Like many here, I haven’t ridden Mystic Manor yet, but it’s extremely high up on my bucket list and has been since it opened. It’s a brilliant blend of physical and screen effects, with an excellent narrative and soundtrack (thanks Danny Elfman!). Plus it has Albert. How can you not love Albert? I especially enjoy
when he gives the audience the bedroom eyes after he first appears in the pre-show.
I have however been on Symbolica a number of time… I’m just going to come out and say it, despite the outrage it’ll likely cause…
gulp
I don’t get it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful piece of design as you’d expect from Efteling. But the ride just does nothing. Even scenes that should be exciting and dramatic like the whale (which I will say, is awesome!) feels underwhelming. Were it not for the panicked Pardoes hurriedly waving you out of the room you’d have no sense of urgency what so ever. “Bloody conservatory’s leaking again, dear”. I actually find the ride experience rather tedious.
I guess you can say that it executes the idea of wandering round a large castle well, because it does. There’s only a couple of points where it feels like you’re on a set path. The rest of the time it uses the trackless system well to make it feel like you’re really exploring some of the large rooms. Kudos for that. The problem is, it’s like exploring the castle after first necking a bottle of horse tranquillisers. Everything is so slow and drawn out, as if life and events are playing out at half speed. It doesn’t feel particularly rewarding, disembarking at the end.
It’s Efteling. The park isn’t about big thrills and high-energy experiences. I fully appreciate that. But Dreamflight manages to be exciting and varied, despite falling into a similar genre as Symbolica. I dunno
Like I say, it
is beautiful and a credit to the parks design team. It just doesn’t do it for me.