Originally posted on URC forum 10/28/03 http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/forums/cgi/forum1.cgi?read=138301

The Place: Paramount Canada's Wonderland
The Date: July 20 & 21, 2003
Weather: Fluctuated between warm and rainy (only cold during our waterpark visit)
The Reasons: Enjoy my first visit

Canada, oh Canada. Where the hell do I begin this trip report? I went several months ago (July) and we did so much that I can't remember two full days worth of fun in exacting detail. So, I have decided to change a little bit from my usual modus operandi when it comes to writing TR's and will break things down into coasters, flat rides, water rides, food and the overall park experience. This will probably still end up being WAY too long and drawn-out for most people's taste but oh well.

Roller coasters:

The Bat (Vekoma, 1987, Boomerang): This was just the standard boomerang, yay. Because it apparently still gets long lines we took a ride early Sunday morning. Old school with the foot-release restraints on Arrow trains. Outside of that it was nothing earth shattering.

Mighty Canadian Minebuster (1981, TAFT/KECO, Out & Back Coaster): While this ride looks like a lot of fun and has great trains (PTC 3-benchers with unique clear boxes over the lap bar locking mechanism) it isn't that great. The first drop is decent and the second gives a nice float, but shortly thereafter you go up the long ramp that bored me to tears. The turn-around was fun with a nice drop off the turn and the return trip was average. The tunneled upward helix was a nice finish to the ride. I can see how the original Shooting Star must have been pretty good, especially with Herb orchestrating the airtime on it.

Fly (Mack, 1999, Wild Mouse): A Mack wild mouse with a drop and some brakes on, that's about it.

Wilde Beast (1981, TAFT/KECO, Double Out & Back wooden coaster): While the WB looked a lot like the Grizzly at PKD it sure did not ride like it. The ride was fun but just lacked in the areas where I felt Grizzly excelled this spring. The fan turn is rumored to have been rebuilt in-house, which would explain why it rode so poorly.

Dragon Fire (Arrow, 1981, Loop and screw): This was standard Arrow fare: good drop, decent loops, painful turns, different direction than usual corkscrews and a painful helix. This takes up some room where I could see a marquee coaster going in the future if they ever get the budget for one.

Vortex (Arrow, 1991, Suspended): Wow, what a great ride! I really enjoyed PKI's Top Gun so I had a feeling Vortex would grow on me even more and I was right. This thing runs like a bat out of hell and the unique terrain makes it all the more exciting. One of the most impressive things was that going down the second drop in the back seat you can feel the cars accordion and the trucks feel like they slam into each other. After that it just flies through the rest of the course and the shock absorbers are loud as hell on the holding brake. Another interesting thing is that the entire brake area shakes after the cars come into it. It is nice that PCW has kept the large grassy field next to Vortex intact. Many parks would have paved over it and put concessions a-plenty with turkey legs and glow crap. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that I wish the park would pick up the garbage on top of Wonder Mountain where the Vortex makes u-turn. There was crap all over the area and it was a small blemish on an otherwise clean park.

Skyrider (TOGO, 1986, Stand-up): Much as I anticipated, I loved this ride as much as King Cobra. While the Virginia version beat the hell out of me earlier this year Skyrider only knocked me once and that wasn't too strong. I love a stand-up with airtime; it is too bad that this was a thrill seemingly left out of a lot of stand-ups as time went on.

Scooby Doo's Gasping Ghoster Coaster (1981, TAFT/KECO, Junior double out & back): If I remember correctly, this one had the bunny hop before the brakes removed like its cousin at PKI (but no trim). This design is still one of my favorites for junior coasters and I wish more parks had junior woodies like this. Yes, I know they cost more. But, I find that rides in which parents and children can ride together are better than attractions which only kids can do.

Silver Streak (Vekoma, 2001, Junior suspended): Similar to the one at PKI. It has both the Vekoma rattle and excitement factor of Deja Vu.

Top Gun (Vekoma, 1995, Suspended looping coaster): This was only my third SLC, but it reminded me of the others. As always, I experienced little head banging but the small of my back was repeatedly hit with a large piece of fiberglass- not fun. The most impressive part of the ride was the queue. Every piece of theming that the ride opened with (videos, sound effects, a spinning radar, runway lights) was up and running in perfect order during our visit, which shows that this must be regular modus operandi for this park. At many parks you are hard-pressed to find such a great theme job done in the first place, let-alone kept up over nine seasons.

