Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

[KBrylczyk]

Sooooo, according to Screamscape, Thunder Run will get a VR headset in 2016. It won't be free, though -

 

2016 - VR Enhanced Thunder Run - Confirmed - (12/16/15) The LA Times looks into the future of VR enhanced rides along with possible use at Cedar Fair parks this week. They confirm that a VR enhanced version of Thunder Run mine train coaster will return to Canada’s Wonderland in 2016, but look for it to be used as an “upcharge” experience rather than as a free enhancement for everyone. According to the article the VR enhanced experience will place riders on the back of a fire-breathing dragon, and add in the experience of a virtual corkscrew inversion element to the experience of the coaster which has no actual real-world inversion. They also mention that the VR experience will require riders to take a trip around the track TWICE to get the entire experience, which makes me curious about just what will take place within the VR realm while the coaster stops in the station to reload all the rest of the seats with non-VR riders.

During an interview with CEO Matt Ouimet, he also said VR enhancement would be added to another coaster elsewhere in the chain as well during 2016. While he didn’t say which park it would come to, he did mention that it would be added to an entirely different style coaster because they want to see how the experience translates to “different types of physics”. Testing on this unknown second coaster is expected to begin soon, and it should be used to enhance the experience of an older ride, or one that doesn’t run at full capacity. In other words… it wont be used on any of the chain’s most popular coasters.

One more interesting use for the VR tech is also being considered by Ouimet, to create a VR powered haunted maze experience. I’m not sure how this would work, but if they need a guinea pig to test it on, feel free to give me a call.

 

http://screamscape.com/html/canada-s_wonderland.htm

 

I'm not a fan of upcharges and you certainly won't see me paying extra money to put on a headset worn by a bunch of other sweaty park-goers, but that's me.

 

They also mention that the VR experience will require riders to take a trip around the track TWICE to get the entire experience, which makes me curious about just what will take place within the VR realm while the coaster stops in the station to reload all the rest of the seats with non-VR riders.

 

Someone wanna tell Lance that the ride already does and always has run two laps?

[Johnlloyd]

I feel that Virtual Reality will create longer wait times for Thunder Run than they already are! Luckily I get to the park before it opens so, that way when the rides do open at 10:00 am, I am able to be one of the first riders on Thunder Run if I want to ride it that day. I wonder how much Virtual reality is going to cost to use, even though I probably wouldn't use it myself?

[rollin_n_coastin]

Not sold on VR. It wasn't a big thing at the park in the early 90s when it was an upcharge and I don't think it will be now, especially on a family coaster. I don't get what turning multi million dollar coasters into simulator rides achieves. If they didn't pull out the action theatre seats they could have used these in there, where the only reality you'd miss out on is a big room.

[canadianparkfan]

It's like what Goliath at SFGAm should have been. The coaster looks great. Nice job.

Perfect... If we get this, we can head to Carowinds to get the full Leviathan experience, and the SFGAm fans can head here to get what Goliath should have been.

[Slides to rides]

I'm not very familiar with this particular forum, and I've been searching all over TPR and on the web. Does Berserker still operate at the park? I saw on a couple websites saying it does, however on the parks website it's not on there. Anyone know what's the deal? Thanks

[Johnlloyd]

I'm not very familiar with this particular forum, and I've been searching all over TPR and on the web. Does Berserker still operate at the park? I saw on a couple websites saying it does, however on the parks website it's not on there. Anyone know what's the deal? Thanks

 

Berserker is an Intamin Looping Starship that has been operating at Kings Dominion since 1984. I believe you are thinking of Jet Scream which was an Intamin Looping Starship that operated at the park from 1990-2010. It was replaced by Windseeker for the 2011 season. I hope this helps!

[Slides to rides]

I just realized I was on the Canadas wonderland thread.... I was typing to fast and I meant to type Californias great America thread. Sorry

[Imagineer Josh]

Hey everybody

 

I'll be at Canada's Wonderland next summer, probably sometime in June.

 

Can someone give me a list of each coaster, and how long the line can get? It would be really helpful in planning the trip the day I go.

[nicman]

^If your there at the end of June when school is out, then you'll probably need fast pass because Canada's Wonderland has the most visits for a seasonal park in north america. Leviathan will always be the longest line as well as behemoth. Wonder Mountain also has a large line. All of the other coasters have shorter lines than those. So hit leviathan, behemoth and wonder mountain the second you get there. Then ride the other coasters and maybe some flats.

 

If you don't already know, Flight deck and Time Warp are !

 

O yeah, Make sure to buy a funnel cake they are the best there.

[Johnlloyd]

Hey everybody

 

I'll be at Canada's Wonderland next summer, probably sometime in June.

 

Can someone give me a list of each coaster, and how long the line can get? It would be really helpful in planning the trip the day I go.

 

Well, if you're going before the schools get out, the lines will be very short on the weekdays (Monday-Friday). But, if you're going after the schools get out, the lines may be long depending on the day you go. If you can go on a weekday, I would suggest going to the park earlier in the week than later in the week because crowds tend to be minimal earlier in the week (Monday-Wednesday). The park opens at 10:00am so, I would suggest arriving about half an hour before then just to beat the morning crowds and to find a good parking spot, even though the rides don't open until 10:00am but, the front gate does open at 9:30am. Another good suggestion I have is going to the park on an overcast or slightly rainy day because all rides and coasters do operate in light drizzle and the crowds will be minimal so that way you'll be able to ride everything you want to ride, multiple times!

