MisterSG1

You sure about that, was the 2017 season much more successful because it happened to happen on the 150th anniversary of when Queen Victoria decided to unite three British colonies and split one of them into two pieces? Id like to see the numbers to prove that Canada’s Wonderland was more successful despite this. The whole Canada 150 movement was met with indifference in reality. Many were angry that the government was spending any money at all on Canada 150. i don’t really want to get deep into politics as I’m assumed that’s not tolerated here.

This is all great news, and especially Winterfest. However, I am sort of lukewarm about the addition of Frontier Canada, call me pessimistic but that was something I was glad that they skipped out on originally. It seems like a forced Canadian Content concept, which was something some protestors of Wonderland demanded form the beginning. It's the kind of tackiness that's the same kind of thing if a Disney Park opened here and there'd just have to be Mickey in an RCMP ceremonial uniform. I'm not exactly sure why Cedar Fair all of a sudden is obsessed with tacky Canadiana theming that doesn't resonate with anything in the modern Greater Toronto Area.

Quick question, can the antique cars actually be driven? The ones at Wonderland are simply a car ride that runs on a track and you pretend that you drive. But is there a level of control with the vehicles?

So let me get this straight, is this actually a world record breaking coaster being built at Wonderland. As in tallest and fastest DIVE coaster, 246 foot drop, with a speed of 80 mph if this is the case, it’s a first for wonderland in getting a record breaker.

Well in the example of Canada's Wonderland, there's a few things that make that park different. We know that Wonderland is the most visited seasonal theme park in North America (North America being our two countries) BUT, Wonderland doesn't have much to offer and isn't as "famous" as Cedar Poiint or Kings Island are, not by a longshot. I point back to Son of Beast as an example of making your park famous. It was the main attraction that got me interested in going in 2004. Kings Island and Cedar Point were all about innovation and world class roller coasters. Although Cedar Fair has been improving in putting big things in Wonderland, like Leviathan. But even so, Leviathan should have been the tallest traditional lift hill coaster in the world, even if it were to be beaten in a few years. So Wonderland's attendance, I think it's safe to say that it mostly comes from locals, I mean other than Knott's, Wonderland is the only park anchored onto a very large city. The Greater Toronto Area would be the 5th largest metro area if it were in the US. When including Hamilton, (which I think is fair as Dallas's incluedes Fort Worth) the population of the metro area is over 7 million. I'm not trying to be a downer, I'm being realistic, when's the last time you heard of someone saying they're taking a trip to Canada's Wonderland?

And just last week, he refused to participate in the Rogers Cup in Toronto at York University....not far at all from Wonderland by the way. I wonder if he would go on with his anti-American rhetoric if he was told off by the officials at Canada's Wonderland for doing this on a ride on the Leviathan. Your days are done Andy Murray.

This is something I'm curious on. On any given day in Kings Island, how many guests hold season passes? Is this information available in any way. A fair estimate at Canada's Wonderland would be around 70% I suppose, that is 70% of guests used a season pass for admission. I would assume Kings Island, and then Cedar Point to be a much lower percentage, especially Cedar Point as it is practically isolated.

While Canada's Wonderland had its own equivalent, the Kingswood Music Theatre, and was the defacto outdoor venue for concerts in the Toronto area in the 1980s and the early to mid 1990s, it appears to my knowledge that the Timberwolf Amphitheater doesn't have an explanation as to why it's not still popular today for concerts. What happened in Toronto was obvious, Ontario Place opened the Molson Amphiteatre in 1994 and no one wanted to go to Kingswood anymore. Ironic that Ontario Place itself has shut down except for the Molson Amphitheater (which is called the Budweiser Stage today). So what's the explanation for the downfall of Timberwolf?

The bright police lights are there to signify that you should be cautious and SLOW DOWN. They do that to make sure you see them. In the case of Hwy 400 between Rutherford and Major Mackenzie, that section has high mast lighting by the MTO, the high mast lighting ends a short distance north of Major Mack however. Maybe I am overreacting, but personally I think the WindSeeker is a distraction.

