Efteling Discussion Thread

[KBrylczyk]

Please let it be a dark ride through a graveyard.

[Masquerade]

If the Ghost song doesn't pop up at least once...

[RCT3Bross]

So small rant warning ahead.

A little over a week ago the park has announced the closing date of Spookslot, September 4th, and this has reawaken the whole discussion of closing the ride.

At first I say I did enjoy hearing people asking for it to remain in the park, To see some genuine love for the ride and because we didn't know what the future held on that moment a bit of fear of what will come for it's place. The petition I really rolled my eye's on, like what did they expect kind of way.

Then what I thought went a bit to far but still whatever was that heritage groups where thinking about giving the ride monument status to prevent the building being demolished. Like it's not a real castle guys, I know the ride meant a lot to the parks history, but it's a 44 year old building that slowly becomes a hazard to even be inside of (it's far from it but it's getting there slowly). But this didn't seem serious.

This past week however we had 1 news article basically begging the park to reconsider and one of those heritage groups is actually trying for real to fast track the monument status on the building to prevent the destruction. Now I'm really like, come on guy's it's over just accept it. I think having a hard time accepting the news is one thing, but after six months still going so far to basically trying to turn a attraction into a monument is getting way, and I mean way too ridicules.

This also would have made more sense to me if the new ride was something completely different, but we're basically getting an upgrade of the old attraction, same theme and if rumors are true same principle just interactive and old elements will return in the new ride, and these rumors seem to be very legit. 

Again I'm sorry bit I just cannot wrap my brain about this. Like for sure I will miss the ride when it's gone but you can go too far if you ask me.

[RCT3Bross]

Double Post but it has been months so. I wanted to give another update on the park as things had been better but are worse again.

Also I have taken pictures also from the last day of Spookslot but I have a new phone and cannot link it up to my PC so a satellite image has to do.

First the latest things not marked. 70th anniversary stuff has come and gone and the rebuilding of the fairy tale that was suppose to be complete in winter 2022 has already warped up. Now what is marked down, every ring I marked down is currently inaccessible for visitors as major constructions are going on there.

Dark Red: This is the area blocked for the construction of the hotel, currently they are working on the foundation. l marked with pink how guest get to the main pathways what is basically going over the new dock of Aquanura.

Orange crosses fairytale forest:  Two fairy tales are undergoing heavy maintenance right now, Rapunzel and Little Thumbling both covered in scaffolding.

Yellow: This used to house the Alice in Wonderland display for the 70th anniversary but is now taken down to make room for the winter area opening November 15th, this will see the return of the ice-skating ring for the first time in 3 years.

Purple: Is for Danse Macabre, yes all of it. While the bit at Spookslot makes sense as that is the place where the ride is going to be placed, the lake will be used for a different purpose, namely to supply the site. Currently the lake has been dried up and filled with roads these roads go through the the trees what makes me think that the current gap will be placed next to the lake in the future and they close the current one. The dark yellow line is a new path to avoid having to go all the way to the bridges to avoid the construction work. The lavender line is the current queue for Fabula.

Red: Save the big one for last. While not the biggest area but George and the Dragon is closed again. It has been open this year now and then sometimes only blue track sometimes only red track sometimes both. But this time they are going above and beyond. The ride will be closed until December 23th to undergo retracking work, currently pieces for track have been removed allover the ride and will be replaced with Iron wood rails, this is however temporary, as George and the Dragon will become a full on Hybrid coaster soon, when the ride reopens in December the corners on the Python side will be replaced with Titan track form GCI, with the idea that all track will be replaced in the coming years. Also Edna the dragon after 3 years will get her movement back, however no water splashing and no fire, just neck movement and Growls for now. Also for people wondering what is with the grassy area next to the Python, this is where they drop the removed track for now.

Grey: This is just closed off because of everything going on behind it.

Future: So we have all this going on till at least November 15th with only the Yellow area going open. Currently we have 4 other rides closing for maintenance soon:

Symbolica 10 October till 21 October 2022

Villa Volta 10 October till 14 October 2022

Aquanura 16 October till 23 October 2022

And another big one: 

Droomvlucht: 31 October 2022 till 3 March 2023

Yes all four will overlap with the current stuff (except maybe the fairy-tales idk), and I have no idea what will happen to Flying Dutchman and Piraña November 15th as they usually close and get maintenance done during the winter months but they are not on the calendar this year, so maybe they want to compensate for other rides being closed.

That was everything going on right now, lots to cover so yeah.

