Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

[GCI Wooden]

Every Cedar Fair site has a list like that but are they ever right? Usually every ride is open (at least during the day) minus maybe water rides but they only list the thrill rides or the rides that are open at night.

Nope, everything at Valleyfair is open for Haunt (With a few exceptions like the water rides, Excalibur, and maybe Ripcord). The Haunt sites are never fully accurate when it comes to rides.

 

I would just assume that the entire park is open unless Canada's Wonderland has some random dead ends with un-popular attractions that I'm not aware of.

[coasterbill]

Wait they close one of their coasters for their busiest season? What?

[buck funny]

At the park this Morning and it looks like riptide is either getting overhauled or just hauled outta there.

 

If you look closely you can see workers are inside the bearings on either side and look like they are cleaning the grease.

 

At first glance i thought they might be removing it to put the new ride there but seeing the workers inside it, it May just be repair.

 

The parts with the seats are in behind near the base of dragon fyre's lifthill.

 

RIPtide?

[elvoyer]

It's good to know that there will be rides open while I'm at the park. Does anyone know where the new Soaring Timbers ride is supposed to go? Also, is Sledgehammer still going to be at the park next season or are they planning to take it out. That location looks like a good place to put the new ride.

 

I heard it's going where the mini-golf is by The Fly.

[ejot]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

[DougMJr]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

 

Dragon Mountain is worth stopping by for. I saw nothing of concern as far as animal treatment goes when I last visited in 2014.

[GCI Wooden]

Wait they close one of their coasters for their busiest season? What?

So, at Valleyfair, nobody ever ventures to Excalibur. It's in the back of the park and a lot of people don't like it. It sends off a few empty seats on trains pretty consistently even during the summer months when they only run one train (Which is always, I think I've seen the ride run two trains once over the past couple years.).

 

It's really a weird scenario, as that is one of Valleyfair's larger coasters, but hardly anyone goes on it. I think most of the people that go on Excalibur are either people that just got off of Thunder Canyon, which exits directly in front of the ride entrance so they just figure, "Eh, what the heck, let's just do it since we're here". Or they're people who don't want to get wet, but the rest of their group has their mind set on Thunder Canyon, so they ride Excalibur to kill time until their group returns.

 

So, they just cut off the path past Renegade so they don't need to run Excalibur or the rapids ride. They've been doing it for years.

[Johnlloyd]

It's good to know that there will be rides open while I'm at the park. Does anyone know where the new Soaring Timbers ride is supposed to go? Also, is Sledgehammer still going to be at the park next season or are they planning to take it out. That location looks like a good place to put the new ride.

 

I heard it's going where the mini-golf is by The Fly.

 

SledgeHammer is returning next year as they have spent a whole lot of money refurbishing it, especially during the past few years. Soaring Timbers may be going where Pro Putt is or it may be going where Action Theatre and Launch Pad are located in the White Water Canyon section of the park. Nothing has been confirmed yet but, I can guarantee you that the placement of Soaring Timbers will be announced here once the park has released their final plans for Soaring Timbers.

 

At the park this Morning and it looks like riptide is either getting overhauled or just hauled outta there.

 

If you look closely you can see workers are inside the bearings on either side and look like they are cleaning the grease.

 

At first glance i thought they might be removing it to put the new ride there but seeing the workers inside it, it May just be repair.

 

The parts with the seats are in behind near the base of dragon fyre's lifthill.

 

I had rode Riptide on Saturday, September 24th and it didn't seem to be giving as good as a ride as it usually does. From what I understand is that the park will try to reopen Riptide before the season is over after it goes through a slight refurbishment/maintenance process.

[coasterbill]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

 

We liked Marineland. The animals seemed to be well cared for, the facilities are dated as hell but I'd go back for sure. I highly recommend Friendship cove. You can pet and feed a beluga for like 8 bucks. It's a short encounter but it's super cool.