But if I recall, the reason the MTO puts restrictions on ads is because of driver distraction. I'm just saying it's kinda hypocritical. Where I stand on the whole advertising issue, I don't see any issue with the solid electronic billboard ads that change. Those are actually allowed on Toronto's Gardiner Expressway as that road is full of them. Well, whenever the fireworks do happen at Wonderland, (for the longest time it was just twice per year, but this season it's FOUR times) the OPP go hog wild on enforcement of that stretch of Hwy 400, making sure drivers aren't distracted. (some try to pull over and watch it). I don't know if fireworks have caused any accidents, but the main problems on NYE usually occur well after midnight.

As I've said, the embarrassing blunder that SOB was before. This is akin to Coke trying to reintroduce New Coke again. I'm willing to bet a lot of money that this will have nothing to do with SOB

First thing, the City of Vaughan would not be in charge of Highway 400 just as the City of Mason would not be responsible for I-71. Both of these roads are maintained by the state/province. Yes I-71 may be part of a federal system but each portion of interstate within any given state is a responsibility of that state. Considering that an HOV lane widening is happening in this stretch that encompasses Wonderland, I have said it again, SB the construction zone is quite dangerous, and your attention should not be lost by the flashy WindSeeker. Perhaps if god forbid, we see a fatal accident, I think it's almost obvious that a big chunk of responsibility would have to rest on Wonderland. Basically, if you are in a movie theater and they shut the lights off, and the person in front of you goes on their phone, no matter how good you are, it's psychological, you will inevitably stare at that source of light coming from the phone. It's the same deal with WindSeeker.

Will do, also check out some of the crazy AADTs on Highway 401, it's usually considered to be one of the busiest freeways in the world. This is directly from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), http://www.raqsb.mto.gov.on.ca/techpubs/TrafficVolumes.nsf/3939fb2aad39e6538525792c0064ad64/f51986ea499a13b08525745f006dd30b/$FILE/Provincial Highways Traffic Volumes 2016 AADT Only.pdf Page 38 of the PDF....or Page 32 of 55 of the actual document itself, you can see the AADT between Rutherford and Major Mack. For the record, Rutherford is the exit coming from the south to go to Wonderland. In the Province of Ontario, it is $490 + 3 Demerit Points. I believe if you accumulate 15 demerit points you lose your license.

It may be one of Ohio’s busiest roads, but does it get close to the AADT of that section of the 400 close to Wonderland? Between Rutherford Road and Major Mack, the two boundaries of Wonderland pretty much, the 400 has an AADT of 158,900. Before Rutherford road southbound, that section has 189,000 AADT. I can’t seem to get Ohio DOT’s AADT information as the page won’t load. As I said, unlike Kings Island, Wonderland is right next to the highway. The WindSeeker is literally in your face as you try to concentrate on the road. Rules regarding ads vary by state/province. I know the New York Thruway has a policy arguably just as strict as the one the MTO uses. Toronto’s downtown Expressway, the Gardiner Expressway is not run by the MTO but by the city of Toronto. Because of this, there are electronic billboards everywhere on that road. I mean in Ontario, you don’t see those sky high signs for fast food joints. They aren’t as strict about that in other parts of Canada though.

The problem is driver distraction going up and down Highway 400. Moreso with southbound with the currently tricky construction zone in the area. if the MTO thinks that simple ads along the roadway are that much of a distraction to drivers, why can Canada’s Wonderland get away with its flashy wind seeker. As I said in the past the police have pointed to Drop Zone as a distraction.

