December 19, 20186 yr comment_261869 Glad you enjoyed it. I've never been interested in visiting this park as it just doesn't have anything I see as worthwhile to go for. Yes it looks stunning, but just not enough thrilling rides to entice me to spend money to go there.
December 19, 20186 yr comment_261870 It's my favourite park I've been to personally. I was won over when I got there as it's more than the sum of its parts. The rides are good but it's really the combination of fun, charming aesthetics and a lovely atmosphere. Where Thorpe is big on rides but small on everything else in between, Efteling has it nailed it where Thorpe fails. It's just so nice to just BE in. Even on the rides, I find rides like Joris en de Draak more thrilling than most rides at Thorpe. It's got more of a kick than I expected. Air time galore! Baron is also great and Symbolica is one of the best dark rides I've been on.
December 19, 20186 yr comment_261871 It's probably the strangest park I've ever visited but I really enjoyed it when I went, especially Joris and Flying Dutchman.
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261872 The park has more thrilling rides than, for example, Chessington does, easily. Between Baron, Joris, Flying Dutchman, Vogel Rok and Python, they've got a strong quintet of attractions which is fantastic for any family park. It seems weaker due to the UK bias towards thrill rides, and Efteling's want for more traditional experiences. Of course, if pure thrills are what you are after, the overall spend it takes to do the park will put it lower down the list. But it's definitely a park worth it.
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261875 No mention of the food? The food is fab, especially the pancakes Efteling is top tier park; anyone who doesn't like it has no taste or opinion worth talking about...
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261876 34 minutes ago, Benin said: No mention of the food? The food is fab, especially the pancakes I was a bit disappointed by the food on my last visit; Polle's was particularly disappointing to the point where I didn't eat a dessert from there... But all my other experiences with the food on park had been flipping good tbf.
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261878 8 minutes ago, ChiapasC. said: I was a bit disappointed by the food on my last visit; Polle's was particularly disappointing to the point where I didn't eat a dessert from there... But all my other experiences with the food on park had been flipping good tbf. That's what happens though when you go to the restaurant expecting dry hot dogs and chicken nuggets.
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261896 2 hours ago, ChiapasC. said: I was a bit disappointed by the food on my last visit; Polle's was particularly disappointing to the point where I didn't eat a dessert from there... But all my other experiences with the food on park had been flipping good tbf. Who eats a dessert a Polle's? The pancake IS the dessert! It's all about the croquettes anyway...
December 20, 20186 yr comment_261898 Polle’s is probably one of my favourite places to eat at any theme park. It’s not just the lovely pancakes there, but the amazing cosy atmosphere too, including the show in the middle of the restaurant that goes every so often. Efteling is a park full of charm, character, dedication and history. It’s ‘essentially’ a national treasure for the Dutch and is just as much a nature park as it is a theme park (thanks to it’s beautiful location). If you are one for ‘experience’ rides, charming attractions, fairy tales, dark rides and ‘natural’ settings, this is definitely the place for you. The landscaping, upkeep and attention to detail is comparable to Disney (in some cases maybe better). If you are one who prefers fast, thrilling and tall rides, Efteling may not be for you ‘so much’, but it’s definitely a park everyone should try and visit at least once in their lifetime. Even if they are not park enthusiasts!
December 22, 20186 yr comment_261944 On 12/20/2018 at 8:36 AM, Benin said: No mention of the food? The food is fab, especially the pancakes Efteling is top tier park; anyone who doesn't like it has no taste or opinion worth talking about... It really comes down to what you're looking for in a park. Efteling doesn't have a strong coaster lineup IMO. Joris and Flying Dutchman are brilliant and Vogel Rok is fun, but apart from that I didn't really rate the others (Bob was closed). Sure, the park has lots of quirky charm and theming, and I appreciate it for that. But for some people, the coaster lineup is the number 1 priority when visiting a park, and that's fine. It'd be absolutely wrong to dismiss the park as low-standard because it isn't suited to your individual preferences, but it's also very very wrong to dismiss people who don't like the park as people who have "no taste". Blackpool is was to me a "top tier" park due to all the unique historic rides, but to others it's a park full of old coasters they don't really rate. And that's fine, as long as you're happy to accept that not everyone shares the same opinion. Sadly that seems too much for some...
