ThomVD
Giga Poster
Yesterday was the media day of Baron 1898 in Efteling, the new B&M dive coaster. I was invited to join and even get one of the first official rides. I was very excited, so I arrived at the park way too early. I got myself a wristband, ticket for the second row on Baron and this fab looking USB stick.
I also had to dress up as a miner with a cap and a scarf, hilarious stuff. I was then escorted to a waiting area with plenty of food and drinks. I was standing there for a couple of minutes and then suddenly I saw a very familiar face... Xtremerides is probably the most famous Dutch theme park vlogger/youtuber and I'm a huge fan of his videos, so I couldn't stop myself and had to approach him. After having goon talks for about an hour, the event was about to start.
After a short speech about what the plan for the event was, we were escorted to the ride area. Once we arrived there, the 36 first riders (including me) had to take their place next to the ride entrance. Unfortunately that wasn't exactly the VIP spot to see the opening ceremony. There were two screens where they played trailers and other stuff, but one screen was right behind a part of the track from our angle, and the other screen was out of sight too. We could also only see the backs of the people that were talking. It was still great to be there. DJ Hardwell showed off his remix of the ride music and CEO Fons Jurgens held a speech too. Then it was time to ride!
We were the first people to walk into the building but one thing that annoyed me is that they didn't show the pre-shows properly the first go, we could immediately get on the ride. Also a shame that I got on the second row, because dive coasters seemed much better in the front. That aside, it was such an honour to be one of the first riders! I will do a proper report on the ride during my second go on the front, but the first ride disappointed me slightly. I didn't get a good view of the drop because of the row in front of me, nor did the tunnel have any effect on me. The ride was glass smooth and all the elements were taken with good pace, but because of a couple of annoyances it was still a bit less than I'd hoped for. The fact that the ride lasts so short also didn't help. It was still a great ride though.
But then...
Queue
To get a proper experience on the ride I immediately got in the queue again, this time for the front row. The short line was still moving slow, but I will get to that later. The queue itself is nothing special. It provides decent views of the ride, but the lack of shade is a major downside. Especially when it's 35 degrees during the official opening (and still a hot 29 degrees during the media day). After about 20 minutes I entered the building. They give you a ticket with the row you will be in when you move into the building. They constantly let 36 people in. Single riders get added to the group if there aren't 36 riders in yet.
Preshows (SPOILERS)
Let me start by saying I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the building, sadly. In any case, the amount of detail inside the building (that I didn't have time to have a proper look at during the first go) is quite incredible, and also overwhelming. It really takes multiple goes to notice every little thing. First you wait in a small room, but then when the group is complete the doors open and you enter the first preshow room (which is a well themed dressing room).
The show starts immediately. You hear Baron Gustave Hooghmoed talking to you about how you, miners, have to descent down to the mineshaft to find the treasures. They did an effort to make the ride more international, so foreigners don't need to worry. Sometimes he says some stuff in English, and if he doesn't there are usually screens with translations. They've really managed to make it all fluent without pulling you out of the immersion too much, which was a problem in the multi-language Belgian madhouses. Then the 'Witte Wieven' come in to spoil the party, and warn you about how you can't enter the mineshaft. High quality projections and some effects happen. The pre-show is quite short though, probably lasts about 2 minutes, and it doesn't hinder the capacity because you still need to wait for a bit before the next doors open. I could describe every little thing about the shows, but it's better to just see it in person. It's quite good, and not too long to be a burden whatsoever.
The second 'preshow' is hardly a preshow, but more an area where everybody gets assigned to their seats. You have to give the ticket you got at the entrance and then they assign you to your row. Meanwhile you see the Baron's animatronic, which while impressive was also a tiny bit robotic in his movement. He tells you more stuff about how you have to enter his cart to descent down the mine. Then, when the doors open you finally see the station, which is full of detail everywhere. From mining equipment, to a lever that they actually use for the dispatch!! That little thing just made me so happy <3 Then when you get on the trains you dispatch.
Before you actually go up the lift you get a little pre-lift preshow that maybe lasts 30 seconds. You see the Witte Wieven again to give you a last warning and to intimidate you further. Then the steam machine starts spinning, and so do the wheels at the top of the tower. Up you go.
So to conclude about the preshows. I was really worried about that it would make re-riding burdenous, but they really don't. They are short, flow well, and just give you something to look at during inevitable waiting times. They're brilliant and add to the immersion and overall experience.