While the WindSeeker has been running since 2011, it's honestly a shock that Canada's Wonderland is able to get away with its over the top carnival style lights on that ride after dark. The OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) have in the past quoted Drop Zone (yes the cops still call it that) as being a distraction to drivers as they are staring at the drop zone and not on the road, but they've yet to make a public comment to my knowledge regarding that ultra bright WindSeeker which will naturally take any driver's attention away for a second driving up or down Highway 400. It's also incredibly rich considering how strict the MTO (Ministry of Transportation Ontario) is on simple billboard ads. There is ZERO advertising allowed within the right-of-ways of 400 series highways (basically Ontario's equivalent of the Interstate system) so plain billboards within the right-of-way are a no no. The big blue logo signs are allowed, but that's really the only kind of advertising you'll see that's legal here. Yet with all this, Canada's Wonderland is able to get away with WindSeeker's flashing lights. I may need to remind everyone here that isn't familiar with Wonderland, is that the layout in regards to the park's position in terms of the freeway is opposite to that of Kings Island. At KI, the parking lot is right next to the freeway while at Wonderland, the freeway is next to the park, with WindSeeker fairly close to it. (Drop Zone on the other hand is at the other side of the park). Is it possible, they could make the WindSeeker less of a distraction, like a solid color that isn't in your face like the flashy colors of WindSeeker.

Obviously, if the crew can have a train dispatched before a train currently running a cycle reaches the end of ride brakes, then of course there would be a slight increase. Based on my experiences at Wonderland, I thought getting a train out in 2 minutes is almost a pipe dream. The first YouTube video I watched showing Vortex showed one inactive train and the current train reaches the second end of ride block while a train is awaiting to be dispatched. I remember being held up in the brakes when I took it. I heard a young kid bawling in the row behind me all the way back to the station. I think I remember VortexBFForever mentioning that sometimes the trains get brake tripped in the mid course block before the corkscrew. When that happens, that’s a very embarrassing situation in my opinion.

Your ride crew must be fast then, or perhaps ride crews at Wonderland are slow. For instance, here's a ride video of the Minebuster at Canada's Wonderland, even after the full ride, the train currently in the station has not been dispatched yet.

Here's something I've pondered about regarding Kings Island's Vortex. Since I've had a strong interest in transportation/traffic engineering as well as being a huge subway nut, (although I haven't really been on that many systems) in a sense, a roller coaster is kind of a circular subway system with one station, (as strange as that sounds lol) as well as having block sections with brake trippers. The question I'm asking, is if the guest is more satisfied with the ride running in 2 train or 3 train operation? The first obvious question, does any capacity increase with the three train operation? Upon dispatch, it takes roughly 2 minutes even to reach the second block. (at the end of the ride when the train stops) This first asks the question as to how long is a standard "dwell" time at the station. Understandably, the dwell time can vary, but it obviously will consist of disembarking riders exiting the ride, once they fully exit, only then can the next group of riders be allowed to board. Of course any younger kids who aren't tall enough will cause a longer dwell than usual, as well as potential issues involving guests. I think it's safe to make a conservative estimate that a common dwell is 2 minutes. If that's the case, capacity should be roughly the same between 2 or 3 train operation. While more riders may be on the ride in 3 train operation, in essence you have a question that has a debatable answer. Is the guest more satisfied waiting in line, or is the guest more satisfied restrained heavily in the over the shoulder restraints waiting to disembark? In my personal opinion, the latter is more of a frustration because for one, those restraints are quite uncomfortable. Two, you could be sitting outside exposed strongly to the elements, the station on the other hand has a roof over it and doesn't directly expose guests to the elements. In essence, for those who use a subway systems regularly, it could be debatable as to if you would prefer to wait longer for the subway to come, or be on the subway train itself but be moving at a snail's pace because your train is facing red signals due to trains being close together (a subway train being in the next block will cause a red signal, in essence it works much like a roller coaster) I know this is not 100% the same scenario, as the capacity of subway train isn't entirely discrete, unlike Vortex where only two riders can board a train per row. Or is dwell time less than 2 minutes? Personally, seeing one ride cycle of Vortex to me doesn't justify the use of 3 trains, but that's my opinion. What are your opinions regarding this matter?