December 22, 20186 yr comment_261945 11 minutes ago, Coaster said: It really comes down to what you're looking for in a park. Efteling doesn't have a strong coaster lineup IMO. Joris and Flying Dutchman are brilliant and Vogel Rok is fun, but apart from that I didn't really rate the others (Bob was closed). Sure, the park has lots of quirky charm and theming, and I appreciate it for that. But for some people, the coaster lineup is the number 1 priority when visiting a park, and that's fine. Europa and ‘worldwide’ Disney park’s say hi (Tokyo especially). If you want a ‘magical’ and visually stunning park, then Efteling is definitely for you. If you want somewhere with good coasters, LiseberG or Cedar Point will be more your cup of tea. There is no ‘one size fits all’ as parks are concerned.
December 23, 20186 yr comment_261965 7 hours ago, Ivsetti said: And if you want none of the above then Thorpe is where it's at I honestly can’t believe youwould day such a thing! I just adore the whole ‘rundown’ and ‘shipping container’ look the park has. Not to mention their consistency of theming and upkeep. I’ll just ignore those B&Ms for a moment. Better bring the topic back to Efteling then, it has intruiging ‘waste disposal’ areas too.
December 27, 20186 yr comment_262033 On 12/22/2018 at 11:29 PM, Coaster said: It really comes down to what you're looking for in a park. Efteling doesn't have a strong coaster lineup IMO. Joris and Flying Dutchman are brilliant and Vogel Rok is fun, but apart from that I didn't really rate the others (Bob was closed). I'd personally say the rollercoasters at Efteling have more personality than any other park in Europe. Perfectly tailored to the family audience, full of whimsy and quirkiness. Baron is a painfully average dive machine but everything that surrounds it elevates it to one of my favourite coasters. Yes it doesn't have the big coasters but a lot of big coaster parks are completely soulless, lacking any magic or enthusiasm or anything that resembles pride.
December 31, 20186 yr comment_262154 On 12/27/2018 at 11:51 AM, Ivsetti said: I.e. Lacking anything that turns them from a mere amusement park to a proper theme park Yes, just like a certain park this forum happens to be named after. ?
January 14, 20196 yr comment_262476 Some fabulous insight from Efteling on how they're planning on reducing queueing and waiting times... https://www.efteling.com/nl/blog/backstage/20190114-kortere-wachtrijen Highlights: -Longer opening times -Better flow at main entrance and car park -New system on Vogel Rok to allow 3 trains to run -Purchasing of a 5th train for Joris in case one requires maintenance -Introduction of SRQ on Flying Dutchman, following successful introductions on Bob, Baron, Symbolica, Joris and Python -New version of the app that notifies you when a queue reaches a certain length -Since last year, they've adopted the UK way of closing queue lines (IE at park close, not closing them so the ride stops running at park close). This isn't as common in Europe as you'd expect +More The park are still preserving with their version of Reserve n Ride, making further adjustments. I've yet to use the system (visiting only on extremely quiet days since it's introduction), but it was experienced some problems during its time. It's nice to see them learning and trying with it, but I wonder if they're clinging onto false hope trying to get it to work.
January 14, 20196 yr comment_262477 41 minutes ago, JoshC. said: Some fabulous insight from Efteling on how they're planning on reducing queueing and waiting times... https://www.efteling.com/nl/blog/backstage/20190114-kortere-wachtrijen Highlights: -Longer opening times -Better flow at main entrance and car park -New system on Vogel Rok to allow 3 trains to run -Purchasing of a 5th train for Joris in case one requires maintenance -Introduction of SRQ on Flying Dutchman, following successful introductions on Bob, Baron, Symbolica, Joris and Python -New version of the app that notifies you when a queue reaches a certain length -Since last year, they've adopted the UK way of closing queue lines (IE at park close, not closing them so the ride stops running at park close). This isn't as common in Europe as you'd expect +More The park are still preserving with their version of Reserve n Ride, making further adjustments. I've yet to use the system (visiting only on extremely quiet days since it's introduction), but it was experienced some problems during its time. It's nice to see them learning and trying with it, but I wonder if they're clinging onto false hope trying to get it to work. Ah, a backstage blog..... Sounds familiar.
