Efteling Discussion Thread

[The DisneylanderI know more about donkeys than women!]

^ If Disney doesn't attract teenagers...then how are they the most successful theme parks in the world?

It's my belief that Disney doesn't need to add thrill rides to succeed. Yes, they may add one every once in a while, but overall, they are far less dependent on them as the other park chains, simply because they're Disney and people expect Disney to be family-oriented.

If they want thrills, they can go to Six Flags.


PS. Sorry for getting off topic again.

[larrygatorObsessive Overlord of the TPR Park Index]

Everyone needs to remember that coaster enthusiasts represent a very small percentage of park attendance. Catering to coaster enthusiasts (or any small demographic) is a bad business move.

As I have noticed in this hobby, coaster enthusiasts are going to travel to a park to ride a new coaster whether the new coaster is a massive new installation or a family coaster.

Overall this looks like a great installation for Efteling. It's a people eater, can blend in well (since it won't be too high) and the GCI smoothness should appeal to many.

Most of the time, I'd rather ride a large coaster over a dark ride or small coaster, but a large installation can't just be easily plopped down in any park without it destroying the aura of the park.

[ginzoWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

Well, franky, yes. By adding thrills you can attract a great audience.

You're certainly not the only enthusiast to complain about the lack of thrill rides at Efteling. But the fact is the park is already very successful and is one of the most visited parks in Europe.

Personally, I don't see how there is much to complain about here. They're replacing a very mediocre woodie with something that should be much nicer. While I'm not a huge fan of GCII, I bet this will go over very well for Efteling and I'd love to go back some day and get lost in that labyrinth of a park again.

[Jeroen_tweeShe turned me into a donkey! I got better...]

Who told you GCI builds it? Efteling didn't!

[Solid GoldWhat would donkeys be like on the moon?]

So this pretty much sounds like the best addition ever. Themed, dueling racing woodies about 4500 feet long. If they're from GCI, then I expect this coaster in the top ten wooden honestly. Freaking nice.

[hyyyperHard Rock hyyyper]

Everyone needs to remember that coaster enthusiasts represent a very small percentage of park attendance. Catering to coaster enthusiasts (or any small demographic) is a bad business move.

I didn't say they should build something that enthousiasts want, because that would be bad for business, indeed.

The Efteling (and Disney for that matter) only appeal to people who like slow, nice and beautifull rides. If you have kids to the age of 12, that's nice. But if you want to have something for every age, you can't do with dark rides and small coasters.

[Airtime&GravityWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

Wow, the new coaster and theater both look amazing. The only other themed wooden coasters I can think of, Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain and Underground, are close to being dark rides instead of coasters, so it should be interesting to see how it turns out. Hopefully they have better luck with this than they did with the Flying Dutchman.

[TwizzlerI Love Donkeys!]

Another dueling rollar coaster for GCI? Cool.

[OldJJmanBorn when stamps were 2 cents]

If they're from GCI, then I expect this coaster in the top ten wooden honestly.

I'd seriously doubt that for a couple of reasons.

1) Efteling is nowhere near any type of thrill park. It's about the gardens, the themeing that the various rides are engulfed by, and the overall beauty of the park.

It's the type of place that is a child's first amusement park. Taken there by their parents, as they had the same experience. WHere they can ride pretty much everything. Very traditional, very slow paced.

I really don't think that Efteling would order (what an enthusiast would call) a thrill ride.

2) There's only one GCI in the "top ten" of Mitch's poll (see here), and that is Troy at #7. GCI makes good, solid, dependable coasters, which are what parks order. Not necessarily great on thrills, though I do have OzCat at #2 and Troy at #8.

To me, almost all GCI's feel pretty much the same, with the exception of the two I named above. (Honorable mention to Kentucky Rumbler.)

Even Terminator felt like I'd ridden it before, in an altered state. The only interesting thing (to me) was the combination of "tunnel, station fly by, tunnel". I doubt that will crack my top 20 woodies. That's not to say it's a bad ride, just not too high on the thrill factor. Little to no airtime, and most laterals removed, due to the high banking. Lots of great changes of direction, but again, with the banking, not much in the way of heavy (thrilling) g-forces.

GCI's tend to be mostly about sustained speed, thru the higher banking on the curves.

That being said, after being to Efteling a couple of times, I can hardly wait to see what kind of themeing Efteling does come up with. Because, pretty much everything in that park is top notch, themeing wise.


JJ

[ginzoWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

That being said, after being to Efteling a couple of times, I can hardly wait to see what kind of themeing Efteling does come up with. Because, pretty much everything in that park is top notch, themeing wise.

I'm also really curious to see what they come up with. Just replacing Pegasus is an improvement for the park by itself. I'm sure that Efteling will get the theming done well, but will this finally be the first good coaster that Efteling installs? I'm not talking top 10 material, but rather just a really solid, very fun ride that everyone likes. Efteling doesn't have anything like this right now.

Also, with the racing/dueling aspect, there's huge potential to make the coaster more interactive, like interactions between riders on each train with the riders of the other train. Just a thought. It could take "passing the sword" to a whole new level.