Efteling Reviews 

The park has 0 customer service or satisfaction.

We visited the park on 22th June 2026 and Many faulty attractions - "force major".
We came specially for the park at 9:30 AM and it began with 3 broken faulty attractions.

As the park opened it remained faulty and even worse- on every second queue, after about 30-60 minutes - the attraction/machine went faulty.
During most of the time we stayed, there were at least 5 simultaneously faulty attractions not functioning at any given time.

When attractions goes bad you have to leave the queue, start a queue all over for a new attractions and then there's a much larger queue on the remaining attractions and in half of the cases again it goes bad.

Representatives around the attractions keep saying its faulty and apologize saying they can't help or know ETA whether to stay and keep our spot or go to next attraction.

With a lot of frustration i contacted the "Pennenveer" on their app hoping for some solution. Unfortunately , replied:
its force major. we don't grantee the attractions works and moreover we don't help with anything incase the number of attractions reduces and you waste your time in queues.
For example these didn't work or stopped during the visit - Baron, Monorail, Hooghmeod, Danse macbre..

After endless time in queues, and less than 5 attractions we went on. We became too frustrated and decided its time to leave.
We were group of 2 adults and 4 kids and it was a shame they can't handle such issues. waste of money. i will not recommend.
Nevermind how the park looks or which attractions you suppose to have. Customers pay to use the attractions ! And we paid alot as we were 6 and parking! We didn't pay just to stand on queue and then its goes faulty and waste more time again from scratch for another. We came for attractions to go on and enjoy.
if all attractions would work at least the number of people who have been divided to all queues.
WASTE OF MONEY. Efteling takes 0 care about its customer.

AI slob at Fata Morgana. Destroys the magic of the park. They could have used actors but instead used the cheap way out and destroys everything that makes the park special. Park lost their philosophy and identity. Says they are about preserving nature and environment. but if they can use cheap and fast AI, the impact of datacenters on the environment dont matter.

We recently stayed at Efteling/Bosrijk. The park itself is beautiful, with a great atmosphere and very good attractions. Unfortunately, the overall customer experience was disappointing, and we do not plan to return.

1. Poor management of cleaning rules and extra charges: After check-out, we were told we would be charged an additional cleaning fee because dishes were left in the sink and garbage was not taken out. We had already paid a cleaning fee, and these obligations were not clearly communicated during our stay. This is poor management practice: guests should not have to study lengthy terms and conditions during a vacation to understand basic departure rules.

2. Misleading dog-friendly positioning: We booked dog-friendly accommodation, but dogs are not allowed in the park or even in reception. After 10:00 check-out, this makes the final park day practically impossible for families travelling with a dog. The alternative mentioned in the terms — leaving the dog in a crate/kennel in the accommodation — is not a reasonable solution for a full-day park visit. This is not a genuinely dog-friendly concept; it is badly designed customer experience management.

3. Weak value and cost-saving mindset: No hand soap was provided in the accommodation. Food quality was surprisingly low both inside the park and near reception. We also noticed small extra charges, such as €0.25 for a paper coffee cup, refundable only through an inconvenient process. Individually, these may seem small, but together they create the impression of a management approach focused on cost-saving and extracting small additional charges rather than creating a premium guest experience.

Staff were generally polite, so this review is not aimed at frontline employees. The problem appears to be management: policies, communication, pricing, and guest experience design feel outdated and not customer-focused.

For a leading European family destination, this is very disappointing. The two-star rating reflects poor management decisions, lack of transparency, inconsistent dog policy, and weak customer focus — not the park attractions themselves.

I was discriminated against.

I am a goth and I wear gothic makeup, and so I have to this park several times with no problem until today. Today I was denied entrance because of my makeup. The staff told me it was seen as “offensive and confusing” and with confusing they ment that people could think I’m a part of the acts in the park which I can get!! But since I’ve been here several times I know no characters look like this. And saying my makeup could be offensive is very disrespectful and discriminative since goth is not a hateful subculture at all. So Efteling might want to teach their employees about alternative subculture’s. I even dare to say that some of the staff members were very rude to me and were even bullying me!

They even told me they accept and welcome all kinds of people, but then why not me? I’m just trying to express myself in a way that makes me happy and confident.

My day was absolutely ruined and I probably won’t be coming back anytime soon, which is sad because this genuinely used to be my favorite themepark.

The Baddest Park in Europe nothing to see this caro and Luna theatr looks like an Abondened mention with Kids Working in it no respect and not knowing how to manage guests was there 2 minutes later with my 6 y Old daughter in her birthday they didnt let us inside. I regret Giving my money here 2 nights spent in a Hotel where nobody came and changed the bad. Schampoo bottle was empty and Breakfast as the eggs are a luxus in here 1200 euros for two nights. Was our last visit.

