Anyone have any LaRonde tips?

May 10, 2016, 3:33 PM

It's a good chance I'll go there and try out the VR. Has anyone here been to the park before?

Replies (8)

May 10, 2016, 7:44 PM

Not since 1967. Brush up on your Quebecois.

May 10, 2016, 11:48 PM

I visited La Ronde back in 2011 so some of this may no longer be valid, but here's what I would say about the park...

First off, keep your expectations low. If you exclude the small parks, La Ronde currently sits as my second least favorite park (only Elitch Gardens ranks lower). The park has an excellent setting, but other than Goliath the coasters are clones and/or below average, the non-coaster selection is average at best, and both the operations and upkeep are below par even for a Six Flags park. I have never been to another major theme park and seen obvious capacity goal signs reading 300-600 riders per hour on coasters that should be getting 800-1100, and I have never been to a major theme park that had sections where weeds were poking up through uneven brick walkways. As far as language is concerned, all signs at La Ronde are printed in both English and French and most employees are bilingual as well, but it wouldn't hurt to learn "tourist French" just in case you need it. Lastly, La Ronde gets huge crowds due to being located in the middle of Montreal and having a short season, so if you don't have a full day a Flash Pass is mandatory in order to do everything.

My recommendation would be to start at the back of the park (use the back lot and entrance if possible) and try to do Goliath and Monstre (and Ednor if you want to ride...it's about the same as any other SLC) before the crowds hit. Once you have done these, take the Minirail to the front of the park and ride Cobra and Vampire...the former is a rare Intamin stand-up and the latter is a Batman clone. From here, just go around the park and do whatever you feel like waiting for.

Honestly, if you are going primarily for the VR aspect I would recommend going to Six Flags New England or even Great Escape instead. However, if you're visiting to check out La Ronde or to sightsee in Montreal it is a fun thing to do for a day. While the ride selection hasn't changed much, it is entirely possible some of the other issues may have been improved since I visited, and if Monstre does receive an RMC conversion in the future I'd absolutely give the park a second chance. I'd just recommend expecting something more like Six Flags America and less like Six Flags Great Adventure in order to avoid disappointment.

May 11, 2016, 4:36 AM

@AJ Hummel
Well I actually like SFA so I guess that's good. I have a SF pass so I will be there one day, maybe another day I'll go for a few hours. I have absolutely no idea how Montreal schools work so if they would be open the week of June 19th I'll go on a weekday. I wouldn't go to Montreal just to go to La Ronde. I'm going to be in Montreal anyway plus I have an SF pass.

May 11, 2016, 6:52 AM

When I was there, I remember the Monstre needed the gold fastpass, not the regular.

There's two sets of car parking, I understand they're under control of two different groups. I don't know much more about it as I used the bus connect from the metro station, which I can recommend.

May 11, 2016, 3:04 PM

Jaiden, the park is open daily most of June so you shouldn't have a problem going there on a weekday. My visit was on a weekday in August and lines were 90-120 minutes for the headliners, so I absolutely would recommend staying away on weekends. In my experience, Ednor had the longest lines in the park (though that was likely because it only had one train), with the two B&Ms and Toboggan Nordique also drawing major crowds, so if you get those done early and have a full day you should be good. I unfortunately can't give you any advice on the rest of Montreal since I didn't do any sightseeing there (visited as part of a coaster tour...drove up to Quebec after doing Canobie Lake Park the day before, and then drove down to New York after La Ronde).

May 13, 2016, 4:43 AM

Seems like Ednor runs two now. I haven't done a backwards batman yet so does that load slower than a regular batman.

May 13, 2016, 1:46 PM

When I went, La Ronde opened all coasters for the day with one train (Monstre was one train per track) and added the second train later in the day if needed. Goliath, Monstre, and Vampire were the only rides that got the second train put on. Ednor had a 90-120 minute wait and both Cobra and Super Manage were 60 minutes, but none of them ever added the second train.

As for Vampire backwards, there is no difference in loading speed as the train is exactly the same. I do encourage you to try it as it is a unique experience, but I will also warn you that going backwards on that layout is extremely disorienting and can cause nausea. After riding Batman Backwards at SFMM, I had to go sit somewhere for about 30 minutes before I felt like riding anything else. If you are worried that it may affect you severely, I recommend riding all your other must-do attractions first just in case.

May 14, 2016, 7:47 AM

Monstre is one of the least fun coasters I have ever been on. Being both a member of ACE & ECC I've been on many. The setting and Goliath are both great. The best thing about the park: it's one of the very few in North America that you can to by subway.

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