Lighting and theming of this thing look fab. However the one thing I still can't get behind is the building facade itself... It looks a lot less impressive and awe-inspiring than I thought it would! Maybe it's because the original Hartenhof design was bigger and much more impressive, but I can't help but feel underwhelmed by the outside of Symbolica
The inside however looks fantastic and I can't wait to see the ride in action when it opens!
I'm sure it's better in person, but from the videos I've see, it looks a little... Awkward?
I love parts of it like the first scene in the planetarium and the conservatory room with the screens on the wall, but the soundtrack and (what looks to be a) lack of storyline just make it seem a little stale and awkward to me. Annoying as I love Efteling, so maybe I shouldn't judge without seeing it for myself.
TBF, judging by this onride video, the whole concept looks a tad too reminiscent of Mystic Manor, although this version lacks the amazing soundtrack and good story-telling that the Disney dark ride has.
Pretty but a bit WTF, just like most other dark rides at Efteling. Random magic and fairies everywhere.
Seems like most of the reviews are positive, but some people had their expectations way too high I think. I never expected it to be better than Droomvlucht and Fata Morgana and now people are surprised that it's (apparently) not. My expectations have always been managable so I think I'll really enjoy it. Those reviews that complain about the lack of story makes me wonder though, if they could explain the story of Droomvlucht to me... When has that ever been a problem? All in all, seems like a very decent addition to Efteling without being anything mind-boggling.
I really don't think people are expecting too much - the friend that I know has been on it didn't really expect much (it is Efteling after all) and he still left somewhat confused by the whole experience. Some people like Efteling and what they do, some don't, but by saying that some people had too high expectations is completely derogatory towards their opinions.
I definitely had my expectations high, but only because of Efteling's previous work. Baron, Flying Dutchman and Fata Morgana etc are all beautiful and so when they announced this, I'm pretty sure everyone had great expectations? I don't think it's fair to say people were expecting too much, when if anything, it's a compliment to the park that people do think so highly.
Those reviews that complain about the lack of story makes me wonder though, if they could explain the story of Droomvlucht to me... When has that ever been a problem?
That's just a stupid rhetoric that's stemmed from Disney where people now think it's necessary to have a half arsed stories, shoehorned into any ride, explicitly spoon fed to them without any subtext, despite the existence of Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Pirates etc. From watching the POV there is an obvious basic story line and the preshow probably outlines it even more.
Will obviously hold judgement till I ride it but I DO think the lack of story could have a slight negative impact for me. Having ridden Mystic Manor (and rate it up there as possibly my favorite dark ride, depending on mood) there were always going to be comparisons. I LIKE this very much, but I can't help feeling there's something missing. Obviously might change my mind when I come to ride it. Can't wait for winteraum.
Living for the little musical easter eggs in the soundtrack.
That first POV of the back of people's heads made it look dreadful. I'm glad I watched the official one - haven't watched the 2nd two yet - because this actually looks lovely.
I agree that a story doesn't necessarily matter. Plenty of dark ride don't have them and are still very good.
For a non-Disney/Universal dark ride, this actually looks stunning.
I think they've done an amazing job on the ride! It looks awesome! I really like the scene with the whale in the conservatory! Really great effect, and it certainly has Efteling's signature charm and quality about it!
A video has been uploaded of the pre-show, which again looks awesome! I love the ending, and how they lead guests into the ride! It's such a sad feeling knowing we will never see any ride of this quality in the UK.
I rode this yesterday and can happily say it's good fun.
Efteling dark rides aren't my cup of tea (since I generally prefer darker stuff to the whimsical / magical things), but this is my favourite Efteling dark ride. The story is very basic and easy to follow, but it doesn't feel like it is lacking in that department.
The theming and animatronic are truly astounding. There's loads of smells throughout. There's little details which I'm sure you don't notice in POVs. It's also the only Efteling dark ride where it is 360 degree themed; the floor, ceiling and all walls are perfectly themed all the time, and there's no 'filler tunnels'. Makes the experience all the more interesting and fun.
Also, the single rider queue is a great option if you don't mind your route. Due to 2 rows on 3, it is practically always moving, and you still get the full preshow experience!
So all in all, it's probably not going to be everyone's favourite ever dark ride. But it is good, it is fun, and I'm sure that even if people don't necessarily like it, they'll be able to appreciate it's quality and the effort put into it.
^ Thanks for the little review, I'll ride it next week somewhere! Also, I'd argue that Fata Morgana is quite dark . It includes themes like poverty, prostitution, slavery, etc.
There are bits of it I love (mostly the fabulous whale), but overall it looks like it's a bit... stale? The pace just seems a bit off. It looks impeccably themed, but to lack a bit of pace. Of course it's just a video, so who knows.
I also feel like I can throw a stone in Efteling and hit five other attractions with the same sort of look and feel - it doesn't give me anything different? It's just Efteling doing Efteling again, and that's for some people, but I think it's ****ing ****.