Ride
The lifthill is very fast, and when you get to the top you can really notice how massive the wheels are. The bells start ringing both when you crest the top and the second before you drop. It's such a cool touch. The drop is just fantastic. Hanging over the edge seeing the drop go straight into thick mist is such a good moment of suspense. The height of the drop is perfect and while it packs a punch it also isn't too intense for a park like Efteling. Don't get me wrong though, it's a very thrilling drop and gets the job done. The mist and tunnel gives an amazing head/footchopper effect, and the combination of both of these things make this one of my favourite first drops I've done so far. Sadly I haven't ridden other dive coasters, but I don't think the drop has to be much bigger than this. It gets the job done.
Then you get into the immelman straight away. Pulling up from the drop into that element is quite forceful and then the exit gives some good floater. Zero G Roll follows which is taken with good speed. It felt very similar to Black Mamba's zero G roll, which is a good thing! The helix that follows pulls some good Gs and is once again taken with high speed. The little hill at the end gives a surprisingly nice pop of airtime in the front and then it hits the brakes. Every single element delivers and is worthwhile. Despite that, it is still too short for my taste. It's over before you know it.
Conclusion
As great as Baron is as a coaster, it does lower my expectations of Oblivion a bit. I just can't believe that one drop, no matter how much bigger it is, can make me love the ride. Baron's drop is the highlight of the coaster part, but every other element that follows is also good fun. The coaster, coupled with incredibly immersive theming make Baron an excellent attraction. There aren't many coasters that combine world class theming with an actual high quality coaster part. And for that reason it deserves a spot in my top 10.
Capacity is a problem though. I'm still not sure why, but the coaster doesn't hit the capacity that it can potentially get. The line moves slow, and the queues build up fast. I hope this will get sorted one way or another, but be prepared to queue for 120ish minutes the first couple of months.
How do I rank it compared to other coasters? Joris en de Draak is still my favourite coaster in Efteling, ride-wise. It just feels more satisfying and enjoyable. Black Mamba still rules in the theming department, although this one isn't far behind. But like I said above, the combination of coaster and theming make it one hell of a ride. Efteling have done an excellent job and have a new highlight in the park! They've managed to build a thrill ride that is still very much in Efteling style.
Pros:
-Excellent and detailed theming
-Immersive experience
-Good pre-shows
-Wonderful music both inside and outside the queue
-Smooth
-Fantastic first drop and tunnel
-Great pacing
-Good inversions
Cons:
-Capacity
-Short length
-Not THAT intense after the first drop is over
-Difference in quality between first row and second/third row
-Sound on the drop doesn't work, although the bell makes up for it
I give it a 9/10.
Have a few photos of the opening day:
Here is the off-ride I filmed:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGb9-87Z16k[/youtube]
I also had to dress up as a miner with a cap and a scarf, hilarious stuff. I was then escorted to a waiting area with plenty of food and drinks. I was standing there for a couple of minutes and then suddenly I saw a very familiar face... Xtremerides is probably the most famous Dutch theme park vlogger/youtuber and I'm a huge fan of his videos, so I couldn't stop myself and had to approach him. After having goon talks for about an hour, the event was about to start.
After a short speech about what the plan for the event was, we were escorted to the ride area. Once we arrived there, the 36 first riders (including me) had to take their place next to the ride entrance. Unfortunately that wasn't exactly the VIP spot to see the opening ceremony. There were two screens where they played trailers and other stuff, but one screen was right behind a part of the track from our angle, and the other screen was out of sight too. We could also only see the backs of the people that were talking. It was still great to be there. DJ Hardwell showed off his remix of the ride music and CEO Fons Jurgens held a speech too. Then it was time to ride!
We were the first people to walk into the building but one thing that annoyed me is that they didn't show the pre-shows properly the first go, we could immediately get on the ride. Also a shame that I got on the second row, because dive coasters seemed much better in the front. That aside, it was such an honour to be one of the first riders! I will do a proper report on the ride during my second go on the front, but the first ride disappointed me slightly. I didn't get a good view of the drop because of the row in front of me, nor did the tunnel have any effect on me. The ride was glass smooth and all the elements were taken with good pace, but because of a couple of annoyances it was still a bit less than I'd hoped for. The fact that the ride lasts so short also didn't help. It was still a great ride though.
But then...
Queue
To get a proper experience on the ride I immediately got in the queue again, this time for the front row. The short line was still moving slow, but I will get to that later. The queue itself is nothing special. It provides decent views of the ride, but the lack of shade is a major downside. Especially when it's 35 degrees during the official opening (and still a hot 29 degrees during the media day). After about 20 minutes I entered the building. They give you a ticket with the row you will be in when you move into the building. They constantly let 36 people in. Single riders get added to the group if there aren't 36 riders in yet.