I don't get what you mean. Other than no Thanksgiving Holiday to start the Christmas season, it's pretty much the same to my knowledge. Stores around here usually start playing Christmas music on November 12th. Fun fact, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was inspired by Eaton's Santa Claus Parade in Downtown Toronto, which is usually held the Sunday before. Although Eaton's is now history, the Toronto Santa Claus Parade is still a yearly event. I was thinking more on the logistics of snow removal, while Toronto doesn't get the lake effect snow like Buffalo does, wiki suggests that Toronto on average recieves 9 and a half inches of snow in December. I've spent my whole life in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), and there usually isn't any accumulating snowfall until December, although occasionally there is snow accumulation in November, last time I think was 2014. You guys in Cincy according to wiki only receive about 5 inches of snow. So it may be doable. It's really how the park deals with snow removal, and if rides are affected I'm more curious about. I mean, I can imagine my idea for the Holiday Thunder Run with christmas lights strung in the tunnel, and as cheesy as this sounds, how about the dragon inside the mountain wearing a giant santa hat. Even New Year's Eve could be celebrated with a spectacular fireworks show, something they don't do in downtown Toronto. They've had a lame NYE event in Downtown Toronto for years now with a crowd that gathers outside City Hall. Imagine a countdown in Canada's Wonderland's International Street with a bunch of music artists performing or whatever. EDIT: Mentioning the Toronto Santa Claus Parade made me think of an interesting tidbit. Canada’s Wonderland and PCW used to run a float in the parade back throughout the 90s, I can’t remember exactly what these floats consisted of but I recall one in 1998 which featured the Rugrats. Kinda odd to sponsor a float in a Christmas parade when the park won’t be open again until the end of April.

This makes the most sense. I didn't think the negativity towards the SOB was this much, but now I understand. Although the whole New Coke thing is before my time, bringing the SOB back is very much like trying to bring back New Coke (although people like me would be curious as to what it tasted like) Anyways, the fact that SOB's station still remains, why is that?

I was wondering this hypothetically, but I'm wondering how much snow itself could be a problem. While I can imagine how great the park could look at Christmas time, I think it's a no brainer that the event if it were to occur should be called "Canada's Winter Wonderland". Ridewise, I could only see the following rides operating: Antique Carousel Swing of the Century Krachenwagen Thunder Run (imagine, a "Holiday Thunder Run") Wonder Mountain's Guardian (maybe, not sure if this can be done, if the lift hill could freeze), but similarly a different program could run here And a few kids rides like Taxi Jam, Boo Blasters, Character Carousel, and possibly a few more. I couldn't see any attractions in Medieval Faire running except for a show in the Wonderland Theatre. Well, what do you think?

To be fair, the rides I truly miss, Shiva's Fury (Monster) and Great Whale of China (Sea Storm) were replaced by a lousy coaster and not a flat. Tomb Raider which became Time Warp or shall we say Spine Warp, a Zamperla flying coaster. Replacing the "Racing Rivers" with the two flats was a better move when it doesn't really make sense to have water rides outside of Splash Works once Splash Works came to be. But replacing those two classic above mentioned rides is an unforgivable sin. It hurts me more when our Monster sits rotting outside in storage and it is farmed for parts to keep the Kings Island version of the ride going.

