Canada's Wonderland - July 27th, 2026

 On Monday, July 26th, Scott and I made our sixth visit of the 2026 season to Canada's Wonderland!

It was a great day as we got to ride The DareDeviler, which recently reopened after a lengthy refurbishment of new trains, new paint, and a new theme! The new trains make the ride more enjoyable than it ever was during its Top Gun/Flight Deck days! Never did I think that I would end up riding this 31 year old Vekoma SLC three times in one day! In my opinion, it's very enjoyable now! This also is now my third Vekoma SLC that I have rode with the newer trains! More on The DareDeviler in my photos below!

During the morning, we got on many rides thanks to the threat of a thunderstorm! In the early afternoon, we met up with Amadeo and his friend Shane. His friend Shane went to the water park for a few hours before meeting up with us again while Amadeo, Scott, and I were about to go on some rides, but the thunderstorm rolled in around 2:40pm, allowing us to check out some of the shops on International Street while the storm passed through. Just after 4pm, the rides reopened, so we got back to riding many rides and roller coasters throughout the evening, finishing the day off with a last ride of the night on Leviathan! 😊

We sure had an amazing day! Be sure to check out the photos below! 🙂

Our day at Canada's Wonderland started quite hazy and humid as a thunderstorm was forecasted to hit the area in the afternoon.

With the potential weather in mind, we ventured over to The DareDeviler (formerly Top Gun and Flight Deck) for the first rides of the day!

Before the park opened for the day, the new trains were making their rounds. The DareDeviler officially reopened on July 23rd.

There was quite a crowd to get on The DareDeviler which was recently refurbished. New instrumental piano music was added to the sound system in the Grande World Expo section, making it feel like you've stepped into a different era!

Once the rope dropped, a small line formed at the entrance to The DareDeviler.

I absolutely love the theming they put into The DareDeviler as it now makes the Grande World Expo section feel more complete!

As the trains go by on the track near the pathway, you can hear bi-plane noises on the speakers! It's a really neat feature!

Here's one of the two new trains going through the first of two inversions!

The iconic fighter jet was replaced with a lovely bi-plane, fitting in with the theming of The DareDeviler.

It's awesome how much detail was put into the refurbishment of this coaster!

The hangers even received a bit of a paint job to match the theming of The DareDeviler.

As you approach the station, a sign sits upon the roof stating "Where legends defy gravity". That was a neat touch!

Here's a close up look at one of the two new trains on The DareDeviler. For those who don't know, these trains eliminate the headbanging that the old trains caused! They create a much better riding experience! I sat in the second row for my first ride of the day on The DareDeviler. The trains were previously used on Professor Screammore's Skywinder at the now defunct Six Flags America in Maryland that closed in November 2025.

Scott then joined me for my second ride right after my first as he wanted me to confirm that it was a lot better than before! He was extremely surprised at how smooth and enjoyable the new trains make the coaster now feel as it was very rough before! We rode together in the back row and really enjoyed it!

While the trains don't completely eliminate the jerkiness, they do make it way better, completely eliminating the headbanging!

With the new trains, new paint, and new theming, The DareDeviler is now a coaster you will sure want to ride when visiting Canada's Wonderland! It'll make you forget how rough Top Gun/Flight Deck was!

After two rides on The DareDeviler, we went over to Behemoth which only had a five minute wait!

We then got on Sledge Hammer which was running very well yet again!

Up next was a ride on the amazing Mighty Canadian Minebuster! I still can't get over how well of a job the Gravity Group did with retracking Mighty Canadian Minebuster over the past two off-seasons!

We then cooled off on White Water Canyon.

For our first meal of the day, we headed to Lazy Bear Lodge. I ordered chicken drumsticks with a side of rice.

After our meal, we circled to Medieval Faire. The flowers along International Street are quite beautiful!

While in Medieval Faire, we first rode Dragon Fyre. It was riding decently well!

Then we dropped in for a ride on Drop Tower.

Followed by a thrilling ride on The Bat!

We then took a ride on Vortex, located on the edge of Frontier Canada. It sure was providing insane rides during this visit!

We then ventured back to Grande World Expo to get a ride on Swing of the Century before meeting up with Amadeo and his friend Shane.

