Paramount Canada's Wonderland
We arrived at opening. Immediately I was made aware of the last bit of asphalt I would see at the park that day. Kevin loves to point that out. I was attending with Mr. Reid and family who promised to show me the ropes. I couldn’t have asked for better tour guides. The park graciously accepted my PKI employee pass and I entered into a virtually empty park. OOOH that mountain! Great ambiance and perfect picture spot. Such potential – can you say Volcano?
First ride of the day took us to Thunder Run, the mine train inside the mountain. It is a good, quick jaunt through the darkness making two cycles. I did not know that it was general practice for the ops to let the train blow the station while riders get two trips. I thought they had messed up. They hadn’t - two rides and I never waited. Next we moved on to the Fly. Totally different from any other Wild Mouse I have ridden. It includes a fifty-foot drop and large footprint. It was fun, a wild mouse always is, but it had many brakes in use and although harrowing, did not deliver 100%. Two rides, no wait so I’m not complaining. I got a great laugh and can never get used to the feeling of coming off the track.
Vortex was next with two rides. Vortex is a suspended with a near exact layout of Top Gun at PKI. The ride delivered well as Top Gun does with great forces on the sharp turn headed back to the station. Could not even lift my feet up. When the first ride ended, I stayed on and rode again. Next over to the Bat. What can I say, it was a boomerang. Fun, no headbanging, but I guess I’m used to them. One ride was enough.
Wild Beast was next with the anticipation of the Reids seeing my reaction looming. This is their favorite. I rode, toward the middle then I rode again in the middle. It was fun. Exact layout of Grizzly at PKD but better forces and less screeching from the wheels. The first drop is tremendous. All those who rave about the Grizzly need to pop up to PCW to take a ride. You will not be disappointed. As I stated, the ride delivered well but I had a hard time deciding between the Mighty Canadian Minebuster and it as my favorite in the park. I did decide later, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.
Dragon Fire was next. It is an early Arrow multilooper. It was enjoyable with no wait for front seat. I rode only once, as the loops really do nothing for me. Such a long queue, do they ever use it? Maybe they'll take it out someday for the space. Just a thought. On to Mighty Canadian Minebuster. MCM delivers. I rode twice in the back car, middle seat and greatly enjoyed it. It has terrific airtime with a good helix at the end. It is an out and back woodie with a pretty decent line up each time we rode. Love the clear boxes on the trains that allow you to see the manual lap bar mechanisms.
Skyrider, a Togo standup, was typical. An exact duplicate of the PKI version. It delivered as a standup, and the wait showed. We were lucky enough to have someone allow us to the front of the stall since they were pairing up with friends. The coaster was down to one train operation, which greatly added to the wait. The other train was in the shop for the winter. I have now ridden every Togo standup in North America.
I rode Scooby’s Ghoster Coaster once for the coaster count. It was an exact version of PKD’s Scooby Doo and PKI’s Beastie. It is a fun junior wood, not a kiddie coaster. Kevin tried to get me on Taxi Jam for the count, but I refused due to the fact that I do not enjoy the embarrassment of not being able to fit my long legs in miniature trains. I don’t think Kevin understood.
Top Gun, a terrifically themed Vekoma SLC delivered well. I do not find this rough and was not ear boxed at all. I got 2 rides in with about a ten-minute wait each time. It is very disorienting and the speed is really good. Best I’ve ridden as far as VSLC’s go. I really enjoyed the illusion of nearly hitting your legs on one of the heartline rolls. It gave a near exact reaction of the "Kick the Superdooperlooper" feeling I got at Hersheypark on Great Bear.
We went back for more rides on MCM and then off to Wild Beast. This time I bargained with Kevin Reid to try an above wheel seat on MCM to appease his disappointment at me sharing my choice of MCM over Wild Beast. The ride was no different and I still enjoyed the coaster. Then we went back to Wild Beast but I opted for back seat. POW ZING ZANG BOOM! That was it. That was the ride I was waiting for. Great speed, great airtime, fun laterals. Now it was my favorite in the park.
So that covers the coasters. But what it did not cover was the absolute highlight of the park’s attractions. FLAT RIDES! You name it and it is here. This is what all parks should attain to. I rode about 80% of them and thoroughly enjoyed them. This is where PCW has any other Paramount Park beat hands down. Why, why, why can’t PKI and PKD follow suit? PCW has a swinging ship AND a looping starship. They have a rotor AND an enterprise, they have a spinnovator AND a Bayern Curve etc. etc. etc. I am so proud that this park has decided to offer thrills of every sort rather than just coasters. After all, future coaster enthusiasts usually start on the small rides and work up. Good Job Wonderland!
The day was mixed with good employees, including a terrific Foreman of Coaster Maintenance who revealed quite a bit to us. Including the location of the new attractions as well as interesting info on future coasters. Kev and I need to talk and decide if we will reveal our info. But I wouldn’t want to betray the guy that took a half an hour to talk to us about the park secrets. He was very generous with his time and trust.
Overall the day was a huge success. Will I go back? Absolutely. How do the coasters rate? Well MCM and Wild Beast are both in my top ten. Is it a good park? No, it’s a GREAT park. Kev should be so proud. Were there any disappointments? Not really. I noticed minor things, like the fact none of the coaster trains had the coaster name on the front, just a Wonderland sticker. But on the flip side they each had a plaque bearing the ride info such as manufacturer, year of construction, stats etc. in the station. This is something every park needs.
Above all I want to mention how generous Kevin and his family are. They are a terrific family and I am honored to be their friend. Nolan and Adam Reid are fantastic coaster riding partners and coaster experts. And Kevin’s coaster fascination is non-ending. Donna Reid is perhaps the most patient person I know as well as Kevin’s mother who waited at every ride exit and never once complained. They are a terrific group of people.
Thanks guys
Shaggy
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