Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

[Prof Kaos]

I will admit that while I don't love their coffee, it is better than what I had at Dunkin, Biggby, and a couple other coffee places I tried in Michigan and Ohio.

 

I don't know if it was just bad luck, but Dunkin had the weakest ass coffee I've ever tried.

[coasterbill]

If you like really strong coffee you probably won't be a fan of Tim Horton's or Dunkin. Personally I hate super strong coffee.

 

Anyway, this conversation has been sufficiently derailed... what's the latest on Canada's Wonderland? Does Thunder Run still slap? Yes? Awesome.

[Doppel Looping]

In all seriousness it’s all about the coffee for me (mainly that French Vanilla). The food isn’t bad but it’s not amazing either.

 

powdered flavoured coffee substitute..... ouch

[yukond]

Yukon is just so much fun and that drop into Vortex is awesome. This was an amazing addition to the park.

 

I'm very curious what the next big addition will be. I'm thinking it's sooner rather than later considering Yukon Striker was purchased back in 2015. Hopefully CW gets it by 2022.

 

These seem like the most logical options for the next one

 

-RMC Conversion

-B&M Launched Wing

-B&M Invert

 

It will probably be RMC of Wilde Beast. Speedcity Raceway will be removed to create a much larger footprint for this RMC.

 

Or will it be a B&M Launched Wing replacing Flight Deck and Time Warp. That would look awesome near the front gates.

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

I had a wonderful time today at Canada's Wonderland! I'm proud to say my first theme park outside the US was Canada's Wonderland, and YUKON STRIKER . . . OH MY GOSH! . . . Such a thrilling dive coaster! I took many pictures and will truly work on trip report. My long drive from Alabama was well worth it!

[BlahBlahson]

That's awesome! Can't wait for the report as you always highlight the best of everything.

 

A Couple of questions:

 

1. I am going here solo next week, Groupon has theme park admission for $29.99, the park website sells Fastlane + for 79.44 after their processing fee, making $109.43. Is that a better bet to pre-book than just buying Fastlane+ on arriving to the park? Can you also go in before opening if opening is at 10 and get that purchased? The park also sells the combo online of admission+Fastlane Plus for 129.

 

Looked at all inclusive ticket too but it's 165, I don't think the extras would be worth it for me.

 

2. What is the best ride to head to first if holding Fastpass+?. I really have no clue, goal is to ride all 16 coasters and 4 or 5 of the unique flats, probably 2-3 rides on Yukon, Leviathan and Behemoth , I saw a couple of kid's coasters are not included on Fastlane.

[prozach626]

I'm very curious what the next big addition will be. I'm thinking it's sooner rather than later considering Yukon Striker was purchased back in 2015. Hopefully CW gets it by 2022.

 

How the Hell did we get to the point where a park builds a massive new roller coaster and before it's even broken in some people are already holding their hands out for another one within a few years??? Is it really already time to start kicking around ideas for what's coming next?

 

Great first post. I can't wait for more.

[A.J.]

How the Hell did we get to the point where a park builds a massive new roller coaster and before it's even broken in some people are already holding their hands out for another one within a few years??? Is it really already time to start kicking around ideas for what's coming next?

Cue the you-know-what speculation! I'm ready for round two!

[coasterbill]

1. I am going here solo next week, Groupon has theme park admission for $29.99, the park website sells Fastlane + for 79.44 after their processing fee, making $109.43. Is that a better bet to pre-book than just buying Fastlane+ on arriving to the park? Can you also go in before opening if opening is at 10 and get that purchased? The park also sells the combo online of admission+Fastlane Plus for 129.

 

Just a friendly reminder that Canada’s Wonderland is in Canada.

 

Groupon states on that deal that the price is in USD, the prices on the Wonderland website are in Canadian dollars. $79.44 is only $59.34. Your math is off here since you can’t just add those numbers together without converting the Canadian price. Groupon is still the better deal though.

 

PS: Pay attention to this when you buy your tickets and everything else in Canada. If you have a card without a foreign transaction fee, that’s the one that you should be using.

