Figured I may as well share my review of Baron - tried to keep it spoiler-free too (I was going to put it in a trip report, but that's going to take a while to write up and I wanted to share it before I forgot. Sorry if this isn't the right place!)...
Simply put, I loved Baron. Yes, it's not a very long ride. Yes, the layout is nothing special. Yes, the ride isn't that long. But I'm not so fussed with that sort of stuff. I look for a fun ride, with a good story and good theming. So the layout isn't so important to me.
I was a bit disappointed with the queue line though. Very away from the good bits, but I guess you can't have everything. I thought that the split for front row and rows 2 and 3 was a bit too soon as well - it says it's a 20 minute wait for front row from the split point, but it was longer last week (understandable, given staff were still getting used to the ride). Interesting that they give you a ticket to show your row before you enter the building, and take it away from you before you enter the station. Hopefully it will work in the long term for them..
The pre-shows are fab - even better that there's English translations for it too! Even after 5 rides last week, I kept finding loads of little details dotted around them which just made the whole story so believable and real. There's an animatronic of the Baron just before you enter the station which I adored and found quite life-like!
As for the ride itself, I liked the pre-lift section; very fitting for the overall experience. One thing which I loved most about the overall experience was the sound of the ringing bell at the top of the lift hill, and just before you drop. It's such a simple effect, but it just fits beautifully with the whole ride. I found the drop to be very floaty and fun on the way down, followed by a bit of force as you exit into the Immelmann. The Immelmann and zero-g roll had nice pops of airtime floatyness too actually. The helix had a bit of force too (especially at the back!) and even gives a pop of airtime as you leave. The airtime hill at the end caught me a bit off guard too - it gave a surprising amount of airtime for something at the end of the ride!
All in all, I just adored the experience. The ride is very "floaty" and fun, has a great story that flows throughout the entire area and has some wonderful bits of theming. I personally can't ask for any more in a coaster. Oh, I also just have to add in that the milkshake and pizza place underneath the lift hill is just amazing cool)
I know others won't have as much love for the ride as I do. It's probably been a bit overhyped too during construction, and some may be left a bit underwhelmed. But at the same time, I do think everyone will still be able to enjoy it for what it is and Efteling really are onto a winner with this!
