Behemoth Bash at Canada's Wonderland! Monday Aug 4th

[BamBam36]

Im pretty pumped for this event.

Better not get cancelled like Wild! @ Wonderland did.

 

 

Hopefully someone will be standing outside Taxi Jam with their kid all day helping us fellow enthusiasts out.

 

Did i mention I was looking forward to this?

 

Especially the walk back!

[thecoasterkid]

ERT is going to be ALOT of help on that Monday. I stopped in this last Monday about 5 minutes after opening and had a 40 minute wait for Behemoth. I had to leave the park right after my one ride so I didn't check out the other lines, but the park seemed really busy in general.

 

If the lines were like that for just a random Monday, then ERT on a holiday Monday will be just that much more appreciated. I'll play bag lady again though when it comes time to riding Time Warp. I have no need to go through that torture again.

[dandaman]

^Is it standard CF policy at Wonderland, i.e. no cameras on any ride?

[clewis4u]

^Is it standard CF policy at Wonderland, i.e. no cameras on any ride?

Yup.

[taytig]

I'm planning on registering when I return from vacation. This is my first TPR event and was wondering if anyone needs a ride partner? It's my home park, but I think this will be a blast! I look forward to a fun day with everyone!

 

David

[thecoasterkid]

^Is it standard CF policy at Wonderland, i.e. no cameras on any ride?

 

I still find it to be a mixture between Cedar Fair and Paramount policies, which works quite well. There are bins to put your loose articles in every station (even Behemoth!) which you won't find at Cedar Point. Lockers are available in various locations in the park, but they aren't necessary by any means.

 

Pretty much everything else is standard amusement park operating procedures. I can't really think of anything that you'd come across at Wonderland that'd be different from the majority of North American parks. Well, there's the lack of a fastpass system, but hopefully Q-Bots are in the future plans.

[clewis4u]

Well, there's the lack of a fastpass system, but hopefully Q-Bots are in the future plans.

Cedar Fair will never implement this system.

[thecoasterkid]

^ Care to explain more? I think it'd be a very smart business decision. Extra revenue never hurts.

[clewis4u]

^ Care to explain more? I think it'd be a very smart business decision. Extra revenue never hurts.

 

http://www.dldhistory.com/2k7articles.asp?Tab=Disneyland&Page=19&MenuLink=4&Ident=222&Action=Info

 

Such flaws already have convinced officials at one major park chain, Cedar Fair, to put off plans to roll out a line-management system

 

"There’s no sense making a change if it’s not going to be a change for the better," says Dick Kinzel, CEO of Cedar Fair, which operates six amusement parks and five water parks nationwide.

 

Cedar Fair tested a timed ticket system last summer on a single ride, the Millennium Force roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. At times, it worked great. But "when it started to rain or there was a mechanical breakdown (that temporarily shut down) the ride, there were a lot of problems," Kinzel says. People with timed tickets would get backed up. "We received good and bad reviews. It was about 50-50."

[dandaman]

I still find it to be a mixture between Cedar Fair and Paramount policies, which works quite well. There are bins to put your loose articles in every station (even Behemoth!) which you won't find at Cedar Point.

 

CP's had the bins in every station (all right, the coasters at least) since at least 2007.

 

In any case, if I get too battered by Womb Raider, I'll join you in bag lady duties.

[ginzo]

^ Care to explain more? I think it'd be a very smart business decision. Extra revenue never hurts.

 

http://www.dldhistory.com/2k7articles.asp?Tab=Disneyland&Page=19&MenuLink=4&Ident=222&Action=Info

 

Such flaws already have convinced officials at one major park chain, Cedar Fair, to put off plans to roll out a line-management system

 

"There’s no sense making a change if it’s not going to be a change for the better," says Dick Kinzel, CEO of Cedar Fair, which operates six amusement parks and five water parks nationwide.

 

Cedar Fair tested a timed ticket system last summer on a single ride, the Millennium Force roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. At times, it worked great. But "when it started to rain or there was a mechanical breakdown (that temporarily shut down) the ride, there were a lot of problems," Kinzel says. People with timed tickets would get backed up. "We received good and bad reviews. It was about 50-50."

 

That article is 7 years old. The technology has greatly improved since that time and guests are much more used to the concept now.

 

Dick is in his final contract with CF. A lot could change in the years to come.

[thecoasterkid]

CP's had the bins in every station (all right, the coasters at least) since at least 2007.

 

In any case, if I get too battered by Womb Raider, I'll join you in bag lady duties.

 

While not quite in EVERY station, you're right that they do have bins in quite a few of them. I wasn't ignoring that fact, I just completely forgot until you mentioned it. My first thoughts were of Dragster and Millenium Force where you need a locker, but I think the rest of them do allow you to leave items in the station now. My bad.

 

I still like Disney's take on the whole loose articles thing. Just bring them on the ride with you! If I'm allowed to stick my backpack between my legs on Rock'n Roller Coaster then why can't I bring it with me on most rides at other parks?

[dandaman]

^Yeah, you'll always get the "loose-article" public being denied as queue entertainment at those two.

 

I was really surprised when I found I could take my camera on all the Disney rides (back in 2006); ended up getting some good stills on Everest.

