Wonderland Weekly, 9580 Jane Street, Vaughan, ON (2024)

10/28/2023

Have you seen my vlog yet? I had so much fun with checking out my first non-Wonderland event including all the mazes and scare zones, two of the shows, and a few rides! Be sure to check out the video and hear my comparisons to Halloween Haunt at ! Link to channel in bio.
Huge thank you to Parker for joining me on this trip, and doing all the driving!

10/21/2023

Roadside Stop & Chop is just one of many incredible mazes at Dorney Park’s Halloween Haunt! Really long and felt like a combination of Wonderland’s CornStalkers and the former Blood Shed, plus more!
The set design is absolutely incredible throughout the park! Huge setpieces in (and out) of all the scare zones and really detailed stuff in each of the mazes! A surprising amount of animatronic features, some bigger (e.g. a crocodile) than others (like chandeliers moving back and forth) but all of them serving as perfect distractions, giving the scarers a lot of opportunity to catch you off-guard!
Ghost in the Machine is fantastic! I had a slight worry that it would be too much of a “quick” tie-in to the upcoming coaster, but it was so much more than that! It was really long, with so many standout scenes (like the furnace, the mirror room, meeting Hiram McTavish, etc.) and a wide variety of special effects (including scrim walls and projection effects).
All the scare actors were doing a great job, with a special shoutout to Ghost in the Machine at the very end of the night. We were the last guests in there tonight and the scarers gave it their all! Loved my night at Dorney and looking forward to (hopefully) getting back for more Haunts in the future! Love you Dorney! 🥰

09/26/2023

I don't mean to play favourites, but these favourites play mean! 😉

I have over an hour of Haunt footage (from a five hour event!) to sift through, but rest (in peace) assured this trio will be featured heavily when the next vlog comes out! Always a pleasure/horror to chat with Buttons, Insidious, and Banshee! 😈

08/16/2023

ICYMI: Canada's Wonderland will introduce Moosehorn Falls to Splash Works in 2024! Manufactured by world-renowned Canadian water slide manufacturer WhiteWater West, Moosehorn Falls will be located "near White Water Bay," featuring a 13-metre wall for rafts to take on with speed, giving riders a weightless sensation before sliding back down into a splash pool!

Are you excited for Moosehorn Falls? 😃

07/16/2023

Will one of these be the next coaster at Canada’s Wonderland? The park sent out a survey asking for thoughts on three very different roller coaster concepts: Blast Coaster, Concert Coaster, and Eureka Ridge Ghost Town! Even though I didn’t get the survey, I figured I’d still give my thoughts, so check out my latest video to hear what I have to say! ! 😉
I spent way too much time on some of these predicted layouts, so please give it a watch, like, comment, and subscribe if you haven’t already! Link in bio.

05/14/2023

Happy Mother’s Day! 😊

05/04/2023

Tomorrow is for ! Last weekend I attended the preview to get “Just a Taste of What’s New in 2023!” Check out the video to see what the park has in store (literally and figuratively) for us this year, including my thoughts on some of the changes from last year! Link in bio.

04/25/2023

It’s my B-Day and the B stands for Behemoth! OTD 15 years ago, hosted its 2008 Season Pass Preview, giving pass-holders their first chance to ride (at the time) Canada’s tallest (230’/70m), fastest (125km/h), and steepest (75°) roller coaster!
I remember following the construction updates for this massive beast, memorizing the stats (even though there was originally an error or two), and even changing my MSN Messenger status to “Must. Ride. BEHEMOTH!!!” 😅
Seeing the coaster in person for the first time, heading over to it from Front Gate through World Expo, I had the biggest smile on my face! The vibrant orange (my favourite colour) of the rails and spine stood out beautifully in the skyline, with yellow on the sides and a deep blue for the support columns. It towered over the tree-line, tied with the newly-renamed Drop Tower as the tallest structure in the park.
Then came the moment my family and I saw the line for Behemoth. It stretched all the way to Psyclone’s entrance. My family looked at me sadly and said “Tyler, I know you really want to ride this, but if we get in line, that’s the only thing we’ll get to ride all night.” Had we known how fast the line for a Bolliger and Mabillard hyper coaster moves (thanks to the incredibly high capacity), maybe I wouldn’t have agreed to put off our first ride so quickly, but at least the park had plenty of other rides to enjoy during the five hour event.
We were in line for Backlot Stunt Coaster when my dad called to wish me a happy birthday. I told him about how we wouldn’t be getting on Behemoth that day and he said sorry, knowing how much I was looking forward to it. “It’s okay,” I told him, craning my neck to look at a train cresting the lift hill. “It’s enough of a present just seeing it in person. It’s even in my favourite colour.” 😊

04/03/2023

NEW at Canada's Wonderland this season—

Taste of Brazil: Along with returning Taste of Portugal and Taste of the Caribbean, this trilogy of food festivals is sure to be a delicious few weeks!