Flat Rides (* designates a new-to-me style of flat ride):

*Cliffhanger (Mondial Splashover): This was my first Splashover. I was glad the water was not on (I hate the way these things sometimes drench you? it is not a water ride). The program was middle-of-the road, but much better than the lame sequence most parks seem to put their Huss Top Spin on. Overall I liked the restraints and seats better than the Huss version, but the weight of the individual arms made for what seemed like more rocking than flipping because they had half the weight that a single tub would

Spinovator (Mack Calypso): As always, this was a fun ride and PCW had their version cranked pretty well. The Calypso is another ride that runs correctly and is obviously cared for by the maintenance staff, this is definitely a trend throughout the park.

*Night Mares (Huss UFO): I went in thinking that the Huss UFO was just a larger version of the Super Round-Up, but boy was I wrong. This thing really moves and presses riders WAY back into those pads. While the average round-up goes to roughly 60 degrees when run well this goes almost to 90. The g's as I rounded the bottom were delicious.

Drop Zone (Intamin/Ride Trade Giant Drop): This was the standard ride experience I get on Intamin drop rides. As always, a solid fall to the bottom that keeps my stomach upstairs.

Shockwave (Mondial Top Scan): A great ride, but not run up to the level of the traveling version owned by CVS or Long Island Adventurland's formerly-portable one run by crazy Surf Dance Chris. Run like this I actually thought the Mondial Revolution was the best flat ride in the park. The placement next to the Fly made for a nice foot chopper. The seatbelts also caused a delay in loading time, as they are hard for some people to buckle with the Mondial restraint being so wide. I hate to tell PCW, but if the triple-back up restraint fails that body is going flying- seatbelt or not. As far as I know Mondial restraints on the Top Scan have not failed and killed someone- I'll take that risk.

Klockwerks (Huss Swingaround): I thought the program here was a bit weak, but perhaps since PCW has so many flats this is considered a kiddie ride. I think I was the only rider over 12. If I wore nothing but a trench coat and drove a paneled van to amusement parks then I guess I would consider those good odds. The ride was fun, a ride that (surprisingly) has not been ripped off by many other manufacturers (the only one I can think of was Soriani & Moser).

Krachenwagen (Lusse bumper cars): These Lusses were one of the trip's most pleasant surprises. Usually theme park bumper cars are rather weak and seem to "tap" more than they "bump". Luckily PCW runs these correctly and the bumpers have hardened with time. I would venture to say that these cars are some of the best theme park bumper cars I have come across and the large oval gives drivers lots of opportunities to build up speed and nail opponents.

*Thunder Run (Mack Blauer Einzan): This was my first Blauer Einzan and my reaction was much like when I stepped off another Mack creation, the Bobsled at Paramounts Kings Dominion- "Why don't more parks have these"? Also like the Bobsled, there are more of these in Europe. However, Mack's sales team during that time played second fiddle to Intamin for European manufacturers in the U.S. market and just did not make the same impact. The ride features a funky jaunt through a mountain with some fun (albeit cheesy) special effects. What a great family ride, you even get two laps!

*Psyclone (Mondial Revolution): While I found most of the park beautiful the "Pseudo Action Zone" where Psyclone and Sledgehammer are located is pretty ugly. We were saying that they could have stayed a little more on track with the "Grande World Exposition of 1890" theme by giving both of these rides an industrial feel (Industrial Revolution, perhaps?) and having them have more earthy tones with a cog and gear look for the Psyclone and a piston look (perhaps a flying machine of sorts) for the Jump Squared. Theming concepts aside I loved this ride. It is simple, yet fun and a great way to see Wonder Mountain upside down. While I liked the Huss Giant Frisbee a touch better that doesn't mean the Revolution is a slouch, I would go so far to say that it is one of my favorite flat rides. The restraints and seats are a bit more comfortable than the Huss version; I just wish it spun a bit more.

