July 9, 20178 yr comment_250723 Presumably Baron is unreliable because of the pre-lift stuff and that it's not got the curve of faff (different systems)... Though this is the park that had Flying Dutchman open AN ENTIRE YEAR late, but that's what you get when dealing with Kumbak... I'd imagine the Symbolica issues will get ironed out eventually like any new thing, least it's just a pre show needing fixing not the entire ride
July 11, 20178 yr comment_250788 On 09/07/2017 at 7:35 AM, Benin said: I'd imagine the Symbolica issues will get ironed out eventually like any new thing, least it's just a pre show needing fixing not the entire ride Ghost Train says hi.
August 28, 20178 yr comment_252064 Efteling are set to trial out a new, free to use, reduced queue time system on Python from next month... https://www.looopings.nl/weblog/8310/Doorbraak-Efteling-krijgt-gratis-FastPass-systeem.html It is exactly like Reserve n Ride.
August 30, 20177 yr comment_252106 Very mixed about this announcement as I don't think Efteling necessarily needs a fastpass type system in there. However should it work similar to the current system DLRP have, they it could be handy and not affect things too much.
August 30, 20177 yr comment_252115 remember when reserve and ride was being trialled and there were all those comments saying it was going to become a permanent fixture the following season. ha
August 31, 20177 yr comment_252116 In fairness, if there's any park that can make a RnR style system work, it's Efteling. They have the infrastructure and the attraction line up for people to have enough to do whilst virtually waiting. Trialling it on Python, their least popular major attraction, makes sense too. And there could be a need for it - on busy days, the park does get long queues. I don't think it'll work wide scale because people won't want to faff about with it. But it will be interesting to see how the Dutch (and European) crowds react to it in practice Still hilarious seeing Efteling essentially copy Thorpe yet again though...
August 31, 20177 yr comment_252117 I quite like the way Everland do their ride reserve system. It only applies on their major attractions (4 in total I think). It only operates on weekends and public holidays. It stops running at 3pm and the queues for those 4 attractions go back to being free for all. It's still far too much faff in my opinion though. I kind of want this trial to fail if I'm honest.
September 18, 20177 yr comment_252752 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-41285046/one-theme-park-s-trick-to-cut-rollercoaster-queues The first theme park to introduce a ride and reserve system ey... Nice bit of exposure for Efteling though.
September 18, 20177 yr comment_252767 "You're just here for the rides..." - except Efteling is one of the few theme parks that isn't just about rides, and if that's all you do there, you're foolish. But yeah, good to see more Efteling creeping up in the UK media.
September 18, 20177 yr comment_252771 Maybe it'll be the "first park to adequately introduce such a system"? Guess since most British parks don't really have much focus on other aspects (bar Chessie with the zoo) then it's logical to go on about the rides for a fluff piece...
September 20, 20177 yr comment_252792 Not a fan of this virtual queuing idea personally, I'd much rather see one fast moving queue with efforts focused on the ride throughput.
September 20, 20177 yr comment_252793 To be fair, Efteling are pretty good with throughputs and their queues are quick moving, with only the old rides like Python and Bob being quite slow. They don't have Fastrack queues, and only 2 SRQs (Baron and Symbolica). So they do focus on 1 quick moving queue mostly. It's also worth noting that Carnival Festival (their omnimover which can get like 2 hour queues on busy days) has recently had an app made, which can interact with stuff in the queue now. Makes me think they're trying loads of different ideas to try and improve people's queueing experience (since there's little more they can do with throughputs), and see what works best.
September 21, 20177 yr comment_252794 13 hours ago, Coaster said: Not a fan of this virtual queuing idea personally, I'd much rather see one fast moving queue with efforts focused on the ride throughput. Virtual queuing could work at Efteling, it has enough around the place and it's big enough for people to be spread around without affecting other rides queues too much. It was doomed at Thorpe but it has a chance here.
September 21, 20177 yr comment_252796 I can forsee issues of people being stuck in the middle of the Fairytale Forest of Forever and suddenly realising they need to go on Python, but that's not exactly the park's fault...
