Cameo in Canada - June 2026 - Part 3 : Niagara Falls

[James F]

I had 56 Hours.

Just over two days to spend in a region over 3000 miles away. What was originally planned as a short hop to Germany somehow manifested into a transatlantic trek. If there wasn't an element of stupidity evolved then it just wouldn't be me, so on top of that I had the bright idea to connect flights though an online booking agent to save money ... we'll see how that goes ...

The Itinerary

Day 1: Travel & Toronto Sightseeing
Day 2: Canada's Wonderland
Day 3: Canada's Wonderland Niagara Falls & Fly back
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The day started out in where else but Manchester Airport. Any recent visitor will know how convoluted MAN currently is with terminal 1 being closed off, but yet terminal 3 now needs to be accessed through it leading to a faffy walk from security to the gates.

There was some pressure for my Ryanair flight to Dublin to be on time, while I had two and half hours to connect for my following flight to Toronto, any major hiccups and the whole trip would be screwed as I was flying with a different airline.

Fortunately morning flights, especially Ryanair morning flights to Dublin are punctual and while there was a slight boarding delay of 15 minutes, I got to Dublin with plenty of time to spare.



Connecting via Dublin is pretty straight forward, thankfully Ireland is not a Schengen Member and is also a common travel area for the UK, so while there is a passport control area to get through, I could use the machines and I was through within a couple of minutes.

Another fortunate thing was that my onward flight was also in the same terminal, the only downside of this was that I had to trek all the way back down the pier gates where I had arrived, which was 10 minute walk from the rest of the airport.

My flights to and from Toronto where with Airtransat, an airline I have never heard of until booking this trip. I was a little concerned about how bearable over 7 hours on a narrowbody would feel, but in all honesty it wasn't that bad.



I arrived in a foggy and rainy Toronto, the flight didn't feel that long considering the distance.

Going through Toronto Pearson Airport was painful. It might be the most disorganised immigration area I have come across. The first thing I had to do is queue for a machine, answer security questions on said machine, then proceed to a second queue (which you have to go back on yourself) - at the end of this second queue I was asked more questions, then after that I was sent into a third queue for passport control. I am not sure why but I was taken a little off guard when the agent were asking why I was taking such a short trip, which to be fair is a good question as most people in their right mind wouldn't spend only 3 days across an ocean for leisure.

I'll be honest my first impressions of Toronto weren't great. I think most of this was due to the poor weather as the whole environment just looked grim. I was also worried that my visit to the CN Tower would be ruined as the clouds were so low that I couldn't see 200ft above me let alone over 1000ft.




As I was starving at this point, so I went to Beavertails by the harbour. The poutine came highly recommended by my sister who visited last year. While this place is a fast food joint and I am not expecting it to be too interesting , there was absolutely zero atmosphere in here despite the amount of people around. I asked for a coke zero and they said they don't have any Coke or Pepsi ... it was at this point I wondered what third world country I had come to.



The pountine itself was decent but a bit overhyped, there's not enough gravy for my liking, but as with my trip to the US last year I recognise that the bacon is better here in North America.

The clouds had now lifted and my mood was becoming more positive. As I had time to kill before my timed ticket to the CT Tower I decided to take a walk
and briefly take in some of the sights of downtown.








I was so relieved that the clouds had cleared. Once the weather had turned pleasant I could see what a vibrant place Toronto is and I begun to like the place despite what I said earlier.

The time had arrived for today's main event, the CN Tower. I had booked in advance and the admission price was less than I expected at 48 CAD (about £25) which I thought was pretty reasonable. I thought the place might be rammed with tourists especially with the World Cup partly taking place in Toronto, but to my surprise it was fairly quiet. Once the lift doors closed my brain reminded me that I don't like lifts, it's not the heights it's more the claustrophobia. After a zippy ear-popping ride up to the top I could walked up to the nearest windows, took in the views and I took way too many pictures.





One of my favourite things about these observation towers are the inclusion of a glass floor area, it really freaks people out.

At least if you fall here you could land in the shark tank.

It brought my mind back to the latest Final Destination film.



The CN Tower was definitely worth doing. I regretted not being able to fit the Top of the Rockefeller into my short stay in New York last year, so this made up for it somewhat.

What started out as a rather miserable afternoon turned into a pleasant evening, but as it was now 1.30 am back at home I was ready to get the train and Uber and head back to my hotel in Woodbine (near the airport)




After Uber not being able to recognise the station as a pick up address I had to stand outside a back alley of a baptist church ... this feels familiar.

 

[James F]

After a 20 minute Uber ride with some usually heavy topics brought up by the driver (it was a bit awkward) I arrived at the park around 9:30.