So when does KECO take over from Taft, forgive me for being a n00b, but I always assumed that Taft and KECO were interchangeable. At Wonderland, the only rides that were compromised prior to the Paramount era was a Round Up in World Expo, of course this isn't that much of a big deal, because let's be honest, a Round Up and a HUSS UFO are very similar rides. There was also the Smurf Cave which I faintly recall walking through in 1992, and I hated the ending because there would be scary music or something, the Smurf Cave became a video arcade in 1993 when they changed Smurf's Forest to Kids Kingdom. I mean let's be honest, the smurfs were slightly before my time. I think Wonderland did somewhat ok with Frontier Canada essentially becoming Splash Works and White Water Canyon, but Frontier Canada does sound a bit more interesting. Our Backlot Stunt Coaster is at least "hidden" for the most part, it's not a monstrosity like at Kings Island, but it's still kind of lame. Also something to note, Paramount had scored the biggest blockbuster ever early on with Titanic. However, I can easily understand why they never did do any theming whatsoever after that movie in their parks. The failure of Son of Beast wasn't entirely Paramount's fault, the company they chose cut corners with the engineering of the ride. I'm an aspiring civil engineer at my late age by the way, so I find this stuff interesting. Is it a travesty to say that I actually enjoyed that ride more than the original Beast, but then again I only rode either one once. At the time, the whole idea of a wooden coaster inversion was usually seen to be something impossible. As for KI's Tomb Raider, we all know the Crypt failed because it's quite simple, that ride is Tomb Raider themed and simply cannot work without it. If Paramount still ran the park today, I'm sure that Tomb Raider ride would still be running. EDIT: You guys can come after me all you want for this, but I think Son of Beast is a better experience than Banshee could ever be. There I said it, I have yet to ride Banshee but I will one day.

