Demi van Loon (23) from Kaatsheuvel took a ride in her favorite Efteling attraction last week: the Flying Dutchman. Enjoying it to the fullest, until the boat suddenly stopped. After fifteen minutes the ride continued with the emergency lights on. She filmed what happened and thought it was a ‘boring ride’ this way. “But it was nice to see how the technology behind the attraction works. That is unique.” You can see her video above.
Last Tuesday Demi went to the Efteling with her friends. She has a season ticket and always wants to take a ride in the Flying Dutchman.
“That made me feel short of breath.”
The attraction dates from 2007 and cost Efteling 20 million euros. After you get into one of the ten boats in a harbor, you sail through different scenes. First you pass two ships, then you sail into a fog bank and hear an ominous ship’s bell.
Then you sail past shipwrecks, lightning starts to strike and the ship The Flying Dutchman comes into view. You are hoisted up and then you are ‘launched’ out of a tower. The ride continues outside and ends with a big splash in the water.
The boat with Demi in it lies still in the fog bank. “The smoke machine kept running for about five minutes. That made me feel short of breath, it seemed like there were ten people around me vaping.” Then an announcement is made that there is a malfunction and that the technical service is on its way.
“I didn’t expect it to be so bare.”
“To my right, an Efteling employee suddenly appeared from the fog bank. She stands in the water and says that they are going to see if we have to get out through the water or if we can stay put,” Demi looks back. “Luckily the boat was able to continue after fifteen minutes. We were allowed to complete the ride with the emergency lights on.”
That meant that the magic of the Flying Dutchman is a bit gone for Demi. “My favorite part is the shipwrecks. That atmosphere was completely gone. I thought: gosh, what does this look like, what a bare warehouse. It is clear that the dimmed lamps determine the atmosphere. I didn’t expect it to be so bare.”
“I think the Vogel Rok may also have a malfunction from time to time.”
Afterwards, Demi was immediately allowed into the attraction again, but with all the effects on. “That ride was less exciting than normal. But it doesn’t get any less fun, it’s still my favorite attraction.”
Secretly she also really enjoyed seeing the attraction this way. “I don’t mind the Vogel Rok occasionally having a malfunction, as long as I’m not stuck for hours. It’s great to be stuck for a while and then be able to see the technology behind the attraction.”
A spokesperson for Efteling finds it annoying that Demi was stuck for fifteen minutes. According to him, the procedure is that after a malfunction during ’empty’ the lighting remains on. This has to do with the fact that employees are still walking around the building. An engineer may also want to take a closer look at the technology during operation. “In that case, safety comes before experience,” the spokesperson said.