Like most parks is North America there is a body scanner and a bag search, thankfully I got here before the crowds so this was a quick process.

I liked the entrance and international street area, it had a bit of traditional theme park charm, reminded me a bit of the France area in Europa Park with the fountains and the weenie at the end of the street. The use of music was interesting, in a Six Flags park you expect to hear pop music, but here they play the Planet Coaster soundtrack; it almost felt like being in a PlanCo park in real life.

I decided to purchase Fast Lane Plus, despite it being a Monday I was worried about school trips. Canada's Wonderland is almost always busy from what I have heard, so I felt that this would be necessary in any event. After getting my Fast Lane wristband I made my way to the holding area by Wonder Mountain's Guardian.



#311 - Wonder Mountain's Guardian
Given it's low capacity and lack of a fast lane queue I made Wonder Mountain's Guardian my first stop.

I heard plenty of criticism about this dark ride/coaster hybrid, but I thought it was decent. My opinion might of been influenced by the fact I didn't have to wait for it. The coaster section is not even worth mentioning, but I thought the shooting mechanics and surprise ending was fun. It could of been a little more polished and well presented but for a Cedar Flags park it's a fair attempt at making an immersive experience.




#312 - AlpenFury

The coaster that twisted my arm had convinced me to go to Canada.

Don't let the 0 minutes on the screen fool you, there was already a 30 minute wait by the time I arrived, fortunately the fast lane was still quiet so I got straight on.

I would say that Alpenfury met expectations. Is it as fast as it looks? Absolutely. Does it have ejector airtime? Yes. Do the inversions 'hit'? Yes .

Alpenfury's best asset is it's pacing, without a doubt it's one of the best paced coasters I have ridden, honestly it's up there with Zadra. The launches are also a highlight, especially the second one which feels like your going at warp speed.

The only downside is the trains, while I can look past the shin guards on RMC's, sadly on Premier's Sky Rocket's it's just too tight to ignore. If I was also being super nit-picky there are also a couple of moments where the fury isn't as furious.

Based on my first ride I was happy that it meet my stupidly high expectations, but I didn't immediately come off it with a big buzz.





#313 - Wilde Beast

Unlike AlpenFury I didn't have great expectations for this 80s woodie. I knew I was in for something seeing how empty the queue was. I was sat next to a local who said this was his favourite ride, I must of been infected by his enthusiasm because I sort of enjoyed it? sure it feels like a car crash, but at least it's an entertaining disaster. I think these days I would rather take a rough and thrilling ride over a smooth and dull one. I am not saying Wilde Beast is good, it's not, but it is entertaining.



#314 - The Bat

Another Boomerang, not much to say about it other than it's the worst one I've done due to the old Arrow trains. I didn't think it was too bad, but as most larger enthusiasts will know it's uncomfortable trying to fit into the back row of an arrow looper car.



#315 - Vortex

Definitely a step above Cedar Point's Iron Dragon, Vortex fits the bill as a proper suspended coaster. While it sadly wasn't as intense as I expected 'Vortex' is still a lot of fun due to it's fast pace, use of terrain and notable swinging and it's also one of the smoothest Arrow's I have ridden.





#316 - Leviathan

While Alpenfury was the ride that convinced me to come here, Leviathan was really the main event. I got a taste for Giga coasters after riding Millennium Force, after loving the original Intamin, my curiosity for B&M Giga's had reached fever pitch.

My first ride was in the back row and it didn't disappoint. The first drop has incredible sustained floater airtime, it feels as if you are bungee jumping or more accurately it feels like the first drop on Shambhala but longer. The following pull up/overbank turn keeps a strong pace, but it doesn't quite have the strength of the overbank on Millie. The best part of the ride, other than the first drop was the speed hill, it feels so chaotic getting airtime at over 70mph. The camelback airtime hill was solid as expected and similar to the first drop it has strong sustained floater. The hammerhead turn is not the most forceful, but it's still engaging. The rest of the layout is basically a slightly weaker repeat of what came before. While I admit it feels a little short if comparing it to Millennium Force, Leviathan still has more than enough to satisfy.

After my initial ride I went straight back for a ride towards the front which was almost as good, after these two rides I knew that this was my favourite coaster in the park.






Out of all the creds to be spited on, I guess you would call an SLC a lucky escape.



#317 - Behemoth

It's an above average B&M hyper. As expected there is a great amount of floater airtime and it still running smooth overall. I love the use of terrain, the best part of the ride being the trio of airtime hills by the water, The helices don't really work in my opinion, but the bunny hills sequence makes for a good ending. If I had ridden Behemoth 10 years ago I would be been completely blown away, but now I just acknowledge it as a great coaster ... nothing more, nothing less.