Not necessarily. I figured to get an understanding, I will write a basic timeline of what happened when Paramount took over. The basic idea similar to Kings Island was that Canada's Wonderland had a bunch of themed areas. International Street, International Festival (which was the area behind International Street that surrounded the mountain but mostly on the right side of the mountain), Hanna-Barbera Land, Medieval Faire (a medieval themed section), and Grande World Exposition of 1890 (a 19th century's World Fair themed area). Frontier Canada which was supposed to have a centerpiece of the Mighty Canadian Minebuster was never built. Only the Minebuster was built, however Splash Works, a water park would open in the area later on in 1992, and Wonderland's White Water Canyon ride would open nearby, this new section by WWC was called White Water Canyon in latter years. Below is a latter park map from the 1989 season in the Park Guide for that year: So now, from memory, this is the timeline of what Paramount did to alter the park, unfortunately I do not have the Park Map from 1993 on hand. But unlike what happened at the other parks, Canada's Wonderland would not become Paramount Canada's Wonderland until 1994, even with this new name, the park was always referred to the public as "Canada's Wonderland" or simply "Wonderland". 1994 -In the White Water Canyon area, Days of Thunder (which would later be known as the Action F/X Theatre) is built, no attractions are compromised, how rich, the first thing Paramount builds is a movie theater -The Paramount Story featuring a sort of "walk of fame" showing Paramount blockbusters on the ground as well as some props like Garth's car from Wayne's World and the Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark are among the path 1995 -In World Expo, Zumba Flume (a log flume ride) becomes DEFUNCT, it is replaced by Top Gun, (a Vekoma "Suspended Looping Coaster") this themed area features a large line queue with various small hangars as well as a Funnel Cake shop which resembles a hangar outside the ride 1996 -In World Expo, along the path into the "main area" by the globe and flags, the Xtreme Skyflyer, an upcharge attraction opens, no attractions compromised to my knowledge -In Medieval Faire, using empty space adjacent to Wilde Beast, Speed City Raceway a go-kart track, which is an upcharge attraction opens, again no attraction compromised -Splash Works Expands, this is done by building a bridge over the far side of the Minebuster, it's unclear if the Minebuster track is altered for this to occur, some claim it was but I'm unsure, on the other side of the Minebuster, The Black Hole an enclosed tube water slide opens, The Pump House, an interactive water playground, and White Water Bay, Canada's Largest Outdoor Wave Pool opens (as an aside, Canada's largest wave pool is indoors at the West Edmonton Mall) 1997 -In Medieval Faire, Drop Zone: Stunt Tower opens, no attractions compromised, and does not fit with the Medieval theme whatsoever -All other rides in the Medieval Faire which have a Medieval style name are renamed, Viking's Fury, a swinging ship becomes The Fury, Wilde Beast, a wooden coaster is renamed to Wild Beast, Quixote's Kettles, a teacup style ride (forgive me, I don't know the actual name of this ride) is renamed Spinovator and has its kettle handles removed, the "kettles" now resemble "buckets". Dragon Fyre, an Arrow steel coaster is renamed Dragon Fire. Finally, Wilde Knight Mares, a HUSS UFO is rebranded to Night Mares. 1998 -Kids Kingdom, a section of the park that Taft/KECO had opened in 1993 with its own unique set of characters along with a playground is rethemed to the bland KidZVille with a bunch of other attractions added. Snail Trail a simple ride is replaced by Swing Time (Zamperla Children's Swing), everything else in KidZVille is new, Taxi Jam, the same layout as Kings Island's opens, Chopper Chase opens, as well as a miniature teacup ride known as Flavourator. An Antique Cars ride, before known as Wonder Tour is renamed to Jokey's Jalopies, Balloon Race is renamed to Frequent Flyers. -The Edge Climbing Wall another upcharge attraction opens in Medieval Faire -James Bond: License to Thrill replaces Days of Thunder in the Action F/X Theatre. A VERY BAD ONE, outdoor brands appear in the park for the first time. Later on, brands like Dairy Queen, Starbucks, and Pizza Pizza would appear in the park eliminating the park's own food options. 1999 -The Fly, a wild mouse steel coaster opens where the batting cages were in International Festival, rides weren't eliminated this time, but the batting cages were. -Splash Works Expansion, a second bridge is built that crosses the minebuster, the bridge goes underneath one of the "camel humps" of the Minebuster and over the other, in this same area, two water rides are built using the same entrance, Super Soaker and The Plunge, both are family raft water slides, the former goes through an enclosed tunnel, passes through a waterfall and slides into a pool, the latter simply goes down a slide with two humps. -One side of the Action F/X Theatre now shows Dino Island 3D, a ride where glasses are worn, James Bond is still seen on the other side, the problem with this, now it becomes impossible to theme this ride, as two programs can be shown at once. -Shiva's Fury , an eyerly monster is simply renamed The Fury, further detheming World Expo 2000 -Cliffhanger, a Mondial Top Spin opens next to Spinovator in Medieval Faire, no attractions are compromised -Scooby Doo's Haunted Mansion an indoor interactive dark ride replaces Bedrock Dock, a small boat circular boat ride -One side of the Action F/X Theatre shows Meteor Attack in the Spring/Summer, and switches to Superstition in the fall. James Bond is no longer seen, Dino Island 3D is seen in the other side of the theater. 