Going to an amusement park is a lot like watching a football game: brief moments of action and excitement interspersed between long periods of waiting around.
But just how long are those thrilling moments at Playland, Vancouver’s own amusement park?
I was at Playland on a pretty typical Saturday with my family and took a few moments throughout the day to time the various major rides, generally while waiting in line. Honestly, the lines weren’t that bad, especially given the relatively mild weather compared to the recent heat wave, though there were still relatively long waits for the Coaster, Cedar Falls Log Flume, Thundervolt, Hellevator, and Atmosfear.
But what about the rides themselves? I time each ride a couple of times from stop to start, not including the time getting on the ride and all that entails. Here’s what I found.
Thundervolt: 40 seconds
Playland’s most recent addition is also its shortest thrill ride. Thundervolt opened to the public in 2024 and is the second-fastest launch coaster in Canada.
While riders can expect to wait an hour or more for Thundervolt, the ride itself lasts just 40 seconds from start to stop, with the final ten seconds or so a slow coast back into the station.
That’s a long wait for a short ride, but it feels worth it when you get kicked back into your seat as the train blasts off through the exit tunnel. Instead of the slowly-ratcheting pull up a hill to let gravity provide the acceleration, Thundervolt provides immediate acceleration right out of the gate, so the thrills are immediate.
Coaster: 2:00+
Let’s go from the park’s youngest ride to its oldest: the classic wooden roller coaster dubbed simply “Coaster” opened in 1958 when Playland first launched after its predecessor, Happyland, was demolished to make way for an extension to Hastings Racecourse.
The wait for the Coaster can be nearly as long as the Thundervolt, but the ride lasts significantly longer. It varied from around 2:01 to 2:07 in my measurements and packs plenty of thrills in that two-minute ride, with some of the best airtime of any roller coaster in the world.
It’s a classic coaster experience (refurbished in 2022), and well worth the wait.
Cedar Falls Log Flume: 3:00+
The longest ride at Playland is the Cedar Falls Log Flume, a classic ride that has been part of Playland since 1985.
The ride lasts a leisurely three minutes or so, with some fluctuation, as we’re dealing with a log-shaped boat floating in water, after all.
It’s a leisurely three minutes, with much of the time spent at a sedate pace, but the two big drops at around 45 seconds and 2:15 provide plenty of excitement, as well as a nice refreshing splash on a hot day.
The Beast: 2:17
One of the most unique rides in Canada, The Beast is a massive spinning pendulum ride that looks absolutely terrifying. So terrifying, in fact, that my kids refused to ride it. Oh well.
At least that meant avoiding what can be a long wait for The Beast, though you get a decently long ride at the end of that wait. The ride was a consistent 2:17 each time I measured it.
Skybender: 2:00
In terms of length of ride versus length of wait, the Skybender provides the best bang-for-buck, in my opinion. Installed in 2022, Skybender reaches some serious speed at 65 km/h, which felt a lot faster with the wind blasting in your face and your arms spread out like wings.
The wait was negligible, and the ride lasted an average of two minutes, with some nice variety in that time, with the arms attached to each seat raising and lowering to send you flying into the sky. It was a definite favourite for me and my kids.
Hellevator: 1:30*
The 200-foot-tall drop tower known as the Hellevator joined the Playland’s arsenal of rides in 2000, and was initially a premium ride that required an additional fee, but is now included in the Thrill Pass.
This one gets an asterisk because the Hellevator can operate in a couple of different modes. One mode is the “space shot” style launch into the sky, then dropping back down to earth in a series of bounces. When in this mode, the ride lasts around a minute from launch to finish.
When I was there, however, the Hellevator was operating in a mode that combined the “space shot” launch with a classic drop from the top: an initial launch and bounce, then a ratcheting up to the top of the tower, then a pause followed by a heart-stopping plummet downward.
In this mode, the Hellevator lasted 1:30 from the initial launch until it came to a stop before lowering to the ground to let passengers off.
Atmosfear: 1:30
Added to Playland in 2011, the Atmosfear ratchets the classic swing ride up to 11, taking it 218 feet into the air for the park’s tallest ride. It provides plenty of speed and a fantastic view of the park and the mountains around Vancouver.
From the initial start to when the spinning stops, Atmosfear lasts around 1:30, though you’ll be sitting in your swing seat for a bit longer than that as the ride slowly lowers you back down to earth.
Hell’s Gate: 1:20+
Added to the park in 2000, Hell’s Gate is a ride that is less about speed and more about flipping riders upside down multiple times. Definitely not a ride for those with weak stomachs.
This Top Spin ride adds water jets to fit the Hell’s Gate, white-water-rafting theme, lowering the riders slowly face first towards the spraying water before flipping back upright, leaving riders safely dry.
My measurements were pretty consistently around 1:20, with some variation that likely had more to do with being distracted by conversations with my kids, which were more important than hitting a button on my phone at the exact right time.
Enterprise: 1:35-1:45
The Enterprise has been at Playland a long time, first launching in 1984, but it’s still a thrill and was a favourite of my oldest. The ride features 20 gondolas in a circle that are sent spinning horizontally before the central arm elevates to send the gondolas upside-down vertically at terrifying speed.
The ride varied in length from 1:35 to 1:45 when I timed it, and generally didn’t have much of a line when I was there, partly because up to 40 people can ride it at once, two to a gondola.
Breakdance: 1:45
This was my 12-year-old’s favourite ride at Playland, one he wanted to ride repeatedly, and was able to do so with absolutely no lineup to speak of. The ride sends you spinning in multiple directions, and definitely leaves you woozy at the end of each go-around.
The ride lasted a consistent 1:45 across multiple measurements.
Sea to Sky Swinger: 2:00+
A classic spinning swing, the Sea to Sky Swinger is a pleasant ride for the whole family with a beautiful aesthetic. The ride was added to Playland in 2019 to replace the classic Wave Swinger.
The ride lasts a little bit over two minutes, with the large capacity of the ride meaning lines are kept pretty short, so you won’t have to wait long for a swing.
Westcoast Wheel: ???
My family’s final ride of the day was the Ferris Wheel, which is probably why my measurements are a little bit skewed, as the ride may have lasted just a little bit longer than usual.
In terms of uninterrupted spinning time on the wheel, it lasted 2:44 for me and my family, and slightly under three minutes in a couple of measurements leading up to when we went on it.
In terms of how long we were on the Ferris Wheel, however, it was a lot longer. From the time we got on until the time we got off, it was over 17 minutes: 17:06, to be exact.
Your experience may vary.
