I would visit Efteling any day. Yet, on a sunny day right after the summer, the park really blossoms. On top of that, during these special times, the Dutch parks are probably the only ones that don’t require you to wear a mask in Europe. Time for a walk through the park!
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As we arrived quite late, the main coasters already had an hour long queue. Although that might seem ok, for us who visit regularly, we weren’t in the mood for that. So we started the day at the more quite parts of the park in the morning. First up: Droomvlucht. We hadn’t visited the park all summer, so to our surprise, we saw the new extended queue for the ride! Instead of turning left once you enter, you now walk through the usually reserved event space of the ride.
I had never seen it before and although it looks a bit dated, I’d definitely hold an event here.
After a dreamy ride, we walked towards our first coaster of the day. Vogel Rok ran great, especially with the starry sky that they added in recent years. I have to admit though that with an empty stomach, this ride can make you feel dizzy.
We also noticed that some rides got a festival kind of entrance now for the extended queue. Vogel Rok has one and the nearby Carnaval Festival too. Besides that, as more people stopped following the distance rules, they now have special staff members roaming the park to ensure that people keep following the measures.
I can’t skip a ride on Pagode to see the park from above. We ate right next to it as we were in the mood for something different than fries. They have quite good rice & noodles that perfectly fit this Asian corner of the park.
Meanwhile, the queue for Vogel Rok got longer too as the extended queue was in use.
Our favorite dark ride at the park, Fata Morgana, was under refurbishment unfortunately.
Instead, we did Symbolica. Once again, the more I ride it, the more I like it. The only part that keeps bothering me are the tour specific moments right before the final scene. They lack a bit of grandeur, except for the Treasure Tour. We had the Music Tour so “playing” an instrument is fun but it’s basically an ugly corner with an instrument. Another thing that changed compared to last time: they don’t do the preshow anymore…
As you know, only a handful of new coasters opened in 2020, especially in Europe. Yet, the park opened two new ones! This time, we were obviously allowed to take pictures so here’s the atmosphere at the new dueling Powered coaster Max & Moritz!
In the queue, you can find more about the two rascals and all the kinds of mischief they are up to. The jokes are actually pretty sad but then again, the idea’s that kids wrote them on the wall. Like here: “If you read this, you’re crazy”.
What’s more fun, are the different interactive elements in the queue. One of which: the whoopee cushion organ!
Although the ride is new, another interactive element already got covered up. The “Boemknaller” used to be a pump which would create a big splash effect in one of the ponds near the coasters. However, as people stopped to try it out, it blocked of the queue which especially now was an issue. The park promised to look into an alternative though.
As for the coasters, I confirmed my previous statement: Max is better than Moritz. The first lap, both rides pretty much offer the same experience. During the second lap though, Max really packs an unexpected punch in the first helixes of the ride.
Moritz gets more speed towards the middle of the ride but it’s less snappy. 
The station remains pretty functional instead of overly themed. I do like the animatronic element and the way it’s perfectly timed with the ride.
My favorite animatronic of the ride has to be this one though!”Alles kaput!”
During the busiest time of the day, we had a stroll in the Fairytale Forest. I can understand that non-Dutch/Belgian people might have a harder time appreciating it. Yet, you can’t deny that you really go for a walk in a forest with awesome theming along the way.
My favorite inhabitant has to be this one though: Langnek!
There’s now an ice cream shop on the square near him, which is a perfect place to rest and listen to the story. While we were there, we noticed that he had made a friend! A butterfly landed on his forehead!
Ok now, Langnek. Don’t move or it’ll fly away.
However, a more recent pair always attracts my attention too. At the Pinocchio fairytale, I really like the cat and the fox!
Even more recent is the new fairytale that got added: “The Six Swans” which also the first mechanical ride in the forest. Probably the shortest ride I’ve ever done. The rides a circle with (surprisingly) six swans that you can board. They enter the cave but you don’t even stop for the story. If you see a queue, don’t wait for it.
We ended the day with the more thrilling rides. Baron 1898 gets filled up better with two pairs of two allowed to be seated in one row. Perfectly happy with that as this ride had one of the longest queue during the day.
I also really appreciated the theming again of this ride. And the first drop surprised me too with some fun airtime! After that, it’s just a smooth ride towards the station.
We continued with a ride on Python. If the queue is filled until the regular entrance, don’t hesitate to go in. You won’t have to wait more than 30 minutes.
To end the day, we had to choose between Vliegende Hollander and Joris en de Draak. The latter only having a queue of 30 minutes compared to 45 for DVH, the choice was made for us. Interestingly, they have transformed the temporary queue space into a real covid-proof queue with screens. That way, there’s also regular midway again for people who want to walk from Joris all the way to Fata Morgana. On our ECK Instagram, we asked which one you guys prefer best: “Water” (Blue side) or “Vuur” (Red side). Eventually, you agreed with me: “Water” is the best side. I feel that it became more intense over time while “Vuur” can get a bit too rough sometimes.
That’s it for this time! We’ll probably head back in autumn where the park will be stunning as it will be in its most colorful state possible!
