Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

[bigbill245]

Looks awesome cant wait to ride in july!

[scbt]

Look like a great ride, my only concern is that I'm a lil' disturbed by the rattle i heard in the POV (unless its the camera).

[Hercules]

Great coverage! Looks great!

 

The sign is very Hydra-like.

[kunpc1]

Look like a great ride, my only concern is that I'm a lil' disturbed by the rattle i heard in the POV (unless its the camera).

 

It's the camera.

[PCW_Nut]

Look like a great ride, my only concern is that I'm a lil' disturbed by the rattle i heard in the POV (unless its the camera).

 

Ride is super smooth. Just like a B&M should be.

[chadster]

This is the first time I think I have ever seen Snoopy Nekid!

 

The ride looks amazing, great job guys, can't wait to ride on the Leviathon trip and coupled with ERT and front of line passes, yeah, I might find a nice home on this after completing a credit run.

[TPDave]

The first drop looks pretty good!

 

Nice report guys, I'll have to fly out to Canada once Andrew gets to the UK and try this thing out!

[coasterfreaky]

I like the layout, but it seems like it needs another 1,500 feet or so...in the form of bunny hills. The brake run, wtf?

[cfc]

^I thought the brake run was a bit unusual, too. Wild Eagle at Dollywood delivers an extra little kick after the brake run. It stops on a fairly steep angle and actually hurtles around a sharp curve after the brakes release the train (it was very surprising).

 

I wonder if Leviathan will offer that same extra "kick"?

Edited April 29, 2012 by cfc

[PCW_Nut]

I like the layout, but it seems like it needs another 1,500 feet or so...in the form of bunny hills. The brake run, wtf?

 

Honestly this is the perfect length. If you do bunny hills like that then it would start being too close to Behemoth. Test me, if you ride this you won't be concerned with the lack of bunny hills.

[coasterfreaky]

^fair enough. It seems to me like an "unfinished" ride when it hits the brakes, like it hasn't fulfilled it's roller coaster destiny. But, it is what it is.

 

^^yes I love that on Wild Eagle! You definitely notice that more on the right-hand side (or right-wing side)

[greg spalding]

I'm not impressed by this at all. I just looks very pedestrian and far to similar to Behemoth. I'm not going to get to ride it for a long time yet, but I honestly can't see what all the excitement is about. Sure, it's tall, but so is MF and I305, but at least they have a bit more to them than a couple of big hills and a hammerhead turn. The exact same turn is on another B&M right across the park! Why not a bit of variety here? How about the turn on Shambhala? That would have looked awesome over the entrance to the park, or even a diving helix, at least something that would add to the length as well as separate it from Behemoth a bit more.

And that break run just smacks of poor design. I'm not one to badmouth B&M, but this is a backward step from them in my opinion. It's like stopping the ride when it's still got some juice under the hood. When I first saw the POV I assumed it was a mid course as the train climbed up to it, but then it's all over?? When you've got a break run that is that high up and that long to get the train back to the station, it's just a wasted opportunity IMHO. I'll probably get grief for this post, and seeing as I'm not going to Canada anytime soon, I can't comment from experience, but just by looks and POV alone, this one's a dud.

[Dragon Khan]

^For some reason, I'm more inclined to believing in the opinion of people who have ridden it already, and knowing one in particular(jason), I'm very tempted to believe him and his good coaster tastes... Wasted energy about the high brake run ? hmmmm maybe, but also, maybe not more than two American stratocoasters operating at SFGAdv and CP... I think Walter and Claude (and for that matter, Intamin engineers too) are waiting for advice from all of the marvelous coaster designers on this website...

[galindoverhere]

I'm not impressed by this at all. I just looks very pedestrian and far to similar to Behemoth.

How could you compare this to Behemoth?! Sure they're both B&M's and have the "out and back" layout but Levi is MUCH longer and looks like it provides some more airtime, and try comparing a 200+ Footer to a 300+ Footer. Have you even ridden Levi? Ride it at least once and then tell us your opinion again. I'm not trying to be rude, but I don't think you should criticize a ride that you probably don't have any experience on... But this is just my opinion....

[robbalvey]

^For some reason, I'm more inclined to believing in the opinion of people who have ridden it already

 

You know - people like what they like, and regardless if you agree with it or not, will form an opinion off a video using the experience of what they know. Personally, I happen to agree with Greg's assessment. I'm an "airtime guy", meaning I normally do not put coasters built for speed anywhere near the top of my list. That doesn't mean the ride won't deliver for some people. I mean, different strokes, right? Some dudes like cute butts, other like boobs. I think those people looking for the "airtime ride" will probably be in line for Behemoth, and those who like speed and more speed....I guess this is their thing.