Exceptional break, beautiful lake house, park was incredible, food was not only super quality but so reasonably priced. Staff were delightful, particularly Rik on reception. Magical break. Will definitely be going back.

Last summer, July 2025 I took my grown-up sons all in their 30’s and my grandchildren, ages 5 to 20 to Efteling, and it was one of those rare experiences that truly stays with you. Seeing your own children become children again, this time alongside their own kids, is a special feeling, and Efteling provided the perfect setting for that.

The park genuinely offers something for every age. From the youngest members of the family to the adults, there’s a sense of wonder throughout the entire place. It’s easy to see why Efteling is such a favourite for Europeans, it feels thoughtfully designed, immersive, and refreshingly authentic.

What also stood out was the value. We bought nine entrance tickets for roughly the price you’d pay for just two tickets at a large “American themed park” in a neighbouring country. That alone makes Efteling remarkable, especially for families.

I was genuinely pleased to hear Efteling being advertised on my local radio station in Dundee, Scotland, it deserves the recognition. We made some of our greatest family memories there. It’s a full day of entertainment, rich in atmosphere and joy, and truly a wonderful experience from start to finish.

Absolutely fantastic few days in Efteling. Something for everyone without the pretentiousness of Disney Parks. Helpful staff, Bosrijk Hotel was amazing with some lovely touches - its a bit of a walk from the park and the main hotel but through the woods is beautiful and the pool was brilliant for the tired limbs after a day of walking around the theme park. We left with our hearts full having had great fun. Thanks to everyone in the Caro show too - definitely not to be missed.

Beautiful Theme Park the rides are well themed but the operations are slow

We spent almost 900 € for a five persons-two nights stay in one of the Efteling hotels. After payment, the website gave the option to print the entrance tickets to the parc, which I did. When we arrived at the entrance, we were received with a "No, these are not valid tickets." I tried to explain that I printed these via the Efteling website... but still got the reply "These are not tickets". It seemed that the only accepted tickets were those from the app (which is useless since most of the time it fails to connect to internet even with the 5G *facepalm*).
The personel at the entrance was extremely unpleasant (treating us as thieves although we bought an 900 € stay), unhelpful and unprofessionnal.
Organised scam or blatant incompetence ?...
Whatever : we're never coming back !

1 star because some underpaid 20 year worker hit on my boyfriend during our visit. Tempted to give Four extra stars so yall can pay ya workers more so she can afford glasses for herself. Didn’t seem to notice me right next to him when we went.

called to correct a mistake on my booking that I made - the easiest and most understanding experience in changing the dates and times of my meal reservations. Thank you to the team for 1) beating my expectations on wait time on the phone (estimated wait time 8 minutes, total call time was done in 3minuites), 2) understanding of my issue and 3) correcting to what i needed with a sunny and happy disposition!

Lets start from the beginning the food was bad , i had many racist experience's there , and the workers were rude , and its really expensive there . So dont go there , useless you wanna ruin you're day.

Efteling is a beautiful theme park with the right mix of big thrills and family experiences.
The hotel:
We stayed 2 nights in the Bosrijk Landhays, which was very clean and a good standard. My daughter loved her separate room with night cap and fairytale book provided. The walk to the breakfast area/ reception was serene, going through a woodland between ponds and lodges. It took about 5 mins (max), despite being on the other end of the hotel site. I was grateful that I could drive my car direct to my accommodation to drop off and collect my bags before leaving the car in the hotel car park. I will be torn between staying here again to trying another hotel on site.
The park:
This Theme Park is magical. I took my 3 yr old who was in her element. She was just about tall enough to ride their new Jr coaster 'Max & Moritz' and loved it - both the blue and green track. There was so much on offer for her we were unable to do everything, despite 3 days in the park. This is not a criticism of the wait times either- the most we waited for a ride was 30 minutes. The dark rides are spectacular, with huge showscenes, lots of animatronics, great music, and lovely smell pods.
The park offered carriages as an alternative to prams which were unique. My 3 yr old was more than happy to sit in the carriage as we walked across the large park.
The fairytale forest was much better than I expected. There was so much to see and do, it took us over 2 hours to see it all. My kid loved discovering the different tales.
As for me and my wife, the big rides offered single rider queues which was a handy to avoid waiting in the bigger queues. Their coasters are good, but the story they tell makes the experience. Danse Macabre blew mind. Hands down the best ride in the park - and its a flat ride! Be aware - this ride is scary for some children.
All the staff were incredibly friendly and wanted to go above and beyond to make sure we were happy. We were made to feel so welcome and looked after from the moment we were greeted at the hotel to the moment we left the park.
Caro:
My child was transfixed by Caro. Incredible talent combining singing, dancing, acrobatics, and circus telling a powerful story about life.
I used to consider Disneyland as an ultimate all round theme park package - combining theming, family fun, shows, and thrills. But now, Efteling is equal to and in some aspects better. We can't wait to go back.

