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Efteling: General Discussion

Poisson said:
It's smooth, it just doesn't do anything to be rough or even vaguely interesting.
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I loved it. Possibly my #2 after Flying Dinosaur, though I will presumably calm down by tomorrow and relegate it to #5.

Also is there a better outdoor themed coaster?

And finally.... why is it 1.32m whereas Oblivion is 1.4m? Merlin really hate kids.
 
Bowser said:
Probably too late to get an answer for this but do you know whether other people can pre-emptively access the queue during ERT as you're suggesting? I remember last year when we went in, they were letting anyone into the park but only allowing onsite guests up that route to get to Baron etc. But there was nothing to stop you going up Symbolica's pathway so i'm wondering if savvy non-onsite guests can bypass it that way or there's a secondary checkpoint?
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There are gates on the paths leading into the park from Symbolica which certainly used to be kept closed until 10. It's been a while since I arrived any earlier than that as a day guest though so I can't say for sure that they still do.

Either way, the capacity of Danse Macabre is massive, the queue will shift if VQ is not in use
 
Bowser said:
I loved it. Possibly my #2 after Flying Dinosaur, though I will presumably calm down by tomorrow and relegate it to #5.

Also is there a better outdoor themed coaster?

And finally.... why is it 1.32m whereas Oblivion is 1.4m? Merlin really hate kids.
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Because B&Ms are in imperial sizing for restraints. It makes it neater to have rounded, grouped ride heights rather than things everywhere. I see why some parks round and some don't.

Also Voltron is better themed.
 
Poisson said:
Because B&Ms are in imperial sizing for restraints. It makes it neater to have rounded, grouped ride heights rather than things everywhere. I see why some parks round and some don't.

Also Voltron is better themed.
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1.32 to 1.4 is quite the rounding. That's an additional 2-3 years for the average child to grow. And 1.32m itself must be rounded if imperial. When was the last time a theme park used imperial measurements to display height restrictions? Surely most of Europe moved away from Imperial measurements before the UK? Switzerland apparently made the metric system compulsory in 1875 for example so why would a rollercoaster manufacturer use it 100 years later?

Also Mandrill Mayhem is 1.2m so by that logic the real height requirement is even lower?

Interestingly it seems Baron was 1.4m when it opened and the park subsequently reduced it at some point:

www.efteling.com

New Efteling dive coaster Baron 1898 opens to the public

The Efteling theme park, in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands, is officially one ride richer as of this morning. Today, for the first time, visitors to the park were able to experience the Baron 1898 dive coaster. On Tuesday 30 June representatives of the press and other media were able to ride the...
www.efteling.com www.efteling.com
 
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Yeah there's big gates by Symbolica that block off the riff raff.

Not sure where the hotel guests go from main entrance for ERT access mind.
 
Bowser said:
1.32 to 1.4 is quite the rounding. That's an additional 2-3 years for the average child to grow. And 1.32m itself must be rounded if imperial. When was the last time a theme park used imperial measurements to display height restrictions? Surely most of Europe moved away from Imperial measurements before the UK? Switzerland apparently made the metric system compulsory in 1875 for example so why would a rollercoaster manufacturer use it 100 years later?
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USA and Canada have plenty of places with all height measurements in inches. I believe Blackpool PB use ft and in.

B&M I assume they went for it as they cater a lot for US market.
 
What a park. I love it here so much. It remains the best in the world for me. If you're seeking big thrills sure there are better but even on that front i think for the average person you are more than well catered for. My non enthusiast wife summed it up quite succinctly by observing that "all the rides are smooth and fun here, i don't get a headache and have to sit anything out".

We headed straight to Baron late into ERT (Danse wasn't open and couldn't join VQ). Bowser Jr easily made the height restriction to my surprise but we checked outside and he was given a wristband to confirm this (which he ripped off twice naturally). There were other children far shorter than him going on so they seem pretty relaxed about it. He absolutely loved it so we ended up going straight back on. I think it's a brilliant ride, perfectly executed and i'm keeping that #2 spot.

Between rides i dashed to the toilet and managed to get a Danse VQ slot for 60 minutes later so figured that would work out logistically with us getting off Baron round 2 and being in the vicinity, which it did. The time kept fluctuating whenever i checked but only by a few minutes and you don't get notifications so that's a bit odd. The ride itself was great! It's not something i'd want to go on repeatedly but it's a fantastically executed high quality production that everyone can enjoy and a throughput beast. The unique experience of it really stands out, it's a crying shame Chessington seemingly didn't go with it in the end for Minecraft's flat, the combination of it and the coaster would have been an unprecedented capacity boost.

