Baron 1898 is a Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster at Efteling.
This may be one of the smallest dive machines, but it’s easily the best-themed one.
And that theming combined with the ride’s placement is the biggest reason why it’s
one of the better versions of this popular B&M model.
Find out everything you need to know about Baron 1898 in this review.
Efteling is a park that has always been more about theming than thrills, so there were
some skeptics when the park announced they’d be adding a B&M steel coaster for the 2015
season.
But those fears were shortly quelled.
This Dutch park gave Baron 1898 an engaging story and the coaster is integrated seamlessly
with the midway, making it a very picturesque ride.
The ride is themed to a haunted mine.
The most striking thing about Baron 1898 is the custom lift structure.
Themed to a rusted mine shaft, this feature really captures your eye.
I love how the gears are synchronized with the lift to spin whenever a train is heading
up the lift.
The coaster’s track was brilliantly selected to be the shade of green matching the oxidized
mine shaft.
The vertical drop is a spectacle, as it plunges into a misty tunnel adjacent to the midway.
The rest of the layout runs alongside the midway and queue line to build anticipation.
And in typical Efteling fashion, the entire area is well-landscaped.
You may have to wait in line for a while.
This competes with Joris en de Draak daily for the longest line at Efteling.
Most days, this ride seems to have a 40-45 minute wait.
There is a single rider line that tends to shave 10-15 minutes off your wait.
But if you want a specific row, you should wait in the standby line.
Most prefer the front for the view, but I like the back best for the extra pull on the
drop.
The outdoor queue line has some industrial theming, but the best part of this wait is
the ride’s soundtrack and the views of the coaster.
Once you reach the end of the queue, you are given your row assignment and sent into two
pre-shows.
Baron Gustave Hooghmoed has found a nearby cave full of gold, but spirits known as the
Witte Wieven or White Women warn him that if he touches the gold in any way, he would
be doomed.
So the Baron tries to circumvent this by sending others into the mine on his behalf to retrieve
the gold.
The first preshow explains this premise in a video, but it’s interrupted by the White
Women.
These chilling spirits fly around the walls of the room warning you to turn back.
These visuals are accompanied by shaking and flickering lights to add to the state of uneasiness,
but the Baron encourages you to continue onward.
You waited long enough anyway!
The next room features this incredible full-size animatronic of the Baron and then the doors
to the station open, revealing the trains.
These are 3 row trains, seating 6 riders per row.
These are among the smallest trains on a dive coaster, which is a contributor to the long
waits.
These trains feature the hard over-the-shoulder restraints as opposed to the vest restraints.
I prefer these restraints on dive coasters since they give more room for airtime.
And since the ride is glass smooth, headbanging is not an issue.
Once dispatched, you head into a show scene.
It’s decently long too, lasting 35-40 seconds.
The mine operator’s office has been burned by the White Women and the spirits of past
miners.
These spirits fill the room and as you head towards the lift, they warn you that you’re
about to meet your demise.
The lift is 98 feet or 30 meters tall, making it the second shortest dive coaster after
the original in Oblivion at Alton Towers.
Unlike all the others where you turn at the top, on Baron 1898 you proceed forwards to
the holding brake.
You’re held there for a few seconds, building anticipation, and then you’re released down
the 123 foot or 38 meter tall vertical drop.
The visuals are amazing as you plunge into that misty underground tunnel.
And the drop also delivers in the force department.
It has a slight freefall sensation and delivers good floater airtime.
The airtime is a bit stronger towards the back of the train as you’re whipped over
the crest, but it’s sustained in any row.
This is easily the best element on the ride, which is the norm for all dive coasters.
Like almost every dive coaster, the drop is followed by an Immelmann.
These elements rarely work for me on dive coasters and it’s the same on Baron.
The element doesn’t do anything interesting.
There’s no strong positive Gs, no laterals, nor hangtime.
The second inversion Is much better.
It’s a super floaty zero-G roll chalk-full of hangtime.
I wish more dive coasters had this element.
Baron then cruises through a 360 degree upwards helix.
This element is pretty compact and fairly forceful, much more so than you may expect.
You then zip over a bunny hill, which delivers a little floater airtime for all rows.
You then round a corner and hit the brake run, ending the 1644 foot or 501 meter long
coaster.
The ride is on the shorter side, even by dive coaster standards, but the overall experience
is fulfilling because of the dark ride section and fleshed out story.
So what would I rate Baron 1898?
I would give this B&M dive machine an 8 out of 10.
This is a very nice attraction.
From a pure coaster standpoint, the coaster is good.
The vertical drop is full of airtime and I like most of the elements outside of the Immelmann
. The ride may be short, but it’s super smooth and the theming really elevates the
experience.
Both pre-shows and the dark ride section tell a cohesive story that you rarely get on a
thrill coaster.
This is why I place it in the upper half of dive coasters and it’s my second favorite
coaster at Efteling after Joris.
So those are my thoughts on Baron 1898.
What are your thoughts on this dive coaster?
Do you appreciate this ride’s story and theming?
Let me know what you think down in the comments.
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