Dreamflight also has the weird station area. Given how well themed the interior is it's an incredibly stark contrast in quality.
Dreamflight's station always reminds me of a British shopping centre in the 1980s – all cream surfaces and neatly arranged plastic flowerbeds. It's wonderfully dated and incongruous with the ride itself, but I don't dislike it somehow.
That is what makes it more concerning the current state of affairs! If anything, because every penny is reinvested, Efteling should be the best-presented, greatest park in the world, as every penny is going back into the park and there is no profits being stripped away. Not everything has to have money in mind, but things can happen just because they add to the park experience.
My understanding is that it's owned and run by the Dutch national parks service, which is itself owned by the government. I don't know the exact details, but rather than "every penny" being reinvested in the park, I assume they use some of Efteling's profits to cross-subsidise their regular parks and green spaces. Which is how it should be, as long as enough is being reinvested into Efteling (which, as I've said above, I don't think it currently is).
We're going to Disneyland Paris next year for the first time so it will be interesting to see how some of these aspects compare. I appreciate your criticism is very constructive as opposed to slating Efteling but it did tug at my heartstrings to read it all the same.
I'm sorry – I didn't mean to upset you!
Something that the reaction to my initial post has revealed to me is that the sense of connection people feel with this park is even stronger than I'd previously thought. People are very, very invested in the place. Don't get me wrong – I truly love Efteling as well. It's easily in my top ten favourite parks (and I've been to a fair few theme parks!)
I thought it was interesting that most of the reactions to my post picked up on the idea of everything looking the same (and there were some very good points in response to this), but less so the idea that there is a strange lack of excitement in the ride lineup. Musing on it a bit more, I think I've really settled on where the problem lies: it's the lack of peril in the dark rides.
Fata Morgana: a foreboding atmosphere at points, but no moments of peril (or any actual storyline) to speak of
Dreamflight: no moments of peril, or storyline
Symbolica: no moments of peril (unless you count the whale causing a crack in the ceiling), or any storyline
Carnival Festival: no peril or plot whatsoever (but, admittedly, neither does the ride that it's ripping off)
Villa Volta: maybe the only dark ride with
some peril? At least, being a non-Dutch speaker I assume the room starts spinning round because something has gone amiss
Danse Macabre: remains to be seen, but some promising signs
This is unusual, compared to other theme parks. 'It's a Small World' (which Carnival Festival is an obvious rip of) stands out
because it's virtually the only dark ride in any Disney park without any peril. In fact, that's why a lot of people find it boring. It's hardwired into Disney's DNA that proper storytelling – whether for a family ride or for a balls-to-the-wall thrill attraction – requires some peril. It's storytelling 101.
I adore Efteling, and will continue to love it in spite of this, but this is the park's Achille's heel.
