Johnlloyd

The crowds should be quite decent, based on previous experience of visiting the park after a long weekend. Enjoy your day at the park!

If you look at his reply comment, he corrected his mistake and realized it was the Maison Rouge at La Ronde. Although, it would be neat to have a year round haunted attraction outside of the Halloween Haunt season at Canada's Wonderland.

Early ride times are only on Sundays. There are groups who buy out a section park (or the whole park) prior to it opening for the day. Although, I do remember the first two years when I was a season pass holder (2011 and 2012), early ride times was on select weekdays. It's too bad that the park doesn't consider this option again as it was quite useful, especially on those busy summer weekdays.

I'm not a platinum pass holder (I am a Canada's Wonderland season pass holder), but during my two visits to Kings Island over the past few years (July 2014 and June 2016), I have noticed the ride operators and attendants to be much more enthusiastic than the ones at Canada's Wonderland. Although when I had visited Dorney Park during June 2015, the ride operators were very unenthusiastic. But, I do notice that the ride operators at Canada's Wonderland are very polite most of the time. As for the platinum pass, I suppose Canada's Wonderland does not promote it too much as Canada's Wonderland is Cedar Fair's only Canadian amusement park and some of the people who attend Canada's Wonderland do not feel the need to travel to the US to visit these amusement parks. There is also a lack of awareness that Canada's Wonderland is apart of the Cedar Fair chain which consists of 10 other amusement parks other than Canada's Wonderland. Surprisingly, some people who visit still think Paramount owns the park (even though Cedar Fair acquired Paramount Parks in 2006)! Then there is a cost of the platinum pass which stops people from buying it, if they know about it. If people complain about ticket prices or regular season pass prices, then they definitely are not going to consider buying a platinum pass as its out of their reach or spending limit. I do have intentions of becoming a Cedar Fair platinum pass holder eventually, but at the moment, I do not travel much due to college and the start up of my career, but when I do have the chance to travel I will consider purchasing a Cedar Fair platinum pass due to the value and savings it provides.

I made my fifth visit of the season to the park on Thursday and noticed some things which were different or being worked on since my previous visit which was on May 30th. The things that were different was the addition of the (horrendous) queue line that was added to Coasters Diner. I do not know why they added this within the past month but, it is horrible as it only has one exit which makes it awkward for people to access the tables on the other side of the restaurant as you have to pass back through the entry line, which could to lead to your food being spilled. The other thing which was different (and good) is the discount of $5 that season pass holders receive when they ride Sling Shot. It's not a huge discount but, makes it slightly more affordable than the standard $25 per passenger that has been charged since the opening of Sling Shot in 2015. Now, I happened to notice that White Water Canyon's waterfall facade was being worked on, which is great to see! For those who have rode White Water Canyon over the past couple of seasons, you may have noticed the waterfalls had limited operation throughout the seasons which was due to a water main break. It appears they are fixing that and the facade to hopefully get it fully operational once again sometime this summer. It's nice to see the park taking care of it as it's a fun ride on a warm summer's day!

Hopkins was acquired by the water slide manufacturer WhiteWater West in 2012. They offer the water ride attractions that were manufactured by Hopkins on their website.

I decided to ride Wild Beast this year for the first time in nearly seven years since my first and only ride. The re-tracking that occurred over the past few off-seasons has greatly improved the experience of Wild Beast. I've been on it six times this year, although I've only sat in the second car all six times. It's much better than it was seven years ago, but I still prefer Mighty Canadian Minebuster as I enjoy about and back wooden roller coaster layouts due to the airtime. But, I would suggest anyone to give Wild Beast a try as the retracking over the past few off-seasons has greatly improved it.

Because it may be very expensive to operate and maintain? Think about how many employees, water pumps, etc are required to operate that ride? I don't have the exact data, but it's not like parks remove rides to be Scrooge McDucks for the fun of it. Or do they? Also Arrow went out of business in 2002, so that kind of plays role in the Thunder Rapids issues since replacement parts of an old Arrow log flume are hard to find and expensive, but are there other companies that still make log flume rides? Yes, companies such as Intamin, Mack Rides, and Hopkins (White Water West) still manufacture log flume rides.

I've noticed that The Bat at Canada's Wonderland (or any older Vekoma Boomerang for that matter) is quite loud once the train hits the return chain lift prior to going backwards. Also, if you're standing in the queue line, the brakes releasing near the loop as well as the brakes in the station can be quite deafening! But, The Bat is a fun coaster regardless of its loudness!

I think leaving the current path the way it is would be the best option as the path leading from White Water Canyon along side Splash Works, to Action Zone was constructed by Paramount in 1994 to increase and improve the overall flow and accessibility of the park and Splash Works, which opened in 1992. The area will be busy again all season long once a new attraction is built where SkyRider once operated. Ever since the removal of SkyRider in late 2014, that path has been quite dead when Splash Works isn't open.

Or how about the empty pad they made for Skyrider three years back. Honestly because of it's location I always just assumed that would end up being a water park expansion. And wasn't that the original plan? To replace Skyrider with an eventual waterpark expansion? And I'd love to see what RMC could do with Minebuster--especially with how it interacts with the waterpark. Such a plan was never officially announced for Splash Works. I believe it was only ever such a heavily speculated idea. But, if SkyRider's former pot of land were to be used for a Splash Works expansion, it would mean that the entrance would have to be completely reconstructed, unless they add an overhead (or underground) path to deter people from entering when it's closed.