[PATTYCAKES]

Yep, food, overhead bins and the weather. Oh, and the go-karts at Wonderland are not going anywhere. They are very profitable and they designed Leviathan over the track and actually spent money to reconfigure the track. The go-karts will be there for many years to come. Just because they are not a coaster, doesn't mean they are not popular. Expect Medieval Faire to be the next expanded area in the park though. It has a lot of potential. They haven't put in something new in that area for many years. I said that when Cedar Fair bought Wonderland that they would build coasters to surround the park. Let's see if I have been correct so far. Behemoth on the Rutherford Road side, Leviathan on the Major Mackenzie Drive side. Yukon Striker on the Hwy 400 side. Hmm, and my prediction for the next big coaster will have to be in Expo. Perhaps interacting with Behemoth in the south-east corner near Kingswood, along behind Time Warp and Flight Deck and over to the front gate and interact with Leviathan. That will complete the east side of the park.

[Stealth1]

I agree but I really see them expanding the waterpark first. I rarely go to the waterpark when I go as I find it too crowded. They need to make it bigger somehow. They may have to remove Minebuster.

[Sledgehammer_77]

They have room on that new hill by Minebuster plus that empty patch by Black hole. Also I would take out a couple of the smaller capacity slides that take up a lot of real estate for more compact and unique attractions.

[PATTYCAKES]

They just rebuilt the kids area of the waterpark this year, (which no one here ever talks about because it is not a coaster), so who knows. I know the slides in SplashWorks are always busy, but compared to the number of people who actually go to Wonderland, the percentage of people who go to the waterpark is low, because most people who go to Wonderland now are the people who live across the street. These people can easily take a dip in their own pools, have lunch or dinner and come back to the park, faster than it takes to get on one slide. Perhaps after the hotel is built, the need for a water park expansion would be more needed. Also, Great Canadian Minebuster will never be removed from Canada's Wonderland. They have invested way too much money finishing Frontier Canada which included Minebuster in the original plans and still includes Minebuster today. What is in the way of the original plans Is SplashWorks. If I were to throw out a wild statement, it would be to move the entire waterpark closer to the hotel along Wonderland Drive and then there would be a massive area for a huge Frontier Canada expansion. Who thinks that would be an amazing idea?

[coasterbill]

Other than the fact that it sounds hilariously expensive and would generate no return on investment whatsoever it’s a fantastic idea.

[thirstydeer]

That's awesome! Can't wait for the report as you always highlight the best of everything.

 

2. What is the best ride to head to first if holding Fastpass+?. I really have no clue, goal is to ride all 16 coasters and 4 or 5 of the unique flats, probably 2-3 rides on Yukon, Leviathan and Behemoth , I saw a couple of kid's coasters are not included on Fastlane.

 

If you have the fastlane plus pass, head to the Bat and Fly as they don't have fastlane access. Also Wonder Mountain Guardian and Thunder Run don't have fastlane plus so try them, too... Thunder Run tends to build an insane lineup very early on and it stays that way. Pretty much all the good flat rides have fastlane access so you're good there.

[PATTYCAKES]

That's awesome! Can't wait for the report as you always highlight the best of everything.

 

A Couple of questions:

 

1. I am going here solo next week, Groupon has theme park admission for $29.99, the park website sells Fastlane + for 79.44 after their processing fee, making $109.43. Is that a better bet to pre-book than just buying Fastlane+ on arriving to the park? Can you also go in before opening if opening is at 10 and get that purchased? The park also sells the combo online of admission+Fastlane Plus for 129.

 

Looked at all inclusive ticket too but it's 165, I don't think the extras would be worth it for me.

 

2. What is the best ride to head to first if holding Fastpass+?. I really have no clue, goal is to ride all 16 coasters and 4 or 5 of the unique flats, probably 2-3 rides on Yukon, Leviathan and Behemoth , I saw a couple of kid's coasters are not included on Fastlane.