January 14, 20196 yr comment_262480 Didn't realise Vogel Rok wasn't running 3 trains at all tbh... All positive stuff though, I like the idea behind the phone notifications for queue times especially...
January 14, 20196 yr comment_262485 3 hours ago, Benin said: Didn't realise Vogel Rok wasn't running 3 trains at all tbh... All positive stuff though, I like the idea behind the phone notifications for queue times especially... I don't know how long Vogel wasn't running three trains. The last time I rode it was July 2017 and it was eating the queue like no tomorrow. If it had been for a significant period of time, then it wasn't that noticeable to operations. If it wasn't for that long, it's good they were able to sort out a solution so quickly.
January 14, 20196 yr comment_262488 I believe around 2015 time was when Vogel Rock went to only using two trains due to a brakes issue, but has gone back to running three this year after a refurb. All they need to do now is fix the audio issues (I experienced last month) and the ride will be perfect. Loving the updates Efteling are doing right now, the things they are doing are what needs to be taken out at more parks.
January 30, 20196 yr comment_262657 Carnival Festival is becoming less controversial! Looopings have reported that between March and May, the ride will go through a 3 million euro refurb, which will include new lighting, improved cars and changes to the Japan, China and Africa scenes. For those unacquainted, Carnival Festival is an omnimover where you 'tour' round the world. Each scene gives a stereotypical / comical view of the countries / regions portrayed - England is posh people in top hats drinking tea, Germany is large beer drinkers, etc etc. The Japan, China and Africa scenes cause controversy in this day due to their depictions, with claims of racism from the park. The park have denied these claims, but do seemingly agree now that it's time for an update to give a better reflection for how the regions are today.
January 30, 20196 yr comment_262658 One would presume if they're going to update the character models to be less racist, they'll be doing similar to Monsieur Cannibal? The Flemish countries are quite weird with some of their cultural things in terms of what we might construe as racist, but I guess if they're changing stuff it's to continue developing a much more wider attraction for visitors of all sorts... I dunno...
January 31, 20196 yr comment_262672 The changes to Carnival sound interesting, especially as they will largely affect scenes that some have considered racist. Loopings have uploaded concept art of the changes being made to the African scene. The outfits definitely seem more authentic, but hopefully fitting as if they’ve always existed. I'm not sure what the China and Japan scenes will entail after the changes, but I expect the figures will the teeth are the most likely to be adjusted/removed. As long as these scenes still fit in within the current attraction, I don’t mind the change. One could say, this is Efteling’s equivalent to when Disney changed the ‘Red Head’ scenes in their POTC attractions. Carnival isn’t my favourite Efteling attraction, but I’m aware it is probably one of their most popular and iconic, at least with native guests. Monseur Cannibal is a strange and interesting one as it’s also quite popular but would argue is a lot more offensive than Carnival. Will we see the attraction ‘watered down’, completely rethemed or removed entirely?
February 12, 20196 yr comment_262813 DOUBLE POST***- but that was over two weeks ago. Carnaval won’t be the only classic set for drastic changes, as the park’s Vintage Car attraction (Oude Tufferbaan) is set for a major renovation. Loopings reports approximately 1.8 million euros will be spent on the Tufferbaan renovation, replacing the vehicles, rail and operating system. It also mentions the car horns will interact with new scenes on the ride. There will also be a new double station which should help capacity, as ride often receives lengthy queues. Great to see Efteling developing their attractions further, showing what a top park does. 2019 is definitely a busy and exciting year for them indeed!
February 12, 20196 yr comment_262815 Efteling seem to be doing a lot of good, though the replacement for Bob does look to be a bit of a downgrade. Crossing my fingers that it's open in April, missed it by a week last October!
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