Paramount Canada's Wonderland 7/23-WWE Pile Driver
Associated parks:
None
Before I start this one off, PCW is only the second park I've visited in the Paramount chain (the other being Kings Island). We took a cab from Missisauga around noon and arrived within 30 minutes. The weather was cooperative the whole day (though it did get chilly at one point)We were greeted by a nice skyline of coasters (and a mountain) from the parking lot. I wasn't expecting much from this park, as many of the coasters are clones- We'll get to that later. As we entered the gates the awesome sight of the fountains in the pool set the mood for the day. A nice, clean atmosphere was on tap for the whole day.
The first ride we took was on Vortex. We waited 15 minutes for it and got a last row ride. A great ride. I love going through the cliffs before the first drop. There was some headbanging, but the intensity made up for that. As the day went on we hit this one once more in the front. I noticed the anti-rollbacks on the lift were spread apart considerably which made an uncomfortable lift. This one rates right behind Top Gun and Big Bad Wolf for me. 6/10
Next up was Skyrider. I had ridden King Cobra at PKI and didn't enjoy it much. This one was no different. Aside from the airtime, this was quite a rough one. We hopped into what seemed to be a 10 minute wait but was pro-longed as we got into the station because of someone throwing up. We took last row and I braced myself for a headache. Thankfully, I wasn't in pain (which resulted in a re-ride later in the day) The airtime on these Togo clones is nice, and this is a fun ride to watch. Togo has a nice short layout here. If the headbanging factor was reduced, I'd rate this one higher, but for now, I'll take a B&M stand-up anyday. 5/10
We got off Skyrider and made our way to The Mighty Canadian Minebuster. I had heard lots about this woodie, and I wasn't let down.We got our last row spin after a 10 minute wait. This is a great woodie. The trains are really comfortable (PTC) and it was nice to sit on somthing cushioned. The first drop is great. The helix at the end is a little rough, but it is a woodie afterall, not a Beemer. 7/10
After that our party decided to eat. We stopped by at Pizza Pizza and paid $20 for a whole pizza. A bit over-priced, but it was good. After we finished we hit Vortex again, followed by Thunder Mountain. This is more of a "giggle ride" then anything. It was neat going in and out of the mountain, but even with two laps, it was a bit short and lacked somthing. 4/10
Next up was The Bat. The standard Boomerang seemed really popular at this park. We waited nearly 40 minutes to get on this one. Before I get to the ride experiance, I need to ask... How could people constantly put down Vekoma? They are innovative and I think they're VERY underrated. The Boomerang really is a neat concept, and I'm sure if there was less of them, they'd be appreciated a little more. Anyways, We got 2 rides on this one throughout the day, both were great rides. One in Row 3, and the other in the last row. This was one of the smoothest Boomers I have ridden, just behind the ones at Wild Adventures and Moreys Piers. Not bad for a ride that's 15 years old. Even after 30 or so spins on Deja Vu at my homepark, this was a great one. 7/10
After The Bat, we hit Drop Zone. The line went fast and we were sitting in the fifth car within 10 minutes. One thing I like was they had all the cars operating, which is a nice change from Great America's Giant Drop. A great ride. Intamin Drops never cease to amaze me. These are the perfect rides. Every park should invest in one. The pause at the top seemed shorted than SFGAm's drop, but the rush was still incredible. 10/10
Next up was the surprise hit of the day. Wild Beast is the greatest coaster in this park, and is right up with Legend and Viper as my favorite wood. I sat down in my last row seat with no opinion of this ride at all. I had not heard much about it, and wasn't expecting much because of that fact. Three Minutes later we arrived back at the station and 5 minutes later we were back in line. The airtime on this Beast is incredible. I've experianced ejector air on a woodie before, but this shames all precious encounters. Words cannot describe the magnitude of the airtime. One more great thing about this one is the line was very short throughout the entire day. We got around 15 ride on it. This ride alone will bring me back to Canada's Wonderland ASAP. My only complaint was that the crew stapled me in nearly every time I rode (I noticed this to be a running theme in the park) That didn't stop the airtime, and I can only dream about a loose restraint on this one. Talk about hidden gems. Near Perfect- 9.5/10
After the religious experiances on Wild Beast we decided to hit our first flat of the day- CliffHanger. Just watching this ride from the midway is fun in itself. The water effects are nice. The ride in itself is a blast. Mondial needs to make more of their magic at American parks... 8/10
Next up was Dragon Fire. Wasn't expecting much from this ride, didn't come out raving either. I noticed the trains designed by Arrow at this park are a lot less roomier then other Arrow's I've ridden. I was hoping for a pop of airtime similar to Demons at SFGAm, but got none. The ride was smooth, but with the airtime not there, it wasn't anything to write home about. 5/10
After that we went over by Shockwave. Another great ride by Mondial. I'm starting to like them better than HUSS. This gave a very disorienting ride, Nice sensations. 9/10