 

There is no way you can go on all 17 coasters in one day. The park is only open for 12 hours. You can't get on Taxi Jam without a child. Ghoster Coater and SilverStreak will take you at least between half and hour and one hour. Thunder Run Gaurdian and the Fly will take you at least half an hour. There are many coasters not on Fastlane that will take you at least a half hour to get on once, but I wish you luck in your endeavour.

[SbSteveZ]

^ where there’s a will there’s a way. I’ve done it twice without fast lane! (Once in 2016 and 2018)

[thirstydeer]

Sure you can get them done in one day (taxi jam) not included. Get to the park before 10am and go to the ones not on the fast lane first, like fly, thunder run. Wonder mountain guardian, silver streak and ghost coaster.

[cloudeleven]

I booked my trip to Toronto last week, and not following the NBA at all, I had no idea Toronto was in the NBA Finals. Well, they won tonight! We arrive in Toronto on Sunday, June 16 and leave for Niagara Falls on Wed. June 19. The victory parade is Monday June 17 10 AM downtown, will probably last until 1 or 2 PM. I mean, there's probably going to be a million+ people in downtown Toronto for that. We aren't going to the parade. Would Monday afternoon/evening probably be a good time to go to Canada's Wonderland in terms of low crowds? Or would Tuesday probably be better?

 

It would be kinda nice to change the dates of my trip now, but the flight is non-refundable, and now the hotel room is non-refundable (too close to arrival date).

[PATTYCAKES]

I booked my trip to Toronto last week, and not following the NBA at all, I had no idea Toronto was in the NBA Finals. Well, they won tonight! We arrive in Toronto on Sunday, June 16 and leave for Niagara Falls on Wed. June 19. The victory parade is Monday June 17 10 AM downtown, will probably last until 1 or 2 PM. I mean, there's probably going to be a million+ people in downtown Toronto for that. We aren't going to the parade. Would Monday afternoon/evening probably be a good time to go to Canada's Wonderland in terms of low crowds? Or would Tuesday probably be better?

 

It would be kinda nice to change the dates of my trip now, but the flight is non-refundable, and now the hotel room is non-refundable (too close to arrival date).

 

I just checked the weather for Monday and Tuesday. Hot and Sunny both days. Good luck, but I have a season pass and I wouldn't go on those days. I wish you luck, but just enjoy the rides and coasters you are able to get on.

[BlahBlahson]

I have to laugh a little at the "can't be done" comments coming in after my visit. My final Ride Count from Canada's Wonderland on Tuesday, with Fastlane Plus. I had ridden the 16 adults-allowed coasters by 3PM. Still could have done all without Fastlane just fewer laps on the big three.

 

Backlot Stunt Coaster: 1x

Behemoth: 6x

Dragon Fyre: 1x

Flight Deck: 1x

Ghoster Coaster: 1x

Leviathan: 6x

Mighty Canadian Minebuster: 2x

Silver Streak: 1x

The Bat 1x

The Fly: 1x

Thunder Run: 1x

Time Warp: 1x

Vortex: 3x

Wilde Beast: 1x

Wonder Mountain's Guardian: 1x

Yukon Striker: 5x

Drop Tower: 2x

Lumberjack: 1x

Psyclone: 1x

Riptide: 1x

Shockwave: 1x

Skyhawk: 1x

Sledge Hammer: 2x

Wilde Knight Mares: 1x

White Water Canyon: 1x

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill: 2x

 

Total Ride Laps (10 hours): 45

 

Did not get on Taxi Jam. Soaring Timbers broke down both times I was in the area, so I had to pass on it.

 

Overall impressions: Very nice, large park that benefits majorly from the additions of the last 10 years of actual good coasters. Really, the park has 4 great coasters (Vortex is a winner too!) and 13 mediocre to downright awful ones. The best strategy far and away is to purchase Fastlane + and then concentrate on hitting all the non-Fastlane coasters immediately when the park opens. I was able to ride Wonder Mountain Guardian (first rider of the day), Thunder Run, The Fly, The Bat, Wilde Beast, Boo Blasters, Ghoster Coaster, and Silver Streak in the first 70 minutes of park operation.

