Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread

Because it has already happened in the past with I305.

Who's to say that wasn't just the original planned height and not someting to keep it lower then MF? We can all speculate, but none of us truly know what's going on in the minds of the planning groups behind all these rides right?

Sure, they could've gone the extra 10Ft and beaten MF, but would the 10ft had made an actual difference to the ride?

Does anyone really care about the height though aside from us enthusiasts? LIke how many guests of the general public go on i305 or MF and mention that one is higher or shorter then the other?

Either way, I would never rule anything out, but I know in the past Dick Kinzel had seemed hesitant about doing another huge TTD/KK style ride.

Trust me, I would love to see some world record broken at Wonderland being it's my home park, but I guess we shall see. If the 3 park Stratasoar rumors are true, and the heights are all different, maybe Wonderland may end up with the tallest of the 3 which would set a record. We already know that KBF's Facebook page mentioned something about flying higher then Supreme Scream, which is listed as 254 Ft.

Because it has already happened in the past with I305.

Sure, they could've gone the extra 10Ft and beaten MF, but would the 10ft had made an actual difference to the ride?

.

To 305... Yes! 10 feet would had made it even more insane...

Somewhat more reliable. I would have agreed but after early last week, it was constantly operating, down, operating down, etc etc. ....

TTD is a large coaster with many moving parts, and much more complicated than your generic chain lift hill coaster, so it's inevitable that some downtime is going to happen here and there. It just the fact that it has become MUCH more reliable than opening year, and even the few years after 2003.

Who's to say that wasn't just the original planned height and not someting to keep it lower then MF? We can all speculate, but none of us truly know what's going on in the minds of the planning groups behind all these rides right?

I doubt it, we all know how CF treats CP, and what their attitude is towards their golden child. You really think it's just a coincidence that I305 came up short of MF by 5 feet? Yeah, I highly doubt that. We're talking about TEN YEARS of technology advancement from the time MF was built. I bet if they wanted to build a coaster taller than MF, there would have been no trouble in doing so, but they chose not to for obvious reasons.

Regardless, like I already said, if this CW coaster is true, I don't believe that it would be as tall or fast as the one on that flyer. I would definitely like to see it happen, but I also have to be realistic.

 

Who's to say that wasn't just the original planned height and not someting to keep it lower then MF? We can all speculate, but none of us truly know what's going on in the minds of the planning groups behind all these rides right?

 

I doubt it, we all know how CF treats CP, and what their attitude is towards their golden child. You really think it's just a coincidence that I305 came up short of MF by 5 feet? Yeah, I highly doubt that. We're talking about TEN YEARS of technology advancement from the time MF was built. I bet if they wanted to build a coaster taller than MF, there would have been no trouble in doing so, but they chose not to for obvious reasons.

 

 

Regardless, like I already said, if this CW coaster is true, I don't believe that it would be as tall or fast as the one on that flyer. I would definitely like to see it happen, but I also have to be realistic.

It would for sure be fantastic! But yes, reality hits. Agree that TTD is more reliable than opening year but still very temperamental, just like any accelerator, new or old.

I have no problem with CP being treated differently since it's the flagship. With KD, I hear you in that 10 years have passed so the logic is that KD could have very well built a giga taller than MF if they wanted. But keep in mind that it has been 10 years of absolutely no advancement or development in giga coaster technology/ design by Intamin. So, building one of an entirely different design is a lot more difficult than we think given that they haven't built one in ten years. Also, the five foot difference from MF could be that for whatever reason, they designed the elevator cable to run underground rather than above ground as is the case with MF.

You need to realize that Canada's Wonderland is Cedar Fairs golden child as well! We have the attendance higher then all they're parks! We deserve to be treated to, plus in they're Q2 they stated attendance at wonderland had dropped greatly.. Obviously cause for the first time in Canada's Wonderlands history we haven't received a thrilling ride for 3 years straight. The most Paramount ever went was one year for CW.

That being said I honestly don't think were getting a starflyer, they got a well renowned news channel in the area to be there on the announcement date tomorrow for the announcement at 7am, starflyer is not news worthy... aha

^I disagree. A standard sub 200ft Starflyer may not be news worthy per say, but the rumoured 300-400ft Starflyer? I think that would be a little news worthy.

Either way, I will be happy with whatever they announce I am sure...provided they don't say they are moving Son of Beast to Wonderland

^^I think the announcement is at 10am or something? It's only Breakfast Television there at 7am for City TV Day so far. They would have been there anyway. Great ticket prices though if you link to Wonderland tickets from the BT website. I love BT, but let's face it, not exactly a news program so much as a morning magazine/ gossip show. Knowing what Jennifer Valentine has covered in the past, it could very well be a new funnel cake fry stand on top of Wonder Mountain

^Agree that a Star Flyer at the romoured height is really impressive. Definitely news worthy. If you've ever seen one in person or been on one, they are quite something.

definitely a hoax. I highly doubt Cedar Fair would add anything of this stature to any park other than Cedar Point.

