Efteling: General Discussion

[Benzin]

Yes but the point made earlier is that the smaller trains lose that impact on the drop and visually are less stunning to watch.

If you want the big drop awe get an 8, 10 or 12 across model. If you want to impress people with the 6 across model you need to do something interesting with the track.

Krake certainly captured the imagination/attention of the Germans finely enough... Even 3 years after opening it still gets large numbers of people milling around the drop's nearby pathways...

Back in it's opening year the entire pathway was filled with people just watching it, so clearly the 'big drop awe' as you term it is still happily within effect on the smaller versions...

 

[TheMan]

Yes but the point made earlier is that the smaller trains lose that impact on the drop and visually are less stunning to watch.

If you want the big drop awe get an 8, 10 or 12 across model. If you want to impress people with the 6 across model you need to do something interesting with the track.

I don't disagree with that, but if your budget doesn't allow that, and you have a park that seems to utilise smaller versions of the rides, it appears almost like a "mini" park to me in that regard, why not use the 6 across - when you're riding it I admit it does have a huge factor of the auditorium sized car flying around, but giving it further consideration, both of those solutions end up costing more. If they can't afford or accommodate the huge version, I hope the mini version is a success for them.

No, it wont be as visually stunning to watch, or maybe even ride, but if they get that drop right it will still carry a huge amount of presence.

The only one I've seen that comes even close to carrying Oblivion style presence is G5 in it's purest sense.

 

[Dave]

The drop looks no different on this than on the one on Krake and i haven't heard many astounding things said about Krake

 

[Sam]

Yes but the point made earlier is that the smaller trains lose that impact on the drop and visually are less stunning to watch.

If you want the big drop awe get an 8, 10 or 12 across model. If you want to impress people with the 6 across model you need to do something interesting with the track.

All completely true, but this is a ride at Efteling. Mediocre coaster but a great experience is par for the course. The 'drop mystique' lost by the small trains I'm sure will be made up for by masterful theming, well crafted music in the area and dramatic landscaping.

That is generally the rule with Efteling, although sometimes the needle swings a bit more towards a better coaster and a worse experience (Joris) or towards a piss-poor coaster but an amazing experience (DVH). I imagine that, like Vogel Rok, this will be somewhere around the middle.

 

[Sam]

HA! Through their 'Eddie the Clown' character, Walibi Holland have posted a parody of Baron 1898 on their Facebook!

Now, stop joking and actually build a decent new ride to compete.

 

[Dave]

All completely true, but this is a ride at Efteling. Mediocre coaster but a great experience is par for the course. The 'drop mystique' lost by the small trains I'm sure will be made up for by masterful theming, well crafted music in the area and dramatic landscaping.

That is generally the rule with Efteling, although sometimes the needle swings a bit more towards a better coaster and a worse experience (Joris) or towards a piss-poor coaster but an amazing experience (DVH). I imagine that, like Vogel Rok, this will be somewhere around the middle.

But DVH has a long dark ride section, this doesn't appear to. It's just a shame parks are going for this smaller option, sacrificing the amazing drop yet not then compensating by providing a decent ride.

 

[Sam]

Construction has kicked into high gear already.

Check out these cool photos that Vijfzintuigen posted on Facebook showing the current construction with the concept art superimposed on top.

It's so odd how so many of the coasters in this park are clustered together! Five now!

 

[Russ]

Some track has arrived and started being installed.

 

[Sam]

Interview with the new head of Efteling on Vijfzintuigen.

• Baron 1898 will have an SRQ.
• The Fairytale Forest is to be extended over the next few years.
• They are looking at what EP are doing closely, but there are currently no plans for a waterpark.
• Hartenhof is still on the agenda.
• The contract with the WWF for Pandadroom expires in 2016 but is likely to be extended. But if it is they will upgrade the attraction with a refurb and a new film.
• Efteling don't do anything for Halloween as they feel that it doesn't suit the aesthetic of the park (no surprise there for seasoned Efteling watchers).
• The park is too Dutch-orientated and they are making more of an effort to do everything in four languages (French, Dutch, English, German).
• The Pagoda is liked by management and is not going anywhere - it will be fixed.

 

[Sam]

Loads of Efteling bits and pieces today! This park is a joy to follow these days.

