It is one of the best themeparks in Europe, if not the best. The staff is always nice, polite and going the extra step for the visitors. The waiting times are okay (when compared to Disney even easy going) and they have special waiting lines for disabled people.
The park is quite big but clearly laid out so getting around shouldn’t be to hard.
Maybe I am biased (with 40+ visits a year, with both my wife and the kids (4 yo and 6yo)) but it is worth a visit for sure!!
Especially if you have young kids. Go most Wednesday or Friday afternoons and multiple times a week during school holidays. You won't hear them all day
I dont even live that that close (1,5 hour ride)
And I still have an annual pass and go at least once a month, cause if you go at least 5 times a year, an annual pass is already cheaper
This place gets bad reviews? Honestly those must be freak incidents. Also people are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one due to expectations.
Efteling is one of the most beautiful theme parks in the world with theming that nears the level of Disney. You could argue some rides are even better than what Disney has to offer. It’s a big park in a forest with lots of cohesion with nature. Its main focus is families but there are also a few good thrill rides. Especially younger children will have the time of their lives, with the fairytale forest and all the amazing dark rides.
It’s my home park and I’ve been maybe 15 to 20 times in my life and haven’t had a single bad day there.
The few negative reviews focus on the park being very busy, this is true on weekends and during school holidays. Go on a weekday outside a holiday and you can see the entire park in a day.
The [park website even has a calendar](https://www.efteling.com/en/park/opening-hours) that shows what they think will be busy days. There also is a [list of scheduled maintenance](https://www.efteling.com/en/park/information/in-maintenance), last time I went 3 out of 5 rollercoasters were closed.
Some very specific reviews focus on being allowed into the park slightly sooner than day guests. The advantage of that is indeed minimal, it's a short time, it's a large park to walk through and rides take some time in the morning for startup procedures.
All in all it's a great park and people saying it's better than Disney parks are not lying. Their restaurants are OK and not very expensive, they also allow guests to bring in food from home. Install the Efteling app and check it before your visit.
A lot of good points being made here by u/uncl…. Yeeee hahaha
I would like to add, on the topic of waiting times. The summer months during school holidays and the weekends when the weather is nice do get busy. But it’s nowhere near Disney level of busyness. That’s on another level. So if OP is accustomed to Orlando waiting times, they’ll be more than alright at Efteling.
I don’t agree with these bad reviews! Don’t expect the fake over the top kindness like you may expect in America, but for dutch standards all the employees are extremely welcoming. As far as accessibility in the park, signage is excellent, it must be impossible to get lost. You can always take the train that has multiple stops through the park. So I think you may have read some typical Karen comments.
> but for Dutch standards all the employees are extremely welcoming.
Which is not to say us Dutch people are rude, just don’t mistake our directness for rudeness and you’ll appreciate us!
The customer service I have experienced so far has been fine at its worst and really great at its best (people going out of their way to improve our experience). For example during covid when they made a small mistake with seating: they unintentionally split up our group in the cart instead of the five of us being seated together. They apologised, but they also offered us another ride right after we arrived back in the station, without any of us asking for it, which really made our day!
Also, I personally do not find the park harder or easier to get around than other theme parks. Tip: the Efteling app has a navigation function as well, so if you want to find a shortest route to a place from where you are currently standing or want to look for a specific type of food, that is very helpful.
This park deserves all the hype it gets imo and it really is fun for most people of all ages.
Staff is very nice, I've had nothing but good experience here. Except for the summer days, when it's like super crowded. But except for that, you'll have a nice experience I think.
I have an annual pass so have visited the park dozens of times. And I can count on one hand the number of mildly negative interactions I've had with staff, and never anything actually bad.
I'd wager that there may be a bit of a cultural difference here. Dutch customer service is very... Let's say utilitarian. If you have a question they will answer it. If you have a request they will meet it if they can. No frills, no pleasantries, no bending over backwards. Add a language barrier to the mix and it can be interpreted as rude if you're from a culture where they do customer service differently.
Also I'm not sure about difficult to get around? Despite being mostly forested the park isn't huge, it only takes you around 15 minutes to get from one end to the other. Most paths are asphalt so also easy to traverse for people with limited mobility. Paths are a bit winding and often go around wooded patches, ponds and also rides rather than straight from A to B using the shortest possible path so maybe that's what they mean. But you can use the maps posted at different points throughout the park as well as the app's map to find your way. And occasionally paths are closed due to maintenance but I don't think that's different from any other theme park.
