Heading to the south end of the park to avoid the expected crowds at Leviathan and AlpenFury, the first open ride I found was Backlot Stunt Coaster. It\u2019s still only running two trains, but it was a walk-on so I got on it for my first time this season. I was definitely feeling lightheaded after the intense upward helix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behemoth still hadn\u2019t opened so I hopped on Psyclone for (I believe) its first cycle of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I decided I should get a ride on Swing of the Century to check on the new double-baskets before heading out of the area. The reduction in trees around the ride still bums me out\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was determined to get on Yukon Striker this visit, so I hopped in the single-rider line. I love the ride, but more and more I\u2019m skipping it because of the loose article policy. (More on that some other time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tundra Twister wasn\u2019t open yet when I walked by, so I made the loop over to Lumberjack. It\u2019s not my favourite ride so I don\u2019t get on it often, but these signs seem new. I really like them, especially with the illustration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I forgot to get a proper picture of Vortex and WindSeeker, but I did both of them. Vortex was my longest wait of the day and still not too bad. I think the shorter minimum height requirement (introduced last year) has made this thrilling ride even more popular. From WindSeeker, I got a good look many of the park\u2019s ongoing projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behemoth was open by now so I headed through the single-rider line. It was still only running two trains, but the third one was in the storage shed with maintenance looking it over. I imagine it will be back in service soon (if not already by the time you read this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I then met up with the one and only Adventures with Parker, along with his fianc\u00e9, Mike. We chatted about life, Wonderland, and Disney between our rides on Leviathan, Dragon Fyre, Drop Tower, Wilde Beast, and Shockwave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They wanted to grab food but I had had a few more rides I wanted to get on first, so we split up. I hopped on Thunder Run, The Bat, and Snoopy\u2019s Racing Railway to finish off the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For my first meal, I went to Lazy Bear Lodge and ultimately decided to try the veggie meatballs along with a salad. The faux-meat balls were delicious, really having me say \u201cI can\u2019t believe it\u2019s not meat-ball!\u201d For those intimidated by the donair\u2019s spiciness, this is a great, mild option! One or two of them were just a tad dry, but I used some barbecue sauce which really helped. The salad was fine, but it would be nice if the salad dressing was kept in the fridge instead of left out on the counter. I really wish they’d go back to the cornbread muffin or something instead of the ciabatta bun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toronto Ty Taste Tier: A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For my second meal, I wanted something quick and easy so of course I grabbed the classic poutine again. I need to try asking for more gravy next time because the cheese curds weren\u2019t melting very much and some were still quite cold. Still a pretty reliable meal plan option, though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toronto Ty Taste Tier: A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not much for pop, but I also tried the new Wonder Rush drink from a Freestyle machine (combining Sprite Vanilla, Fanta Pineapple, and Minute Maid Lemonade). It\u2019s a little different than I expected with a fairly strong pineapple flavour, but I did enjoy it and will get it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toronto Ty Taste Tier: B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n LITTLE UPDATES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The fenced off entrances to the pathway behind the falls no longer feature the symbols from AlpenFury\u2019s teaser campaign. My sister pointed out the symbols during media day so these were repainted within the past couple weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stand by Krachenwagen is making progress, though I\u2019m still not sure exactly what game it might become. The depressions in the table make me think either bottles (for ring toss) or a return of the classic whiffle ball game, but time will tell. (I took this photo when the wind blew the curtain out.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This may have happened last year, but Alpen Refresh Centre has had its exterior painted to match the rest of AlpenFest. It looks nice, but now Klockwerks\u2019 operator booth really stands out as different. Krachenwagen\u2019s building should also be repainted to match the area\u2019s new aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apr\u00e9s Poutinerie now has a \u201csubtitle\u201d of sorts, indicating this location serves \u201cFresh Cut Fries!\u201d I think this sign is new for this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of signs, I noticed a few of these new ones around the park for guests to report lost items. I like the idea of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Part of Thunder Run\u2019s temporary exit still stands squeezed between Apr\u00e9s Poutinerie and Wonder Mountain. I hope the park can plant a tree or two here in the near future, along with sealing up that part of Wonder Mountain. (There was at least one tree here before AlpenFury’s construction started.