A bit of thunder and rain came along, so we hung out first in the gift shop on International Street followed by the arcade in Medieval Faire.

Once the storm passed, we ventured through the park while waiting for the rides to re-open. Over the past month, two more goats were added to Wonder Mountain. Here is one of the goats perched up on a peak of Wonder Mountain.

Once the rides re-opened, Amadeo, Scott, and I got in line for another ride on The DareDeviler.

It was nice seeing people enjoying their rides on this coaster!

Up next was a ride on Yukon Striker! It had a relatively short line!

Then we rode Tundra Twister! I still can't get over how fun it is, even three years after it opened! Every ride on it is different!

We then took another ride on Mighty Canadian Minebuster, this time in the last car! The airtime over the new little hill before the helix when seated in the back of the train is awesome!

Afterwards, we decided to treat ourselves with some ice cream from the Cookie Cafe. I ordered the Broken Cookie Sundae. It was presented a bit differently than the last two times I ordered it. Still very delicious, though!

Amadeo and I then took a spin on Shockwave! We had head-over-heels fun on it!

Before meeting back up with Shane, Scott, Amadeo, and I took a ride on The Fly as it only had a 10-15 minute wait!

Amadeo and Shane then took a soaking ride on Timberwolf Falls! I enjoy Timberwolf Falls, but only earlier in the day so I have chance to dry off!

Amadeo and I then took another ride on Tundra Twister! This time we got a ride where we dived towards the ground upside down while going backwards! 😆

I then ordered sweet chili Thai popcorn chicken with shoestring fries from the Mess Hall in Frontier Canada. It was quite tasty and a huge portion!

After eating, we then took an evening ride on Vortex!

We then went back over to Mighty Canadian Minebuster for another amazing ride on it!

Afterwards, we quickly got on Behemoth! It's always fun riding it after the sun has set!

We then headed over to Medieval Faire for our last rides of the night. Amadeo, Shane, and I rode Wilde Beast. I sure hope it gets the treatment that Mighty Canadian Minebuster recently received! 🙏

We then all took a ride on Drop Tower before joining the queue for Leviathan!

Just after 10pm, we got in line, being the last ones to ride it for the night!

To our surprise, we got to sit in the back row on the last train of the night! What a great way to end an amazing day!

Here's myself, with Scott, Amadeo, and Shane before heading out for the night!

Scott and I had an amazing sixth visit of the season to Canada's Wonderland! We look forward to hopefully visiting again in another couple of weeks! 😄

Canada's Wonderland - July 16th, 2026

 This visit marked my fifth visit of the season to Canada's Wonderland!

It was quite smokey due to the wildfires happening in Northern Ontario, but not nearly as bad as the day before! The lines were quite short today due to the smokey air, allowing me to get on quite a few rides during our visit!

During this visit my mom, Scott, and I got a chance to check out the new show The King's Banquet in the Canterbury Theatre and saw the final touches being made on The DareDeviler in preparation for hopefully an upcoming reopening.

Be sure to check out the photos from today's visit! 🙂

The flowers before the security checkpoint were looking very beautiful on this mid-July morning.

If you look closely, you can see a little bit of blue skies behind the smoke, which is much better than the yellow haze that was in the skies due to forest fires in Northern Ontario yesterday! Due to an expected lower than usual attendance, only four lanes at the front gate were open.

The skies were quite smokey! AlpenFury almost blends in!

Our first ride of the day was a front row seat on AlpenFury during the early ride time before the rest of the park opened for the day!

Up next was a ride on the classic Thunder Run. I am still a bit disappointed that the lights at the end still aren't working.

With the rest of the park now open, Scott and I took a ride on Vortex!

We then took a ride on The Fly as the line was very short!

After getting on some rides rides in AlpenFest, we ventured down to Action Zone where Sledge Hammer has recently reopened!

On our way over to Sledge Hammer, I noticed that the former Chicken Shack was being re-painted to match the rest of Grande World Expo of 1890 and that of the recently transformed The DareDeviler! By the late-afternoon, the entire roof was repainted.

The aqua green looks good! Hopefully those metal industrial looking columns get replaced!