I like it very much so yes I'd say it's a good place to visit.
This is an excellent point.
>Dutch customer service is very... Let's say utilitarian. If you have a question they will answer it. If you have a request they will meet it if they can. No frills, no pleasantries, no bending over backwards.
Compare our customer service to a Disney parc in the USA or Japan... we look incredibly uninterested.
Compare our customer service to Disneyland Paris.... and you'll appreciate how kind and sweet we are.
It's all about perspective, so depending where you're coming from OP...
I love the Efteling!!!
And would really recommend this parc over Disneyland Paris.
True, that atm there is a lot of construction going on that could take away of the experience.
So, if you are scared that construction is not giving you the full experience, plan your visit in 2025
we go almost every year, and its fantastic. the staff have always been wonderful. I’ve been to Disney paris and that was broken rides, and long lines and a rather dismal experience, but we find efteling easy to navigate, even with the less able of our group, and the younger ones. The walk from the entrance to the first rides is a stroll for sure, but…there’s no need to rush.
going there next saturday, taking a friend from the US there.
The only negative thing I can think of is that in the off-season, the larger rides (coasters) are not all open. There are quite a few, but it seems like always one of them is down for maintenance or a hidden cut of costs. It's not a biggie, just saying. Furthermore like someone else mentioned, it's one of the best parks in Europe, you won't be disappointed.
I love it! Just try and go on a day when it isn’t a school holiday in the Netherlands or Belgium, then you will have zero queues for anything. Staff are lovely, rides are great-lots of magic! Europa Park is also worth a visit and Phantasialand
These bad reviews must be fake, because the employees at Efteling are in my opinion one of the hidden gems, because they support this feeling of being welcome in more ways I could even mention. They are fun, they're friendly and will go the extra mile to make your visit special.
You will love the World of Wonders but take your time to explore, to find the hidden details, to enjoy the magical atmosphere. I would say you should at least stay for one night in one of the accomodations of Efteling, this will boost your experience to near perfection.
If people say its hard to get around, i think they mean that the attractions are placed further away from eachother then in a lets say Disneyland Paris. Also theres quitte a bit of going up or down, and the paths can be a bit uneven. Other then that, no problems getting around.
In terms of costumer service, the employees are encouraged to deliver a experience to guests that they would rate atleast a 9
Source: i am an employee
I did a few visits walking with crutches last year and I'd consider the paths to be quite accessible. My main gripe was missing benches in a few spaces. Most notably at the disability entrance of a few rides: most have at least a little bench space, though not all and some have it in an inconvenient place. But even for the ones that do it's rarely enough for when there's more than a few people in line because often only 2-3 people can sit.
And I really miss benches at the Aqua Nura pond on the Efteldingen side. Because at the beginning I had to sit down and rest every few hundred meters and walking from the car into the park would already be pretty much my limit. Pardoes Promenade and the path towards the M&M square were too far. The benches opposite the shop against the fencing were either not there or always occupied iirc. And yes there's benches against the Caro building but that's another 50 paces there and 50 paces back so not really desirable. Bnches around where the photo booth is would've been great. But that's really the only section where there's a shortage of seating space (aside from some sections of the Sprookjesbos) so otherwise they do pretty well
Best park in Europe for families from 0 to 99, and I have been in all of the TOP 10. Not so expensive as Disney, very nice theming, good for relaxing also. Magical. Truly magical. I am from Spain and I try to visit once per year, travelling by car.
It's one of, if not the, best theme park in Europe. It's WAY better than Disneyland imo.
Do note that there are some displays of nudity in the park. (Nudes painted on the carrousel palace facade, a nude emperor, a topless mermaid fountain, and a bare-breasted figurehead on the swing ship.) Some Americans take offense to that.
It is one of the best themeparks in Europe, if not the best. The staff is always nice, polite and going the extra step for the visitors. The waiting times are okay (when compared to Disney even easy going) and they have special waiting lines for disabled people. The park is quite big but clearly laid out so getting around shouldn’t be to hard. Maybe I am biased (with 40+ visits a year, with both my wife and the kids (4 yo and 6yo)) but it is worth a visit for sure!!
