TPJThemeParkJames

Time Warp

Canada's Wonderland

Try out Wonderland's take on the experience of flight...

Theme ParkCanada's Wonderland
Park AreaGrande World Exposition of 1890
TypeRollercoaster
AudienceThrillseekers
Opened2004 (as "Tomb Raider: The Ride")
2008 ("Time Warp" retheme)
ManufacturerZamperla
ModelVolare
Height50 ft
Length1283 ft
Inversions2
Max Speed26 mph
Duration1 minute
Time Warp

Time Warp

Rocky Horror fans may get the urge to sing "let's do the time warp again" upon hearing the name of Canada's Wonderland's flying coaster, but they definitely won't want to be going around again for a second ride on Time Warp.

The ride is a Zamperla Volare model rollercoaster which attempts - not very well - to simulate the experience of flying. Perhaps it would succeed better if flying was more akin to lying face down on a step ladder, with another ladder pushing against your back.

To say the seating/restraint system is terribly uncomfortable and poorly designed is an understatement. Even boarding the ride is a pain, with riders effectively having to climb up a ladder which then tilts forwards. By the time the cars reach the spiral lift hill, riders are surrounded in a giant metal cage.

The actual ride experience is no better. The track layout features elements similar to a wild mouse rollercoaster, with sharp turns and quick drops and the addition of a couple of painful inversions. It's not particularly smooth, and the cars tend to judder their way around the track. It's a huge relief to make it back to the station and get off the thing!

When Time Warp first opened at Canada's Wonderland it was known as Tomb Raider: The Ride and featured a Lara Croft ancient tomb type theme. After Cedar Fair bought the park in 2007, the name and theme were changed to Time Warp as they lost the right to use Paramount's intellectual property.

Time Warp is an excellent example of Zamperla's awful Volares which are among the worst rollercoaster models of all time. The ride is rough, abrasive, shockingly painful and downright torture.

TPJ Rating: half star
Thrills: starstarstarstar
Theming: starstar
Experience: half star

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