It was nice to see an old friend up and running again! Sledge Hammer actually gave a rather smooth ride! Hopefully the recent work keeps it running well. The only down side is two gondolas are currently closed. But I don't think that will be for long!

After a fun ride on Sledge Hammer, we took a ride on Btreehmoth... err... Behemoth! We could really feel the smoke while riding it! The smoke in the air was very reminiscent of the summer of 2023!

While leaving Behemoth, we noticed these geese were turned around from the Fast Lane/Single Rider lines. I guess they were too short to ride! They kept chattering up at the track with their disapproval! 🤣

We then had an amazing ride on Mighty Canadian Minebuster. You can see how ghostly Behemoth looks in the background due to the wildfire smoke!

I then hopped on Yukon Striker as it was a walk-on before 11am!

Shortly after 11am, Scott and I took a two lap ride on White Water Canyon! On a side note, the park now includes a closing time of 9pm (which was always the case, although never posted) on the entrance sign for White Water Canyon.

After two laps on White Water Canyon, we went to the Lazy Bear Lodge for lunch. Today I ordered chicken drumsticks with a side of vegetable rice. Both were very tasty!

Afterwards, we swung back around to the Grande World Expo of 1890 to see how the transformation of The DareDeviler was coming along! The entrance sign was up, the biplane was in place, and the modifications of the supports were painted.

Here's a look at the biplane that sits were the fighter jet once was located for the past 30 years!

Here's a closer look at the sign! I think it looks great!

Scott and I then took a ride on Swing of the Century. The new double seats are still quite popular, even on quieter days at the park!

All three of us then took a ride on the Antique Carousel!

I feel like I've mentioned this before, but the floors on the Antique Carousel for the past few years have been quite dirty! Hopefully they get cleaned as the Antique Carousel is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2028!

As the lines were short, Scott and I took another ride on Sledge Hammer!

I then took a ride on Tundra Twister!

On our way over to Medieval Faire, I took a ride on Shockwave. Today it was sadly running a milder program.

The winds dropped enough for Drop Tower to open! Scott and I dropped in for a 227 foot freefall!

Up next was a ride on Leviathan as it only had a 5 minute wait!

We then rode Dragon Fyre before catching a show at the Canterbury Theatre!

New for 2026 at the Canterbury Theatre is the hilarious acrobatic show, The King's Banquet!

The show is filled with many humorous moments accompanied with many acrobatic stunts!

Balancing on a pile of chairs in quite the talent! This jester went even higher than pictured here!

There was a unicycle too!

A fire and sword swallower was also a part of the performance!

A performer even swung and spun from a chandelier. it was quite amazing (and dizzying) to watch!

It was amazing watching the performers do various acrobatic stunts during the show as you follow the humorous death and return of the King!

Overall, The King's Banquet was a great show filled with many acrobatics and humour! It is nice to see a new show themed to Medieval Faire take the stage at Canterbury Theatre! I highly recommend anyone visiting Canada's Wonderland this summer to get out of the heat to see The King's Banquet!

After leaving the Canterbury Theatre, we saw Snoopy dressed up as Santa!

He was in the Christmas in July pop-up store in the former Castle Trader store in Medieval Faire.

With my $10 Rewards Dollars, I was able to buy Scott and I broken cookie sundaes from the Cookie Cafe for only $3.04 (they are normally $6.79 each)!

The floral baskets in Grande World Expo were quite stunning and flourishing in the heat!

Scott and I then took a ride on Klockwerks as the line was a single cycle wait.

Our final ride of the day was on Krachenwagen! This was quite hilarious as the ride operator was looking to fill a single car, so to get on faster, we took up on the offer and squeezed into the single bumper car! It was quite the ride and something most adults cannot do!🤣

Our final meal of the day before heading out was a poutine from Après Poutinerie. The gravy and fries were hot, but the cheese curds were cold as they had just come out of the refrigerator.

After another great 8 hour visit to Canada's Wonderland, it was time to head home as the smoke was becoming a bit too much!

On our way out, The DareDeviler was testing once again, something I hadn't seen personally in probably over a month! Hopefully it reopens by our next visit! Until next time! 🙂