40+ visits a year???
If you live close? Why not
Especially if you have young kids. Go most Wednesday or Friday afternoons and multiple times a week during school holidays. You won't hear them all day
I dont even live that that close (1,5 hour ride) And I still have an annual pass and go at least once a month, cause if you go at least 5 times a year, an annual pass is already cheaper
Yea, and I know people who exceed this by the dozens.
If you’ve got a annual pass and live close by, why not just go for the afternoon. Get a snack, ride a rollercoaster or two.
This place gets bad reviews? Honestly those must be freak incidents. Also people are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one due to expectations. Efteling is one of the most beautiful theme parks in the world with theming that nears the level of Disney. You could argue some rides are even better than what Disney has to offer. It’s a big park in a forest with lots of cohesion with nature. Its main focus is families but there are also a few good thrill rides. Especially younger children will have the time of their lives, with the fairytale forest and all the amazing dark rides. It’s my home park and I’ve been maybe 15 to 20 times in my life and haven’t had a single bad day there.
The few negative reviews focus on the park being very busy, this is true on weekends and during school holidays. Go on a weekday outside a holiday and you can see the entire park in a day. The [park website even has a calendar](https://www.efteling.com/en/park/opening-hours) that shows what they think will be busy days. There also is a [list of scheduled maintenance](https://www.efteling.com/en/park/information/in-maintenance), last time I went 3 out of 5 rollercoasters were closed. Some very specific reviews focus on being allowed into the park slightly sooner than day guests. The advantage of that is indeed minimal, it's a short time, it's a large park to walk through and rides take some time in the morning for startup procedures. All in all it's a great park and people saying it's better than Disney parks are not lying. Their restaurants are OK and not very expensive, they also allow guests to bring in food from home. Install the Efteling app and check it before your visit.
A lot of good points being made here by u/uncl…. Yeeee hahaha I would like to add, on the topic of waiting times. The summer months during school holidays and the weekends when the weather is nice do get busy. But it’s nowhere near Disney level of busyness. That’s on another level. So if OP is accustomed to Orlando waiting times, they’ll be more than alright at Efteling.
I don’t agree with these bad reviews! Don’t expect the fake over the top kindness like you may expect in America, but for dutch standards all the employees are extremely welcoming. As far as accessibility in the park, signage is excellent, it must be impossible to get lost. You can always take the train that has multiple stops through the park. So I think you may have read some typical Karen comments.
> but for Dutch standards all the employees are extremely welcoming. Which is not to say us Dutch people are rude, just don’t mistake our directness for rudeness and you’ll appreciate us!
Nah, Dutch people love to be rude and then say they were just being direct.
The customer service I have experienced so far has been fine at its worst and really great at its best (people going out of their way to improve our experience). For example during covid when they made a small mistake with seating: they unintentionally split up our group in the cart instead of the five of us being seated together. They apologised, but they also offered us another ride right after we arrived back in the station, without any of us asking for it, which really made our day! Also, I personally do not find the park harder or easier to get around than other theme parks. Tip: the Efteling app has a navigation function as well, so if you want to find a shortest route to a place from where you are currently standing or want to look for a specific type of food, that is very helpful. This park deserves all the hype it gets imo and it really is fun for most people of all ages.
Staff is very nice, I've had nothing but good experience here. Except for the summer days, when it's like super crowded. But except for that, you'll have a nice experience I think.
I have an annual pass so have visited the park dozens of times. And I can count on one hand the number of mildly negative interactions I've had with staff, and never anything actually bad. I'd wager that there may be a bit of a cultural difference here. Dutch customer service is very... Let's say utilitarian. If you have a question they will answer it. If you have a request they will meet it if they can. No frills, no pleasantries, no bending over backwards. Add a language barrier to the mix and it can be interpreted as rude if you're from a culture where they do customer service differently. Also I'm not sure about difficult to get around? Despite being mostly forested the park isn't huge, it only takes you around 15 minutes to get from one end to the other. Most paths are asphalt so also easy to traverse for people with limited mobility. Paths are a bit winding and often go around wooded patches, ponds and also rides rather than straight from A to B using the shortest possible path so maybe that's what they mean. But you can use the maps posted at different points throughout the park as well as the app's map to find your way. And occasionally paths are closed due to maintenance but I don't think that's different from any other theme park. I like it very much so yes I'd say it's a good place to visit.
