Although it opened in 1981, Toronto-area amusement park continues to be a tremendous park for roller coasters and kids' rides
Our trek was one week ago, and I would go back again and again
By
Mark Schadenberg
Canada’s
Wonderland (CW) continues to be an amazing attraction – attracting kids of all
ages to our nation’s greatest amusement park.
Our
family went there last Monday. The thinking is there should be smaller crowds
away from a weekend to maximize the number of rides we could gain courage to
attempt.
I
believe the year 2000 was my last visit to the home of the mountain along
Highway 400.
I
– with a hip replacement in December of 2014 – continue to know my limitations,
but the four of us were ready for a fabulously fun family outing.
Arriving
just after 10 a.m., the plan was to attack Kidsville first as Spencer is just 7
years old and we thought he may want to work his way up to some more
challenging rides. However, with no line at the Ghoster Coaster, it became our
first test of the day. My 10-year-old daughter and I would ride it twice as
there were no lines early in the day.
As
would be the case at any amusement park, some rides had longer lines than
seemed possible and it was usually due to the amount of time it takes to take
people out of their seats and get the next group in. For example, the CW crew
must figure out a method of picking up the pace at the Swan Lake ride, which is
geared to riders as young as two weeks as it slowly weaves through a pond.While
my wife and kids waited for that ride, I tackled the Pumpkin Patch ride alone.
Since
we’re from Woodstock, we certainly rode the Woodstock Whirlybirds, and it was
an ideal photo-op as well.
Only
two of the attractions on our visit required about a 45-minute wait and both
were water rides – White Water Canyon and Timberwolf Falls.
I
was proud that Nicole and Maeghan managed to build up enough courage for the
Vortex, while I went on Thunder Run alone.
In
no particular, the additional rides we (one or up to all four of us) went on –
keep in mind this is all in one day – were Peanuts 500 (I didn’t fit inside a
car built seemingly for pre-teens), Jokey’s Jalopies, The Fly roller coaster,
Kidsville train station, the Antique Carousel, Swing Of The Century and the
helicopter ride which is an extremely slow-moving aerial adventure above
Kidsville in a mono-rail style.
Several
shows were part of the current calendar at CW, but we stopped only to see Stars
Of The Peking Acrobats, Victoria Falls High Divers, and the pirate diving show named
Kinet-X, which seemed unchanged since my last visit more than a dozen years
ago.
Overall,
CW is a good value if you’re there on a relatively quiet day.
My
opinion is also that the food is well-priced and that the all-day drink cups
are a terrific idea.
I’m
guessing if you wanted to spend more time in the water area, or certainly more
time at some of the towering roller coasters, including those which go upside
down, you would likely enjoy fewer rides, but more hair-raising courageous
challenges. I not brave enough to attempt Leviathan, Dragon Fire, Wild Beast,
Mighty Mindbuster, The Bat, and the extremely imposing Behemoth, but for most
park attendees under 30 I’m sure they dash to be the first in line.
As
a quick note, even in my younger days I was not eager for a roller coaster, and
less than 2 years ago I had a hip replacement, so my jarring, jamming and jostling
daze are behind me.
CW
also has a few alluring rides created simply for the daredevil crowd including
the bungee-jump of Sling Shot, and the new Skyhawk ride where the participant
can determine how many times they want to be upside down as they control the
steering mechanism of their personal plane. Due to signing a waiver, staff
expertise and insurance reasons, I understand why the two bungee flying thrills
cost more than the so-called all-inclusive admissions prices, but I’m curious
why CW requests an additional $5 for the Dinosaurs Alive experience.
Since
I’ve also been to Disney before, I would congratulate Wonderland on maximizing
the number of rides for kids from 2 to 72, and also for not over-emphasizing
the number of souvenir depots. The park
opened in May of 1981 and its appearance makes you feel it’s maybe 15 years old
and not 35. The vision for Wonderland began in the mid 1970’s with the
purchaser of 330 acres in an area known as Maple. Read the history of Canada’s
Wonderland in the Toronto Star link below, but Wayne Gretzky was in attendance
at its grand opening.
With
the small kinder now in kindergarten, maybe your family can still plan a trek
there this fall. The Halloween Haunt promo is on their schedule, Sept 30 - Oct
31.
Many
retailers offer coupons to CW, including Costco.
Once
you’re at the park you could consider buying a Fast Lane pass as well, which
gets you to the front of the line quicker on almost 20 different rides
At
the same time, I’m always puzzled as to why the season’s pass is such a great
deal (and it is), but it’s not a great benefit to someone living more than 2
hours away by car, but the teens in locales like Richmond Hill, Vaughan or
Markham.
The
emphasis on roller coasters will continue as long as the ownership picture
remains the same as CW is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which
operates Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio; and 10 other similar parks in states
such as Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California (including the famed Knott’s
Berry Farm), and North Carolina
LINKS:
Twitter:
@WonderlandNews and #CWBestDay
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
Discussion . . . Direction . . . Determination . . .
Destination
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