Firstly, this graphic from Vijfzintuigen mapping concept art onto a photo of the Baron construction site.

New construction photo:

Can't work out how to make this photo from Looopings bigger, but it's breathtaking:

The park have posted the second part of a 'Making Of' series on YouTube:



Meanwhile, construction is all go on the other side of the park, at the site of the Bosrijk expansion. Photos from Efteling:

The refurbishment of the House of the Five Senses has taken a very obvious step forward. The original building was planned by Ton van de Ven to include the name of the park on its frontage, but it took 18 years after it opened for them to get around to it!

(photos from Vijfzintuigen)

The park have said in a tweet reply to a fan that they will be "encased in gold leaf and with proper illumination".

Lastly, apparently it is 'world kindness day' today (???) so the park posted some lovely messages to their competitors which you can get the gist of.

(congratulations on winning your Zoover award.)

(we hope Halloween Fright Nights has super weather.)

(we hope you find success with the magical Winter Slagharen.)

(keep creating enchanting moments to remember.)

(congratulations on your second Michelin star for "Ammolite".)

 

[AstroDan]

Efteling <3

 

[TheMan]

Efteling <3

Not even been there but I second that!

Also, them adding theme after 18 years gives me hope for airs tunnel

Thank you for the updates @Sam they're stunning pictures!

 

[Enter Valhalla]

This new coaster is definitely what Efteling need. On my last visit I loved the park but did comment on the lack of attractions. The park is huge but in terms of number of actual rides they're only about on a par with Oakwood.

Having said that Efteling is obviously considerably better than Oakwood, but you get what I mean.

 

[djtruefitt]

I get what you mean

It will be nice to have a new coaster there, I think the other thing the park lacks is thrill flat rides, as they don't really have anything like that currently. However the market they aim for seem to be more much family than just thrill.

 

[Benzin]

Don't forget Carousel land though...

Besides, since you can spend at least 2 hours in the Fairytale Forest of Forever, it's clear that Efteling is all ab out the quality of rides over the quantity... Especially given said quality of their dark rides...

 

[Rob]

It will be nice to have a new coaster there, I think the other thing the park lacks is thrill flat rides, as they don't really have anything like that currently. However the market they aim for seem to be more much family than just thrill.

We seem to have an obsession with thrill flats here in the UK. Maybe it is because historically Towers have always had a fair few and Thorpe is full of them. But are they that important to a theme park? I'm not sure they are. Thrill flats do tend to be glorified fair rides (with some exceptions of course), I don't think they always fit into a 'proper' theme park. Europa doesn't have any, Disney don't have any, BGW doesn't have any. These are amoungst my favoutite parks yet none of them feel 'worse' due to the lack of thrill flats.

For me thrill flats do work better in more amusment style parks than theme parks. That's probably why we don't see theme parks adding them all that often.

 

[TheMan]

Flats have always really been the bread and butter of amusement parks or fairs, as someone not particularly fond of them not having many in a park doesn't bother me too much, and it can be hard to theme them so they don't look more like they should be in a fair.

I do get the logic and enjoyment for people of having them though, but a place like Eftling it's got to be hard to blend one in that's of any thrill value?

 

[Rob]

The latest making of Baron 1898 video from Efteling:



I'm not fussed about this track and train as I fear a Merlin-eque boring layout but I cannot wait to see how the finished product looks. It is clearly going to be beautifully detailed. Even that little iron bridge they've put in looks great.

 

[TheMan]

I'm not fussed about this track and train as I fear a Merlin-eque boring layout but I cannot wait to see how the finished product looks. It is clearly going to be beautifully detailed. Even that little iron bridge they've put in looks great.

This is the thing, Eftling are obviously about aesthetics and they don't want huge rides, it's not the parks style from what I have seen - it's about the rides almost blending into the background. When this is the case, for me the mini-dive machine makes sense. It may not have the EEK! factor of Oblivion, but I bet it's going to have a wow or two.

Proper team of brick layers to create an authentic building as well, highly detailed, not endless slabs of concrete with some stickers and TVs.

 

[Rob]

It's probably one of the reasons that I have never been to Efteling. The park looks beautiful but there is no stand out coaster track and train. And with all the parks in Europe that do have stand out coasters it just keeps getting pushed down.

But yes I noticed that about the brick layers as well, can't beat it when theming is actually really building materials!