-

 

[James F]

#318 - Backlot Stunt Coaster

This was sooo much better than I thought it would be. Looking at POV's it looks boring and decrepit, in reality it's far more exciting. I was surprised at how punchy the first launch was and also the forcefulness of the helix. The finale offers a nice pop of airtime as well.




#319 - Mighty Canadian Minebuster

Famously known as the "spine-buster" this wooden coaster had a reputation. Luckily for me it had recently been retracked by the Gravity Group. I can't comment on how it was before, but Gravity Group did a great job as not only was it running smoothly but there was also some decent airtime pops in there as well. I wish the PTC trains weren't as tight, but overall it was a solid coaster.



#320 - Yukon Striker

I remember when this opened and thinking that Dive Coasters aren't going to be anymore ambitious than this and in way I was right, sure Tormenta is taller, but I don't think there is a huge difference in the length or layout. Yukon Striker is easily one of the better dive coasters I have done. It first drop is massive and delivers a decent amount of floater airtime, the inversions are fine, nothing on the 90s B&M looper, but are fast enough to feel thrilling. The post MCBR does feel a bit pointless though. I slightly prefer Valravn due to the hangtime on the final inversion and Sheikra is still superior to both, but still Yukon Striker is an impressive ride.




Now that all of the big hitters have been completed I began to walk around more aimlessly, sadly there is no Fast Lane available for the family coasters , which seems a bit of an oversight considering how popular they were, as the Snoopy area was still busy I made my way back to Wonder Mountain.

#321 - Thunder Run

Choo Choo!



#322 - Snoopy's Racing Railway
This was the longest wait of my day, cred running sure has it's drawbacks. After waiting a painful 40 minute wait in the hot sun it was time to ride the 29ft beast. In all honesty I thought it was a cracking little coaster, but not quite worth the long wait.




#323 - Ghoster Coaster
It made me feel a little nostalgic for my childhood rides on The Antelope at Gulliver's. This version is a little more refined, but it's still a decent little woodie.



#324 - Silver Streak
I heard horror stories about the dreaded "hang 'n' bangs" but I didn't think it was that rough, it's main issue is it's dullness.



#325 - The Fly
The final family coaster to mop up. While it's not as interesting as the David Cronenberg film of the same name (He's Canadian - missed opportunity ) it's a solid wild mouse with not much breaking until the end where it slams on before the final turn, I would say it's above average compared to the other wild mice.



As I was stood right next to it I got some more rides on Alpenfury. I was even fortunate to bag two front row rides back to back. After these rides I could now see it breaking into my top 20, The only way I can describe it would be if you took an RMC layout, replaced some hills with more inversions and gave it a launch that knocks the wind out of you. If it wasn't for the trains I could of seen it landing even higher in my rankings.




The last and hopefully not least cred to get was Dragon Fyre (it broke down eariler)

#326 - Dragon Fyre
Considering it's age, it's not running too bad, the loops are fun enough and the corkscrews aren't as bad as on other Arrow Loopers. The entry into the first corkscrew is a bad moment though, the profiling is so janky there. Other than that is a rather unremarkable coaster sat in the literal shadow of more exciting modern coasters.




I ended my day having re-rides on Leviathan, It's almost perfect and is without a doubt one of favourite B&M's, maybe second best after Shambhala. My final front row ride during the sunset was nothing short of bliss. Sometimes bigger is better.




I was coloured impressed by Canada's largest amusement park. I would dare to say I preferred it to Cedar Point (at least in the way it's run) . The other Six Flags parks I have been are coaster heavy, but have a bland atmosphere and a shoddy appearance in places. Canada's wonderland not only has a massive coaster collection, but also has solid operations, pretty landscaping, good atmosphere and just seems better maintained. The only thing holding the park back is how busy it gets and the lack of high-quality supporting coasters.




As you can tell I had a incredibly successful day here, so much so that I decided to change the itinerary last minute to visit somewhere else ... best guesses for where?

 

[Matt N]

Would it be Cedar Point, by any chance?

I know it and Canada’s Wonderland aren’t enormously far apart, and it is a pretty momentous destination!

 

[Flash Shift]

Hopefully it's the Frank N Coaster, that thing is one of my weird bucket list coasters!

 

[James F]

Would it be Cedar Point, by any chance?

I know it and Canada’s Wonderland aren’t enormously far apart, and it is a pretty momentous destination!

As much as it would've be great to get on Siren's Curse after missing out on it last year, sadly it's too far away for me to fly out of Toronto on the same day.

Hopefully it's the Frank N Coaster, that thing is one of my weird bucket list coasters!

Bingo.

______________________

Feeling usually impulsive I decided to book a coach trip to Niagara Falls as soon as I woke up. Considering how well the previous day went at Wonderland, the thought of visiting Niagara Falls was more exciting than getting some more re-rides.