 

[DenBrabo]

The ride system has been revealed just a moment ago:
 

It seems to be a total new design made together with the Efteling and Intamin.
Seems to be something interesting since the whole thing has movements that can do a lot.
6 smaller discs can turn around with each holding 18 persons.
The large disc (18meters in diameter) can tilt, rotate, go up/down and create a kind of free fall effect.
Really looking forward for this one.

[KBrylczyk]

Alright, that looks pretty dang funky.

[Nrthwnd]

^^ That looks pretty cool and unique.

[jarmor]

Wish more parks in the US would invest in rides like the mad house and this new one.  Indoors, large capacity and probably can have different sequences.

[jedimaster1227]

Efteling has announced that an updated scene will be added to De Vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) coaster. The new scene will debut on April 1st, 2023.

https://www.efteling.com/nl/blog/nieuws/20230202-nieuwe-scene-voor-de-vliegende-hollander

Starting April 1, the new scene will have you sailing through a graveyard of derelict shipwrecks. Efteling Designer Karel Willemen explains the design.

 

What do you think the new scene will look like?

Karel: “The curtain of rain, where the ghost of a ghost ship suddenly approaches you during the ride, regularly provides extra maintenance. That is why we have chosen to replace this scene during the regular winter maintenance of De Vliegende Hollander. Nice detail: in the new decor we use the large wooden figureheads that were made years ago for the attraction, but which we have not been able to install until now.”

The key visual of the new scene in the water attraction De Vliegende Hollander by Efteling Designer Karel Willemen.

Audio directs the revamped scene

“Previously, the pouring rain drowned out the audio, but in the situation from April 1, we can let the music and soundscapes play a greater role,” Karel continues. “Together with composer René Merkelbach, I looked at whether the existing music still needed to be adapted. We soon found out that it fits the new scene perfectly. We even let the music direct what you see while sailing: lightning strikes to the beat of the music, the water splashes up and the shipwrecks with their immense figureheads loom. I think it will be fantastic.”

De Vliegende Hollander will open again on Saturday, April 1, 2023. In honor of the reopening, a new music album will be available on Spotify and other streaming services. 

Description of the first part of the ride in De Vliegende Hollander

After embarking, we sail out of the seventeenth-century harbor in a sloop. We pass two impressive VOC ships and reach the open sea. The starry sky seems to predict a calm weather picture, but nothing could be further from the truth. We get into a dense fog with our sloop and hear lugubrious ghosts all around us and their echoes from past, present and future. In the distance, a ship's bell sounds panicked…

When we sail out of the fog bank, we see driftwood floating in the night darkness, barrels and boxes on which ship rats have taken refuge. Then: a lightning strike! The seawater splashes meters up and the bright light briefly shows us a shipwreck with a mouldering, angelic figurehead. We are sailing through a ship graveyard! A second and third lightning strike reveals in a short flash several wrecks and figureheads that seem to sing to us like Sirens.

Then suddenly: darkness and ominous silence, we hold our breath! Frontally in front of us, De Vliegende Hollander looms with much fanfare and comes straight at us. The infamous ghost ship, with a smoldering figurehead in the form of a bloodthirsty lion, was waiting for us, pulling us in and swallowing us! We crash into the depths of the underworld; the darkest part of the soul of De Vliegende Hollander…

About The Flying Dutchman

Since 2007 you can defy the age-old legend of ghost ship De Vliegende Hollander in this spectacular water roller coaster. At the beginning of 2004, a start will be made on the attraction on the site of the former open-air swimming pool. Karel Willemen is designing a harbor town with a 22.5 meter high tower for this purpose. A dune landscape and De Kombuys with terrace complete the surroundings. The Flying Dutchman tells the story of the greedy VOC captain, Willem van der Decken. Against all rules, he sails to the East on Easter Sunday 1678, in the middle of a heavy storm. His ship turns into a fiery ghost ship doomed to sail the world's seas forever. An encounter with this ship in the adventure attraction is not excluded at all…

 

 

[Robin Hemerik]

Danse Macabre area.

[Robin Hemerik]

Really keen to see how Danse Macabre will turn out. The artwork looks stunning, and their final builds are usually quite close to concept art.

[Johano]

Nice drone picture showing the current status of Danse Macabre, and the big maintenance works at Joris and the Draak and Pirana. 

 

[Robin Hemerik]

The scaffolding has been removed. Looking state-of-the-art already.

Pics by Efteling and their designer, Jeroen Verheij:

 

[Nrthwnd]

^ The exterior of the attraction is so EPIC, and "Grandiose"... dark and dirty, too LOL.

They did a marvelous design on the exterior of the show building. Excellent!