Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

[Doppel Looping]

Went to wonderland for the last time this year. It was cool and wet but there were a few die hards who came out. They had many rides closed, probably expecting low attendance. Despite that it was a good day to go. I did not have to wait for anything. Nobody seemed bothered by the weather, they just dressed for it and went about their day like nothing happened. Pro tip: use the washroom in the mountain, as it is heated!

 

It was nice to see the fall colours in the park, you realize there are a lot of trees. Winterfest will be weird with all of the leaves you take for granted gone.

 

The placement of yukon stryker is ideal for being able to see it all over the park, it will be nice to see trains on it. They have part of the immelmann up so far, and have almost finished the walkways at the top of the lift hill. It will be a cold place to work soon, but i guess they wanted to wait until splash works closed to start so they could block the area off and not have to worry about pedestrians.

 

Leviathan had it's trains in the shed with water dummies in the front rows. It started cycling as i was leaving.

 

I finished off the season with 3 back to back rides on Behemoth and said goodby for a few months.

 

New skyline from parking lot with yukon lift hill below windseeker

fall descends on wonder mountain

spot the new lift hill from the plaza

Haunt has left it's laundry out.

Dragon Fyre train rests in siding collecting a bit of snow.

Leviatahan closed with all trains in shed as ride ops huddle for warmth.

You don't get pay people to go in a coffin when they will do it for free.

Wild beast taking a rest this morning.

the fly

Klockwerks doing it's thing.

Vortex frames yukon drop. You can see snow on the track.

nice view of partially completed immelmann from vortex platform

Boring timbers was open but the ride op said they needed 10 people to run a cycle and needed 9 more.

Goodby wonderland 2018. it's been a slice.

[Scott84]

I went to Wonderland on Sunday Oct. 29th. The park was dead. The ride attendants insisted we keep staying on the rides and keep the fun going.

 

We got in at 10am. No rides seemed to be running until about 10:20am. We were able to go on all the major rides but Leviathan which wasn't running. We hit the Wonderland Store where everything was 50% off. We were out of the park just before 12.

 

The wooden coasters did nor run. Infact, they didn't even test them while I was there. I could see the track covered in snow not touched from the previous snowfall. Top Gun ahem... Flight Deck was only running one train. Time Warp wasn't running either.

[lord denning]

I went to Wonderland on Sunday Oct. 29th. The park was dead. The ride attendants insisted we keep staying on the rides and keep the fun going.

 

We got in at 10am. No rides seemed to be running until about 10:20am. We were able to go on all the major rides but Leviathan which wasn't running. We hit the Wonderland Store where everything was 50% off. We were out of the park just before 12.

 

The wooden coasters did nor run. Infact, they didn't even test them while I was there. I could see the track covered in snow not touched from the previous snowfall. Top Gun ahem... Flight Deck was only running one train. Time Warp wasn't running either.

 

This does not bode well for a meaningful ride selection for winterfest.

[coasterbill]

This does not bode well for a meaningful ride selection for winterfest.

 

It's Cedar Fair, you shouldn't have expected one anyway.

[Doppel Looping]

For what it is worth, there were plenty of rides open for the amount of people in the park when i was there. I don't think i waited more than a ride cycle on anything. The ride ops moved quickly even though it was not busy.

 

I have been to a lot of parks and Wonderland is among the best for ride operations and cleanliness. The food is unacceptably bad, but the rides are great.

[anonymouscactus]

The food is unacceptably bad, but the rides are great.

 

Really? I think Wonderland has some of the best (and unique offerings of) food in the chain. What specifically are you referring to? Just curious.

[Stealth1]

I find the food average at best. They really are missing a signature sit down restaurant. I would love to have a restaurant like Melt at Wonderland.

[Sledgehammer_77]

I'm hoping that with some of the leftover land on Skyriders plot will be home to a sit down restaraunt.... maybe another flat as well.

[prozach626]

I find the food average at best. They really are missing a signature sit down restaurant. I would love to have a restaurant like Melt at Wonderland.

I don't know of many chain parks that have signature sit down restaurants. Melt is a pretty big exception.

[SbSteveZ]

I’ve found that the issue with the food is more so the god awful service. It’s a theme park so I don’t expect the food to be stellar but when you add in an awful experience then that just makes it so much worse. Why do I have to wait 20 minutes on a slow day to get a burger that I had to “re order” three times as an extremely unmotivated employee stares blankly at me each time I do it?

 

My other issue is the fact that some of the drink machines they have don’t even work yet they keep them on the food counters. And not that it doesn’t work, but they don’t really take care of replacing the cartridges in the freestyles. Most times over the season when I’d go to use one (with the season pass refill) id end up getting water because the many things I wanted they didn’t have.

 

Such a shame for such an otherwise great theme park

[jazma]

^^ Cedar Point and Knott's both have sit down Johnny Rockets too.

 

Knott's has Ghost Town Grill as a sit down restaurants, for years...since like the 1940's. And of course outside the park is the Chicken Dinner Restaurant and TGIF.