 

Dragon Mountain is tremendously enjoyable. We expected it to be really painful but it rode really well, the S&S tower is insane simply because of it's location. Sir on the side facing the queue house for a view of the falls.

 

Also if you have a Fitbit or something like that, charge the hell out of it the night before you go.

[Married a Canadian]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

 

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.

[rollin_n_coastin]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

 

 

If you're coming in October, you won't need more than a day at CW, so could easily check out Niagara and Marineland. A Marineland visit really depends on whether or not you want a coaster credit for $43.00. Dragon Mountain was quite iconic, claiming to be the world's longest steel coaster for a long time, which you'll definitely "feel" to be true when they run one train only

[coasterbill]

A Marineland visit really depends on whether or not you want a coaster credit for $43.00

 

This is assuming that you have absolutely zero interest in seeing the incredibly impressive collection of marine and land animals or riding the awesome drop ride and fun flats. We easily spent an entire day at Marineland and didn't get to see everything.

[canadianparkfan]

Planning my first visit to CW. Should I do a day and a half weekend at CW or a day at CW and a half day at Marineland? Honestly I'm pretty darn interested in Dragon Mountain. Next Sun is their last operating day.... Do they really mistreat animals?

 

Dragon Mountain is worth stopping by for. I saw nothing of concern as far as animal treatment goes when I last visited in 2014.

Mistreatment of animals shouldn't be a reason to avoid a decent ride/park... Just look at how most parks of a certain chain mistreat their HUMAN customers (**cough^* Sixflags **cough**) with with the abomination that is their 2017 addition lineup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In all seriousness, will be interesting to see if marineland is bought out by a bigger chain in the coming years/decades. To my knowledge, the owner is getting up there in age, and may decide to sell the park soon. As others have said, the park is quoted dated. Would be very interesting to see what a bigger chain could do for the park.

[rollin_n_coastin]

A Marineland visit really depends on whether or not you want a coaster credit for $43.00

 

This is assuming that you have absolutely zero interest in seeing the incredibly impressive collection of marine and land animals or riding the awesome drop ride and fun flats. We easily spent an entire day at Marineland and didn't get to see everything.

 

It's a fair assumption based on asking about spending half a day. That said, I''ve done the shows, deer, exhibits and rides in half a day with family, including the long hikes in between attractions. The beautiful animals are always impressive. The tired property that looks and feels the same as it was since first going in the 80s is far from impressive.

 

Personally I love Dragon Mountain and would go for the coaster primarily. For years, it was better than any of Wonderland's steel coasters.

[coolpixer]

At the park this Morning and it looks like riptide is either getting overhauled or just hauled outta there.

 

If you look closely you can see workers are inside the bearings on either side and look like they are cleaning the grease.

 

At first glance i thought they might be removing it to put the new ride there but seeing the workers inside it, it May just be repair.

 

The parts with the seats are in behind near the base of dragon fyre's lifthill.

 

Leviathan also not running on the first night of haunt. One train (disassembled) sitting behind the station in a behind the scenes area.

[ejot]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I think I will go this weekend and check out Marineland, too .... coaster, animals, flats.. whatever time allows, I'm down for.

 

Can't believe how cheap Toronto hotels are right now!!

 

^ Yikes, that's surprising. This was last Friday night? Anyone know about an extended downtime? I'd be a little bummed to miss Levi, was hoping to make it my #200.

[coasterbill]

Leviathan ran the rest of the weekend.

[Married a Canadian]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I think I will go this weekend and check out Marineland, too .... coaster, animals, flats.. whatever time allows, I'm down for.

 

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

[rollin_n_coastin]

Leviathan was running on Saturday. Even Sledgehammer was running, and that's what matters most

[Angle O. Descent]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I think I will go this weekend and check out Marineland, too .... coaster, animals, flats.. whatever time allows, I'm down for.

 

Can't believe how cheap Toronto hotels are right now!!

 

^ Yikes, that's surprising. This was last Friday night? Anyone know about an extended downtime? I'd be a little bummed to miss Levi, was hoping to make it my #200.

