Songbird76
Well-Known Member
I forgot to put the outside picture of Symbolica...it looks really neat from the outside.
I wanted to go up in the pargoda (the thing in the air in the last pic) but DS didn't want to do it, and we couldn't leave him behind while we did it, so we figured we'll go back someday and do it.
After symbolica, we must have gotten something to eat? I know we were trying to figure out where we could ALL eat and we had had fries for lunch, so we wanted something a bit healthier for dinner. They have a pancake restaurant, which we refuse to do because they serve nothing BUT Dutch pancakes and those things cost like 8 Euros for ONE pancake, which is not enough for dinner. It's so incredibly expensive for what you get. Hubby found a place that he said looked like a once through buffet, where you grab a plate, get what you want and pay. They also had a section with a regular menu. We went to look at the "buffet" area and it all looked like it had been sitting there for ages and was not at all appetizing, and the only things they had were fried rice, spare ribs and chicken nuggets...we had seen steak on the main menu, so we chose to go the TS part. Big mistake. I don't really know what normal protocol is there, but there are several doors, none of which are attended and no signs that say "please wait to be seated" or anything, but with so many doors, how can they tell who has been helped and who hasn't? How do you know when someone else comes and sits down? So we sat at a table for 4 and waited and waited and waited...we saw several servers and no one ever came over, so we flagged someone down and tried to order...she went and got someone else to take our order. We both ordered the steak with pepper sauce, I ordered my sauce on the side. DS wanted a Frikandel, which they didn't have, so we went somewhere else for him later, and DD said she wasn't hungry, so we told her to let us know when she wanted something. She never did, and I asked her several times if she was hungry yet...nope. So this guy gets our order (just drinks for the kids) and we sit there for a while and then after about 10 -15 minutes, a waitress shows up and asks if we want to order dinner...um..we already did that. She looked really confused, but said she'd go check on it and she no more left than the food came out. For 17.50 ($20.60) we expected a pretty decent meal. We each got a steak about 3 inches in diameter, both with just a small bit of sauce on them (not on the side) and about half the amount of fries you would normally get. They hadn't let the steak rest, so as soon as you cut in, the entire plate was soaked and the sauce that used to be on top was just gone and it was one disgusting mess. Every bite was tough and had to be chewed so much that it was dry and had no flavor anymore. It was really an extremely disappointing meal. We paid and left, got something for DS and we checked wait times again...still at 50 minutes for Symbolic. But droomvlucht was only 25 minutes and DD and I really wanted to do that again, and DS wanted to do something else, so we split up and decided to meet back at the Ravelijn show which was right next to Droomvlucht for the next show, which started at 8. We were lucky and the queue was only 20 minutes, so we did that one and had 10 minutes before the show started, so we were able to walk in and sit down and didn't have to wait long. That show was AMAZING! It's these young people who get called by the raven queen...she sends her ravens to get them to save the kingdom from the evil king Olaf who has imprisoned them. There are a few things I missed...we were seated in the wrong section to see the best things. But it was still so great.
About this time, we realized we had really bad seats...that's what happens when you don't come in until the last 10 minutes before the show. So we wanted to see it from the good seats. The show is 20 minutes long and goes every hour and a half. So we looked one more time at the line for Symbolica...back up to 70 minutes. All the other stuff we wanted to do was across the park and we'd never get there, get through, and get back in time to get good seats. DH wanted to do Villa Volta I think it's called...it's like a crazy effect house...like...they use cameras and special effects to make the room feel like it's spinning, or whatever. It sounded really neat, but there was a warning that it was not for anyone with motion sickness, so I couldn't go on it and the kids thought it sounded scary. So we headed for the bathroom and DH headed for Villa Volta. When he was done, we decided to go wait in line for Ravelijn. DD saw a sign that said you needed a ticket, DH waved it away and said no, that was only for wheelchair access. So we're right at the front of the line and as people start trickling in, I notice they ALL have tickets. When we watched the first time, there was no one in the line anymore and the CM's completely ignored us when we walked in, we had to figure out for ourselves where to go because they weren't directing at all, just standing there chatting. So we didn't know we were supposed to have tickets. I asked DH again if he was sure, because I saw everyone had them...he looked and went off to find out where to get tickets. The line started filling up and I look back and he is standing back behind the line shrugging. So I thought he didn't know where to go. So I tell the kids it looked like we weren't going to be able to see it and the guy standing next to us kindly told us there was a kiosk across the square, but you don't really NEED tickets to get in, it's just to ensure that you HAVE a seat. There are no numbered seats or anything...so there should be room after all the ticketed people were in. BUT, we'd be in the carp section again. So we got out of line and DH tells us it's completely booked.
DH is not as...scrupulous, shall we say, as I am. So he just got in the line with all the ticketed people and walked right through. The people all around us, held up their tickets and were let in and I thought for sure they were going to ask to see ours, but we walked right through and headed for the doors to the good section. DD kept saying she felt wrong, she didn't want to do this, it wasn't fair. I was afraid of getting stopped at the door...or being seated and then there being people with tickets and no room left and them coming to check everyone's tickets. But by the time the show started, there were still seats in our section and there was one section that was almost empty, so we hadn't stolen anyone's spots and we got much better seating. Not how I'd have chosen to do it, but it DID work out.
