Theme park Efteling (The Netherlands) is well-known for its large collection of dark rides, of which Droomvlucht is undoubtedly the most popular ride. This iconic dark ride is due to close for a refurbishment at some point later this year. The work is set to improve or replace many aspects of the attraction, including parts of the track and the lighting package.
Droomvlucht, or “Dreamflight”, first opened in 1993, a suspended dark ride that travels through an enchanting world of fairies, elves and trolls. The ride system undergoes various speed and elevation changes as it passes between the five different themed worlds from the Kastelenrijk (Castle Realm) to Zompenwoud (Squelch Forest). Construction of the ride already knew a lot of technical problems concerning the ride system, causing a year of delay in opening (which was originally scheduled for 1992).
The attraction last went through a significant refurbishment in 2013, which was intended to last at least until the ride’s 40th birthday. This process mostly focused on technical improvements, although of course the opportunity was taken to work on some of the decorations at the same time. Once again the new project will look at upgrading technical aspects such as the replacement of some track which will help to mitigate future structural issues. Additionally, the lighting will be improved upon to help both safety and sustainability – the old halogen lamps used in places were the likely culprit in an incident with a fire that occured on the attraction towards the end of last year.
It is not yet known when this refurbishment will take place, though it is likely to be before the end of the year, towards Efteling’s winter season. The work is estimated to take several months.