2001 -In International Festival, Shockwave, a Mondial Top Scan opens, this opens in the spot where Klockwerks, a Huss Swing Around was. However, Klockwerks relocates and replaces Bayern's Curve, a circular bobsled ride. -A portion of the Kids Kingdom playground, notably a jumbo yellow slide is removed, in its place is a new section of KidZVille called Zoom Zone, Jumpin' Jet a crazy bus, and Blast Off, a frog hopper, Silver Streak, a new Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster opens. -The Action F/X Theatre is now showing Stan Lee's The 7th Portal -For reasons unstated, Pharaoh's Falls in World Expo, where riders rode down a steep slide on sleds was shut down this season, removed completely at the end of the year 2002 -In World Expo, with Pharaoh's Falls removed, the other water ride that was its neighbor Watersnake, which was an enclosed tube ride (that sat outside Splash Works) was also removed, both of these two rides were together known as the Racing Rivers, in the place of Watersnake is Psyclone, a mondial frisbee, again does not fit with World Expo theme -Splash Works Expansion, Pipeline an enclosed body slide is removed and replaced by Riptide Racer, an 8 lane racer slide, Barracude Blaster, a new bowl slide is built and dumps riders into a portion of the Lazy River, the kids section of Splash Works is also expanded on -Sol Loco, a HUSS Giant Enterprise is renamed to The Orbiter and its unique Mexican like entrance is removed, again further removing the World Expo theme -The Bedrock Aquarium, where a sea lion show had been taking place since the park opening is shut down, this was a wise move as shows involving live animals today are generally shunned 2003 -In World Expo, Sledgehammer, a Huss Giant Jump 2 opens in the spot roughly occupied by the other Racing River, along with Psyclone and Orbiter, these three rides form a new section of the park called Action Zone -The Bedrock section of Hanna-Barbera Land is rethemed to Nickolodeon Central, two of the Bedrock Rides are removed, Hot Rock Raceway a car ride like antique cars but only for kids, and Flintstone Flyboys, a pterodactyl ride. The bumper cars ride is rethemed with a rugrats theme. There is also a Dora themed ride and Jimmy Neutron themed ride as well. -Spongebob Squarepants 3D runs in Action F/X Theatre 2004 The following point angers me the most -In World Expo, both The Fury, an Eyerly Monster, and The Great Whale of China, a Mack Rides Sea Storm Ride (this ride was moved to Carowinds and today operates as Peanuts Pirates) are both compromised to make way for Tomb Raider: The Ride, a Zamperla flying coaster 2005 -In Action Zone, Italian Job: Stunt Track opens, no attractions are compromised -Wipeout in Splash Works is removed for unknown reasons 2006 -No new attractions to my knowledge open this year -Orbiter, the HUSS Giant Enterprise is dismantled at the beginning of the season and Wonderland no longer advertised the ride, however after Cedar Fair announces the purchase of the park, the Orbiter is put back together and reopens later that season So there you have it, my rant on how Paramount fundamentally changed the style of the park in my neck of the woods. They didn't care whatsoever about theming (although one could argue that the latter days of Taft, they equally started to lose interest in theming). Gone were classics like Shiva's Fury and The Great Whale of China, replaced by Tomb Raider, which is now called Time Warp or shall I say Spine Warp. The folks over at CWMania when that site was active strongly agreed with my opinions on Paramount's destruction of the family rides. Like it or not, one of my great early memories of Wonderland was riding Shiva's Fury with my mother, and its neighbor The Great Whale of China. Sure, one could argue that The Fly and BLSC are family rides as well, but not in the same sense, they are more intense than the two flats I mentioned. Even Zumba Flume and Bayern's Curve were great family rides, Top Gun and Shockwave are not. Also the 2004 season had the worst shows ever seen, one such kids show was simply a "Meet & Greet", no show in the Playhouse Theater but simply a lineup to shake hands was an indication on how bad things had gotten. Wonderland staff tried to blame the issue on the SARS epidemic the year prior, but there's no excuses like that. Kings Island also had the same horrible show as we did in our respective Paramount Theaters, in which guests recreated the cheesy King of the World scene in Titanic in such a bad way that the effect looked extremely cheesy. Compare that to what Cedar Fair has done, I don't feel like writing a timeline, but they built Behemoth in 2008 which first came from a huge announcement in 2007, in the Paramount era, Paramount thought their SLC would be the only coaster they'd ever have to build. But in 2008 Wonderland saw the Behemoth, and perhaps because Wonderland gets more visitors than either Cedar Point or Kings Island, they gave Wonderland a much larger Behemoth in 2012 called Leviathan over 300 feet high, a giga coaster. Both these rides were built by thinking outside the box, no other attractions were compromised to allow these rides to happen. It's also a nice touch how Leviathan's station actually resembles the older stations in Medieval Faire. Jet Scream, a looping starship was compromised for WindSeeker. And SkyRider, a TOGO stand up was compromised in 2014, which we still don't know what will replace it, but I'm sure it will be something world class as well. Paramount never gave us anything ambitious or that strong in their era. Paramount was at least somewhat ambitious at Kings Island involving SOB and Tomb Raider, but they didn't try anything big at Wonderland. This is my rant for now.