I do not know when you had rode Mighty Canadian Minebuster but, I truly enjoy it. It has been slightly uncomfortable over the past few years but, the re-tracking of the helix over this past off-season has definitely made Mighty Canadian Minebuster significantly enjoyable. I believe that if the park re-tracks more of Mighty Canadian Minebuster like they had done with Wild Beast during the past few off-seasons, it can become an amazing wooden roller coaster again. I have confidence that Canada's Wonderland can do this successfully.

Yourself

Below are more photos and a video of Soaring Timbers as well as Muskoka Plunge which I had captured during my third visit of the season to Canada's Wonderland today! I had rode Soaring Timbers three times today and found it to be fun, but not thrilling or exciting. I believe it would be much better if the ride duration lasted a little bit longer. During my first ride of the day, the gondola I was in had dived upside down towards the ground, giving the ultimate experience. But, during my other two rides I had only experienced swinging and twisting. But, it's a great ride despite its tightness, short ride, and long loading times. I will be uploading photos of my visit to my blog, so if you're following along be sure to keep an eye out for them very soon! Soaring Timbers: Here is Soaring Timbers before passengers had loaded. Passengers loading before they ride! Ready for take-off! Off-Ride Video of Soaring Timbers: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Muskoka Plunge: Here is Muskoka Plunge under construction! Muskoka Plunge is located in Splash Works where Body Blast was previously located. A large slide piece being put in place!

I do not necessarily see how Soaring Timbers is a "test ride for future Cedar Fair parks" as the ride itself is over 20 years old and given a new lease of life by being completely refurbished and installed at Canada's Wonderland. Would you mind elaborating on your thoughts or statement for me to understand where you're coming from? Isn't it the first ride like this in the Cedar Fair chain? Yes, it is the first one of it's kind in the Cedar Fair chain and North America but, I don't see a new one being constructed. This one formerly operated as Nightfly from what I understand. It was manufactured in 1995 and was up for sale for quite a few years. Cedar Fair acquired it during their 2015 European ride search. I am used to being crammed on rides as well. But, I just don't really like the idea of a ride attendant reaching over me. I am glad to hear Soaring Timbers is a fun ride and I look forward to riding it on Monday. Do you happen to know why they require 10 people to load before they operate it?

I do not necessarily see how Soaring Timbers is a "test ride for future Cedar Fair parks" as the ride itself is over 20 years old and given a new lease of life by being completely refurbished and installed at Canada's Wonderland. Would you mind elaborating on your thoughts or statement for me to understand where you're coming from?

I was wondering if this was going to happen once Soaring Timbers was announced. Sure, the Mondial Inferno looks like a great ride, but I think a newer designed park model would have been better for Canada's Wonderland because it sure does look very tight as I and many others had noticed before it had opened on Thursday. Hopefully the operations do improve as a 10 minute loading time and a one minute ride doesn't sound great. But, I do plan on going back to the park for my third visit of the season on Monday to try it out as it was closed and still testing the last two times I was there. I don't know if this is a rule, but I heard from someone else who rode it and the ride operator informed them that they won't operate Soaring Timbers unless there are ten people in line to ride. Anyhow, it sure sounds like Soaring Timbers is an interesting ride in more ways than one.

Yes, The Bat at Canada's Wonderland during Season Pass Sneak Preview Night (April 28th) and during my visit last Friday (May 5th). Do you feel tired lately?

Yes, about an hour away to be exact! Do you feel that your home park has a great selection of rides?

Canada's Wonderland's Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Dave Phillips has announced via Twitter that Soaring Timbers will open to the public this Thursday.

Yes, Canada's Wonderland's Splash Works does have a Lazy River. As ArgoZ has mentioned, it has been there since Splash Works' inaugural season, which was 1992. You can view a complete list of Splash Works attractions by visiting Canada's Wonderland's website.

When I went to Kings Island (July 2014 and June 2016) we stayed at the Microtel Inn just down the road. It was around $84 per night for the three of us. It was a great deal and just minutes away from the park, so close in fact you could see it from your room if you were lucky! Also, the rooms were clean and there were no bugs. I would consider staying at the Microtel Inn as I enjoyed staying there during both of my visits to Kings Island.

Getting back on topic here, below are a few highlight photos from my visit during Season Pass Sneak Preview Night at Canada's Wonderland on April 28th. The rest of the photos can be viewed on my blog post. After 8 years of The Bat sporting orange supports, the supports were repainted black for the 30th anniversary of The Bat! Now it looks just like it had prior to the 2008 season and 30 years ago! Here is Soaring Timbers with its beautiful sign and surrounding landscaping. Here is a view of Soaring Timbers which was still under construction. Take note of the the beautiful waterfall feature in front of the ride! Here is The Bat thrilling riders in the cool night air!

I agree with you on this. The refurbishment is the main thing that delayed the process but, the installation and opening of the rides is not too far behind. Also, the weather was quite mild in comparison to other winters we have seen in previous years. So, the one week delay of Soaring Timbers is no big deal and everyone should stop complaining about the "lateness" of the ride opening as Canada's Wonderland is doing the best they can with the situation they were given to work with!

Here are photos of Soaring Timbers at Canada's Wonderland during Season Pass Sneak Preview Night. The photos below feature the sign and the ride (under construction). I'll try get a photo of it operating, next time I visit! Photo credit: John Brooks Photo credit: John Brooks