Sadly I have to give the park a very very low score, The new parking was a very long walk distance from the entrance to start with.
The park entance was fairly messy woth construction but that is fairly okay and understandeable.
Finally why the score is going to be set at only one star is the extremely rude personel.
I come to this park for the past 25 years and yes I do vape at areas where I don't bother people, out of nowhere an extreme rude lady from the park at the Danse Macabre at 15:50 on Jun 11th 2025 shouted at me and my wife saying that smoking was not allowed and was only allowed in designated areas. She also said in a very rude way: "You know you cant smoke here!" I said to her that I was not aware of the new rules and I thought it was only in the Queues where the sign said that smoking was not allowed and said sorry, but she then looked at us in a gross way and took off and said "Why are you doing it then? You can find it in the app." So I looked in the app and was unable to find any smoke area, what a huge mess!
Pissing me off so hard that I instantly started writing this review in the Queue of the Danse Macabre. Please improve your park for smokers A.S.A.P. 😕

Not brilliant for disabled guests.
My 2 youngest boys enjoyed it, and the park has so much potential, but unless you can transfer independently, you won't be allowed on the rides. My 12 year old is a wheelchair user and can't transfer on his own. So we usually avoid the rides. But time he wanted to go on one of the tractor rides with his brother. A very safe, slow ride aimed at much younger children, and they wouldn't even let him on that. I was so sad for him.
We needed the care room as stated in the app. Not one member of staff knew what we meant and we were directed to a standard disabled toilet across different parts of the park 3 times. No sign posts so we spent the best part of the afternoon walking around in the rain looking for this care room which nobody could direct us to.
We wanted to try the ride where the disabled visitor wears the headset. After 20 minutes standing and being ignored at the exit, we were informed the headsets were broken.
Some very friendly staff mind, and it wasn't a complete waste of a day. But if you are a thrill seeker who can't independently transfer, I would avoid.

Amazing themepark with the most lovely theming immersed in the forest. We stayed for 3 nights though the accommodation was beautiful, we would have loved a couple more amenities as there was no safe or wardrobes in the locheland lodges. Unique amazing rides, delicious varied food including tons of vegetarian and vegan options. Well designed sets and great shows. Overall just a lovely relaxed atmosphere with something for everyone and can't wait to visit again! (My only hope, though the journey is not bad at all, is that they begin a direct coach service to the park)

Amazing experience in the park. Staff was really helpful. The attractions are really nice. Good time with the family!

Absolutely terrible day. 3 young adult disabled guests. The active discrimination towards them was utterly shocking. This place should be investigated under EU law. Before they reply to this message with an unprofessional emoji sparkle and say there are no queue advantages for anyone as they did on Trip Advisor I need to tell anyone with disabilities that it is highly likely you won’t get on a ride or attraction AT ALL. I will give two examples where I tried to speak to staff to resolve at the time. I could give 10 examples.
Example 1: Carnaval Fiesta. Live advertised queue time 10 minutes. Stood with my profoundly disabled son in his wheelchair with a group of other wheelchair users for 90 MINUTES and no one opened the locked door. Went to the main queue and a staff member said ‘Health and Safety mean we only open it occasionally’ What!!!
Example 2: Symbolica. Live advertised queue time 25 minutes and 30 minutes when we tried again. First time told wheelchair queue would be around an hour and to come back later. Came back later. Ignored for 30 minutes. Found staff member. Told would be over an hour and to come back later. Said my son is tube fed and this is the last chance. Was told to come back at 6pm (repeat, can’t do that).

Asked to complain on site and was told they done have complaints only an email for suggestions. Sent an email on the day requesting a refund and stating how awful day had been. Expected an apology and a refund. Have been ignored. Got a ‘will reply in 48 hours’ that was 4 days ago.
Efteling - I expect my refund for this group for an appalling experience and an mis-sold product.

03/11 update - they are refusing a refund on the basis we ‘attended the park’. They refused to give me details on how to complain or their complaints procedure (currently)
They only ‘found’ my email because I phoned up at huge expense while waiting on hold….

I’ve booked a stay for May 2025 as it’s my daughter’s birthday. Unfortunately, as I also work in the touristic department, I was not able to take holidays for the dates I requested. I asked for cancellation and they cancelled the reservation…. But it seems they take 2/3 weeks to do a credit card refund which nowadays it’s unacceptable. I have also requested a proof of the refund, as my reservation was simply canceled and not even an email with the cancellation was sent…. It seems ureal…. In my 20 years working in the attention to guests it had never happen to me. Each time I send an email I just get back a standard replay. Very sad about this. Just hope I’ll get my money back.

Update: 25th October still no refund and no feedback from the assistance not even a replay to the emails.