What: Paramount Canada's Wonderland
When: 4 visits 8/30, 8/31, 9/2 and 9/2
Stats: The 24th park I have visited this season.

Significant points: Sliver Streak and Taxi Jam became my 203 and 204th coasters.

It is becoming more and more evident to me as I visit more parks that chains have their own unique "feel." That fact became even most evident to me on a recent trip to Paramount Canada’s Wonderland.

Kevin Reid had been after me for sometime to pay a follow up visit to Ontario and PCW. I had first visited Wonderland in the fall of 1999 for it’s closing weekend. I had a wonderful time at the park, so it does seem odd that I waited as long as I did to return.

Going to Wonderland is kind of a surreal experience for me. There is something so oddly familiar with the park that it makes me feel like I have been going there for years. This all relates to that "feel" I was speaking of a minute ago. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I get this same feeling whenever I step foot in or near a Paramount Park. I am positive that a lot of it has to do with branding, and the similarities in looks and layouts. But there is more to it than that.

Snobbish as this may sound, in my book Paramount Parks have a much more welcoming atmosphere than 99% of other chain parks outside Disney. I feel much more at home and comfortable in them which I feel is a quality all parks should strive to achieve. Perhaps that is why they are called "Paramount?" ;-)

If you enjoy a broad selection of rides, then you need to make plans to visit Wonderland. PCW has, by far, the best selection of flat rides in the business. They are all top notch, high quality and well maintained attractions. Just imagine this, next year they will not have one, not two, but three variations on the "swinging ship" attraction. (This includes a pirate ship, looping starship and, as of 2002, an awesome looking Frisbee.) That is but one example of the sheer range of attractions you can find.

Coasters do not seem to be Wonderland’s priority, and that is fine. Other attractions are PCW’s "niche." In fact I was a little disappointed in the Mighty Canadian Minebuster’s performance this time around. I had remembered it from my first trip as the standout coaster in the park. But now, the Minebuster has been reprofiled for water park expansion, lessening a degree of the ride’s fury. That’s a shame.

But I digress, because although Minebuster has been tamed, the Fly has had a lightening of the brakes. When I first attended, the Fly rode with the brakes grabbing the cars quite heavily. This time around the Fly rode as it was intended and produced a fast furious ride. It is lots of fun, and as demonstrated in another post, offers terrific photo opportunities.

One main highlight, amazing as this may seem, was getting to ride an attraction I have been anxious about for two years; Scooby’s Haunted Mansion. I had ridden the trade show traveling Sally dark ride demo, as well as the Sally Haunted Mansion at Lake Compounce. So the chance to ride this version, complete with my favorite characters was unsurpassable. I rode twice, once to "play" and once to take in all that I missed the first time. I really enjoyed it and think it is a fantastic addition to PCW. If PKI were to ever re-theme or redo Phantom Theatre, this is definitely the route to go. Although I would suggest more cars and a much higher capacity.

PCW’s Cliffhanger ran without water late in the evenings so I did manage a couple rides. The older I get, the less I ride water attractions. I simply do not like squishing around a park all day with wet feet. So, in essence, the water sprays on this ride are totally lost on me. I do not see the fun in being sprayed directly in the face while being suspended above powerful water jets. As for the ride itself, it finds its place nicely in the Medieval Fair portion of the park. I find it a great addition to the landscape and perfectly suitable for PCW’s ride assortment.

When attending PCW prior, Drop Zone had been non-operational due to an unfortunate experience involving another Drop Tower elsewhere in the chain. This time I got my ride and found it to be one of the better towers I have ridden. Half of my enjoyment was getting a devilish pleasure out of Mr. Reid who freely admits to not being a fan of these attractions. If my count is accurate, this was my 16th drop ride attraction. Remarkably, I am beginning to count those as well as Top Spins along with the coasters I have ridden.

Shockwave very much topped Cliffhanger in the thrills department. Although the wait was longer, the elements it produces offer more enjoyable sensations unlike those I have experienced elsewhere. It is remarkably similar to a Zamperla Power Surge, but without the "upside-down way too long" feeling. It is a comfortable and fun ride.

I managed few front seat rides on their new coaster, Silver Streak. SS fits the kid’s area very well, and upon first sight generates a really odd "Déjà vu" experience for those of us used to the yellow and green color scheme of PKI’s Rugrats Runaway Reptar Roller coaster. It is tucked away in a remote area at the very back of the park (so far back as a matter of fact, you can almost feel the breeze of the cars whizzing by the park on the highway behind the park.) Being as remote as it is, it offers those who sneak back to it first thing an early morning ERT session. As with Mean Streak at CP, if you head there first, it is a walk on for at least a good half an hour.