 

Marineland is worth a visit as it won't take you an entire day. While I like Dragon Mountain, I think that the drop tower is the best ride in the park, and one of the best drop towers I've been on period. Drop/shot combo. Plus lots of animal friends to make Last time I went they only had Beluga whales in terms of marine life, but it was a pleasant experience. If you're doing Wonderland at this time of year, definitely check out the Haunt. Hit the coasters during the day first if you can. Good luck!

[Canobie Coaster]

Leviathan was running on Saturday. Even Sledgehammer was running, and that's what matters most

 

I guess I've been lucky since I've had that ride operational in all of my visits to the park.

 

I too can confirm that Leviathan was running during the day on Saturday. That was my primary visit for going back since it was new so I would have been really disappointed if it were down.

[Johnlloyd]

I am just wondering if anyone knows how much it had cost Canada's Wonderland to construct Shockwave (Mondial Top Scan) in 2001 or the price of a new Mondial Top Scan? I believe it is one of the more expensive flat rides in the park.

[canadianparkfan]

May be heading to the park on Oct 30.

 

Will be there in the evening for haunt. Never done haunt before, and wanted to check out the haunted houses, however, this will also be my first visit to the park this year , so I'm wanting to get a decent amount of rides in too.

 

Any suggestions on how I should go about doing things?

[hauntmaniac]

I visited Haunt last Sunday! Here is my review!

 

Code Red 8/10

While I didn't know what to expect with the name change of Asylum to Code Red, the maze looked barely changed. Great characters and some good scares! I was impressed.

 

We then walked into the Plague scarezone that was new for 2016. It was actually really awesome! Great actors, really cool sets. 8/10

 

We then went into the Courtyard mazes.

 

Blood Shed 3/10

Honestly, this maze was not that great. Monsters were very boring. It felt like they didnt want to be there. New location for this maze worked pretty well though.

 

Club Blood 'REVAMP' 9/10

Honestly, I have to say I was very surprised by this maze. In past years it was almost a joke walking through it. This year they totally changed it. It was amazing. Great scares throughout. Was one of the best mazes of the night. Only thing that was different was there was no dancers!! What happened?! Overall good maze with solid scares!

 

SciFi House 5/10

This maze felt empty. There was a few good scares. Not that impressed. Wouldn't be surprised if it leaves.

 

Cornstalkers 2/10

Little to no scares. Cornstalkers usually always scared me. Not this year. A little dissapointed.

 

Spirit Manor 8/10

This maze was amazing. Visually stunning and filled with great characters. There was a good amount of scares. Solid maze.

 

Streets of the Undead 7/10

This is one of my favourites. It felt a little empty actor wise, but was still awesome!

 

I wasnt able to get into the mountain mazes.

All the new scarezones were really cool. Trick or Treat was a standout for me! CryOHazard was cool too.

 

Overall, Haunt was prertt aweaome this year. Club Blood and Spirit Manor being two highlights for my group. I am hoping to head back before the season ends!

[gearbm95]

First trip ever to CW for haunt, went last night Sat 10/22, not sure if I'd attend this event again, here's a quick recap:

 

I knew not expect HHN level detail in the mazes, and I was actually impressed by the design and sets in the mazes...where it drops off big time, is the scareactor talent...in almost every maze, they were so blah, giving maybe a growl or a strong stare, never giving an actual jump or scare...now I believe this lack of scares may have been due to the constant conga lines going through the mazes, the actors would never really be given a chance to hide or reset

 

Beyond, th a mazes the park itself was not ready for the crowds they had tonight. When we arrived at 7:05, we had about a 10 min wait to get into the lot, with 6 lanes and all parking tollvooths ooen, yes, it was that busy. To get into the park, all gates were open, I'd say 15-20 lines, but the lines were 100 deep and not very organized. It took about another 15 mins to get into the park.