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel like there were bushes here years ago, but not recently? Anyway, this row of bushes under Vortex\u2019s first drop look great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n One last random thing: The Bat has a new queue structure under the first spike! The detailing on the edges of this wood is fantastic, perfectly matching the design of other wooden features around the ride! Special thanks to John Brooks<\/a> for pointing it out in his blog<\/a>, otherwise I wouldn\u2019t have noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MAJOR PROJECTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A new development: When Lazy Bear Lodge first opened in 2022, I think many of us were confused by the \u201cstairs to nowhere\u201d on the south side of the patio. During fireworks nights, these stairs help get guests down to the main viewing area on the grassy hill, but it felt odd they just led to grass. Well, that\u2019s no longer going to be the case as the park is installing interlocking pavers for a new path connecting the stairs to the lower patio, as well as back to the main WindeSeeker pathway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is great change, providing easier access around the Lodge without removing significant greenery! I imagine the park wants this ready for Sunday\u2019s Victoria Day fireworks show and it looks like they\u2019re on a good schedule to make that happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mighty Canadian Minebuster was being worked on during my visit. I saw a crane from Yukon Striker\u2019s queue and then saw workers on the lift hill from the top of WindSeeker. It seemed like some new lumber was being installed on the lift, though it\u2019s quite difficult to get photos of the worksite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swing of the Century\u2019s new double baskets are now available! I tried to get on one, but it seems you need a partner. It makes sense for balancing, but hopefully doesn\u2019t cause any issues with capacity, nor force two strangers to sit together. It seemed like many of the high school students were gladly taking the double baskets, though, so I\u2019m not too concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the seats now use a clip, which feels like a bit of a throwback! In recent years, they had a standard seat belt, but I definitely remember using a clip at some point in the past. I\u2019m not sure if all parts of the chains and baskets are brand new, but they certainly look that way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DareDeviler still has a lot of track and supports to paint, but test cycles have begun! I\u2019ll have a short video or two of it testing posted to YouTube shortly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My big takeaway? Those trains look really nice and comfortable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n My secondary takeaway? Reduced capacity. The old trains had 10 rows of two for 20 riders per cycle. The new trains only have eight rows, meaning a 20 per cent reduction in instantaneous capacity. While Flight Deck\u2019s popularity has definitely waned over the years, I had hoped the new experience would change that. But having just 16 riders per train could cause long lines if guests really enjoy the new experience (which I\u2019m confident they will). I understand the park didn\u2019t have much choice since the trains were essentially free, but I had hoped the park would use those savings to purchase four brand new cars (two per train) so it could operate at the same capacity it did before. I\u2019m not an expert though, so maybe there\u2019s some reason that wasn\u2019t an option. Regardless, I\u2019m very excited to get on The DareDeviler when it opens this summer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n KidZville Refresh & ICEE is coming along nicely! The exterior looks complete and I believe they were working on the electrical while I was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The actual drink dispensers haven\u2019t appeared and there\u2019s no queue in place, but there is one excellent development to report on: A water bottle refill station (and drinking fountain) located next to the building, facing Sugar Shack!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This filled me with so much joy and I got several excited responses when I posted this to Instagram! People want easy-to-use water bottle refill stations and it makes so much sense to put it right next to a drink stand! Being right outside Maple Park Treehouse is also a great spot since kids will be running around the playground and needing a cool, refreshing sip of water!<\/p>\n\n\n\n TL;DR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This might end up being my highest ride count for a single visit this year! Crowds were minimal, but I kept getting distracted chatting with friends (both online and in person). And of course trying to track all the changes. So many little touches go into the park every year and I\u2019m so happy to track as much of it as I can! Rides (The DareDeviler), refreshments, (KidZville Refresh), games (AlpenFest building), infrastructure (Lodge pathway), and landscaping (under Vortex\u2019s first drop) are all just some of the areas the park is working to build and improve for guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next week: Fireworks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I went to Wonderland on May 8 for my first Friday visit of the season. With only four days since my previous visit, I wasn\u2019t expecting much to have changed so I mostly focussed on getting on rides. This blog still ended up being longer than I thought though, so the merchandise discussion I promised […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[18,28],"class_list":["post-539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trip-reports","tag-18","tag-trip-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539","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=539"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":595,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions\/595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.wonderlandweekly.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6383-edited-3-scaled.jpeg\")
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