Had lots of great food too. I can't express how refreshing it is to be able to eat like this at a theme park, with every cuisine you could possibly desire available and always ample seating, usually in beautiful tranquil surroundings. It makes me sad that Alton Towers could be the English Efteling but it would need about £500m invested to do so at this point.

The only ride closure has been Python, though it did eventually open after lunch.

So the only real negative has been:

bTbnn.jpg
 
John_P said:
No its not, there's one on the shelf!
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You know i was going to ask but my son was running out, maybe i will tomorrow!

What one ride do people think Efteling is missing?

I think i'd add some kind of transport system, it's such a big park that either a perimeter train with stops or a chairlift would be greatly appreciated!
 
John said:
There is a train, it stops near Python and Droomvlucht
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I'm not sure how i've missed this 😂

Now you mention it i recall walking over the crossing by the hotel when we entered but otherwise our route would have completely bypassed it. I guess the issue is both stations are quite deep within the park so it seems more of an attraction than a transport system, i wonder why there isn't one at the entrance? Would be the equivalent of AT only having Skyride go between FV and Rita.
 
Bowser said:
You know i was going to ask but my son was running out, maybe i will tomorrow!

What one ride do people think Efteling is missing?

I think i'd add some kind of transport system, it's such a big park that either a perimeter train with stops or a chairlift would be greatly appreciated!
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Anything thrilling coaster wise. It's sad Python is the best they have.
 
Bowser said:
What one ride do people think Efteling is missing?
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Hard to say, think that circus coaster they had planned could've been something really special.

Don't think the park needs a thrill coaster, but another family thrill one would do well. Probably a case of future proofing them for whenever they have to replace Vogel Rok which is now technically the oldest coaster in the park.
 
Slightly odd day by Efteling standards.

We actually made ERT this time… only for Baron not to be open! Headed over anyway and fortunately as we approached first test train was going round so joined the very short queue and it opened 5 minutes later.

I’m not sure if they were expecting the park to be quieter today but there was a notable lack of staff in places. Baron had no bag drop so left bags by the trains (never noticed they had space tbh but naturally Efteling think of everything).

Dragon had no batching staff so the station was a free for all with single riders hogging the back rows. Fortunately this meant we were free to wait a few cycles for front row!

Flying Dutchman also had no batching (it was gone 11am by this point) though that was less problematic as people naturally filled the boats. Also got a front row!

Python once again didn’t open till after lunch, despite testing at 10am. It was stuck on the lift hill at one point so not sure what’s going on with it.

Went back to the shop but alas they wouldn’t sell me the display Vogel Rok. They did go search for one though.

Overall another wonderful trip. Staff seemed genuinely delighted when we said we’d be back next year 🥰
 
Going to Efteling late October mid week for the first time. Is it worth/required booking any restaurants? Or just go with the flow.

Is there any that are particularly good for breakfast?
 
If you aren't going to eat at peak times, you should be able to walk in at Polles Kitchen.

Efteling doesn't have a huge amount of breakfast options within the park from what I can remember. Fabula may have a few options and there's the tasty pastry stall just before you reach Fabula from the lake. Both are located in the area day guests get held in before park opening, before Symbolica.
 
Book evening meals if you are staying on resort. You can book into your own hotel's restaurant through the guest portal.

No real need to book any restaurants inside the park although there are some you can reserve for, but it's easy to do via the app on the day.
 
Just come back from three and a bit days in Efteling, staying at the Wonder Hotel. An incredible park full of something for everyone. Sadly, Baron was only open the first day of our visit but then shut for maintenance. We still managed to ride it a few times. Terrific. We love Alton Towers but Efteling is on another level. And what a refreshing change to visit a park where the rides are not constantly closing throughout the day for one reason or another. And we never queued more than half an hour for a ride or attraction. Flying Dutchman was a big favourite (stunning station) and we rode Vogel Rock around a dozen times. Joris en Draak was more intensive than Wickerman, while Python and Max and Moritz were great too.

And the indoor rides… Danse Macabre; utterly brilliant. Never been on anything like that before. We managed to bag a few instant virtual queue rides as well. Symbolica, Droomvlucht and Fata Morgana were all magical. Carnaval great fun, too. Great views from Pagode and loads of food options, and good quality offerings unlike AT. Loads more haven’t mentioned.

This (and Europa Park) are what theme parks should be like.
 
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