Next up was The Fly. A Mack Wild Mouse, it was good for giggles. Very fun ride. We waited 30 minutes for a ride. 7/10
It was almost 6 pm by now, and we still haven't ridden Top Gun, so that was where we went next. This coaster is very photogenig,a nd made for a nice 5 shots from my disposable camera. This was the longest line of the day, clocking in at almost an hour. After a temporary delay in operation due to someone losing an item on the ride, we sat in the comfortable front row seats. After a quick, quiet ascent up the lifthill it was time for the ride. The ride was great. Many footchopper to be found here, and it was pretty smooth. Once again, this Vekoma is almost as smooth as the SLC's found at Wild Adventure and Morey's Piers. I don't care for Top Gun, so I didn't love the theming, but it was used heavily in the line, which is a good thing. 8/10
Next up was the third installment of the Mondial Trilogy. Psyclone, the new for '02 Mondial Revolution stood tall and could be seen from afar. I was expecting an intense ride, but after a 30 minute wait, we got a nice, relaxing, airtime-laden ride. This immediatly became my favorite flat. (not including Drop Towers) I've never been on a HUSS frisbee, so I can't compare it, but the seats facing outward really added to the experiance. 10/10
After three consecutive spins on Psyclone, we went back to Wild Beast and rode it until closing time. Even better at night. PCW has a big winner and hidden gem in this one. We finished the night off with a ride on the second to last train. The station was empty for the last 45 minutes of operating time, giving us many re-rides. The perfect ending to an enjoyable day at a Paramount park. Highlights included The Wild Beast (which I have raved about enough already) Three excellent Mondial Manufactured flat rides, and Two Above average Vekoma Clones. A nice park, neat landscaping. If I had to change one thing I'd add more music to all areas of the park, because it lacked some. I didn't really interact with employees often, but from what I saw, they were good. Trains were being pumped out at a nice rate, although they don't have to make it a point to staple you on every ride... We hailed a cab back to Missasauga (ouch, that's 50 dollars more ) and left the park with smiles on our faces. Overall rating 8/10
WWE Niagara Falls 7/28
On our way back to Chicago we decided to stop by Niagara Falls. As we arrived, I noticed an S&S tower, and remembered this one was recently built. I had completly forgotten about it. We stopped by and got a two rides on it. (due to a limited budget for spending) It didn't seem that tall, and while it was fun, it doesn't hold a candle to Intamin Drop Towers in my book, but it was an unexpected surprise, and that made it a little more memorable. they advertise this tower as 220 feet off the ground, but it's located above ground level, so I don't have any clue as to how high it is. The ride seemed a bit tame, although it did give a few nice pops of airtime. I really liked how long you got held at the top of the tower. Nice view... 6/10.
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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.
*** This post was edited by BullGuy on 7/29/2002. ***
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Steel: 1)MF, 2)Goliath, 3)Magnum
Wood: 1)Villain, 2)Beast, 3)Roar(SFMW)
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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.
Are you kidding??? wild beast has lots of air time? what? what? what? what? i've ridden this coaster every year for the last 4 or 5 years numerous times and not once did i think it was good. it has some air on the drop and air on one hill. nothing to write home about. ghoster coaster has this much air(good ride). you want a coaster with alot of air go to SFWoA and ride big dipper in the back. it tosses you into the lap bar then throws you into the seat. on like 8 hills. wild beast. more like Mild Beast. ledgend must not be that good if you think Mild beast is in the same league
sorry i seem so hyper in this post but its the first time someone has said something like that
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1.Fire Dragon 2.Ice Dragon 3.Raptor 4.Batman Knight Flight 5.Kraken
Whenever I ride Wild Beast I always think
"How could the Grizzly's be *that* bad and this be *that* good!"
On my last trip to PCW (July 25th) I got a front row ride with a very loose lap bar. I have never experienced stand-up ejector air like that in my life!
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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.
What are you talking about FireDragonLord? I found the absolute opposite is true - I've never heard anyone say that Wild Beast was bad! I've heard people say that the first turnaround was too slow - but I think it gives a nice break from the drop to the double down.
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Tuesday's Gone With The Wind.
Elijah Rock.
Is it written in the stars?
La Vie Boheme!!!
LONNOL said:
Actually, the tower is a Zamperla Z-Force. I believe it is the first park version in the US, with the only other version owned by Mighty Blue Grass Shows. http://history.amusement-parks.com
The Piledriver is on the Canadian side of the Falls, not the American.
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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.
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