couple of blizzards or a ground thaw where everything is saturated. Add that to the month of April where there has been rain just about every week, the water table is at its highest, the ground just won't dry out and the news is reporting the "Lake Ontario seems rather high"......I will give CW a pass on not having "a travelling flat ride" quite ready just yet. As I look out the window typing...it is raining again, no doubt a great day to test out the electrical systems. Pretty sure they "care"...pretty sure they "planned properly". Pretty sure they were hoping they didn't get the amount of snow and rain we have had this winter and spring. "Large scale" has nothing to do with it...I trust them build to the correct code and safety standards expected by Cedar Fair....in conditions that allow them to meet that criteria. They can't win either way with some people...if they had it open yesterday and then it broke down straightaway, folk would be moaning about that instead.

The waterpark is becoming an even better option in the summer now than it already was. Glad that CF has spent a bit of effort on it, especially as when it gets REALLY hot in July and August, it spreads out the crowds across the park. The Plunge slides are a welcome addition (we love the pod drops)! If we get a half decent spring here in Toronto the park should be looking pretty awesome come opening day.

Out of interest...do the scanners at Universal Orlando pick up things like rings (in my case a normal wedding band). I only ask as someone hinted earlier that maybe we shouldn't wear "jewellery" to a theme park and I would be surprised if their scanners are THAT sensitive...given that it is never a problem at airport security.

Just got back from our annual trip to Florida, managed to get to SeaWorld this time to try out "Mako". I did appreciate that even Florida tried to make me feel as though I was back home in Scotland...and so rained for the day we went to the park....which minus the heat....was just like the motherland!!! The upside to this was the park was very quiet, so gave me a few different rides with no wait. I enjoyed Mako, rode front, middle and back. I enjoyed the front the most but probably because the rain was pretty heavy at this point and it made for a different ride experience being pelted by raindrops at 60+ mph! It was an incredibly smooth ride and was getting good reports from the riders that day ( a lot of Brits over on holiday). Manta was also walk on all day, I love flyers.....so Manta is always fun.....no different this time. Regarding the food, we did the "all day dining" which was nothing more than "OK"...but my gripe was the children's options that they give with this. We went to the Fajita restaurant for supper and yet Fajitas weren't included as a kids option...just "mac and cheese" or "chicken nuggets"!!! I would have thought that some kids "might" want a bit more choice than that...especially in a place that is offering something that is hardly what you would call "exotic". I was not overly impressed...and doubt we will do it again. Loved our trip as always (did Disney and a Disney cruise). We will be back next February as always...when usually we should be shivering away in the frozen north. They broke all sort of temperature records this year though while we were away (heat wise)! The folks from Pennsylvania we bumped into were joking that FLorida was colder than Philadelphia!!!

Enjoyed your trip report.....always nice to see someone else's take on my "home" park and area (Niagara and Canada's Wonderland). Interesting that you don't mind "Timewarp". I would prefer a B and M flyer in Wonderland any day of the week...but hey ho! I will second a couple of the other posters here....although the Canadian side of the falls is the better side....the best attraction is 100% "The Cave of the Winds" on the US side. The "Hurricane Deck" is exactly as it sounds....and is the wettest you will get at Niagara (even moreso than Hornblower and Maid of the Mist). It is worth walking over just for that, and then doing a short walk round the "islands" past the horseshoe falls. They used to have a sense of humour and have a "no smoking" sign up on the Hurricane deck!

I think you must be too young and supple Coasterbill!! If you ride Flight Deck when you approach 40....you'll find it does wonders for your back! In fact it puts it and your neck into positions that no chiropractor ever could.

My goodness! Tough crowd there!!...of all the rides at Disney....I personally wouldn't have "Soarin" as the one that would inspire such vitriol. You need a nice trip up to Vancouver to try "Flight over Canada" which uses the same technology, but seems to have better motion and a couple of quite awe inspiring views (especially breaking through the clouds to see the Northern Lights). I think that might mellow you out a bit. RE The Jimmy Fallon ride?? Will do what I always do and "wait and see" I am not going to pretend I am a big fan of his, but that isn't really the point with the attraction. As has already been pointed out, it will be rethemed in "x" years time when he becomes a has been!

We are doing our usual Florida trip in February to escape the claws of the Canadian winter....so we are definitely doing SeaWorld and the Disney parks. We are giving Universal a break till 2018. We have taken a partial to Disney cruises, of which we have two next year. The second one is out of Galveston, Texas...so we hope to go down early to San Antonio, and go to Six Flags Fiesta. I have not yet been on any RMC coaster, so the "Iron Rattler" has always been on my list of "to do". I should probably count Canada's Wonderland......does you home park count in this thread?