 

You know, even if the weather happens to totally suck while we're there, this still seems like it'll be one of the best days of my life.

[ShannonSomerville]

I wish I can join all of you,but I'll be at work that day. Have fun. I'll get my opportunity in late August.

[ginzo]

I'm looking forward to this event! It's going to be all new credits for me!

 

Does anyone have any suggestion for things to do in Toronto on Sunday, August 3rd? I've tried to find Toronto tourist attractions, but can't come up with much. Any Canabians want to comment?

[dandaman]

^Someone suggested Wegz Entertainment Center (giant sports bar, in a nutshell) for the Sunday evening, though you could go to the CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, etc. if so inclined. You could even go to Ontario Place or Centreville (Dragon Wagon credit!!!) if it's open late enough upon your arrival. Be advised that the country of Canada closes at 5 p.m. on Sundays.

 

(Also note that Vaughan is still a half-hour drive from downtown, and even then that's not factoring in traffic. Any Torontonians know if the GO train or subway runs up that far north?)

[Carnage]

Does anyone have any suggestion for things to do in Toronto on Sunday, August 3rd? I've tried to find Toronto tourist attractions, but can't come up with much. Any Canabians want to comment?

 

CN Tower is the obivous choice. Other then that, do you enjoy wandering around looking at skyscrapers?

 

Toronto to be honest is kind of lacking in major tourist sights. Most of the interesting things are outside of the GTA like Niagara Falls. Toronto is a city founded by accountents and bankers.

[thecoasterkid]

^^ The GO Train only runs that route at certain times of day, otherwise you get the GO Bus which sits in traffic with the rest of Southern Ontario.

 

If you're into shopping at all there's a very large Mall/Shopping Complex called Vaughan Mills right next door to Wonderland. It's more of an Outlet Mall so the stores are all pretty big. There's even a Nascar Speed Park there with go-karts, but I haven't tried them out yet myself. You can easily spend a few hours just touring around there and never buy a thing.

 

The Jays are out of town, so going to see a ball game isn't an option. There's still the Zoo, Science Centre, and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) though. They're all quite popular and worth a look if any of them tickle your fancy. They're fairly far away from Wonderland though, but if you've got a car anyways then it's hardly a hassle.

 

If there's anything in particular that you're into but I haven't mentioned then go ahead and reply back or send a PM and I'll try to help you out. Toronto is a very large Metropolitan area so I can guarantee there'll be something for you to do.

[SharkTums]

The trip group will be arriving VERY late Sunday night as we have night time ERT at Martin's!

[ginzo]

Thanks to Paul & Matt Damon. Maybe we'll just allocate more time to Niagara on Sunday then. Not sure yet. We're doing Marineland in the morning, but that looks like a 3-4 hour park max for us.

[Carnage]

Spending more time in Niagara wouldn't be a bad idea. I find Niagara Falls much more interesting then downtown Toronto. As far as big cities go, Toronto doesn't really match up. CN Tower is really the only thing unique.

 

Once you've been to London, Chicago, New York, Paris, etc, Toronto all of a sudden doesn't seem all that interesting.

 

Marineland kind of depends on how many animal shows/exhibits you want to see. If you just go in for the credits you could finish the park in under an hour easy. But if you go see some shows, see some whales, play with the bears, etc then that can take a few hours.

 

And plan for a 20 minute walk up Skyscreamer's base.

[dandaman]

^^Your 3-4 hours could come from the walk between attractions alone! (Aided by the hobbling bestowed upon you courtesy of the citizens of Deerschwitz.)

[raptor6]

I think that I can attend (just need to ask the boss for a day off) but I might leave early to try to make it to work on Tuesday in Cleveland.

 

For the locals, how much time can I expect the Toronto traffic to add to the 5 hour drive home?

[Carnage]

For the locals, how much time can I expect the Toronto traffic to add to the 5 hour drive home?

 

Depends on the day and time.

 

Although being a holiday that makes that day unpredictable. Although the cottage traffic would be mostly on the 400.

 

But the 427/QEW up until about Hamilton is pretty much always slow.

 

400/401 area tends to be stop and go on normal days. So really if you leave mid evening you're probably going to find the highways jammed from the 400 up until you get out of Toronto on the QEW.

 

The 407 would get you around the worst areas, and would probably be quicker. However that would cost you, as it's one of the most expensive toll roads in the world. (and I'm pretty sure US residents will get billed).

 

Edit: If you choose to use the 407, from the 400 to the QEW will cost $15.79. Expensive, but it should bypass the worst traffic areas. 407etr.com

[dandaman]

^I've always wondered, just how expensive is it?

 

We've experienced cottage traffic on the 400 before... not fun. (What was fun was coming home from Algonquin Park in 2004, driving past Wonderland to see evac'ing rides everywhere, and to then find out that the "Great Blackout of August '03" had knocked out the Northeast grid. 10 p.m. candlelit block pool party for all! )

 

EDIT: Now that I recall, the blackout happened just as we were approaching the 407... I don't think we ever had to pay a cent for that 30K stretch to the 401 because of the electronic tolls being out of commission!