Despite being a Efteling fan and knowing the park since my childhood, i understand, why Robb and others are not that enthusiastic about Baron. In my opinion the outside theming is great, like all here said, but the track itself is pretty normal for an European Dive Coaster. A bit better maybe like Krake, because it has one more inversion, but in the end normal.
I think, that the goal the Baron has to achieve is to design an overall experience. If the station building with its preshow will constitute an unity with the ride itself, then the Baron will have success. All, what comes before the ride, should create a certain atmosphere, guiding to the ride.
Efteling showed in De Vliegende Hollander, that they can do something like this. Of course there are many voices saying the coaster part is too short and boring, but they're also many, who are over this – considering the atmosphere they saw at the darkride part and the queue.
Much of the enthusiasm is maybe based on the expectation, Efteling could create something similar to De vliegende Hollander. BUT: Some of the facts we know are militating against this – there will be an animatronic, which is connected to traditional ways of story telling, and there is no darkride part. So the worry is justified: what happens if Efteling didn't get this queue part right: In this way it would be „just“ a B&M-Coaster with a normal track and a very nice looking station building (and maybe an a bit annoying queue). That is nothing to be enthusiastic about, but nethertheless a good addition to park, because it's the first B&M in the park with normal technical figures for the European market with a nice setting. That's why I understand, that Robb isn't enthusiastic.
But if Efteling would be able to create something similar to De Vliegende Hollander, it's maybe another case - and that's why I understand that some people are enthusistic, though they shouldn't spam Robb like that.
An addition to „European travelling culture“: Eurpeans normally go on holiday for a couple of days or weeks, and they also take long distances for this, this is no problem and common. But the idea, to spend a couple of days at a theme park hotel or doing long voyages to theme parks is rather something with american origin. European theme parks are traditional targets for day trips (within or near two hours), allthough something changes and the European theme park hotels get bigger and bigger. But it's not nearly as good developed as (maybe?!) in the US. This narrow view may also contribute to the different assessements (also in evaluating the technical figures).