The return of Cirque Ambiente: If you missed its last performance nearly a decade ago, now's your chance to see the show that started Wonderland's love affair with phenomenal cirque shows!

Four new mazes for Halloween Haunt including "Dark Ride": This is the most exciting reveal for me! Half of this year's mazes are going to be new and the "Dark Ride" concept at other parks has always seemed like a surefire winner!

Snoopy's Racing Railway: Previously announced, this kids' coaster is sure to be the most thrilling of the four located in the kids' park! But on top of that, it looks to have incredible theming featuring Snoopy, Woodstock and maybe some other members of the PEANUTS gang!

Tundra Twister: What can I say that hasn't already been said about this massive machine coming to Frontier Canada? Thankfully I no longer have to rely on the conceptual video of this prototype thrill ride because the park just released a brand new animated trailer of the ride in all its glory next to Yukon Striker's zero-g winder! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX7N-wrimF0

Returning special events include Celebration Canada, Camp Spooky, KidZfest, Oktoberfest, and WinterFest!

Returning shows include Fall Out, the Victoria Falls High Divers, the Woofjocks, and the Ultimate Thrills Circus!

This is sure to be another amazing year at the park and I plan to be there every week to enjoy as much as I can! Which new-for-2023 addition are you looking forward to the most? 😃

02/25/2023

Have you watched my vlog from Dorney Park yet? It features a grim reaper and a clown sharing a house! Quite The Odd Couple!
I had so much fun, got weirdly (but not unexpectedly) overjoyed when meeting Morgan and Alfundo for the first time, and had a whole range of new ride experiences! I really did have All the Fun at Dorney Park!
Based on my one-day visit, I think Dorney has taken the silver medal as my second favourite Cedar Fair park (out of the five I’ve visited). Think of that what you will, but it should come as no surprise I’d love a park with rolling hills, plentiful trees, two unique mascots, two train rides, and so much more! 😊
Link to the Wonderland Weekly channel in bio.

02/16/2023

New vlog is out now, from my very first trip to ! Link in bio.
Enjoy my live reactions on the Hershey’s Chocolate Tour ride, plus my excitement about hopefully visiting in the near future!

11/08/2022

On this day five years ago, I published my first ever Wonderland construction report/vlog! In celebration of this anniversary, I tried to recreate all the shots I got back then to see how things have changed.
Join me on the Wonderland Weekly channel for the premiere at 4:30PM! If you’re reading this later, the video’s still available! Link in bio and until next time, as always, have a good one! 😊

09/02/2022

Hey everyone!

I submitted this photo to the Coaster101.com coaster-less photo contest, showing off the natural beauty of Canada's Wonderland accented by its iconic rainbow arch!

***Like the photo (not this post) linked below to vote for it!***

While you're there, like/follow Coaster101 and check out the other amazing photos submitted by fantastic theme park photographers! (That part isn't necessary, but it's certainly a nice thing to do.) Thanks! 😊

Tyler K.

08/15/2022

ICYMI: Two new rides coming to Canada's Wonderland in 2023!

Tundra Twister will be the very first Mondial "Avalanche" model ever built and will be located on a currently unoccupied* plot of land across from the entrance to Splash Works. It joins rides such as Yukon Striker, White Water Canyon, and Lumberjack in the Frontier Canada section of the park.

Snoopy's Racing Railway will be a family launch coaster by ART Engineering, whose previous projects include the coaster elements of Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland, Cannibal at Lagoon Amusement Park, and Fridolin's Verrückter Zauberexpress at Fantasiana - Erlebnispark Strasswalchen. As the park's 18th coaster, Snoopy's Racing Railway will be located in Planet Snoopy, with exact details on its location yet to be confirmed.

