Continuing the trend of visiting Canada’s Wonderland with company, this past Friday my brother Nathan joined me for 13 hours of thrills! Arriving shortly after 9:00 a.m. and staying until the park closed at 10:00 p.m., it was a long day with just rides, food, and chats.
Unfortunately I came down with a cold or something the next day so I didn’t make it for the fireworks Saturday night. That’s also why this post took me so long to write and post.
Updates
On the way to the park, I was telling Nathan about the new Park President, who I always refer to as Chris. Through this conversation, Nathan reflected on his time as a ride operator at Silver Streak in 2005, realizing Chris may have been his area manager. When I showed Nathan photos of Chris (available on the park’s blog), Nathan confirmed it was the same guy. And then we ran into him in the park where Chris further corroborated the timeline. With over 20 years between then and now, it’s not surprising Chris didn’t remember Nathan, who worked just one season at one of the many rides Chris oversaw, but it’s still a cool connection!
And where did we meet Chris? Outside the new Pizza Pizza location in The Grande World Exposition of 1890! I know some are disappointed in another pizza location or that we didn’t get Dutch Treats back with its windmill, but I see the logic in this decision.
Located between Grande World Eatery (serving broader international food) and Coaster’s Drive-In (serving more traditional amusement park fare), having a pizza location rounds out the offerings on the south side of the park. Of course there was already a pizza location right next to WindSeeker, but it was small and served a standard Pizza Pizza menu. This new location offers something no other Pizza Pizza in the country offers: deep dish. While I’m sure it’s not for everyone, I really appreciate the effort put into offering a bit more variety with a crowd-pleasing food.
Service is pretty speedy, even as the associates were still getting used to the new location. It’s a similar cafeteria-style queue as all the other recent restaurant refurbishments, with all the options laid out before you as you select your pizza and side, and then proceeding to the registers to pay and/or request a drink.
With five unique options, I’m surprised vegetarian isn’t available. “Pickle Roni with Cotton Candy” sounds like something you’d find at the CNE, and that’s not a compliment in my opinion. I’m not sure where the pickle comes into play, but the image on the menu appears to show pepperoni and, yes, cotton candy on top. I have a sweet tooth, but I have no interest in this option. Let me know your thoughts if you try it.
The sides are quite limited by comparison, with just fries or bocci bites available. Having side salads on the menu would be nice to make a more balanced meal, but I’m not sure Pizza Pizza would allow it. Then again, they have the Wonder Chocolate Chunk Cookie and Ultimate Brownie, so…
I really wish the drinks were self-serve since it would be a more efficient process (and requires less staff).
There’s one post in the queue that seemed quite wobbly, and I’m still desperately hoping for a proper roof over at least one of the patios so it can double as a warming station during WinterFest. But overall, the location looks good inside and out. Nice colours, nice sign, and a clean setup inside.
I’m very curious what the park may have in store for this now-former Pizza Pizza location.
There’s also a new Dippin’ Dots stand next to Ristorante Pizza Pizza. It looks quite awkward there in my opinion, but that side of the restaurant is never used anyway so it’s not blocking anything. Perhaps the park should take down the “Enter Line 3” sign though. (Apologies for the terrible photo.)
On that note, this Subway location has a sign on its roof saying to “Place order here,” but there’s another sign reading “Dining plan scan here first” under the roof, on the opposite side of the queue. This causes unnecessary confusion for both guests and employees, and could be easily remedied by simply having everyone enter from the dining plan side.
It was pass holder appreciation weekend, which meant additional discounts on food, games, and even SlingShot! I found the list of deals hard to read on the app (since you had to tap through one at a time, reloading the perks page each time) and it was a bit challenging to find the list on the website. Signage in the park was pretty effective, though!
I didn’t take advantage of any discounts, thinking I may use them on Saturday before the fireworks. Although we did consider going on SlingShot, the queue indicated many guests at least found that offer appealing. We simply weren’t interested in waiting that long.
Has Wilde Beast’s storage shed been painted recently? It’s looking quite nice!
Dwayne, the statue outside Dragon Fyre, had some cables hanging out under his chin. There’s a light deep in his mouth which feels both familiar and new. Although I find it unlikely, it would be great if they could have his nostrils send out smoke every once in a while.
Sledge Hammer remains closed, with two vehicles on site working on it. Hopefully it can return to service for guests soon!
Rides
We got to AlpenFury shortly after it opened so we didn’t have to wait in the insufficiently shaded switchbacks. Having said that, the capacity on this ride makes any wait feel longer than I’m typically willing to tolerate. This was Nathan’s first time on AlpenFury and he enjoyed it, but as the day went on he shared that it was far from his favourite and wouldn’t be worth waiting long to experience. It’s not that it’s a bad ride and he said more laps on it may make him like it more since he’d know what to expect, but we both had much better experiences on Leviathan and Tundra Twister, both with lines moving much faster.
Nathan also had concerns about the bin conveyor on AlpenFury which my cousins also pointed out when they visited earlier this summer. For many guests, leaving their keys, phones, or wallets in the bins is uncomfortable due to the possibility of theft. If it wasn’t for the metal detectors, this wouldn’t be as much of an issue, but I do understand the need for safety when it comes to a ride that crosses over pathways as much as AlpenFury. Encouraging zippered pockets may help, but I feel the bin conveyor and metal detector is probably the best option. If only the park could make the lockers free somehow… Also I don’t remember AlpenFury having two sets of cubbies in the past, but it’s a good move! Hopefully Yukon Striker gets the same treatment soon, or just goes back to the old three-bin system without lockers.
