Trip to Canada's Wonderland

Wondering if others here have been to Canada's Wonderland and can give me any good pointers to plan a long weekend trip there since I have never been?

Thinking of going over Memorial Day weekend here in the US- since its not a holiday in Canada hoping that Monday will be light crowd wise?

If we plan 2 full days is that enough to do both the Rides and the waterpark? Would prefer not to have to buy fast passes but want to hit all the big stuff since its my first time at the park. I assume they offer parent swap like the other CF parks? My son is only 52" so still just a bit to short for a few things.

Any other helpful tips and tricks for this park?

One other thought- Is Canada's Wonderland the best choice of these options?

Canada's Wonderland- 6.5 hours drive

Carowinds- 7 hours drive

Dorney Park- 7.25 hours drive

King's Dominion- 7.75 hours drive

I have been to KD & Carowinds once before each- though its been more than a decade and neither of my children have been to either.

I was leaning toward CW since its a new park and it would not be a holiday weekend there- like it would be at the US park options.

Canada's Wonderland isn't a bad park and if you haven't been there before, I would recommend going. The flat ride collection is pretty unique and impressive. Yes, there is a parent swap service there. We went in 2019 and made a stop at Niagara Falls as well.

Just a reminder, and I don’t know where you are, but you’ll need your passport.
The last time I was at CW was on our Memorial Day and the park was slammed. I was surprised, because I had the same thought as you. Of course I can’t predict what will happen this year.

Weekend crowds at Wonderland are insane. I have seen 2+ hour lines all day/night on all major rides and once school is out (I believe that week) weekdays can be just as insane. I have all season/all park for years and make it up to Wonderland once or maybe twice a year and could not even think about going there without fastlane (It's like Cedar Point on Steroids). Also there is no "It's not a holiday up there" mode at wonderland as there are plenty of Americans on our holidays in Toronto and Wonderland. I am not saying you may not get lucky but I have not seen a slow day at this place in years. It's just that busy. Good luck, I would really suggest spurging for fast lane. On a more positive note, the park is half the size of Cedar Point and you can get from leviathon to behemoth in 10-15 minutes and it is a very well run park.

With Wonderland being (I believe) North America's highest attended seasonal theme park, it's bound to be busy whenever you go. I of course fully endorse getting FastLane Plus passes, but that's just me.

Personally, I enjoy the park. They have a pretty solid "Top 4" coaster collection with Behemoth, Leviathan, Yukon Striker and Vortex, but then the rest range from mid (Dragon Fyre, Wilde Beast, Fly) to what may be two of the worst coasters I have ever ridden (Time Warp and Flight Deck). As others have mentioned, the flat ride selection is worth making the visit for. You've got a Mondial Splashover top spin, two rare Huss rides in the form of a Swing Around and UFO, a relatively well-run Mondial Top Scan, a Mondial Inferno, a Gerstlauer Sky Fly (which can be absolutely insane if you get it to flip), last year's new Mondial Avalanche, and the one and only Huss Jump 2.

If you did invest in FastLane and are looking to get credits and want to maximize your time, get there when the park opens and head to the left of Wonder Mountain to ride Wonder Mountain's Guardian. This coaster/dark ride is not on FastLane and has horrendous capacity. Personally, I think the ride is pretty lame, but the finale alone makes it worth a ride for first timers. Once you've ridden, head around to the opposite side of Wonder Mountain for Thunder Run, a Mack Rides powered coaster that also cuts partially through the mountain structure. It may or may not be a credit, but it is sort of fun and again, is not on FastLane. Then finally, head to the nearby Fly (Mack extended Wild Mouse) as that too is not on FastLane. After that, most of the big rides are on FastLane and you can take your pick.

Oh and one last thing- your GPS will more than likely recommend taking Hwy 407, which is a toll road. It's pricey, even in Canadian Dollars, but worth it to avoid traffic on the QEW/Gardiner Expressway heading towards downtown Toronto. You will be billed about a month after your trip, so plan accordingly.

If you do go, have fun!

RCMAC:

Just a reminder, and I don’t know where you are, but you’ll need your passport.

Unless you live in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, or Washington, and have an enhanced ID. Then that ID acts the same as a passport when traveling by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands.

Im excited for my eventual first trip up there as well. The last few time I thought about it I did KI instead. Gotta suck it up and go.

DRE420:

Unless you live in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, or Washington, and have an enhanced ID. Then that ID acts the same as a passport when traveling by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands.

This is not what DCL requires. If you're 16 and up, they won't let you on the boat without a passport for the Bahamas or Caribbean. Canada says have a passport unless you're coming in by land or marine.

It's a good idea to not leave the country without a passport, regardless of age. It's the only document universally recognized around the world that identifies you as a US citizen. It will absolutely be faster and less hassle to go between countries, especially where they do facial recognition. I just got back from a cruise on Monday, and US Customs is finally using the cameras and it's basically instant.

Get a passport. Travel.