*Sledgehammer (Huss Jump Squared): I still have not been on the original Jump so I can't comment if taking it to a power of 2 was an improvement or not. Overall I liked the ride (I am still not a fan of hard butt mold seats, I thought that was something that only Italian manufacturers did) and the restraints did not bother me too much (although they are a bit bulky for the purpose they serve). The ride is fun, but as we discussed, it just seems overly complicated for what it does. The initial cost of the ride combined with the maintenance it must require (we saw hydraulic fluid spurting out of the top many times while in line) just doesn't make sense for a ride that combines spinning and changes in height.

Swing of the Century (Zierer Wave Swinger): A standard swinger experience- fun but nothing Compounce-esque.

The Antique Carousel (PTC Carousel #84): This gorgeous ride, which used to spin at Palisades Park (among other places) is very well kept, it just needs a working band organ. Between PKI, PCW and PKD I will say that I am impressed with the way that Paramount seems to be taking care of its carousels, although Carowinds seems to not be kept as well, yet another reason why that park appears to be the chain's whipping boy (however Carowinds' version is nothing like the monstrosity we witnessed at Six Flags over Texas, but more on that in a subsequent trip report). The paint job here is traditional without being too gaudy and the setting, amongst miles of interlock, is very nice.

*The Orbiter (Huss Sky Lab): I was a little awed when I saw the Sky Lab for the first time. A few have nicknamed it the first Giant Ride and I must agree (it is hard to believe these traveled Germany!). The thing is gigantic. However, while the ride looks impressive it doesn't ride that way. The Orbiter only got up to about 50 degrees; something that I was told is common amongst these monsters. Add in the fact that the loading took forever and I only opted for one ride on it.

Great Whale of China (Mack Seesturmbahn): I had not ridden one of these since a visit in the early 1990?s to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, back when their Mack collection was housed next to the taffy pulling look-alike Vekoma Canyon Trip. Sadly BGW has since removed their beautiful Mack ride (why didn't they move it to BGT?). This has left the northern part of North America as a hotbed of Seesturmbahns (oder Seesturmbahnen?). With PCW, Marineland and SFDL all having these rides it allowed me to bask in my former Mack-induced happiness. So, having passed by the version at Marineland with a long line I told Mark that we were riding this. It was a little weird to see one of these without a cover, but it was still a great time. As fun as it was, the beautiful pagoda that marked the entrance was almost more of a thrill. What a way to mark a ride's entrance!

Whitewater Canyon (Intamin Rapids Ride 6): While this was a beautiful rapids ride through the trees (you have to walk forever to get there) it does not do a whole lot. Since each park lays the course themselves rapids rides are hit and miss. This one is definitely a miss.

Timberwolf Falls (Hopkins Shoot-the-Chute): Somehow Mark convinced me to ride this at the end of day two. We got in, as we ascended the lift he said, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." and we got soaked. The end.

Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion (Sally dark ride): Fun and cute, the usual stuff from Scooby and his tokin' crew. I got beat severely, I guess Mark had to get back at me for the way I beat him on that p.o.s. Spiderman ride at Niagara Falls the day before.

Dora's Dune Buggies (Preston & Barbieri Eureka): This is a children's ride, but one of two on the continent that I know of (the other being PGA) so I wanted to go for a ride. The premise is simple, you pump handles to make your car go up and then it falls back to the bottom and you do it all over again (that just sounds dirty, I know). If I were a kid I could see it being fun.

Treetop Lookout (SBF Air Balloons): After we boarded all Mark could talk about was how much better Zamperla's version was of this (big surprise), although, in this case I would have to agree. For only being open about 4 months the fiberglass was very scraped up. Add in the fact that the buckets did not spin and riders had to wear seatbelts that were unlocked only by attendants and this got a big thumbs down for a kiddie ride. I hate to imagine how slowly that line goes mid-season; it took us ten minutes to get started with less than a full load.

Overall I thought their kiddie section rivaled PKI's, it was definitely as good and more beautiful, so I would probably give PCW the nod.

