|
Efteling is celebrating the launch of its latest attraction, with Danse Macabre, a new immersive dark ride attraction, now open to the public
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 07 Nov 2024
Danse Macabre is the newest addition to Efteling, with the ride replacing the historic Spookslot Haunted House Credit: Efteling
Efteling is celebrating the launch of its latest attraction, with Danse Macabre, a new immersive dark ride attraction, now open to the public.
Manufactured by Intamin, Danse Macabre features a first-of-its-kind ride system, with the attraction replacing the park’s iconic Spookslot Haunted House.
Opened to the public on October 31st, the ride is “a ghostly spectacle full of dark twists” featuring the music of the same name.
On a large 18-metre diameter turntable, topped by six smaller turntables, there are six choir stalls that can seat a total of 108 visitors.
The large turntable rises, tilts and falls, spinning like a coin before falling flat. The expected capacity is 1,253 people per hour.
The Dark Ride Database attended the opening, sharing its experience of the attraction’s launch and of the ride itself.
“On the opening day, a massive queue with curious guests formed, trailing through a large portion of Efteling,” they write. “A waiting time of 260 minutes was reported by the park.
“The winding corridors of the catacombs are nearly pitch black, so those with nyctalopia will have to find their way by touch. Softly glowing torches, which are reused from Spookslot, adorn the walls. As your eyes get used to the darkness, more details reveal themselves, like deformed heads in the walls that serve as corbels of archways. Eventually, the corridor comes to an end at a door. And now, we wait until it is our turn.”
The experience takes place inside a grand decagonal room themed as a chapel with a giant organ. Inside animatronics and other special effects tell the story of Danse Macabre on the giant motion platform.
Speaking to Planet Attractions in 2023, Lukas Spieldiener, a third generation member of the Spieldiener family, which founded Intamin in 1967, said the manufacturer was “very, very proud” of the opening, which it worked on alongside Efteling's team with the installation of its Dynamic Motion Stage technology.
“Danse Macabre is a totally new immersive ride experience,” said Spieldeiner. “It has a huge circular ride system with pods on top of it, which can individually rotate and the platform rotates as well. So you're tilting and rotating inside this kind of circular tube. Working together with Efteling, it's a great project.”
Accessibility was a major consideration in the development of Danse Macabre, with a primary focus being to create a shared attraction experience that could be enjoyed by all.
Depending on the needs of the visitor and type of disability, there is an accessible experience for everyone, says Efteling. Guests not able to ride Danse Macabre are also invited to experience an alternative show featuring images, sound and various show effects.
“Danse Macabre is unique in the industry,” said Koen Sanders, director, Product, Market and Image for Efteling. “Nowhere else in the world can this ride system be experienced.
“Some 500 colleagues have worked hard for months to build this exceptional attraction, and I am extremely proud of the final result."
Danse Macabre is part of a completely new themed area, which features catering, retail and entertainment.
“It’s the first time at Efteling that we are realising a completely new themed area in one go, adding hospitality and retail in addition to a major attraction. The entire themed area has been designed with great respect for and inspired by the iconic building of the Spookslot Haunted House,” said Jeroen Verheij, head designer for Efteling.
“I am proud that my drawings were brought to life so beautifully by all the skilled people involved. Efteling visitors - those who dare of course - will be completely immersed in a spooky world at Danse Macabre."
Read the in-depth report ‘Giving Danse Macabre at Efteling a Spin’ on Dark Ride Database here
Rides
|
|
Innovation and expansion: A bumper year in the US for Semnox Solutions
|
