I have just been shocked and appalled by an outing at Canada's Wonderland, and wish to share it in an attempt to raise awareness: conditions at the park get worse every time I go and I've had it.
I and 3 others went to Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt on October 26, 2014. The park is open from 7 - 12 and admission is $35. So we thought we'd get in a few mazes and a few rides and it would be a good night.
The reality:
- Traffic was so bad getting into the park that it took us an hour to drive 2 1/2 km and get parked.
- There were no lines to get in: there was a mob
- It took us 1 1/2 hours to get on Mine Buster. That is the only ride we went on, because the lines for every other ride and event were 3 hours long, with 2 hours remaining until close.
- Which brings us to the crowds: it was worse than any music festival I've ever been to, and worse than Wonderland on a a summer long weekend. How about capping your audience, especially when the event is so short in length?
- In addition to overcrowding, it was dark: the lighting was utterly insufficient. It was not remotely safe.
- We were so disgusted we went to customer service to get our money back. Ahead of us were many people feeling the same as us. Behind us was a party that had lost two 16 year old girls in the park. They chatted with security and were told to wait in the hour long line (we called it the Customer Service ride!) to get their kids names announced on the P.A. Yes that's right; there's lost girls in the park, but just hang tight for an hour and then maybe we'll say their names a few times on a speaker.
- When we got into Customer Service, we noticed a girl (again, around 16 years old) standing off to the side showing clear signs of hypothermia: she was visibly shaking and weak. We asked her if she was okay and found out that she had lost her party. She was shy and also freezing cold, so we asked the people in Customer Service to get her a sweater or a first aid blanket or something. They said they didn't have anything. Yes that's right: customer service doesn't have first aid equipment apparently. We told them to grab a sweater from the lost and found. Genius idea!
- On our way out of the park the lighting conditions in the lot were just as bad as those in the park. There was also no one directing traffic. Maybe the unsafe conditions and rage people were feeling lead to the double stabbing in the parking lot. Yes that's right. Someone died in the parking lot within minutes of our being there. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/double-stabbing-at-canada-s-wonderland-leaves-1-dead-another-in-critical-condition-1.2071592
So there you have our trip to Canada's Wonderland. I know I won't be going back.