Notice how "track length" is mispelled? If this were an official document then I'm sure Intamin would've proofread it for starters & why would they even bother releasing it anyway if they wanted nobody to see it?

This is awesome, let's all set a goal to keep Wonderland on the first page for a few days longer

^Well, even the official ride websites had spelling mistakes. Plus, Intamin's first language isn't English. That being said, given that it is in North America, I think IntaRide would be in charge of it rather than Intamin directly in Switzerland. So you're right, typos are a bit out of place. But, it's still fun to play make-believe and think it's real.

The closest I've seen of a Starflyer is Flight at Martin's Fantasy Island. I know it's a Zamperla but I still find it rather striking. I never got to ride it due to the no single rider's rule. I can't even imagine being 400 feet up would be like.

I'm also thinking that if it was going to be a large accelerator they would have started construction by now. They started Dragster in mid summer 2002 with almost half of the tower up by Halloweekends.

Canada's Wonderland has just announced that they will be getting a windseeker for 2011. It will be 301ft tall.

Not a bad addition to the collection of flat rides we have. It will be interesting to see how this will compare to a Starflyer.

I wonder if it will have some up and down movement throughout the ride.

Windseeker Officially Announced Today!

Wonderland Gives New Meaning to "HIGH" Intensity with WindSeeker

 

New Thrill ride to open in May 2011

 

VAUGHAN, ON, Aug. 24 /CNW/ - Canada's Wonderland takes excitement to new heights in 2011, with the addition of WindSeeker - a 30-storey swing ride.

 

Towering high above the Park, WindSeeker will ascend 301 feet (91.7M) and spread its metal arms, swinging riders at a 45-degree angle at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour. WindSeeker will feature 32 two-person swings that will provide riders with a sensational feeling of weightlessness as their feet dangle at heights never experienced before at Wonderland.

 

"We are continuing to change the landscape at Canada's Wonderland and with the addition of our new thrill machine WindSeeker, we will be 70 feet (21.3M) higher than our previous tallest rides Drop Tower and Behemoth", said Raffi Kaprelyan, Vice President and General Manager of Canada's Wonderland. "For riders that are looking for extreme height and intense thrills, this ride will be a must-do for 2011".

 

WindSeeker will be manufactured by Mondial, a company based in the Netherlands that has been creating thrill rides for the amusement park industry since 1987. Mondial is known for their innovative and unique rides and maintains the highest standards of quality and safety. WindSeeker will cost approximately $5 million to build.

 

WindSeeker will be the 68th ride at Canada's Wonderland, giving the park one of the greatest selections of rides in North America. Construction will begin in the fall of 2010, but those who want a sneak peak of the ride before next season can take a look at http://www.canadaswonderland.com.

 

Canada's Wonderland is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FUN." In addition to Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Fair owns and operates ten other amusement parks, six water parks, one indoor water park resort and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, Calif. under a management contract.

 

For further information: Dineen Beaven, Manager, Public Relations and Special Events, O: (905) 832 7482, C: (416) 317 6100, dineen.beaven@canadaswonderland.com

Here are some Stats:

Manufacturer:

Mondial

Ascent/Descent:

50 Seconds

Height:

301 Feet (91.7 Meters)

Rotation Speed:

8 Rotations per minute

25-30 mph (40-48 kmh)

Diameter in Full Swing:

110 Feet

Location:

Next to Vortex, overlooking Wonder Mountain

Capacity:

32 Suspended Twin Seats

(64 total passengers)

Cost:

$5,000,000

Max. Swing Angle of Arm:

Up to 45 degrees

Groundbreaking:

Fall 2010

Ride Cycle Time:

3 Minutes

Ride Opening:

Summer 2011

Video:

From looking at the video and the photos on the Wonderland website, it looks like the ride will be located somewhere around the back of the mountain, perhaps between Jet Scream and Vortex.

I must say, I feel slightly disappointed when looking at this ride. Beyond the height factor, it just looks like a large swing. Seems pretty tame to me. Although I'll be the first to admit that you "don't knock it till you try it" and I'll certainly do that next year. It's probably the video just not doing the ride any justice. Nice that it has such a large ride capacity (64 people at a time).

I am excited for this ride. It's got great capacity from the looks of it, will have amazing views of the park and area, and is something that's thrilling enough for the height junkies but still something I could kind of consider a family ride.