It is also worth mentioning that I had my first ever ride on an S&S "Frog Hopper" during this visit to PCW. You see, their new kids area includes "Blast Off" which offers one middle seat for an adult rider. Of course Kevin’s camera was clicking away while I rode, so I can hardly wait to see how I look with all 6’3" of me on a ride that is probably on 15 feet high. The biggest challenge? Squirming down in the seat so that when the safety bar was swung down/up to open/close I didn’t get clocked in the noggin. This ride helps round out a nice new area for the kids called "Zoom Zone." And although it has a poorly designed dead end layout, the area again offers PCW guests even more fun family experiences.

Wild Beast was running it’s typical wonderful self, and was the focus of our coaster attention while at PCW. PCW’s Vortex also is a great ride. Although Kevin swears differently, I am still adamant that its finale differs slightly from its younger brother, Top Gun, at PKI.

It’s interesting to note that we waited the longest for a ride on Vortex on the Thursday night I attended. While in Ontario I managed 4 visits to PCW with the Reids. Wonderland is what I call a 45 minute park. Let me explain. Because of it’s broad selection of rides and attractions, I was hard pressed to find lines over 45 minutes. Compare that to parks like CP and PKI where you can easily waste half your day in long hot queues. Here’s an interesting side note: at Wonderland lines or queues are not referred to as such, rather everyone calls them "line ups." For example "The line-ups do not look that bad" or "This ride has a 20 minute line-up." It’s kind of a washroom-bathroom-restroom foible that signifies a minor difference in our vocabulary. I will admit to a side chuckle or two at the use of the term. Hee hee!

My surprise of the excursions to PCW occurred in the most unlikely of places. I have stated before, and still stand by my word that outside of Disney I am not a big fan of Amusement/Theme park shows and entertainment. Perhaps because I am heavily involved with a more upscale part of the entertainment industry, I have become jaded by the poor quality shows that perks deliver. Never-the-less I do still get intrigued with shows from time to time at parks and find them a great escape from the heat and routine of line waiting.

Quite frankly, Wonderland’s live entertainment blew me away. I still am amazed at how much better the quality of singing and dancing is at this park. I speak mostly of the musical revue "Graveyard Shift" that was running while I was there, as well as the magic show. Take those same shows and move them to PKI or PKD and you will get such a lackluster performance that it makes it almost unbearable to watch. But at PCW, the casts were so energetic and having so much fun! For the first time in years, I saw people anxiously dancing in their seats and hopping up immediately to dance with those performers who managed to slip up the theatre’s aisles.

Kevin was concerned that I may have been bored during the show. The fact was, I was totally engrossed in the situation and was mesmerized by what I was seeing. Actual enjoyable amusement park entertainment! Don’t get me wrong; the premise show itself was quite ridiculous. But the sheer energy of the cast, who has been doing this show for about 5 months straight, still remained. My hat is off to them. If I had to do the "Monster Mash" 6 times a day for 7 months I would end up jumping from the top of Wonder Mountain!

Along that note, the Magicians performing at the International Showplace were there after winning a national competition. The troupe and show was called Majinx and was the best live magic performance I have ever seen. This family of four made PKI’s "Professional" magic show seem like child’s play. No dummy legs or silly flash pots here. Just outstanding "How did they do that" tricks. I will never ever figure out how that lady changed clothes! ;-)

To finish the entire day, PCW hosted their "Eruption." This nightly extravaganza began last season when, for the 20th anniversary, PCW enlisted pyrotechnics to illuminate Wonder Mountain for the first time. Because of demand, the show was back for a two-week stint this season. You can barely find a place on International Street to see it. But when it happens, you are guaranteed not to miss it. It lasts a bit longer than needed, but it is an amazing sight. Why, the park even has water cannons shooting off at timed intervals to make it appear that rocks/lava is spewing into the fountains all down International Street. The quality is very good, and makes for one heck of a grand finale.

I have said it before. Paramount Parks take me to a place that no other park can. They mesmerize me and they surprise me and hold a special place in my life. In my opinion they could not have chosen a better name for this park. It truly is a Wonderland.

Finally, none of this would have been possible without the gracious generosity of the Reids. They are a one of a kind, terrific family who rightly OWNS the title PCW Junkies.

Shaggy