*The Goldrush Junction Funnel Cake & Coca-Cola Refresh building is not depicted in the concept art, but I have not yet gotten official confirmation of its removal from the park.

07/22/2022

A week ago I said so long to Celebration Canada 2022 and hello to a mini montage! Also the dirt ramp between Lazy Bear Lodge and Vortex’s station has been relocated, meaning a potential path could be significantly wider than I had been thinking! (But probably will still only be accessible to employees… if there ends up being a path there at all.)
Also I had fun searching for photos to illustrate the answer for last week’s tricky Trivia Time. Check out the video (link in bio) and if you answer this week’s question correctly before ~5:00PM today, you could get a verbal shoutout in the next video!

07/02/2022

For this week’s thumbnail, the PEANUTS gang’s resident philosopher wants you to know the “Mural of the Storey!”
I love watching the progress on Lazy Bear Lodge, even when it means squashing my dreams of what I thought could be possible. 😅 At least the the stonewalls look great and this photo-op backdrop looks gorgeous!
Also, the park’s popular Brew & BBQ event returned for the first time since 2019, so I chowed down on some tasty (and not so tasty) food and drink!
🔗 in bio to the latest video!

06/05/2022

Some phone pics from my Friday visit to Canada's Wonderland including a new-for-me view of the dining facility under construction and some of the park’s unique squishmallows!

06/01/2022

So awesome to see the park giving what it can to our hardworking health care workers! ❤️❤️❤️👩‍⚕👨‍⚕️❤️❤️❤️

04/18/2022

Come “dream a little theme” with me as I explore the possibilities of retheming KidZville and Zoom Zone at Canada's Wonderland in the latest Wonderland Weekly video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSlC3LDCeuQ

This is the first in a three-part miniseries based on the question “What if Wonderland completely overhauled the kids’ park?” Here are some graphics I designed to illustrate what I’m envisioning as well as an aerial look at what the entire “Maple Park” area would be if all my ideas actually happened.

Thank you so much to everyone for the amazing reception this video has gotten so far! I’m so glad people are enjoying it! I definitely didn’t expect it to take the entire off-season to finish part one, but part two and three should be coming much quicker now that I’ve “finalized” my plan. 😁

04/15/2022

A brand new video is coming at 4:30 pm today, so here's a quick teaser! I spent way more time developing this than was probably healthy. I think even if you don't care about the topic, you'll still enjoy the video, so as soon as you see this thumbnail on YouTube, please watch, like, and share! 😊

04/04/2022

In addition to confirming the return of several fan-favourite shows and events, Canada's Wonderland just announced a new dive and stunt show in Arthur's Baye named Fall Out, and three brand new international food festivals: Taste of Portugal, Taste of Ireland, and Taste of the Caribbean! Which one are you most excited to experience? 🇵🇹🇨🇮🇯🇲🇲🇶🇸🇽🇹🇨🇱🇨🇦🇬🇬🇩🇵🇷🇩🇴🇬🇵🇭🇹🇰🇳🇦🇼🇨🇺

03/22/2022

It's been a while, but I promise I've been working on stuff for the channel! I'm recording audio today for a new video (series?) I've been working on since the beginning of January! Any guesses on what it will be? 🤔

02/08/2022

Be part of the incredible team at Canada's Wonderland! You'll get to be around the rides, slides, sights, and sounds you love while helping guests have an amazing day at the park! 😁

Bonus: More chances to run into me during my weekly visits! 😅

Canada's Wonderland to open April 30, 2022 | Kicks off hiring campaign to fill 4,000 positions

12/04/2021

Can’t beat the look of International Street during ! Love how the last gleam of sunlight fades just in time for the at Canada's Wonderland!

09/12/2021

While reviewing yesterday’s photos/videos, these two photos stood out. at Canada's Wonderland is such a beautiful coaster to film and photograph. 🥰

📸: Me

09/10/2021

Q: "What do you do when you're not making videos?"
A: Look into park history so I can write stories like this! 👀

I'm so incredibly honoured to have something I wrote featured on Canada's Wonderland's official website! Lots of (fun) research was involved in putting this together and I'm incredibly grateful to the park for sharing my work on their platform. Please give it a read and look forward to part two coming very soon! 😊

https://www.canadaswonderland.com/blog/2021/september-2021/world-expo-expose---the-inspiration-behind-grande-world-expo-at-canadas-wonderland

Explore the history behind Grande World Expo at Canada’s Wonderland by visiting our blog. Learn more and begin planning your next visit to the park today!