 

And while I haven't ridden it yet either, based on my having been on pretty much every single B&M in the world (minus only a handful), if I had to place a bet, I'm probably more of a Behemoth man myself...and that's not a bad thing!

 

--Robb

Edited April 29, 2012 by robbalvey

[MrSum1_55]

I'm not impressed by this at all. I just looks very pedestrian and far to similar to Behemoth. I'm not going to get to ride it for a long time yet, but I honestly can't see what all the excitement is about. Sure, it's tall, but so is MF and I305, but at least they have a bit more to them than a couple of big hills and a hammerhead turn. The exact same turn is on another B&M right across the park! Why not a bit of variety here? How about the turn on Shambhala? That would have looked awesome over the entrance to the park, or even a diving helix, at least something that would add to the length as well as separate it from Behemoth a bit more.

And that break run just smacks of poor design. I'm not one to badmouth B&M, but this is a backward step from them in my opinion. It's like stopping the ride when it's still got some juice under the hood. When I first saw the POV I assumed it was a mid course as the train climbed up to it, but then it's all over?? When you've got a break run that is that high up and that long to get the train back to the station, it's just a wasted opportunity IMHO. I'll probably get grief for this post, and seeing as I'm not going to Canada anytime soon, I can't comment from experience, but just by looks and POV alone, this one's a dud.

 

1. How is MF that much more original than Levi? The only thing MF does that Levi doesn't is the funky helix after the third hill, but even this feels more like another overbanked turn, even though it technically isn't overbanked.

2. So, you are saying that it would be less similar to Behemoth by adding a helix? So what you are saying is, it will be less like Behemoth by making it more like Behemoth?

3. The brake run was probably a capacity factor. Why did they not add a drop off the run into the final, "real" brakes? I don't know. All I can say is B&M knows more that you or I do. When it comes to the brake run, I will probably just give B&M the benefit of the doubt, because these guys know how to design a coaster, and they must know what they are doing.

[A.J.]

I've said this numerous times before, but what enthusiasts want and what is best for the park are usually two different things. If the extended brake run and exaggerated elements mean that Leviathan are more reliable in the long run, so be it. Leviathan is one beast of a ride, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap. Canada's Wonderland probably wants to keep maintenance costs as low as possible.

[PCW_Nut]

The exact same turn is on another B&M right across the park!

 

You couldn't be further away from the truth on this statement. The hammerhead on Leviathan is far more over banked then the one on Behemoth. Pictures and videos really do not do this ride justice. Get your butt up to Wonderland, ride it, then critique.

 

Robb, I am with you, I am also an airtime type of guy however I find love in all elements. I've been battling over and over in my head which is better between the two and I've yet to come to a conclusive choice. What I have come to realize though is that Wonderland now has 2 World class B&M's in their park, and that, is nothing but good!

[coasterlover420]

^^^^I agree, Robb. Some people like feeling speed and wind through their hair etc...and some people go more for forces: +g, -g, acceleration, inversions...

 

I am more of a 'forces' person myself. I will love coasters tall, short, fast, slow, with/without inversions, out and back, twister...as long as it is interesting. As far as the length of Leviathan goes, the time from lift top to brake in that video (not sure on the load) is 55ish seconds, which I would not consider short for a roller coaster, and my feeling is that if there was more done with it, it would seem too long and uninteresting. Not to mention B&M coasters tend to be more expensive than say Intamin, seeing as Millennium Force is 1000 feet longer and cost $3M less. MF is only around 10 seconds longer anyway...

 

I have found that some things I don't think will be interesting on a coaster actually really surprise me, such as the first time I rode Magnum. It looks kinda dull and repetitive, but WOW! And similarly, I have found that some things I thought would be really exciting turned out to be boring or just lame to me, like the first time I rode a Premier spaghetti bowl coaster (FoF, Joker's Jinx, etc...). I am thinking that Leviathan as a whole doesn't really have anything that will stand out to me as a coaster enthusiast, but I bet it will be a really fun ride nonetheless, and I'm not going to skip it when I visit just because the airtime isn't good enough or the track isn't long enough.

 

Wonderland now has 2 World class B&M's in their park, and that, is nothing but good!