Preshows (SPOILERS)
Let me start by saying I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the building, sadly. In any case, the amount of detail inside the building (that I didn't have time to have a proper look at during the first go) is quite incredible, and also overwhelming. It really takes multiple goes to notice every little thing. First you wait in a small room, but then when the group is complete the doors open and you enter the first preshow room (which is a well themed dressing room).
The show starts immediately. You hear Baron Gustave Hooghmoed talking to you about how you, miners, have to descent down to the mineshaft to find the treasures. They did an effort to make the ride more international, so foreigners don't need to worry. Sometimes he says some stuff in English, and if he doesn't there are usually screens with translations. They've really managed to make it all fluent without pulling you out of the immersion too much, which was a problem in the multi-language Belgian madhouses. Then the 'Witte Wieven' come in to spoil the party, and warn you about how you can't enter the mineshaft. High quality projections and some effects happen. The pre-show is quite short though, probably lasts about 2 minutes, and it doesn't hinder the capacity because you still need to wait for a bit before the next doors open. I could describe every little thing about the shows, but it's better to just see it in person. It's quite good, and not too long to be a burden whatsoever.
The second 'preshow' is hardly a preshow, but more an area where everybody gets assigned to their seats. You have to give the ticket you got at the entrance and then they assign you to your row. Meanwhile you see the Baron's animatronic, which while impressive was also a tiny bit robotic in his movement. He tells you more stuff about how you have to enter his cart to descent down the mine. Then, when the doors open you finally see the station, which is full of detail everywhere. From mining equipment, to a lever that they actually use for the dispatch!! That little thing just made me so happy <3 Then when you get on the trains you dispatch.
Before you actually go up the lift you get a little pre-lift preshow that maybe lasts 30 seconds. You see the Witte Wieven again to give you a last warning and to intimidate you further. Then the steam machine starts spinning, and so do the wheels at the top of the tower. Up you go.
So to conclude about the preshows. I was really worried about that it would make re-riding burdenous, but they really don't. They are short, flow well, and just give you something to look at during inevitable waiting times. They're brilliant and add to the immersion and overall experience.
Ride
The lifthill is very fast, and when you get to the top you can really notice how massive the wheels are. The bells start ringing both when you crest the top and the second before you drop. It's such a cool touch. The drop is just fantastic. Hanging over the edge seeing the drop go straight into thick mist is such a good moment of suspense. The height of the drop is perfect and while it packs a punch it also isn't too intense for a park like Efteling. Don't get me wrong though, it's a very thrilling drop and gets the job done. The mist and tunnel gives an amazing head/footchopper effect, and the combination of both of these things make this one of my favourite first drops I've done so far. Sadly I haven't ridden other dive coasters, but I don't think the drop has to be much bigger than this. It gets the job done.
Then you get into the immelman straight away. Pulling up from the drop into that element is quite forceful and then the exit gives some good floater. Zero G Roll follows which is taken with good speed. It felt very similar to Black Mamba's zero G roll, which is a good thing! The helix that follows pulls some good Gs and is once again taken with high speed. The little hill at the end gives a surprisingly nice pop of airtime in the front and then it hits the brakes. Every single element delivers and is worthwhile. Despite that, it is still too short for my taste. It's over before you know it.
Conclusion
As great as Baron is as a coaster, it does lower my expectations of Oblivion a bit. I just can't believe that one drop, no matter how much bigger it is, can make me love the ride. Baron's drop is the highlight of the coaster part, but every other element that follows is also good fun. The coaster, coupled with incredibly immersive theming make Baron an excellent attraction. There aren't many coasters that combine world class theming with an actual high quality coaster part. And for that reason it deserves a spot in my top 10.
Capacity is a problem though. I'm still not sure why, but the coaster doesn't hit the capacity that it can potentially get. The line moves slow, and the queues build up fast. I hope this will get sorted one way or another, but be prepared to queue for 120ish minutes the first couple of months.
How do I rank it compared to other coasters? Joris en de Draak is still my favourite coaster in Efteling, ride-wise. It just feels more satisfying and enjoyable. Black Mamba still rules in the theming department, although this one isn't far behind. But like I said above, the combination of coaster and theming make it one hell of a ride. Efteling have done an excellent job and have a new highlight in the park! They've managed to build a thrill ride that is still very much in Efteling style.
Pros:
-Excellent and detailed theming
-Immersive experience
-Good pre-shows
-Wonderful music both inside and outside the queue
-Smooth
-Fantastic first drop and tunnel
-Great pacing
-Good inversions
Cons:
-Capacity
-Short length
-Not THAT intense after the first drop is over
-Difference in quality between first row and second/third row
-Sound on the drop doesn't work, although the bell makes up for it
I give it a 9/10.
Have a few photos of the opening day:
Here is the off-ride I filmed:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGb9-87Z16k[/youtube]