 

Cedar Point also has sit down restaurants directly outside park gates, such as Famous Dave's, Tomo Hibachi, TGIF, and Perkins.

[boldikus]

Wouldn't Chickies @ CP (and Dorney) count as a sit down full service restaurant? They both have wait staff.

[Stealth1]

I find that the food tends to be better at sitdown restaurants over the quick service ones. The service atleast at CP is usually better too.

[Sledgehammer_77]

Looking at the recently updated Google Maps for Wonderland, they do have enough room just east of Action Theatre in the old que to put in a 1-2 storie Restaraunt there. Maybe add some theming to Canadiana and reopen Action Theatre in the next couple of years. There is definitely enough space for a sit down, and I would love to see one in the park and that seems to be a great space for it.

[PATTYCAKES]

I waited until November 7th to write this. Not one comment about Halloween Haunt this year on TPR. My advice for anyone living in the Wonderland area. Forget about the, very stale, very copy-cat-ish Halloween Haunt and go to the Casa Loma event. Very theatrical, elaborate sets, costumes and scareactors. Just like Halloween Haunt used to be. I actually went to both events this year and will post my trip reports soon. Very quickly, Halloween Haunt was same-old, same-old and Casa Loma was amazing!

[Prof Kaos]

I'm just not a fan of Halloween Haunt stuff in the first place. I'm sure a Casa-Loma event would be much more interesting.

[lord denning]

I waited until November 7th to write this. Not one comment about Halloween Haunt this year on TPR. My advice for anyone living in the Wonderland area. Forget about the, very stale, very copy-cat-ish Halloween Haunt and go to the Casa Loma event. Very theatrical, elaborate sets, costumes and scareactors. Just like Halloween Haunt used to be. I actually went to both events this year and will post my trip reports soon. Very quickly, Halloween Haunt was same-old, same-old and Casa Loma was amazing!

 

To be fair the casa loma event is also pretty copy-cat-ish being that they only do slight changes each year. It is very very well done. But so is Wonderland. I took my kid to Casa Loma again but also Wonderland for the first time for Haunt and he was blown away. So many mazes, so much to do. Casa Loma you are in and out in less than an hour. The Ruins with the flashlights is such a great experience.

 

I am just happy we are in a city that has both.

[PATTYCAKES]

I waited until November 7th to write this. Not one comment about Halloween Haunt this year on TPR. My advice for anyone living in the Wonderland area. Forget about the, very stale, very copy-cat-ish Halloween Haunt and go to the Casa Loma event. Very theatrical, elaborate sets, costumes and scareactors. Just like Halloween Haunt used to be. I actually went to both events this year and will post my trip reports soon. Very quickly, Halloween Haunt was same-old, same-old and Casa Loma was amazing!

 

To be fair the casa loma event is also pretty copy-cat-ish being that they only do slight changes each year. It is very very well done. But so is Wonderland. I took my kid to Casa Loma again but also Wonderland for the first time for Haunt and he was blown away. So many mazes, so much to do. Casa Loma you are in and out in less than an hour. The Ruins with the flashlights is such a great experience.

 

I am just happy we are in a city that has both.

 

Well, this was my first time to the Casa Loma event this year. I would imagine that not too much would change from year to year. I guess you could just walk quickly through, but I spent an hour and a half there, and if I had stopped at the half-way restaurant/shooter bar, It would be over 2 hours. I guess you can be "blown-away" by seeing things for the first time. I want to talk about my Haunt trip this year in a bit more detail. Keep watching here. I will try to post my tr sometime next week.

[Johnlloyd]

Here is a piece of Canada's Wonderland history that Grace Peacock, Director of Communications shared on Twitter today. It is quite neat to see photos like this!

[thirstydeer]

Did any of you take advantage of that special flash offer the park offered around Nov 13? You can buy up to two $50 fast lane plus passes per seasons ticket holder to be used anytime next season up until Labour Day. Only lasted a day or two so if you blinked you missed it.

[PATTYCAKES]

If you have a season pass, then why on earth would you buy a fast lane pass? I don't get it. Just come back the next day, duh.

[prozach626]

Because it's only $50, which is dirt cheap. Use it for a Haunt, another event, or a weekend if possible. You could also take someone who doesn't normally go.

[thirstydeer]

If you have a season pass, then why on earth would you buy a fast lane pass? I don't get it. Just come back the next day, duh.

 

Well in my case I have a family of five and none of them go on any of the adult rides. Unlike last year my job won't allow me to go during the week therefore limiting when I can go, so I don't have the option of simply going back the next day, duh.

[kotsy]

If you have a season pass, then why on earth would you buy a fast lane pass? I don't get it. Just come back the next day, duh.

 

Not everyone with season passes lives really close to the park to want to come back the next day, even if they were available to.

[thedlr]

If you have a season pass, then why on earth would you buy a fast lane pass? I don't get it. Just come back the next day, duh.

 

We have platinum passes and we live nowhere near CW. Too bad we missed the sale, though I don't know that I'd want to buy fast lane this far out. Not even sure when we are visiting yet. Hopefully we won't need it?