I wanted to go up in the pargoda (the thing in the air in the last pic) but DS didn't want to do it, and we couldn't leave him behind while we did it, so we figured we'll go back someday and do it.
After symbolica, we must have gotten something to eat? I know we were trying to figure out where we could ALL eat and we had had fries for lunch, so we wanted something a bit healthier for dinner. They have a pancake restaurant, which we refuse to do because they serve nothing BUT Dutch pancakes and those things cost like 8 Euros for ONE pancake, which is not enough for dinner. It's so incredibly expensive for what you get. Hubby found a place that he said looked like a once through buffet, where you grab a plate, get what you want and pay. They also had a section with a regular menu. We went to look at the "buffet" area and it all looked like it had been sitting there for ages and was not at all appetizing, and the only things they had were fried rice, spare ribs and chicken nuggets...we had seen steak on the main menu, so we chose to go the TS part. Big mistake. I don't really know what normal protocol is there, but there are several doors, none of which are attended and no signs that say "please wait to be seated" or anything, but with so many doors, how can they tell who has been helped and who hasn't? How do you know when someone else comes and sits down? So we sat at a table for 4 and waited and waited and waited...we saw several servers and no one ever came over, so we flagged someone down and tried to order...she went and got someone else to take our order. We both ordered the steak with pepper sauce, I ordered my sauce on the side. DS wanted a Frikandel, which they didn't have, so we went somewhere else for him later, and DD said she wasn't hungry, so we told her to let us know when she wanted something. She never did, and I asked her several times if she was hungry yet...nope. So this guy gets our order (just drinks for the kids) and we sit there for a while and then after about 10 -15 minutes, a waitress shows up and asks if we want to order dinner...um..we already did that. She looked really confused, but said she'd go check on it and she no more left than the food came out. For 17.50 ($20.60) we expected a pretty decent meal. We each got a steak about 3 inches in diameter, both with just a small bit of sauce on them (not on the side) and about half the amount of fries you would normally get. They hadn't let the steak rest, so as soon as you cut in, the entire plate was soaked and the sauce that used to be on top was just gone and it was one disgusting mess. Every bite was tough and had to be chewed so much that it was dry and had no flavor anymore. It was really an extremely disappointing meal. We paid and left, got something for DS and we checked wait times again...still at 50 minutes for Symbolic. But droomvlucht was only 25 minutes and DD and I really wanted to do that again, and DS wanted to do something else, so we split up and decided to meet back at the Ravelijn show which was right next to Droomvlucht for the next show, which started at 8. We were lucky and the queue was only 20 minutes, so we did that one and had 10 minutes before the show started, so we were able to walk in and sit down and didn't have to wait long. That show was AMAZING! It's these young people who get called by the raven queen...she sends her ravens to get them to save the kingdom from the evil king Olaf who has imprisoned them. There are a few things I missed...we were seated in the wrong section to see the best things. But it was still so great.
About this time, we realized we had really bad seats...that's what happens when you don't come in until the last 10 minutes before the show. So we wanted to see it from the good seats. The show is 20 minutes long and goes every hour and a half. So we looked one more time at the line for Symbolica...back up to 70 minutes. All the other stuff we wanted to do was across the park and we'd never get there, get through, and get back in time to get good seats. DH wanted to do Villa Volta I think it's called...it's like a crazy effect house...like...they use cameras and special effects to make the room feel like it's spinning, or whatever. It sounded really neat, but there was a warning that it was not for anyone with motion sickness, so I couldn't go on it and the kids thought it sounded scary. So we headed for the bathroom and DH headed for Villa Volta. When he was done, we decided to go wait in line for Ravelijn. DD saw a sign that said you needed a ticket, DH waved it away and said no, that was only for wheelchair access. So we're right at the front of the line and as people start trickling in, I notice they ALL have tickets. When we watched the first time, there was no one in the line anymore and the CM's completely ignored us when we walked in, we had to figure out for ourselves where to go because they weren't directing at all, just standing there chatting. So we didn't know we were supposed to have tickets. I asked DH again if he was sure, because I saw everyone had them...he looked and went off to find out where to get tickets. The line started filling up and I look back and he is standing back behind the line shrugging. So I thought he didn't know where to go. So I tell the kids it looked like we weren't going to be able to see it and the guy standing next to us kindly told us there was a kiosk across the square, but you don't really NEED tickets to get in, it's just to ensure that you HAVE a seat. There are no numbered seats or anything...so there should be room after all the ticketed people were in. BUT, we'd be in the carp section again. So we got out of line and DH tells us it's completely booked.
DH is not as...scrupulous, shall we say, as I am. So he just got in the line with all the ticketed people and walked right through. The people all around us, held up their tickets and were let in and I thought for sure they were going to ask to see ours, but we walked right through and headed for the doors to the good section. DD kept saying she felt wrong, she didn't want to do this, it wasn't fair. I was afraid of getting stopped at the door...or being seated and then there being people with tickets and no room left and them coming to check everyone's tickets. But by the time the show started, there were still seats in our section and there was one section that was almost empty, so we hadn't stolen anyone's spots and we got much better seating. Not how I'd have chosen to do it, but it DID work out.
, so I don't complain much. 