This.

Edited April 30, 2012 by coasterlover420

[rcdude]

The only thing I could see done differently with Leviathan's ending would be something similar to Intimidator: After the high brake run, have a dip, an inclined helix, and another dip onto the final brakes. However, given that the park already spent $28 million on a 5,400 ft ride over 300 ft tall, they figured they already had enough to it and didn't want to spend another million or two for a short additional segment. Either that, or B&M didn't want to chance anything going wrong (this is their largest coaster to date, after all), and designed a simple ending.

 

As for the ride itself, I'm looking forward to riding it this summer. It might be my favorite coaster, it might not be, but I'm almost certain it will make my top 25 list. No way to tell for sure until I ride. Based on what I've heard so far, I doubt it will appeal to everyone (not many coasters do anyway), but I'm pretty sure most enthusiasts would agree that Behemoth and Leviathan are the top two coasters at Canada's Wonderland. They may be somewhat similar, but I think both are different enough that it won't feel like having two of the same ride in one park.

[BrianLo]

Wait wait wait...the most exciting thing I've seen so far is I think the arcade that is near the ride is the one that had "Metric Skeeball"!!!!

 

Yes I can confirm it's still there, I took a look for you today.

[Dragon Khan]

^For some reason, I'm more inclined to believing in the opinion of people who have ridden it already

 

You know - people like what they like, and regardless if you agree with it or not, will form an opinion off a video using the experience of what they know. Personally, I happen to agree with Greg's assessment. I'm an "airtime guy", meaning I normally do not put coasters built for speed anywhere near the top of my list. That doesn't mean the ride won't deliver for some people. I mean, different strokes, right? Some dudes like cute butts, other like boobs. I think those people looking for the "airtime ride" will probably be in line for Behemoth, and those who like speed and more speed....I guess this is their thing.

 

And while I haven't ridden it yet either, based on my having been on pretty much every single B&M in the world (minus only a handful), if I had to place a bet, I'm probably more of a Behemoth man myself...and that's not a bad thing!

 

--Robb

 

 

I understand , Robb... I might even agree since I much prefer Dutch Goliath to Millie... What I meant in my post, was that the "long brake run" issue seems to be the fashionable element to put this new coaster down... Seriously, are there many pages on this thread where the brake run isn't mentionnend and criticised as a "flaw" (which it is not) or a waste of energy ? My answer to that was just that TTD and KK could ALSO have a gigantic layout following their 400 ft drop. They just don't (would probably double the coaster's pricetag) yet, nobody says those 2 awesome coasters are "a dud" (not my words...). As for LEvi / Behemoth, I totally agree that the majority of coaster enthusiast will prefer airtime over pure speed... complimentary experiences in the same park, but certainly not a "dud"...

[rollin_n_coastin]

Glad everyone is liking the POV and updates! Some great comments and observations so far!

 

Thanks everyone for checking out the coverage. If you haven't already, please check out and like the POV on YouTube

!

 

I should offer full disclosure. I am a huge Millennium Force fan so I found Leviathan to be exceptional. I also love i305 and Ride of Steel for similar reasons (don't judge me haha). What I think is cool about the two B&Ms at Canada's Wonderland is that they are so different that you can form an opinion as to which you like better quite clearly if you are more into airtime/ forces taking priority over speed. That's not to say that Leviathan doesn't have any airtime as it certainly has some funky/ strange stuff going on over the low to the ground sections, but that's just not its emphasis.

 

If you're someone who thinks Leviathan isn't long enough and needs other elements, then the ride is just not your type of ride and that is totally fair. Leviathan is plenty long and by the time you hit the block section, you'd be very satisfied if you're a fan of this style of coaster. Adding another type of element would make it strange, as if the designers didn't really know what this coaster's identity should be. Behemoth already has that other stuff and it's put to great use I think.

Edited April 29, 2012 by rollin_n_coastin

[Intimidator305]

Not to mention B&M coasters tend to be more expensive than say Intamin, seeing as Millennium Force is 1000 feet longer and cost $3M less.

 

Millennium Force was also built for 2000 and not 2012... That's 12 years for inflation of prices on everything.

 

The 5100' Intimidator 305 cost 25 million to build 2 years ago. That ride uses a minimal amount of supports, is low to the ground over half the layout, only has 2 trains, and was built on a flat piece of land.

[Dragon Khan]

Totally forgot to add I love boobs and cute butts !