SonofBaconator

Not meant to draw people away from the "meanderings" threads, I just wanted to have a general CWL discussion thread. What fascinates me about Canada's Wonderland is that they are basically a bigger version if Knott's in a lot of respects. Next to Knott's, Canada's Wonderland is often the 1st park to receive new rides that haven't been introduced anywhere else in the chain. They're also landlocked which requires them to get creative with some of their ride placements. I often find myself wondering where this park will be in 10 years or so? What new rides will we be introduced to? What big changes will they go through?

HB and the Taft parks worked together like a peanut butter cup- both helped the other. HB got to promote their brand across multiple parks and parks got to capitalize on that attracting guests to see the characters they saw on tv. HB's current problem is that they're not as timeless because less of their work comes out. Warner Brothers was more than happy to focus on properties like Scooby Doo while other properties like Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Snagglepus, and others were hardly touched at all. The Peanuts is a different story, while not super popular with this new generation they stayed pretty much the same throughout their existence coming out with multiple specials each decade. Now there's not as many specials as their used to be which I believe is why they're lost some of their popularity. Peanuts has the rare advantage of not being owned by a studio like Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, etc so they're able to have complete control of their characters. When it comes to exposure you do see them on Apple Tv but that's not a platform widely accessible to everyone.

If people just google "six flags incident" they'll find it

I don't like when vague statements are made then when something does happen people claim they were right. That's like saying "I think well get a coaster with inversions down the road" then it actually happening

Something I applaud Paramount for was the ability to make cloned rides cool. Our 2nd suspended coaster had the exact same layout as Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, albeit smaller, but they themed it well to Top Gun; especially considering the ride was already set to debut before Paramount bought the park. They made clones with Flight of Fear but put it indoors and made it super exciting, the same can be said with IJST. I'd argue SEAS sorta does this to this day with their cloned rides. Their Sky Rocket IIs all have different names, themes, and color schemes that make them stand out from one another despite the fact that they're clones. I know Cedar Fair doesn't like to clone but I would be 100% alright with it if they made the theming, name, and color scheme completely custom to KI. I'm not saying give us nothing but clones but I'd be interested to see KI theming mixed in with a small scale ride that isn't anywhere near us.

I do think Action Theater should return with maybe a custom story specifically for KI. How much would that cost?

The point of this thread isn't to argue when a coaster is being built, but to argue why people want a Gerstlauer. One thing about Gerstlauer is that they make compact coasters which I feel like we don't have a ton of.

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/emergencies/2021/06/30/state-shut-roller-coaster-el-toro-nj-six-flags-after-derailment/7816545002/

Six Flags still practices what Paramount used to- clone your rides to save $$$; not that other chains haven't done this. If SFGA was a CF park they would load them up with B&Ms, a GCI, and a Mack. It makes me wonder where SFGA would rank in the famed Cedar Fair "tier" ranking. Would it be priority over KI? Would Carowinds, KI, or Canada's Wonderland get put on the back burner?

I still wouldn't mind something like that honestly

I've seen a handful of people on here want the park to get something from Gerstlauer. Could those who want one explain why?

-El Toro Ryan Block Zones are essential for a coaster as they increase rider safety as well as help a coaster's capacity. More often then not many enthusiasts complain about excessive block zones or their unusual placements such as in GateKeeper and Yukon Striker. In contrast you have coasters that have altering chain lift speeds to counter this but as a result enthusiasts complain of a slow moving train like The Beast. As a rider what do you prefer- more block zones or a slower chain lift?

*Cough*

@Dj325 is this for a project?

Not trying to exclude any possibilities, but weren't there a ton of construction vehicles in that area when Orion was being built?

Because it makes perfect sense to start building a brand new coaster right next to our new giga, especially when it disregards the empty hole where Vortex used to be.

@BeastForever anything comes with a risk. I'm arguing intensity warrants greater risk and therefore warrants greater caution. I'm not suggesting we build a 170mph Intamin or a spinning B&M, but with intensity comes risk. B&Ms are crowd pleasers because they do just that- appeal to crowds. I'm seen older folks who ride B&Ms like Diamondback, Orion, GateKeeper, Valravn, etc. These rides feature height, speed, and the ladder two have inversions, but all lack intensity. Now some of your old school B&Ms are more intense because you have tighter elements, OTSRs and older designs but those are older. Intensity doesn't age well. I found myself more willing to reride GateKeeper and Valravn over Raptor and Rougarou because they were too intense for my liking. If you design an intense ride that people in the child-40s demographic, you're limiting your ROI. Intensity might appeal to the enthusiasts and the high thrill seekers but are you going to get that ROI that you would with a tamer ride? Look at Copperhead Strike, a multi launch built by a company known for having underwhelming launches. Low acceleration and hangtime are not intense when you compare it to something like Maverick or Storm Runner. The difference is the lack of intensity allows a wider range of people to ride it thus creating a greater ROI. I argue parks would be better off having something less intense if more people of multiple ages could ride it vs something more intense that a certain age group could enjoy. KI isn't in a competitive market like some parks are. Intensity is just not a risk a park like ours should take.

Also, we have to acknowledge the giant space behind BLSC

I doubt a new coaster would be built literally right next to our brand new giga within a short amount of time; perhaps a decade or so down the road but not anytime soon. In regards to expansion I think it would be a great spot. You certanly have room under the giant break run for foot traffic underneath and the area to the left of Orion's entrance would make a great pathway. It would give KI the opportunity to truly expand outwards beyond current park limits and push into old LCS land. My question would be, would you let it dead end behind Orion's break run or would you have a path wrap around FoF?

I feel like Orion has made Diamondback a stepping stone coaster. Diamondback isn't as tall as Orion and has a ton of calm floater airtime. Personally I'll still ride both if I can. It would be awesome to have a coaster with the intensity of Maverick, I just don't know if Cedar Fair is willing to give us that. After the chain bought us in 2006, they were pretty conservative with the additions they gave us- 3 B&Ms and a GCI is as safe as you can get. Intensity can be risky so I suppose the question is, is Cedar Fair willing to take risks on our park? I argue not but other people's opinions might differ. I believe Cedar Fair is more willing to take risks with parks like Cedar Point, Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, CGA, and even KD; heck even Dorney is rumored to get that wooden shuttle.

I understand your logic, I'm arguing that when you get an intense ride you limit your ROI if you're trying to appeal to a certain demographic. Intensity can be fun, but just how intense is something to consider.

@BoddaH1994 I feel like it could have been worded better.

How profitable is SFA to the chain as a whole?

I feel like Sky Rocket IIs would be great at low investment parks like Worlds of Fun or Valleyfair that only see new coasters about once every decade. Heck Valleyfair added a Larson loop a few years back even though that's not a coaster