A short trailer for Fabula has arrived on Efteling’s YouTube channel. It’s only 40 seconds long, but gives a little look at the squirrel and bear characters that will be in the new attraction. Of particular interest to us in the UK, the studio animating the film is Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run etc).
The renewed attraction opens later this year, and is costing Efteling €3.5 million; bargain! The restaurant Octopus will also be freshened up. From the Efteling blog:
‘The restaurant will have more seats inside and outside and a new menu with fresh and responsible meat, fish and vegan dishes‘
The last day guests can visit Pandadroom will be November 3rd.
I’m a little late posting about this, so you may have already heard…
Although not officially confirmed, Pandadroom is rumoured to be getting an update at long last. The attraction has been open since 2002, and had never been a fan favourite. The technology in Pandadroom has become very outdated, leaving the attraction feeling stagnant, and definitely something to miss out on a visit to the park.
The new film is reported to be called Fabula and will feature a bear and a squirrel, keeping the nature theme.
The gift shop and restaurant will also supposedly be given a revamp.
This year, The Bob coaster which is very close to Pandadroom, will close and be demolished, to be replaced with a double coaster called Max and Moritz.
A new year seems to mean fresh Efteling news, so here’s a little look at what’s going on at the moment…
First off, the Python is being ‘renewed’. It seems that the track, which has been standing since 1981, is receiving most of the maintenance, as in previous years the ride cars themselves have been replaced several times. So for a while, that corner of the park will look a little naked, at least until March when it is due to reopen.
Elsewhere in the park, there’s the good/bad news that PandaDroom will remain open for at least the next 3 years, as a new contract has been signed with the World Wildlife Fund. As visitors are aware, the technology used in the show is now rather outdated, with this 3D show opening in 2002 and not really changing since that time (hence the ‘good/bad news’). It would be nice to see a new show here along the same theme, just more 2018 and less 2002!
And most importantly, Efteling is expanding! Between Vogel Rok and Python, 8 hectares of land will be added, and a new attraction is expected to open here by 2020. If you take a look at Google maps, it seems to be where the road ‘Horst’ is now, this is the road that Efteling Hotel guests need to cross to get to the park.
So, soon there’ll be more Efteling to love! Well, in a couple of years, but until then we have more PandaDroom to enjoy! 😉
Lastly, thank you to my friend Eftelwesley for continuing to produce beautiful Efteling videos that we can all enjoy. Especially this one below which is stunning! Thank you for braving the snow!
You will find many small details around Efteling that maybe you didn’t notice on your previous visit. Recently, we realised that this guy has moving eyes! He can be found on the way into Panda Droom.
Who else noticed this? Is there anything else in Efteling that you never noticed before?
‘Deeply hidden in the caves of PandaDroom, you will find the enchanting underwater world of restaurant Octopus! Here you find fresh gourmet sandwiches, delicious panini and fresh pasta that you create. You will find the Octopus on Pardoes Promenade in Anderrijk.’
Restaurant Octopus is a wonderful serve-yourself style restaurant that you will encounter on your way into Efteling, on Pardoes Promenade. It is actually located at the exit of PandaDroom, so you have to walk through the restaurant/shop to leave the attraction. The theme gives you the impression that you are underwater, with jellyfish hung from the ceiling which double up as lights, the underside of ducks, rocks as walls, and of course, a large octopus. The whole restaurant is, naturally, painted blue to give the impression of a deep blue sea, and they have quite a wide range of food. They also have seating outdoors, but all of the cool atmosphere is inside!
The food consists mainly of pasta, panini and sandwiches, and of course, lots of desserts are also available. Click here for the menu.
The restaurant has undergone a few changes since its opening. A few years after it opened, the entrance was revamped, with the restaurant receiving a wooden sign with its name on, rather than the mosaic which was originally in place. Although I liked the original entrance to Octopus, the new one gives a better indication of what it is.
Another addition was the large octopus statue in the centre of the restaurant, which had been lacking, especially considering the name on the door!
Should you visit restaurant Octopus? Definitely! For the theming alone it is worth a visit, but in my opinion it is also one of the better places to eat in the park.
Many thanks to Milena Kirk at http://aegtte.weebly.com/ for the menu and for allowing us to use a couple of her photos.
If you have visited PandaDroom before, you may well have noticed that in the pre-show area there are no seats. After walking around Efteling all day, the last thing that guests want to do is stand around (for what seems like forever) waiting to go into the theatre. The pre-show is very nice and I love the music, that is not the problem, the problem is the length of time that you are required to stand there! It is not very pleasant to sit on the floor either, especially if it is a wet day.
My (cheap and cheerful) suggestion would be to add some log benches to sit on, as this would be in keeping with the nature theming. Maybe 5 benches in the whole room? It would be better than nothing!