I am not going to knock the height of 301 too much, but I think we will see later when the Point does their announcement whether or not they truly put the Point above their highest attended park.

The reason why CW is so neglected is because it faces no competition from surrounding attractions. Honestly CW is the only theme park in Ontario and most people have no choice to go to CW and they want to visit a theme park. I think the idea of CW for CF is that no matter how much neglect they put into this park, people will still crowd.

I hope they broke out of this ideologies during the attendance drop and will hopefully have something for future years.

CP = roller coaster capital of the World

CW = flat ride capital of the World

Good job CF, you made another slogan...

Still miss Paramount

How is CW "neglected" exactly?

Please... That is probably one of the most ridiculous things I have read on this site in a long time.

It looks like it's going in the area where Sol Loco used to be. I don't know if it's still there because I don't see it on their website.

After riding the Flight at Martin's Fantasy Island, I can confirm that Windseeker will have a great thrill factor because of it's height. It might look simple and timid from the ground, but once you're on the ride and at the top, the thrill factor is much higher.

How is CW "neglected" exactly?

Well, I guess during the Paramount days, we were more the red headed stepchild of the franchise (well, except maybe Carowinds). While other parks were getting record setting rides, Intamins and/or B&M's, we got a Vekoma SLC and Zamperla Volare.

The one good thing Paramount did was add a ton of quality flat rides (though I'd take a Huss Giant Frisbee over our Mondial).

I'm actually pretty excited for Windseeker. Having been on a similar, albeit smaller ride (Flight at Martin's Fantasy Island) and having the bejeezus scared out of me, the 300' version should be awesome. My only concern is where the queue is going to go. That grassy field by Vortex Lake is awesome and should never be changed.

EDIT: Another worry that just popped into my mind is going to be crowd flow where Windseeker is looking to be. If it is near Jet Scream as it appears in the picture, the path from Jet Scream to Cookie Cafe is going to be hell to get through. If they expand the path (which I imagine they would), then a prime relaxing spot under the trees is going to be lost.

No!! Where would we watch the fireworks!

How is CW "neglected" exactly?

 

Please... That is probably one of the most ridiculous things I have read on this site in a long time.

Agreed. A very stupid comment, indeed. While CW may not have what many coaster enthusiasts would call highly ranked coasters, haven't they received a new addition about once every 2 years?

That's a lot more than many other parks can claim.

--Robb

^ Exactly. CW is far from neglected. It just gets a different kind of attention because it has to attract a crowd in a different way than CP. CP is in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. So naturally, it takes a lot more flash (record breaking rides, lots of coasters, etc.) to attract people to go visit a park where there aren't a whole lot of other attractions in the area. Wonderland, on the other hand, is right beside Toronto, a very major city, so there is obviously a lot of local attendance. However, there is still a lot of competition in the area - a lot of other major attractions. They may not be theme parks, but there are still other (cheaper) options for people in the area, as well as tourists (CN Tower, Science Centre, museums, etc.). My own family (myself not included) decided to do all of those other options this year instead of going to CW, for about the price of admission to CW. So you can see how CW cannot be "neglected" as you suggest, because if there weren't new big attractions and reasons for locals to visit year after year after year, we simply wouldn't spend that money for the same thing we did last year. It may not be a big flashy roller coaster, but it might be the reason I buy a season pass next year, while I'm only going once this year.

Not to mention, every time a new attraction is added and the park gets more attention, it encourages tourism in the area, thus, even more attendance.

CW neglected? No. They are adding exactly what they need to in order to get local attendance back up after a lull. It's a sensible business decision, if you think about it. CP needs the bigger attraction, and CW is getting what it needs to get people back in the park. That's all we need, and as a CW guest, I am pleased. Like Robb said, we get a new addition almost every 2 years. Isn't that enough?

Anyways, I'm excited for this ride, for no other reason than the fact that I have never been on anything like it. It looks like fun, and I'm excited to see how it fits into the park.

If there is a red-headed stepchild of the Paramount/Cedar Fair chain it's CGA.

If there is a red-headed stepchild of the Paramount/Cedar Fair chain it's CGA.

True. I always forget about them. I hereby retract my statement.

If there is a red-headed stepchild of the Paramount/Cedar Fair chain it's CGA.

I completely agree. Everybody forgets about that park and I don't even know when they last got a new coaster.

On-topic of Wonderland though.... the Windseeker looks pretty cool. It's pretty funny how it makes everything else, like Vortex, Drop Tower, Jet Scream, etc. look so miniscule. I would love to see one come to Kings Dominion!