November 8, 20177 yr comment_253903 Python has long been rumoured to get a full track replacement, and now it's finally happening... https://www.looopings.nl/weblog/8922/Fotos-dit-is-de-nieuwe-baan-van-de-Python-in-de-Efteling.html And a Dutch video - https://www.tvl.be/nieuws/achels-bedrijf-mag-legendarische-eftelingattractie-renoveren-51458?utm_content=buffer8bbf4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer Interestingly, the track isn't being manufactured at/by Vekoma, but instead by a metal manufacturing company closer to Efteling. It's not really clear if that company has been sub-contracted by Vekoma, or if Efteling have gone to this company with plans for them to follow... As far as I can tell, deconstruction is planned to start in early January and new Python is hoped to be ready by March, and that's the only time the ride will be closed. Rather ambitious time scale really! It's a shame that Efteling have decided to keep Python. It's caused countless problems over the years and doesn't really fit with the park these days. It's arguably the least popular coaster too - during all my visits, it's always had the shortest queue and lowest throughput. Efteling argue it's historic and has sentimental value, hence why they want to keep it. I can see the point and all, but I just don't think 'a lot of people have fond memories of it' is a good enough reason to keep a ride. And surely they could incorporate it in some other way, similar to how Towers reused Corkscrew..
November 9, 20177 yr comment_253913 Think it's time to unleashed my inner Efteling fan boy and you guys can't judge till you put your Phantasia ones to sleep. It's a weird decision but I'll stand by their side on 2 conditions. It doesn't take money or land from lovely new stuff and they have a go at theming it this time round. I think it's important to conserve history and who are we to say if it's important to the park or it's visitors? Remember Chessie is in it's current state partly because new mangers have lost their grip on the roots of the park and don't respect what they currently have.
November 9, 20177 yr comment_253915 Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Efteling. Even though in many ways it's not a park for me (I'm not a big fan of the fairytale vibe), I still get absorbed into the magic. And I get why they're keeping it - Python is a flagship coaster not only for the park, but for the Netherlands as a whole. They could easily ride on the nostalgia value of it for another 30 years quite easily. But that's where my conflict comes. At some point, you need to let go of nostalgia and say it's time to move forward. It's not like we're talking about a certain feature, pathway, garden or something a bit more 'just there', we're talking about a coaster that is taking up space and resources, and could make way for something better and more Efteling. I'm all for conserving history and remembering a park's roots, especially at Efteling where something like that is so important. But I think there's better ways to do than keep shaking the tree from a ride which shouldn't have a place any more. They could do what Towers did Corkscrew, and turn part of the track into a monument of some sorts. Build a new coaster that incorporates the double loop in its layout. Add a section into Fairytale Forest with a story around Python. It can be done, and Efteling would do it well. A more pressing matter though - if the track is being totally rebuilt and it isn't coming from Vekoma, does it count as a new cred?
November 9, 20177 yr comment_253919 3 hours ago, BaronC. said: A more pressing matter though - if the track is being totally rebuilt and it isn't coming from Vekoma, does it count as a new cred? Depends how Duane feels doesn't it? Apparently doing this with a Zierer Tivoli doesn't count as a new cred (even though the park itself said so), same for Hulk; yet EuroSat is a new cred? I'm on the fence about this... I love seeing parks take care of stuff that is truly iconic to the park and guests (pretty much everyone in Holland has ridden Python), and to be fair it doesn't really prevent any form of major expansion where it is currently sat... What could go in it's stead that is to the scale of Efteling's more recent additions? Efteling's nostalgia is part of the charm... Though of course most of the actual nostalgia is from the 90s ride wise, I wonder if Pegasus' spite for Joris drew some interesting remarks from fans and guests alike made them rethink things...
November 19, 20177 yr comment_254108 In other news, Symbolica currently has had its interactive features (touchscreens on the front row that let you play mini games and dance the car at certain points) disabled, whilst the park decide what to do with it. The touchscreens added next to nothing to the experience, arguable they were more a distraction, so it'll be interesting to see what they do.
November 19, 20177 yr comment_254110 Not necessarily a bad thing, although bizarre how it's been disabled. Think the system just adds unneeded jealousy to back row riders personality.
November 21, 20177 yr comment_254139 Efteling are joining the VR fad....... But this time, it's for good reason! https://www.efteling.com/nl/pers/efteling-komt-met-een-virtuele-beleving-van-droomvlucht/ It's always been a shame that one of their biggest attractions could not allow those with severe disabilities on it, so for this to come in I'm all for it... Good job Efteling...
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.