the park\u2019s blog<\/a>), 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\u2019s not surprising Chris didn\u2019t remember Nathan, who worked just one season at one of the many rides Chris oversaw, but it\u2019s still a cool connection!<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd 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\u2019t get Dutch Treats back with its windmill, but I see the logic in this decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLocated between Grande World Eatery (serving broader international food) and Coaster\u2019s 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\u2019m sure it\u2019s not for everyone, I really appreciate the effort put into offering a bit more variety with a crowd-pleasing food.<\/p>\n\n\n\nService is pretty speedy, even as the associates were still getting used to the new location. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nWith five unique options, I\u2019m surprised vegetarian isn\u2019t available. \u201cPickle Roni with Cotton Candy\u201d sounds like something you\u2019d find at the CNE, and that\u2019s not a compliment in my opinion. I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThe 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\u2019m not sure Pizza Pizza would allow it. Then again, they have the Wonder Chocolate Chunk Cookie and Ultimate Brownie, so…<\/p>\n\n\n\nI really wish the drinks were self-serve since it would be a more efficient process (and requires less staff).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s one post in the queue that seemed quite wobbly, and I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m very curious what the park may have in store for this now-former Pizza Pizza location.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere\u2019s also a new Dippin\u2019 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\u2019s not blocking anything. Perhaps the park should take down the \u201cEnter Line 3\u201d sign though. (Apologies for the terrible photo.)<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn that note, this Subway location has a sign on its roof saying to \u201cPlace order here,\u201d but there\u2019s another sign reading \u201cDining plan scan here first\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nI didn\u2019t 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\u2019t interested in waiting that long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Has Wilde Beast’s storage shed been painted recently? It’s looking quite nice!<\/p>\n\n\n\nDwayne, the statue outside Dragon Fyre, had some cables hanging out under his chin. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSledge Hammer remains closed, with two vehicles on site working on it. Hopefully it can return to service for guests soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\nRides<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWe got to AlpenFury shortly after it opened so we didn\u2019t have to wait in the insufficiently shaded switchbacks. Having said that, the capacity on this ride makes any wait feel longer than I\u2019m typically willing to tolerate. This was Nathan\u2019s 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\u2019t be worth waiting long to experience. It\u2019s not that it\u2019s a bad ride and he said more laps on it may make him like it more since he\u2019d know what to expect, but we both had much better experiences on Leviathan and Tundra Twister, both with lines moving much faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t for the metal detectors, this wouldn\u2019t 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\u2026 Also I don\u2019t remember AlpenFury having two sets of cubbies in the past, but it\u2019s a good move! Hopefully Yukon Striker gets the same treatment soon, or just goes back to the old three-bin system without lockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After grabbing a sub from Subway for breakfast, we hopped into Leviathan\u2019s queue. It\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\nI won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Snoopy\u2019s Racing Railway was a new \u2018credit\u2019 for Nathan, which he thought was surprisingly thrilling for a kids\u2019 park coaster! Its capacity leaves something to be desired, though, especially since the kids\u2019 park is usually quite busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThunder Run hasn\u2019t been using the strobe lights at the end of the ride the past couple times I\u2019ve been on it. I hope those return to operation soon as the ride isn\u2019t the same without them. Of course I\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nVortex 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behemoth had very slow operations and I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Yukon Striker had the worst operations we experienced all day specifically because they were rushing. There was a lot of \u201cgo to row three. No you\u2019re actually in row two. Just go through the gates.\u201d 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\u2019t even notice despite the operator\u2019s 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\u2019m pretty sure guests from the single rider line ended up sitting together while we did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We went on Wilde Beast since it\u2019s 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\u2019t hit you? Here\u2019s hoping The Gravity Group can head to Medieval Faire soon to make my favourite ride as comfortable for guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRide Count<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAlpenFury x1I\u2019m a little sad I didn\u2019t get Nathan on The DareDeviler during this visit, but it\u2019s 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\u2019ll have another opportunity to take him on it in the near future!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Food<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNathan got an all-day dining plan per my suggestion. I don\u2019t think he found it as valuable as the others who have joined me this year, but that\u2019s in part because he\u2019s 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\u2019s food selection is paltry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nathan\u2019s Meals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n6\u201d Sub w\/Cookie from Subway(his favourite meal of the day)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nMy Meals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nPesto Chicken Caprese Sandwich w\/Capellini Pasta<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis meal continues to deliver exceptional quality and a great portion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toronto Ty Taste Tier: S<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSpicy Chicken Pizza w\/Bocci Bites<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI 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\u2019re easily removed if you can\u2019t 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\u2019m 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\nI went for the bocci bites, which are essentially little garlic bread balls. They\u2019re tasty but I\u2019d love some marinara sauce to go along with them. Perhaps I\u2019ll shell out for the creamy garlic dip next time to make them less dry, though adding more garlic isn\u2019t exactly my preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toronto Ty Taste Tier: C<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nUntil Next Time\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNathan 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\u2019s a huge horror fan, I\u2019m 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\u2019s fall festivities at Canada\u2019s Wonderland.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Continuing the trend of visiting Canada\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,27],"tags":[18,14,28],"class_list":["post-1085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alpenfury-roller-coasters","category-trip-reports","tag-18","tag-alpenfury","tag-trip-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1117,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions\/1117"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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