Tell me about Canada's Wonderland

[Disney Addicted]

Went to Disney World and dying to go back. Been to Africian Lion Safari many times. Been to Santa's Village. Finally took my DS7 to Centreville last summer but I cannot see it this year. We will go and enjoy Centre Island but I don't want to spend money on Centreville. Thankfully we went to Ontario Place last summer but I will not have the option of taking him there again this summer.

So.. I have not been to Canada's Wonderland since.. umm.. heck.. I saw Styx there that year.. bloody hell - it was early '90's! Ok - at least 20 years ago. Now I feel old..

My DD12 is NOT a thrill ride person. Heck, there's no way she would even go on the White Water Canyon for instance. Although she's now old enough that she can wait by herself for us if she does not want to go on a certain ride. Thank goodness - I never did get to go on Kali River Rapids, so I'm darn well going on that ride!

I'm not either, although I'm a more adventurious than she is. Same with my husband. Our DS7 is even more game for anything than we are.

I looked at their web page last year and hmm'd & hawed over it. For the prices, I would rather not bring our DD than hear her complain over everything.

Do you like, hate or love it? Is there a rollercoaster similiar (speed & track wise) to the Barnstormer or BTMR? I'm not up to ones like the Leviathan to say the least.

There's no thrill rating for "Thunder Run" though the speed seems the lowest. Does it go backwards? Loop? High, high drops?

Wish they had some video clips. Guess I will have to hunt them down on youtube.

 

[nannye]

V will be 5 in May and we have had season passes since she was 3. It's 1.5 hours drive and we go a bunch of times.

There are some tamer rides especially in the kids section that your DD will like. There is taxi jam (mind you then she may not want to ride it because the little kids ride it ) People were amazed that I stuck V on it. 2 days after she turned 2. She LOVED it! She is a thrill ride junkie.

You are unlikely to find any youtube videos of anyone on the actualy ride, from a far more likely. They are super strict about cameras or anything like that.
For Centreville and really anything you can get discounted tickets.
For wonderland tickets if you go before peak season, it is cheaper,
PM me for a discount code for buying online.
Other option is show DD the You Tube videos (if you can find them) and if she doesn't want to do the rides then leave her home?
BTMRR, Thunder Run would be similar.

 

[elaine amj]

What are you looking for at Canada's Wonderland? What are you hoping to experience?

We went there a few times last summer...but it really is a better place for thrill seekers. My DS and DH don't do thrill rides so it was mostly for DD and I who ride everything. My DS loves BTMR and Test Track and Goofy...but no RnRc or EE. He will try Space Mountain on our next trip.

The rides your family might like are:

Backlot Stunt Coaster. This was FUN!! Kind of like Test Track - but way more fun. It has a thrill rating of 5 - but NO drops (which my son hates) and is just fast and fun.

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. A not as good version of Buzz Lightyear. My kids didn't like this one because it's a Haunted House and they don't like spooky things.

Dinosaurs Alive! We did this in kings Island in Ohio. Very cool for dino lovers. Walkthrough attraction of dinos, so not a ride. Was worth the $5 extra fee.

The Fly. Fun mouse coaster - like Primeval Whirl.

Ghoster Coaster. Like BTMR.

Silver streak. Very fun kid's intermediate coaster. My son loved it.

Taxi Jam. very cute little coaster. very much a tots coaster though.. (I still liked it LOL)

Thunder Run. BTMR at Goofy's pace. My son really liked this one.

White Water Canyon. A MUCH MUCH better version of Kali...we loved it.

Spongebob motion simulator. This is hidden and not advertised at all. We didn't discover it till our last trip and it was closed The next morning we had 2 hours to spare and travelled to the park specifically to do this. We all enjoyed it. It was cute and fun and good for non-thrill riders. We watched it twice.

Riptide is so much fun - but definitely a thrill ride. (and you get soaked!)