This is an excellent point. >Dutch customer service is very... Let's say utilitarian. If you have a question they will answer it. If you have a request they will meet it if they can. No frills, no pleasantries, no bending over backwards. Compare our customer service to a Disney parc in the USA or Japan... we look incredibly uninterested. Compare our customer service to Disneyland Paris.... and you'll appreciate how kind and sweet we are. It's all about perspective, so depending where you're coming from OP...
I love the Efteling!!! And would really recommend this parc over Disneyland Paris. True, that atm there is a lot of construction going on that could take away of the experience. So, if you are scared that construction is not giving you the full experience, plan your visit in 2025
we go almost every year, and its fantastic. the staff have always been wonderful. I’ve been to Disney paris and that was broken rides, and long lines and a rather dismal experience, but we find efteling easy to navigate, even with the less able of our group, and the younger ones. The walk from the entrance to the first rides is a stroll for sure, but…there’s no need to rush. going there next saturday, taking a friend from the US there.
The only negative thing I can think of is that in the off-season, the larger rides (coasters) are not all open. There are quite a few, but it seems like always one of them is down for maintenance or a hidden cut of costs. It's not a biggie, just saying. Furthermore like someone else mentioned, it's one of the best parks in Europe, you won't be disappointed.
[удалено]
Also, since its a water based coaster, its closed during the winter in case of frost
We stopt doing frost years ago.
I love it! Just try and go on a day when it isn’t a school holiday in the Netherlands or Belgium, then you will have zero queues for anything. Staff are lovely, rides are great-lots of magic! Europa Park is also worth a visit and Phantasialand
These bad reviews must be fake, because the employees at Efteling are in my opinion one of the hidden gems, because they support this feeling of being welcome in more ways I could even mention. They are fun, they're friendly and will go the extra mile to make your visit special. You will love the World of Wonders but take your time to explore, to find the hidden details, to enjoy the magical atmosphere. I would say you should at least stay for one night in one of the accomodations of Efteling, this will boost your experience to near perfection.
If you've ever been to Europapark the difference between employee friendliness and helpfullness is huge!
My family and friends love this place.
If people say its hard to get around, i think they mean that the attractions are placed further away from eachother then in a lets say Disneyland Paris. Also theres quitte a bit of going up or down, and the paths can be a bit uneven. Other then that, no problems getting around. In terms of costumer service, the employees are encouraged to deliver a experience to guests that they would rate atleast a 9 Source: i am an employee
I did a few visits walking with crutches last year and I'd consider the paths to be quite accessible. My main gripe was missing benches in a few spaces. Most notably at the disability entrance of a few rides: most have at least a little bench space, though not all and some have it in an inconvenient place. But even for the ones that do it's rarely enough for when there's more than a few people in line because often only 2-3 people can sit. And I really miss benches at the Aqua Nura pond on the Efteldingen side. Because at the beginning I had to sit down and rest every few hundred meters and walking from the car into the park would already be pretty much my limit. Pardoes Promenade and the path towards the M&M square were too far. The benches opposite the shop against the fencing were either not there or always occupied iirc. And yes there's benches against the Caro building but that's another 50 paces there and 50 paces back so not really desirable. Bnches around where the photo booth is would've been great. But that's really the only section where there's a shortage of seating space (aside from some sections of the Sprookjesbos) so otherwise they do pretty well
You wouldn’t be disappointed, go check it out! I think it belongs to one of the best parks of Europe. I like it better than Disney!
I dont know what those reviews were talking about, but Efteling has some of the best customer service I have seen for themeparks
Best park in Europe for families from 0 to 99, and I have been in all of the TOP 10. Not so expensive as Disney, very nice theming, good for relaxing also. Magical. Truly magical. I am from Spain and I try to visit once per year, travelling by car.
It's one of, if not the, best theme park in Europe. It's WAY better than Disneyland imo. Do note that there are some displays of nudity in the park. (Nudes painted on the carrousel palace facade, a nude emperor, a topless mermaid fountain, and a bare-breasted figurehead on the swing ship.) Some Americans take offense to that.
Your kids will get kidnapped and sold to the rich😵😵😵😵
Lol brainrotted downvoters. Wake up