 

I really really appreciated all the fresh paint and maintenance that is done in this park. Every coaster was running max trains on a Tuesday in June, the only place ops ever slowed was on flat rides with odd loading patterns. Wonder Mountain looked amazing, hosts and clientele were very friendly and international, and policies were clearly posted and followed throughout the park.

 

I can say that All-Day Dining is kind of a fail at this park, as most of the time I would have rather just bought food from restaurants that were not on the deal, the side choice was pretty much just fries and chips, and the 90 minute redemption/drinks not included are both a downgrade from Seaworld parks. I saw two places that had a nice "line skip" lane for ADD, but I would not purchase this again from any Cedar Fair park after my experience overall. It did save me money as I used it 4x.

 

The next big addition I would make to this park if I ran it would no doubt be a big, multi-looping Mack Launching coaster like Carowinds received. The only launch coaster on the menu here is Backlot, something more powerful and larger would bring a new dynamic. I would also consider a straight-up removal of Flight Deck, Time Warp, and Wilde Beast. All three are horrible.

 

I also personally believe that Wonder Mountain's Guardian needs some work. The interior and station just looks like a big black box, there is no real explanation of the story before you ride and on the ride you just start shooting without notice or Audio cue. I would spend some dollars plus-sing up the experience on this ride, especially since it's one of the longest waits in the park and should be there for a while. Overall it is a different type of ride for the park and the drop element is effective.

 

Thanks for reading!

[Canobie Coaster]

Glad you enjoyed it! Soaring Timbers was a royal pain for me to get on as well. It broke down the first few times I tried riding it.

 

Unless it has changed from 2016, I thought Guardian was really good for a regional park dark ride.

[coasterbill]

I appreciate the weirdness of Soaring Timbers and I appreciate how cool it looks but objectively it's kind of stupid. You didn't miss much.

 

Also, it's nice to see Vortex getting some love. People love to talk about the three B&M's and write off everything else but Vortex can hold it's own with any of them. It's an outstanding ride.

[Married a Canadian]

I booked my trip to Toronto last week, and not following the NBA at all, I had no idea Toronto was in the NBA Finals. Well, they won tonight! We arrive in Toronto on Sunday, June 16 and leave for Niagara Falls on Wed. June 19. The victory parade is Monday June 17 10 AM downtown, will probably last until 1 or 2 PM. I mean, there's probably going to be a million+ people in downtown Toronto for that. We aren't going to the parade. Would Monday afternoon/evening probably be a good time to go to Canada's Wonderland in terms of low crowds? Or would Tuesday probably be better?

 

So yes there is going to be a parade on Monday, and plus the schools are still "in" right now. Those optics alone probably mean that Monday would be a pretty good day to visit CW. The city has been pretty caught up in Raptor fever the last two months, and a championship parade "may" be a once in a lifetime for people.

Good weather plus the age dynamic will draw a lot of people to the downtown (ask yourself who is most likely to be visiting CW during the day on a Monday?....not the 9-5 work crowd, not the "in school" crowd and not the raptors fanbase who will be taking the day off work/school anyway which they wouldn't be for a park visit.

 

You never can know what a crowd level will be like...but I would say as a Raps fan myself....more people are going to be excited about a parade than riding Yukon Striker on Monday.

[cloudeleven]

You never can know what a crowd level will be like...but I would say as a Raps fan myself....more people are going to be excited about a parade than riding Yukon Striker on Monday.

 

Yeah, but I was thinking people might decide to go to CW after the parade since they took the day off anyway. Or a lot of out of town folks coming to Toronto for the parade might go to CW on Tuesday maybe. I fully expect every other tourist attraction like the CN Tower to be super-packed now. Then I think "do people want to go to an amusement park after standing at a parade for 2-3 hours? Probably not...so Monday seems better than Tuesday."