 

Once inside the front gate "scare zone" was anything but. It was simply a couple grave stones and 2 or 3 scareactor with no specific theme (dead cheerleader, zombie, devil) just walking around doing very little. From there we walked towards the back of the park and actually stopped to check out Sky Hawk, about 10 min wait, fun ride. After that went to hit the mazes in the back of the park, Spirit Manor and Cornstalkers.

 

Spirit Manor had about a 40 min wait, however the line constantly moved due to them just allowing a continual conga kind,of people into the mazes. The sets and design were actually quite nice, there were a couple rooms where the lights did seem a little too bright though. The real problem with the maze was lack of scares though. The scareactors were kind of just milling about in the middle of rooms not doing much beyond the occassional growl. It was very dissapointing considering the MANY great set pieces they had to hide and work with.

 

After Spirit Manon we waited about 45 mins for Cornstalkers, complete waste of time. This maze really suffered from the large group of people being in the maze at the same time, scares were nonexistant. Again, in this maze there was the problem of lights being a little too bright and killing the atmosphere. Also a big problem with this maze was the wind killing the fog, btw did I mention it was 37 degrees all night.

 

Considering we didn't get into the park until 740, it was already 930 and we had only done 1 ride and 2 mazes, the park is only open until 12. Now the extreme crowds killed any chance for the scarezones to work...the one by Time Warp was especially pathetic as the 5 scareactors were literally sitting down talking to each other.

 

At this point Time Warp was down, Psychlone was down, Behomth was down...Windseeker was down...the only rides operating in this side of the park were Jackhammer and Backlot Stunt Coaster and Minebuster. My group wanted to hit a coaster, we ended up waiting 40 mins for Backlit Stunt Coaster. Riding this coaster in the 37 degree temps made for quite the cold face.

 

We walked over to Streets of the Undead. We waited about 20 minutes. This maze had some fantastic sets, especially the subway car with the strobe light. However, there were VERY few scareactors, and the ones in there were doing nothing. Also, we started to notice a trend where there were more workers guiding crowds through the mazes than actual scareactors in the mazes. But again, this was probably the most impressively designed maze of the night and had tons of potential for scares but the scareactors just mailed it in.

 

It was now almost 1030, we decided to walk to the other side of the park where the majority of the mazes were. We waited about 30 mins for Bloodshed and Club Blood. You actually went through Bloodshed then after the exit, walked directly into the entrance of Club Blood. Bloodshed suffered from lazy scareactors and the conga line crowd...however, Club Blood, the walk over from the exit from Bloodshed created smaller groups going into Club Blood. We went through Club Blood in a group of like 8 which was nice, I didn't get the theming much beyond the deadmau5 playing. There were some decent scares in here though, best of the night.

 

After this we waited about 10 mins for Sci Fi house, which was actually not bad. Had there not been a conga line crowd there would have been some nice chances for scares. We missed out on all the scares, but the black and white twilight zone was very nicely done.

 

It was now 1130 and the park closed in a half hour. The line for Leviathan was an hour, all of the flats had decent waits over in this part of the park...Drop Tower and Shockwave were down. Vortex had a 30 min wait, The Fly had about a 20 min wait...we ended up settling for the 4D Zombies ride in the mountain.

 

This ride could have been pretty good, but the fact that my gun didn't work sucked. The visuals were cool, it was kind of lame how there's literally no theming, just the screens in the mountain, they could've done so much more with this. The drop track portion at the end was actually nice, and provided a quick scare. We ended up waiting 40 mins for this, we had gotten off and it was 1210.

 

To recap, we got to the park at 705, we ended up only doing the following in 4 hrs:

 

Sky Hawk

Spirit Manor

Cornstalkers

Backlit Stunt Coaster

Streets of the Undead

Bloodshed

Club Blood

Sci Fi House

Zombies 4D

 

I guess looking back at that it's not too terrible for only have like 4.5hrs in the park. As a tip for people going in the future I'd suggest getting Fast Lane for the rides as the lines are much longer than the maze lines. The conga line crowd management on the mazes allows the lines to just keep moving, however eliminating most scares.