Getting there was really easy, I took the train from Weston (area of Toronto I was near) to Toronto Union Station and then got a coach from Union Bus Terminal straight there. The coach/bus return ticket was about $35 CAD which about £20, which I think is good value when you consider the distance. It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there, some of it due to the traffic around Toronto city centre.



The bus dropped me off about about 10 minutes down the road from the falls, but there is a tourist hop-on/hop-off bus from there which I got, inconveniently you can't pay on the bus, you have to get buy a plastic card which you can reuse each time you get on the bus. It's not too expensive, but I feel I didn't get much value out of it as I only used it twice.

The first order of business was to explore Clifton Hill. I might be showing my age a bit here, but my discovery of this place was seeing the WWE drop tower online, while that has long gone there was still another attraction I was eager to try.

This area reminded me a lot of Blackpool, just a more well maintained version. Think of Blackpool promenade in the 90s/00s. While it's no doubt tacky, it's refreshing to see attention grabbing facades in an age of dull corporate-washed Instagram boxes.




Okay let's be real, I'm here for the +1.

How could I leave Canada without riding the Burger King Coaster?

#327 - Frank 'N' Coaster

Even from the pavement below it looked as janky as hell. It's a kind of eccentricity you don't see much of these days, feels like it should be a part of a 'lost media' video from the 80s.

I can't remember how much it cost, but I know it was the best part of $20 CAD. As the coaster is accessed by the 'House of Frankenstein' haunted house, I was curious if I had to do the full maze/haunted house (I don't know exactly what it is) before scoring the cred. The good news is that you can just bypass it and head straight to the coaster.

Overall it's a fun little piece of jank. It might be the slowest roller coaster I have been on that can simultaneously throw me sideways with lateral force. If it wasn't on top of a Burger King in Niagara Falls I wouldn't of given it a second look, but just like real estate location is everything. I got two laps round for my money which was enough, it would surely be an expensive coaster to lap.




Other than the cred, the main attraction here is of course the actual falls.

I am admittedly not the best at describing what it's like seeing it in person, but I can tell you that it is misty ... very misty, it's beautiful, awe-inspiring, stunning and also misty.

Seeing the S&S tower in the distance reminded me of Marieland's existence (or rather past existence). I don't know too much about that park, but from what I have heard, it's a business that sounds like it deserved it's own fate. With that being said a part of me is still curious about Dragon Mountain and what could have been.

One of the things I loved about Niagara Falls compared to other tourist hotspots is that there is plenty of place to take it all in. If you don't want to stand next to the selfie crowd, you don't have to. The best part of the day for me was eating an ice cream, sat on top of a hill under a tree and watching the falls from a distance, despite my love of theme parks sometimes some peace and serenity can be just as rewarding.







All good things must come to an end, with that I mind I got back on the coach and endured the two hour journey back to Toronto, silently fighting with an annoying woman who was trying to recline in front of me whist we're both sat in 17 inch seats.



Upon arriving at the airport I received some good news, my bid to upgrade to Airtransat Club Class got accepted (premium economy), which meant I might actually get a little bit of sleep on my flight back that night.

Despite riding on that high, I can't get passed how S*** of an airport Toronto Pearson is. When you consider the amount of transatlantic flights that depart every evening from terminal 3, you would expect the bars, shops, eateries etc to be open. There was hardly anything open past 9pm, which was a bit inconvenient when my flight departs at 11.55pm. Not only is nothing open, but it's also bafflingly disorganised with gate agents unable to use the speaker system, slow moving security, gates often changing etc. Perhaps some of that can just be put down to a bad day at the office, but still it's a bit miserable.



The fight back was fine, I don't think I slept properly, but I did snooze for half the flight, I might of gotten an hour from the small moments I lost consciousness. The breakfast served was actually decent for plane food.

My last stop before arriving home was Dublin airport to connect back to Manchester. Since I had a long four hour layover I decided to splash out on using a lounge. I had never done this before, as I am usually tight with spending, but considering the amount of time spent travelling I felt it was warranted. I have to say that it's one of the best decisions I have made. While the food was nothing worth writing home about, the fact I could have a shower and drink some quality coffee made it worth every penny (the empty glasses aren't mine I swear)



I sat in the lounge thinking about how incredibly luckily I have been to experience all of this, Toronto, Canada's Wonderland, Niagara Falls with everything going swimmingly and just having the opportunity to do it in the first place, I don't take these things for granted. To use the words of a Facebook mum I have been truly "blessed".

Of course there had to be the snag of my flight to Manchester being delayed by 90 minutes, but you know what? After the amazing few days I've had? I didn't care.