I would also suggest Mighty Canadian Minebuster. Actually one of my fave coasters there. It's bigger with some big drops, but is relatively tame. Mind you, my son hated it because of the drops. He cried hysterically throughout the ride because I coaxed him on

Then there are a slew of little kiddy rides. I don't know if just these rides would make it worth it though? They mostly specialise in cool coasters...and I don't know if you guys are up for that? (By the way, Behemoth is amazing, amazing, amazing. So smooth - we brought non-thrill riders on it (like my DH). I should add though that they didn't thank us).

Tix are $$ but may be worth it depending on how much you want to do. On the plus side, the waterpark is included. That's where my DH and DS spend most of their time.

The shows are cute. The food setup is overall nice. The light show at the end of the day is nice. I enjoy the good music piped all over the park.

HTH

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

Not fans here. Went years ago in jr. high and it was fine, went a couple of years ago as a family and didn't like it at all - we were glad we used air miles instead of $.

I think Disney spoiled us - we like our clean parks, good service, etc. Wonderland was really dirty in comparison - when we had lunch I had to sit at a separate table from my husband and kids because there were no tables that had 4 seats together not covered by bird poo.

The crowds are different as well - I was surprised by the number of people shouting inappropriate things/swearing from rides...stuff we never hear at DW.

 

[elaine amj]

You know what else I enjoyed that I felt was good value? I took my kids to the Ex and they had so much fun. It was affordable with discount coupons and we ended up buying ride bracelets only for the kids. The shows were good and for the price, it was a very fun day.

I like Canada's Wonderland - but wonder at the value if you're not into thrill rides. It works out for us as both DD and I enjoy the thrill rides. Discount tickets help with that a lot

At the end of the day, my whole family prefers WDW by far. We still had a great summer last year with our Platinum Passes. We spent lots of time in cedar point, Canada's Wonderland and King's island and definitely made out like bandits for what we paid.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Not fans here. Went years ago in jr. high and it was fine, went a couple of years ago as a family and didn't like it at all - we were glad we used air miles instead of $.

I think Disney spoiled us - we like our clean parks, good service, etc. Wonderland was really dirty in comparison - when we had lunch I had to sit at a separate table from my husband and kids because there were no tables that had 4 seats together not covered by bird poo.

The crowds are different as well - I was surprised by the number of people shouting inappropriate things/swearing from rides...stuff we never hear at DW.

i agree, after WDW, Wonderland was just depressing

 

[thehowells]

we went last summer and will not be back any time soon
with the "discounted" tickets and parking it was $200 just to walk in the gate

i have younger kids, so we got stuck in the kids village, and did 4 rides in 6 hours, they have a lot to learn about people movement

 

[kuhltiffany]

I'm too disgusted with the no-food policy that I won't take the kids there. You are not allowed to bring any food into the park, they even search your purse/backpack and confiscate anything other than 1 bottle of water

 

[sjsjbrook]

There is no comparison to WDW. The only ride I will ride at CW is the carousel. Their water park is fun but the water is always cold.

That said I enjoy the atomosphere there. They have great shows that are included. The no food policy was created when the city become close to the park, you can walk across the street and get subway, timmies, wendy's. If you have food allergies or food concerns you can bring food in. So if you have a normal sandwich, fruit ect you can get these into the park, but chips or pop forget it.

We had season passes as we are an hour away until we had another baby. I didn't want to be the parent with a baby in the hot sun there (so not like disney).

The have a great kids rides area and in the morning it is no very crowded. If you buy your tickets 3 days in advance online there is a cheaper price as well.

 

[4boyz]

I have been to Canada's Wonderland many times with my Boys over the last 25 years.

As was stated it does not compare to Disney. It is dirty, it is smelly. The staff are of no help.

Despite the addition of new rides this park continues to go downhill.
I refuse to go back. Save your money and do Wild Water Kingdom.

Your son will tell you its not like Disney and instead of quenching your desire for Disney this will make you crave it even more.