08/31/2021

I entered two photos taken at Canada's Wonderland in the Coaster101.com photo contest! Both photos were taken by me with no edits/enhancements of any kind. As seen below, the first is of Yukon Striker's final inversion seen through the trees. The second is of Psyclone in full swing, at its maximum height with flowers in the foreground and trees all around.

Head over to the 2021 Steel Coaster and Coaster-less photo albums on Coaster101's page and give each of these photos a "like" to vote for it! Feel free to check out the other incredible photographs from other people while you're there, as well as the Wooden Coaster category!

Steel Coaster Photo: https://www.facebook.com/Coaster101/photos/a.10159430597084866/10159430595504866
Coaster-less Photo: https://www.facebook.com/Coaster101/photos/a.10159430571849866/10159430570914866

08/22/2021

The star of my August 3 visit to Canada’s Wonderland was far-and-away the reopening of Wonder Mountain’s Guardian! I noticed some changes and got a peek at the base of the big finale with the lights on!

The ride is currently at half-capacity due to the indoor nature of the ride and ongoing Covid-19 protocols. This means the rear-facing seats are closed, so the relevant projectors have been turned off.

Despite the title and thumbnail, I did more than talk about Guardian. Here are some photos to prove it! 😅

Video: https://youtu.be/U4Ln_5O3Vdc

08/17/2021

Happy from at Canada's Wonderland! Here are some spontaneous shots I got during my visit to the park today! 🎢

Did you get on a coaster today to celebrate?

08/12/2021

New "International Food Festival" and large-scale dining facility coming to Canada's Wonderland next year!

The dining facility is "Inspired by the striking beauty of the Canadian wilderness" and "will feature a sprawling patio overlooking Yukon Striker and the Frontier Canada vista."

More food and beverage offerings are always appreciated and this truly knocks it out of the park! For scale, Harmony Hall at Carowinds boasts "up to 500 people" while this facility will have "500+ seats." That's massive and I'm sure the building will look beautiful!

Having said that, I'm a little disappointed there's no mention of entertainment in this facility. It also sounds like it will indeed be going on the fireworks viewing hill, which means losing what I consider to be the absolute best fireworks seating arrangement in the world. 😥

If this really is located on fireworks hill, it will presumably be part of International Festival. As such, although I love Frontier Canada and all its Canadian theming, I don't want this new dining location to be entirely Canadian. Something tying into the Swiss Alps theme of International Festival is super easy to do with a ski lodge style building, so I think it really comes down to the as-yet-unannounced name. I stand by my proposed "The Chalet" name, but we'll have to wait and see as more details are revealed in the coming weeks/months. 🙂

07/28/2021

In today's video, I talk about how the trees between Vortex's first drop and Mountainside Bakery & Cafe weren't doing very well recently. It was hard to find a suitable side-by-side comparison shot from this year, but this is approximately the same angle showing them in 2011 vs 2019.

I'm guessing the trees suffered too much trauma to the roots during Guardian's construction (2013-2014) or during what appears to have been infrastructure work on fireworks hill in 2016. In any case, always sad to see trees removed from the park.

Video: https://youtu.be/o6KXGXiXmWQ

07/26/2021

The thumbnail from two weeks ago? I guess you could say I’ve “fallen” behind! 😅

I got to experience opening day at Splash Works including the new-for-2021 Mountain Bay Cliffs! It’s an incredible cliff jumping attraction with three different jump points: 3m (10’), 5m (16.5’), and 7.6m (25’)! I didn’t conquer the highest peak yet, but I’ve got another Splash Works reservation, so we’ll see if I can muster up the courage to take it on today!

PLEASE NOTE: For the comfort of all guests, filming is not permitted in Splash Works without express permission from Canada’s Wonderland. Even if you know the primary subject being filmed, the park still requests you do not film due to the potential inclusion of others in the frame. All footage from Splash Works used in this video was approved by the marketing team at the park.

06/30/2021

Z is for Zero-G Winder! Finishing off my series is the second inversion on !