Coasterbill, we were surprised it took them so long to get some things up and running. I did have to roll my eyes at a few of the things that they did not open,even in the rain. With my 8 year old son in tow, a miniature train/monorail type thingy is always welcome and not a problem in wet weather surely! Seemingly so at La Ronde. It did not open at all in our time there! I am very cogniscent of safety concerns on the big rides, but thought they could have had a few more of the kid rides up and running. My wife also commented that they seem to let some of the buildings fall into a rather "shabby" state, which the Cedar Fair parks (particularly my home one of Wonderland) do not seem to do. I am glad we went, if only to get an idea of the place, and also I found Goliath as fun as I expected it to be. However, Vampire backwards??? Colour me unconvinced! The city of Montreal itself? As you said...awesome place...and first time in a while when EVERYONE was ridiculously friendly.

Visted La Ronde at the weekend for the first time during trip to Montreal. I love the city (especially visiting people who live there as we got more of a feel for the city this time), thought La Ronde was "OK", mostly because it rained when we were there..and I mean RAINED....made me feel like I was back home in Scotland! Park opened at 11am, no rides opened till 1pm. We only had a short trip (due to having to get back to the airport)...so only rode Demon, Goliath, Ednor and Le Vampire. Not much else was open that I could see...it took them a while to get Le Monstre up and running..and that was as we were leaving. Enjoyed Demon, Liked Goliath, Thought Ednor was going to be worse than expected...it was OK..and I much preferred it to "Flight Deck" at Canada's Wonderland. Le Vampire???? Ermmm could someone explain to me why going backwards is a big deal!? I am sorry but I did not really find there to be much point to it. I find the thrill to be more enjoyable going "forwards" on B and M inverts. Oh well. DId not take any photos...it was really that WET!! My wife kept her camera and phone covered the whole time! Hope to come back in the summer when it is a bit drier to get a better reflection on the park. I think Goliath will be even more fun without being pelted by rain the whole way round...and Vampire "forwards" has more appeal.

Just remember this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend....you can double up on Turkey dinner if you so wish.

Nothing wrong with a short trip to Marineland. I agree with Coasterbill.."dated" would be one word to describe it...but there is plenty to do, Dragon mountain isn't too bad (my dad enjoyed it which is saying something...he is 72), and the shows were of a pretty decent standard. Didn't go on the drop tower last time...but I recall the view being spectacular the first time I went on it! R/E mistreating animals...the "anti zoo/park" crowd will always tell you that animals are being mistreated. In the case of Marineland...the few visits we have done..the animals always seem to be happy and well cared for. It does not draw the attention of the local media or "fire and brimstone" groups....so it might just be one of these times that the anti brigade are just doing what they do...and stirring the pot. Have a great trip to CW.

I don't use Twitter. It has never been a format that I have found that easy to grasp or (for me) have much use for. When I look for news or updates I go straight to the main website itself (TPR being the prime example). I think most of the websites I browse regularly are pretty good at updating on a constant basis (including TPR), so there is less need for me to be updated through social media. I am also one of those weirdos that still reads a print edition newspaper and only uses my cell phone to make phone calls. My wife is despairing!! I have a Facebook account which I use fairly regularly because I have found that Facebook has taken the over from email. I find it easier to FB friends abroad now rather than email, because more of them check their facebook than check their email.

So after 10 years in Canada, I am looking to finally visit La Ronde with my family in mid October (adding it to a trip to visit friends). I have a couple of questions for the regulars. 1 At this time of year is it worth getting a flash pass? I think we are aiming for Sunday 16th. I usually pre book tickets ahead of time online (including whatever the Fast pass options are for a park). If it is supposed to be "quiet" at this time of year then I won't bother. I note that the ride ops for this park don't seem to be the most popular so would the Flash pass counteract that? 2 We are staying downtown at a hotel and will have no car with us. I have noticed a few people talk about using the Metro to get to the park. Is there a station nearby or is it Metro followed by bus/walk? The website wasn't fully clear to me so would appreciate the local take on it. We are looking forward to it, I have been to Montreal a couple of times but have not had the time to visit the park until now.

The Wonderland website has a few accommodation links on it which aren't really in the "expensive" category. Most of the options in Vaughan are the "Something by someone" line of hotel ie Hampton Inn by Hilton...which are all fairly reasonable and most have a breakfast included. You can also search some of the airport hotels...there are ALWAYS rate discounts on these, especially if you search on travelzoo. We are not talking too far in driving distance if you stay in these..and there is plenty of choice if you do so. For me it would be in Vaughan (use the website links) or search around the airport.