Rode Symbolica yesterday on my first visit to the park. Symbolica was also my first ride of the day.
The outside is even better in person than in photos and the preshow is good with the extra surprise at the end and a great animatronic (the efteling elf guy). The actual ride has the three paths so it's got some rerideability (although not so much at the moment because the queues are long)! We chose the treasures path.
The ride is stunningly themed from start to finish. There are some beautiful rooms in it, including the whale room, astronomy room (which looks much better in person that the photos above) and the feast scene room. I can't get massively excited about these trackless rides (and tbh I'm not a dark ride enthusiast, although I do love some dark rides) but for what it is, this ride was a stunning example of what could be done and I think will really appeal to families. The attention to detail was fab, as it is with the whole park! For me it seemed like a great addition to the park.
I finally rode it today and I loved it. I got four rides on it. One ride of each tour and then a re-ride on the treasure tour. Queue was moving pretty fast and the single rider queue is a blessing! It was 5 mins all day.
It's utterly gorgeous visually. Incredibly themed all over. It looks much better in person than it does on any photo/video.
I don't get the complaints about the lack of story. In my opinion, the context that the ride has works great.
Basically, you get invited for a royal meeting with the king. During the queue you get prepared by this extremely "proper" servant. He is constantly reading rules and reminding everyone that you need to look tidy, etc. He's a really funny character if you speak Dutch. Lots of puns and just the way he's so obsessed with getting everything perfect is done in such an exaggerated way that's it's fab. He does say some English things but it's just not the same. Anyway, during the preshow he starts reading all this rules while Pardoes (who is naughty and a bit of a rebel) suddenly interrupts him. He points out that this is boring and how we might as well do something more fun. Then he opens up the stairway revealing a special passage (which is a brilliant effect!). Despite the servant begging you to not go in, you enter the pathway and via a spiral staircase you go to the station.
Then you get into the cars and get a tour around the palace, passing the observatory (meeting one of the characters who seems so concentrated on his work that he doesn't even notice guests passing by), panoramic balcony, botanical garden, a library-ish area. Most scenes have Pardoes chanting spells to make stuff happen. Sometimes it goes a bit wrong (the whale nearly breaking out of the aquarium). Eventually you get in the royal room which has Polle delivering a pile of pancakes for the banquet, Pardoes and Pardijntje and the proper servant sitting at the table. You also see the king who seems too concerned about drinking lots of alcohol that he doesn't give a damn that you were just wandering around the palace freely and going through areas where you shouldn't be.
It's not a complicated story but it works brilliantly as a context for the ride. The ride itself is so imaginative. There is such a large amount of fantasy thrown in. Some might find certain stuff random, but I feel that's the point. It's a palace of a fantasy world full of bizarre things. It never gets *too* ridiculous though.
The preshow is short but very sweet! During all four rides it resulted in people gasping and wowing. Definitely left a big impact on the GP. I had avoided spoilers so I was quite impressed with it too.
For some reason I found it really re-ridable. I rode it four times and it still left me wanting more. I never get that with dark rides. There's just so much to see, so much going on and the three tours have some subtle differences (even aside from the "exclusive" effect in the second to last room that each tour gets).
The music is wonderful and stuck with me for the rest of the day. I could hear people whistling it in other areas of the park too.
My problems with it then.
First of all, the biggest problem; the interactive stuff. The second to last scene has an effect that you can activate by pressing buttons on a touch screen which is only on the front row. Each different tour has its own scene. However, it's unresponsive, unnecessary and left a lot of people confused. The effects were really cool so I would prefer it if they just made it automatic instead of having to have people press buttons in order to get something to happen. During my first ride nobody in the front row did anything so nothing happened. Very anti-climactic. But even if people pressed buttons, the actual influence on the effect seemed really delayed?
The outside queue is fine. It's green, has nice music, the servant guy saying stuff and some riddles plastered on the walls. But like Baron, it could've been more. It's mostly just two big cattlepens and some pathways inbetween. I wish they could've made it like a true garden instead of just a couple of trees. Aside from Vliegende Hollander, which has (one of) the best themed queue(s) I've ever seen, Efteling still doesn't quite get queues right.
Small thing. I'm not a big fan of Pardoes' voice. I imagined it differently all these years and it just didn't work well for me.
Overall, it's an excellent addition to the park. It seems to be a big succes for the GP. The small points of criticism some people had about the timing being off and stuff not working seems to have been fixed. It's a great ride for all ages. It's modern, but still has all of the traditional charms of Efteling rides. No stupid 3D crap or screens. Just a traditional dark ride with a modern ride system. Yeah, I'm really impressed.
Efteling and Phantasialand have been setting a new standard of theming with their new additions over the past ten years. I can't think of any other park in Europe on a similar level of such consistent high quality theming on every ride they add.
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