 

As for ride lines, on a non-busy weekday (before schools get out in late June) the wait time for all coasters is under half an hour to practically walk-on's. It all depends on how many school students are performing a concert that day in Kingswood Music Theatre but, usually the lines are very minimal to non-existent. But, if you plan on going to the park on a weekend in June, it all depends on the weather. If the weather is nice on a weekend in June, the ride wait times will be exceeding over 45 minutes up to 2 hours for most coasters, especially Behemoth and Leviathan, providing they don't break down. I also suggest that if you want to ride Vortex and you do get to the park before 10:00am you make your way to Vortex either first or second because the line for Vortex and get filled quite fast even on a weekday in late June and will be filled for the rest of the day. But, if you go before the schools are out, then you won't see this.

 

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

[buck funny]

^

If you don't already know, Flight deck and Time Warp are !

 

Time Warp is a zamperla volare to be precise: http://www.zamperla.com/products/volare/

 

but is it still a good head bang.

[nicman]

^Whatever, I meant as a head banger and not a vekoma slc.

[Angle O. Descent]

^If your there at the end of June when school is out, then you'll probably need fast pass because Canada's Wonderland has the most visits for a seasonal park in north america. Leviathan will always be the longest line as well as behemoth. Wonder Mountain also has a large line. All of the other coasters have shorter lines than those. So hit leviathan, behemoth and wonder mountain the second you get there. Then ride the other coasters and maybe some flats.

 

If you don't already know, Flight deck and Time Warp are !

 

O yeah, Make sure to buy a funnel cake they are the best there.

 

^^^^ And while we're at it, you're

[DorneyKid14]

I am checking out the park on Google Maps and that big park of land just north of the park, across from Major MacKenzie Dr W, was that owned by the park before? All the roadways lead into the main parking lot. But if you go on street view, there is land clearing going on and the tunnel to go to the main lot for the park is covered and blocked off. I'm just curious.

[canadianparkfan]

^Pretty sure you're correct. The park sold the land a while ago. I believe they're building a hospital there now.

 

While the park definitely still has some room to expand, I'm not too sure why they sold the land north of the park. They must've struck a pretty good deal.

 

Speaking of future development, really pumped for sky hawk. With the foundation going in, it's only a matter of months before the tower and rest of the ride go up

[Dom497]

^When Cedar Fair bought Wonderland, the park was in some pretty bad debt. Selling the land let them pay off a huge chunk of it. That was the main reason behind selling the land. It's just taken nearly 10 years for the city to actually start using the land.

[DorneyKid14]

Sell the land and then get two wonderful B&Ms. Not bad. I would of imagine that it was used as over flow on busy days. It is a pretty big plot of land.

 

And could you consider Leviathan as the first CF front gate coaster? I kind of goes over the front gate.

[Married a Canadian]

I heard a rumour back in the Paramount days that the park was going to be sold and moved to the Niagara region (so they could use the land for houses).

Does anyone know if this actually had legs...or was it just one of those "Toronto needs space for houses so lets look at any piece of land that might be going rumours?"

 

RE The hospital build...it did take them a while to finally get it started.

[Dom497]

I heard a rumour back in the Paramount days that the park was going to be sold and moved to the Niagara region (so they could use the land for houses).

 

For the love of god why do people still think there was even a remote chance of that happening? Moving an entire theme park?!?!?!

 

This is the stupidest rumour that has been around for years.

[Philrad71]

I admit that they could probably move the entire theme park into Marineland and it would still be a trek between rides.

[Married a Canadian]

For the love of god why do people still think there was even a remote chance of that happening? Moving an entire theme park?!?!?!

 

I didn't say I believed it...I wanted to know if it had any credit at the time. Rumours start for a reason. Moving a "theme park" is nothing in the grand scale of things. They have moved bigger things than that....take Hong Kong airport as an example.

While it may have seemed like a "stupid" rumour...it must have been started for a reason..that is all I was interested in.

Lets be honest...on this Wonderland thread...the minute any sort of paint, marker, work etc is spotted on any area of the Wonderland property we all start speculating on what they are actually going to build there....when sometimes it actually only is general maintenance work. Thus the rumour mill starts.

[canadianparkfan]

Sell the land and then get two wonderful B&Ms. Not bad. I would of imagine that it was used as over flow on busy days. It is a pretty big plot of land.

 

And could you consider Leviathan as the first CF front gate coaster? I kind of goes over the front gate.

I'd say it is... Wonderland really seems to be the "testing ground" for CF. Being perfectly honest, I was kind of pissed when Fury 325 opened, as it was what all of us at CW wanted out of Leviathan, but didn't get.

 

As for moving the park, I doubt that it could've been pulled off, however, when the owner of Marineland finally kicks the bucket, I'd absolutely love to see a competing chain pick up the property. With 5 million people in the area, they could definitely support two large parks. Furthermore, if CF has put in this much work to fix up and improve CW without any competing parks nearby, I can only imagine how much CF l/CW would step up their game with some healthy competition nearby.

[DorneyKid14]

I don't know about that. I say that all the time about dorney. With Hershey and Great Adventure being an hour and an hour and a half away respectively, you would think CF would do more with Dorney to help compete. But they don't. Maybe it's because of a lot of the restrictions that park has, who knows. Maybe they would since wonderland is a bigger park than Dorney. Only time will tell

[PATTYCAKES]

Back in the day, the mountain rotated every day at noon.

[Johnlloyd]

Back in the day, the mountain rotated every day at noon.

 

Yeah, also back in the day they packed the coasters up for the winter. It's quite hard to believe that some people actually believe these rumours, even to this day. Especially the one about Canada's Wonderland moving...