Efteling fans still have to be patient: on March 4, the Droomvlucht attraction will open again, after a months-long refurbishment of about 6 million euros. In an exclusive look behind the scenes, the park shows what has been done in that period. “Everything has been restored.”
Since the closure on October 31, a lot has happened within the walls of the fairytale dark ride. And that was badly needed, say employees in the video that Efteling shared on Thursday. “The track has been running for thirty years. The 28 gondolas transport about 8,500 people every day. Then it is sometimes time for some maintenance.” And so 260 steel pieces of the 425 meter long rails were replaced manually.
It didn’t stop there. The residents of the attraction have also been taken care of, the park says. “All the clothes are fresh again, King Oberon’s beard is neatly trimmed, the unicorn has beautiful curls in his mane and the fairies shine like never before.” The same applies to the hundreds of flowers and plants.
543 lamps
And 543 halogen lamps were also exchanged for LED ones. “Much more sustainable and we can now vary in color. This creates even more atmosphere and experience.” In one of the scenes, for example, a sunrise and sunset are created with the new lights.
The sun does not shine everywhere. In the Zompenwoud, the final part with the trolls, it is raining again. That effect did not last for a while before the closure, but has now been restored.
Damaged planets
The doors of Droomvlucht will open again for the first time on Saturday 4 March. Possibly still without a few planets, which fell last week when the cables snapped. The floating palaces were damaged in the process and are currently being repaired.
Take a look below at what has been done in Droomvlucht in recent months.