Zero-G rolls have become fairly common now, inverting riders so they get a brief moment of weightlessness, while a sidewinder is also pretty standard, exiting an inversion about 90° to either side of where it entered. A “Zero-G Winder” is a term created by rcdb.com to describe a blend between these two elements and was originally used for the new-for-2019 coaster Taiga at Linnanmäki. After my construction tour of Yukon Striker Canada's Wonderland, I reached out to RCDB with photos of the then-completed zero-G element and suggested “Zero-G Winder” was a more apt description. They agreed and updated the coaster’s page on their site. Since it opened before Taiga, Yukon Striker can now be known as the first coaster in the world to feature a “Zero-G Winder!”

I love this element! The brief moment of weightlessness is awesome, it’s a perfect transition element into the main stretch of the ride, and it’s so incredibly photogenic! I’ve always liked zero-G rolls, and I think the zero-G winder is a great update on the concept!

What’s your favourite coaster inversion?

📸: Me

06/29/2021

Y is for Yukon Striker! This Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) beauty opened in 2019 as the tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster in the world! It takes riders (223’) above the ground, holds them for three seconds over a 90° drop, then sends them down (245’) into an underwater tunnel!

Canada's Wonderland did an incredible job fitting Yukon Striker into the park, taking full advantage of existing features. The first drop takes riders through the centre of the turnaround element for Vortex and into Lake LeBarge! The tunnel exit and first Immelmann inversion move with the steepest natural hill in the park before sending riders back over Lake LeBarge. After running alongside a guest pathway and over Timberwolf Falls, the coaster performs a helix around a little plaza, allowing for incredible views on or off ride!

This coaster is gorgeous and oh so photogenic, but it also anchors the new-for-2019 area, Frontier Canada, thanks to some perfect theming! Everything feels rustic and antiquated, from the water tower displaying the sign to the intentionally rusted corrugated steel roof of the station. I can’t get enough of Yukon Striker, which is probably why I want just a little bit more from the “trench” before the second Immelmann inversion. 😅

In your opinion, what’s the most well-themed coaster at a regional park (i.e. outside of Disney/Universal)?

📸: Me

06/28/2021

X is for Xtreme Skyflyer! Yes, it’s just about the only thing at/about Canada's Wonderland that starts with X, but I do genuinely enjoy riding this 52.7m (173’) “Skycoaster” and found myself craving a ride on it a couple months ago. Sadly (but understandably), Xtreme Skyflyer will be closed for the 2021 season.

Riders (or flyers) are fitted in a secure “flight suit” before moving to the loading area. A platform raises up to allow Skycoaster certified employees (they have to undergo more substantial training than any other ride attendant/operator and pass a test) to attach the cables.

Once lifted to the top of one of the two 46.6m (153’) spikes, riders pull a cord on their own suit, sending them free falling! The cable goes taught and swings riders out over the iconic Expo globe. After a few passes, riders are instructed to grab a handle attached to a heavy weight to slow them to a stop.

Xtreme Skyflyer is definitely thrilling and, though it costs extra, it’s worth riding at least once in your life! You can either go alone or with up to two companions (if you can convince them).

Have you ever taken flight on a Skycoaster?

📸: Me

06/27/2021

W is for WinterFest! This holiday event was introduced at Canada's Wonderland in 2019 and within a week was already expanding! I personally don’t celebrate any holiday in November or December (except kind of New Year’s Eve), yet I still loved every moment at this “Winter Wonderland!”

WinterFest features a seemingly endless amount of lights, Christmas trees, and other decorations, plus more shows than you can see in a single night, delicious holiday snacks and meals, and skating on the Royal Fountain (renamed Snowflake Lake during the event). The shops have all been renamed, decked out, and filled with winter items for your shopping needs (or wants), and quite a few rides are running for kids, families, and thrill seekers!

I’ve mentioned the park’s live entertainment, but WinterFest really takes everything to another level. I absolutely love Holly Jolly Trolley; Tinker’s Toy Factory infuses the park’s signature cirque shows into a fun holiday story; the Peanuts gang in their holiday sweaters is delightful; Cool Yule makes excellent use of Arthur’s Baye; Four Drummers Drumming and the Mistletones are just perfect with their cozy-yet-open show spaces; and the Tree Lighting Ceremony with the cascading lights on Wonder Mountain’s Victoria Falls create a truly stunning one-of-a-kind experience.

WinterFest has only had one year so far and I’m already hooked! I’m looking forward to seeing how the event grows in the coming years, but I absolutely love all the various attractions it already includes!

What’s your favourite WinterFest attraction?

📸: Me