After grabbing a sub from Subway for breakfast, we hopped into Leviathan’s queue. It’s an incredible ride and I appreciate it even more immediately following AlpenFury. We even waited for Leviathan a second time before the end of the day!
I won’t go through every ride we did, but Spinovator was excellent and faster than Nathan remembered. Tundra Twister gave a great ride, with one inverted dive toward the ground that was probably the best ride moment we had all day! While Tundra Twister took its time getting to that moment, Shockwave started strong before petering out a bit toward the end of the cycle.
Snoopy’s Racing Railway was a new ‘credit’ for Nathan, which he thought was surprisingly thrilling for a kids’ park coaster! Its capacity leaves something to be desired, though, especially since the kids’ park is usually quite busy.
Thunder Run hasn’t been using the strobe lights at the end of the ride the past couple times I’ve been on it. I hope those return to operation soon as the ride isn’t the same without them. Of course I’d love some more attention to Thunder Run in general for this coming off season. I think these row numbers are new though, which I’ve also noticed added to Vortex this year. They can be quite helpful for directing guests to empty seats.
Vortex was running very well at the end of the night! As we pulled into the brake run, we were swinging pretty high up. Such a classic!
Behemoth had very slow operations and I’m not exactly sure why. I think it was a combination of things, essentially boiling down to a lack of enthusiasm from the associates. They may be getting burnt out this late in the season, especially since this crew was doing quite well at the start of the season. Behemoth is also running really rough this year and neither of us enjoyed it as much as we have in past years.
Meanwhile, Yukon Striker had the worst operations we experienced all day specifically because they were rushing. There was a lot of “go to row three. No you’re actually in row two. Just go through the gates.” I understand pushing for cycles, but figuring out where we were sitting while walking around the platform was a terrible experience. One guest of larger body proportions had to move to a different seat as well, but half the crew was trying to move so quickly they didn’t even notice despite the operator’s announcements. I considered taking us in the single rider line, but thought it would be nicer to sit next to each other. Due to the hurried operations and delays at the singular set of cubbies, we ended up in separate rows anyway. I’m pretty sure guests from the single rider line ended up sitting together while we did not.
We went on Wilde Beast since it’s my favourite, but this probably is its roughest year to date. Then we went on Minebuster right after and the difference hits you like a ton of bricks! Or rather, it doesn’t hit you? Here’s hoping The Gravity Group can head to Medieval Faire soon to make my favourite ride as comfortable for guests.
Ride Count
AlpenFury x1
Shockwave x1
Thunder Run x1
Leviathan x2
Spinovator x1
Dragon Fyre x1
Drop Tower x1
Wilde Beast x1
The Bat x1
Snoopy’s Racing Railway x1
Lumberjack x1
Soaring Timbers x1
Vortex x1
The Mighty Canadian Minebuster x1
WindSeeker x1
Behemoth x1
Psyclone x1
Swing of the Century x1
I’m a little sad I didn’t get Nathan on The DareDeviler during this visit, but it’s a little out of the way from most rides and had a bit of a lengthy queue the one time we did walk by it. Hopefully I’ll have another opportunity to take him on it in the near future!
Food
Nathan got an all-day dining plan per my suggestion. I don’t think he found it as valuable as the others who have joined me this year, but that’s in part because he’s used to similar food plans at Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld Orlando. When I visited Busch Gardens Tampa with him in 2018, the portions were huge, with high-quality, delicious options at several locations. Compared to that, Wonderland’s food selection is paltry.
Another complaint is the lack of breakfast options. In order to get the most value out of an all-day dining plan, both my brother and sister got subs as their first meal simply because Subway was the lightest option they could find in the first hour after the park opened. Perhaps Wonderland could add a simple breakfast menu at Alpenhorne Funnel Cakes until noon each day?
Nathan’s Meals
6” Sub w/Cookie from Subway
Honey Garlic Chicken w/Noodles from Manchu Wok
Pepperoni Pizza Slice w/Garlic Bread from KidZville Pizza Pizza
Chicken Wrap w/Fries from Roadside Chicken
Donair Kabob w/Rice Pilaf from Lazy Bear Lodge (his favourite meal of the day)
My Meals
Pesto Chicken Caprese Sandwich w/Capellini Pasta
This meal continues to deliver exceptional quality and a great portion!
Toronto Ty Taste Tier: S
Spicy Chicken Pizza w/Bocci Bites
I wanted to try one of the more adventurous pizzas but since I avoid pork, that only left the classic four cheese or the spicy chicken. The banana peppers are the only spicy part of the pizza and they’re easily removed if you can’t take the heat. I was a little disappointed the tomato/marinara sauce was entirely replaced by barbecue sauce. The chicken was fine. The bread seemed a bit crispier than I hoped but was still pretty good. I’m really looking forward to trying the four cheese next time to get a better read on this deep dish, but I really wish there was another appealing type on its menu (such as vegetarian).
I went for the bocci bites, which are essentially little garlic bread balls. They’re tasty but I’d love some marinara sauce to go along with them. Perhaps I’ll shell out for the creamy garlic dip next time to make them less dry, though adding more garlic isn’t exactly my preference.
Toronto Ty Taste Tier: C
Until Next Time…
Nathan lives a lot closer than he did a few years ago, but we still only see each other a handful of times per year. We skipped the shows in favour of more time on the rides, but we also sat and talked during every meal. It was good to catch up, just the two of us chatting at my favourite place. Since he’s a huge horror fan, I’m hoping to get him back to the park for Halloween Haunt this year so he can experience The Conjuring: Beyond Fear. (Check back soon for details on this year’s fall festivities at Canada’s Wonderland.)
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