My friends Phil and Anna brought their daughter Emma, who’s not quite two years old, for a day of fun at Canada’s Wonderland. With KidZfest going on, there was plenty for Emma to enjoy in addition to the park’s excellent ride selection.
Rides
Emma’s not quite 36” tall (measuring just below a yellow wristband) so our options were a little limited, but not enough to detract from the day. Phil took Emma on Swan Lake and PEANUTS 500 with the former being a little more Emma’s speed. While confused at being left alone at first, Emma seemed to enjoy taking a balloon ride on Frequent Flyers, waving at us as she went round and round.
They went on Treetop Adventure together and we all hopped on Jumpin’ Jet and Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. This was my first time on Jumpin’ Jet, leaving Blast Off! as the only ride I still haven’t been on at Canada’s Wonderland (outside of the water park). Boo Blasters needs some attention as the blasters didn’t seem to work well and the audio for Boocifer at the start wasn’t playing at all.
We stopped by Maple Park Treehouse for a bit so Emma, who’s in a climbing phase, could run around the large play structure to her heart’s content. Honestly this might be the most under-appreciated attraction at the park.
They headed to Splash Works for a couple hours but I took that opportunity to do a lap of the park looking for updates. They really enjoyed Pump House and had some fun at Sprayground. I took a ride on Dragon Fyre.
When Emma fell asleep later in the afternoon, Phil and Anna took a ride on Swing of the Century, though they didn’t manage to get on a double-basket. Those seats are quite popular, apparently! Anna commented on how sad it was the evergreens around the ride have been removed. I couldn’t agree more and really wish the park would consider planting some replacements.
My ride count
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill x1
PEANUTS 500 x1
Jumpin’ Jet x1
Dragon Fyre x1
KidZfest
Emma isn’t familiar with many of the characters who made appearances since she doesn’t get much screen time, but she seemed very curious about many of the mascots. We saw Snoopy and Woodstock in Character House, two members of the Paw Patrol, Blue from Blue’s Clues, and Spongebob Squarepants in a throwback to the Paramount days. Emma seemed a bit unsure of the mascots though so she didn’t get too close to them.
Reptilia Zoo had a tent, displaying some live animals, skeletons, and snake skins. Although the mascots were off-putting for Emma, she had no trouble petting a snake!
Snoopy’s Dog Days of Summer
It was a great show as usual and I appreciate the new backdrop! I think Emma enjoyed it, but not as much as…
The Fantastic Bubble Show
Honestly, the kids go absolutely wild for this show! The usher was once again doing their absolute best, but it’s far too much for just one employee to handle. Many parents weren’t helping, or were actively making things worse. Phil and Anna suggested adding a second set of stanchions could help the situation, creating a buffer area the employee can walk through and a clear visual for when the kids are pushing the stanchions too much.
Regardless, the show lived up to its name once again and Emma, despite being exhausted by this point, really loved seeing all the bubbles.
Funline Drumline
I ended up filming this show while Phil and Anna took Emma to Splash Works. I’ve seen the show in the past but this year is different, featuring a host engaging with the audience. This is a huge improvement as it gives the show more structure, better encourages kids to play the instruments handed to them as they arrived, and really made the show feel like something worth watching!
Food
I encouraged Phil and Anna to buy an all-day dining plan and they ended up getting the premium version which includes drinks and snacks. With three meals, two snacks, and plenty of fountain drinks throughout the day, they definitely felt it was worth the money. They also spent the money on an extra Dippin’ Dots though they couldn’t find the flavour they really wanted (Cookie Monster, which was unavailable at three different locations). Overall they got—
Slice of pepperoni pizza & garlic bread
Six-inch ham and turkey sub from Subway
Honey garlic chicken with rice from Manchu Wok
Dippin’ Dots x2
Pretzel
Chicken Bites & Fries
I do really enjoy Pizza Pizza’s chicken bites so this was a good option while roaming the kids’ park. It felt like a larger portion of fries than usual which was also nice.
Toronto Ty’s Taste Tier: B
Honey Garlic Chicken with Lo Mein Noodles
Not a bad option! The noodles weren’t as warm as I’d like and honey garlic isn’t my favourite flavour, but it was good as something different and felt like a decent portion. Although since it was so hot, I wasn’t terribly hungry anyway.
Toronto Ty’s Taste Tier: B
Updates
Bag check has some new tables which look a lot nicer than the previous folding tables. There’s a milk crate at each one which may help guests keep their items together as they walk through, though this process wasn’t in use yet from what I could tell. I think the tables need to be longer to help guests prepare a bit further in advance and the bins for placing items could be much smaller than milk crates in my opinion, but this is a step in the right direction.
My vision for bag check would have guests pick up a bin from under the table, place their items in the bin while they walk through the metal detector, pick up their items after security has checked them, and then security places the newly-empty bin under the table, pushing a line of empty bins back toward the entry side in the process. Backpacks wouldn’t need to be placed in bins. Some guest may not use the bins, but I still think this process would be more efficient.
The Christmas in July Sale was still running on this first day of August. I honestly don’t have an issue with it being around all summer even if the name seems like it’s only there for July. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see it closed up after the civic long weekend.
Riptide was running both gondolas! I don’t think guests were getting wet, but it was nice to see more guests on each cycle.
The ICEE stands in Planet Snoopy and KidZville are back to being self-serve. I’m very grateful for this change as it feels more efficient.
Did you know Blast Off! has a vintage Canada’s Wonderland logo on its motor box?
The construction fencing behind Canyon Trader has been replaced by a solid wooden fencing, which looks good and secure.
I’ve mostly been visiting on fireworks nights so I hadn’t noticed until now, but the early closures signs are being left up, simply taped over with a vertical Canada flag on non-fireworks days.
The former Chicken Shack building is still undergoing renovations. Strangely the front is now only half-orange with the top sporting the same “DareDeviler Green” as the sides, roof, and back of the building.
It’s so nice to hear The DareDeviler running while walking through The Grande World Exposition of 1890.
It still has these photo ops up, though they’re further down the pathway now which works well. I still miss the balloons, but the park is finding uses for those in other parts of the park. (KidZfest had them around The Fantastic Bubble Show.)
Most exciting of all, Tommy and the “Hawk” were out greeting guests by The DareDeviler’s entrance! I’m so glad to see the park using these characters beyond the ride’s opening day!
Until Next Time
It was a very hot day with not much of a breeze, but we all had a great time. Emma was exhausted by the afternoon, having enjoyed rides, shows, water fun, and a large playground throughout the day. It’s so nice to see the park from a different perspective, and at a different pace. The ride’s are just part of the park’s appeal, with KidZfest highlighting some of those other aspects that make the park so wonderful: live entertainment and atmosphere. Those seem to be key focusses for the park right now and I’m so happy to see it!
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