5 Tips To Make The Most Of Your Visit To Canada’s Wonderland

07/10/2016

A little known fact about me: My very first job involved a large floppy hat, multi coloured apron, and a magical land.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Canada’s Wonderland. From visits with my family when I was a child, to wild adventures as a teenager including my very first job, Canada’s Wonderland has always been a favourite spot of mine.

A few weeks ago we pulled off a huge surprise for my 6 year old son. After getting him dressed for school and loading him into the car, we announced that we were playing hooky and heading to Wonderland instead.

Here he is doing a “happy dance” before swapping his backpack for a swimsuit and towel and heading out for a day of fun.

Most of my memories of Wonderland are around the thrill of my teenage years. Does anyone else remember getting to go there from midnight to 6am as part of Grad Night?! That’s another blog post altogether 😉 I was pleasantly surprised when I realized just how many rides there are for young children. There are 2 separate “lands” devoted just to children, Planet Snoopy and Kidzville.  Add in the massive Splash Works, and there are a ton of rides accessible for small kids.

Despite his young age, my son is a massive thrill seeker. Upon our arrival we headed straight for one of my favourite rides – The Wild Beast (remember when it was called Wilde beast? Again, I might be dating myself!) Since he’s 50 inches tall he can go on pretty much every ride at the park. Once you arrive there are attendants handing out height wristbands, which makes it a very smooth process figuring out which rides are accessible. Here’s a handy list of the ride height requirements:

He loved that ride, but you may want to start out on the slightly calmer version, The Ghoster Coaster, which is still not for the faint of heart! Don’t want to wait in line? For an additional cost, the Canada’s Wonderland Fast Line allows you to bypass the line for most rides!

A couple of other tips to help make your day run smoother:

1. Get The App: The park has free Wi-Fi! They also have an awesome Mobile App that not only features an interactive map, it also has wait times for all of the rides! The App (or maybe it was all of the photos I was taking!) used up my phone battery pretty quickly so another tip would be to pack your charger and plug in while you cool down with an iced latte inside the onsite Starbucks. Yes, they now have a massive Starbucks by the front gate!
2. Rent A Locker: The $15 per day rental isn’t cheap, but it’s worth it to not have to carrying around a swimsuit and towel all day. We rented one by the front gate, but in the future I would rent one at Splash Works instead since that’s where you’ll be swapping clothes. I also realized I needed somewhere to lock our wallet and keys when we went into the water so I had to hike back and forth from the front gate (which is how I discovered the wonderful Starbucks!)
3. Try A Cabana: Even better than a storage locker, is your own private VIP Cabana for the day! Located in Splash Works, the Cabanas include bottled water, towels, loungers, a mini safe (no need for a locker!) and access to food & beverage service. You even get early access to Splash Works, 1 hour before the crowds arrive! They can hold up to 6 people so if you have a small family like ours you can even share one with a friend. You need wristbands to enter, so the 6-guest maximum is strongly enforced. The price ranges from $99 – $134.99.
4. Bring Refillable Water Bottles: There are tons of fountains through out the park to keep you hydrated.
5. Plan Your Meals:  Food can be costly at the park, but the portions are huge and easily sharable. Besides, you can’t put a price on your first Strawberry Funnel cake! Be sure to pack snacks for the ride lineups and then you can share food for dinner. If you plan ahead there are some great dining plan options, which could save you a ton of money.