Adult Flat rides not ridden:
Jet Scream- Intamin/Giovanola Looping Space Ship
The Fury- Eyerly Monster
The Rage- Huss Pirate Boat

Waterpark:

Ok, we're in Canada. What makes sense? The waterpark? Yes, the waterpark. Since three of the four large North American waterpark suppliers are located in Canada (Proslide, Whitewater West, Amusement Leisure Worldwide) we donned our trunks to pay homage to the slide makers of the great white north. PCW advertises having warm water in the Splash Works, but they must consider one degree Celsius "warm". Most of the slides were not tepid and a lot of the Costanza shrinkage factor came into play (at least that's what I told the lady who showered with me in the locker room after we were done sliding ,but that story is for another TR). Onto the attractions:

Barracuda Blaster (Proslide Cannonbowl)- We began here, as Mark was very excited about the toilet aspect of this ride. Having been on the Probowl installation at Big Surf Waterpark I was not holding my breath. I did enjoy this version more because the Cannonbowl utilizes tubes while the Probowl has riders sliding down on their backs and having the seams of the fiberglass pieces "thunk" across the spine is not fun. As this was our first ride the water was frigid, but I was numb enough by the time I stepped out of the ride, which is essentially a covered slide into a bowl into another shorter covered slide, to ignore the pain.

Riptide Racer (Proslide Proracer)- This was my first ride on one of these and I loved it. This will be a great fit at Holiday World next year, in part because it is just SO fun. It is a ride we saw people of all ages enjoying themselves on. The only thing they need is someone at the bottom of the slide directing people to exit the troughs quickly. Some dumb guests thought it was good to stand at the bottom and watch the next group slide down, only to be run over.

Black Hole (Proslide or Whitewater West Covered Tubeslides)- This covered pair of slides only had side one working, but that was fine with us, as it seemed a lot warmer than the rest of the water in the park. I didn't mind sitting down in this one and we took a second spin to get our body temperature back up.

The Plunge (Proslide MammothRUSH)- This is essentially a waterpark version of one of those children's playground slides that has humps throughout the downhill course. There were several nice pops and by the time we reached the bottom we were really flying.

Super Soaker (Proslide Dark Mammoth)- A more ho-hum version of Zonga, this one went both indoors and outdoors. The waterfalls were freezing.

Body Blast (Proslide Bodyslides)- Oww, oww, oww. Now I remember why parks aren't installing body slides anymore. These were the old school style of slides and were not fun on the back.

Whirl Winds (Proslide Tubeslides)- This was just a relaxing slide downhill, obviously meant more for the kiddies (a good "first big slide").

Food:

We lucked out and got some great park food on this trip. Much like PKI this park has contracted out to local vendors for food service. We ate at Mr. Sub, standard sub fare, but with a slogan that says "Always Something Good Going Down", I had to try it (I think I rented a movie with a similar tagline). Pizza Pizza was ok (of course I don't mind LaRosa's, so what do I know?). DiPamo's BBQ was excellent (another success in the park/fair BBQ selection) and went well with a LaBatt. I don't get the Southern BBQ place with an Italian name, but oh well. Topping it all off with Breyers ice cream was excellent, no crappy soft serve here.

Overall thoughts:

I LOVED this park. What's not to like? It was clean, green and overall had friendly staffing. While there were elements of other parks PCW did enough things well that it clearly stands out on its own as a tremendously run amusement park. From the big things like the beautiful set of fountains leading up to Wonder Mountain and the lush green landscape by Vortex to the small things like interlock and polite ride ops. this is a superb corporate park. I can see how simple "coaster enthusiasts" don't love the place since coasters are what they visit parks for (or "ride all year", for, ahem). However, since I don't have any hang-ups like that I really enjoyed my days here. If I had any criticisms (and there weren't many) they would be that the ride ops. overall seemed a touch slow. I think the lines might be a bit sluggish when the crowds hit on those sunny days in the summertime. Well, I do have one additional complaint- it is too far away!

I must add that I really enjoyed Canada, too. The people were very nice, but without the uptightness many Americans seem to have. They are laid back and seem to enjoy life a little bit more than I do sometimes.

Thanks!:

A huge thanks goes out to the Reid family (http://www.pcwjunkies.com) for their generosity and hospitality during our stay. They were great guides throughout the park and helped us get ready for our visit with lots of directions and information. We couldn't have done it without them and appreciated their time and effort.

Adam