 

[elaine amj]

Despite all the negativity, Canada's Wonderland has its place in this world My DD got a rude awakening that in normal parks, you have to WAIT IN LINE. She was quite horrified the first time we had to wait in a 45 min lineup LOL!!! Way too spoiled with a "never more than 10-15 min line" at WDW. There are strategies, but they only work so far.

They also have way better (and more!) thrill rides than WDW. but that's only a good thing if you like those rides. I LOVE RnR and EE....but Behemoth is WAYYYY better (and Millenium Force in Cedar Point is even better than Behemoth!)

So, it all depends on what you are looking for

 

[canadaman]

My family gets seasons passes every year and will do the same this year. Last summer we went to disney and had CW passes. It is true CW doesn't compare but it is still enjoyable.

Normal tickets are quite expensive so the season's pass is the only way to go. You only have to go twice to break even with your pass. It is a 2 hour drive for us but with the passes it is really a pretty cheap day away for a family of 5.

This summer will be pretty busy their due to this beast

http://leviathan.canadaswonderland.com/

 

[RadioMom]

I'll never go to Canada's Wonderland again. I think it's a giant rip off. The staff are R U D E rude, the food is ridiculously expensive ($65 for a burger, three hot dogs and a large fry) and their no outside food policy stinks.
The line ups for rides are hours long with no cover or shade for most of them.
And the admission price was high.
We've been quite a few times over the years but the last time was the last straw for me. Never again. It's just not worth the money and aggravation. I would rather save it for somewhere better, like the Toronto Zoo or a Jays game or something like that.
I was really disappointed in it (can you tell?), especially after seeing how it can be done at Disney.

 

[4orm]

I haven't been in years and won't be going in the future. I find it disgusting, the rides aren't to my preference and it's comparatively unsafe. How many violent crimes have been committed there compared to Disney? I feel like every year I hear about a shooting or stabbing.

I can understand an outside food policy if there were options, like Disney, but there isn't. What about people that have specific diets or don't want to eat low-quality garbage?

You could only pay me to go if my payment was a Disney trip (and disinfecting shower).

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

I haven't been in years and won't be going in the future. I find it disgusting, the rides aren't to my preference and it's comparatively unsafe. How many violent crimes have been committed there compared to Disney? I feel like every year I hear about a shooting or stabbing.

I can understand an outside food policy if there were options, like Disney, but there isn't. What about people that have specific diets or don't want to eat low-quality garbage?

You could only pay me to go if my payment was a Disney trip (and disinfecting shower).

Wow, a lot of hate for CW. I've never minded the place. Mind you, I would never pay full price, but then again with all the deals out there nobody should have to. No, it's not Disney (where is?) but the thrill rides are starting to approach Cedar Point, and that's a good thing...

 

[YukiPhnx]

Dang, it's hard to see all this hate.

I have always and still love CW. I think people really need to stop comparing it to Disney. I mean, Disney is a theme park and has lots of money, where CW is an amusement park that doesn't have as much money to spend on training and staff.

It's the closest thing we have to awesome thrill rides. And like PP said, you shouldn't have to pay full price with all kinds of deals out there. Some people complain about the lines but I don't think it's that much different in Disney during peak seasons if you don't have the benefit of knowing all that we know. Going during a weekday is very nice.

Disney cannot compare when it comes to thrill rides. And if you look hard enough, there are actually cheaper food options. A hot dog actually costs different depending on the location. Also, don't forget CW is in Ontario with 13% tax.

You're not allowed to bring food in, but if you drove there you can pack a lunch in your car and step outside the gates to eat. They're not forcing you to eat their food. There's also dining options straight across the parking lot from the entrance, only about 5-10 mins walk away.

Sorry for hijacking your thread. If your kid doesn't like thrill rides, CW may not be the place. But I know a lot of young children that do love CW's tamer rides. If you live about 1.5hrs or less away, I would recommend a season pass.