| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The giant Roc which stands by the entrance | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Vekoma | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Product | Custom MK-900 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Lex Lemmens | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Enclosed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1600 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Tire propelled lift | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 20 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drop | 19 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 65 km/h | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 643 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1:36 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G-Force | 3.2 + | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vogel Rok is a steel enclosed roller coaster located at Efteling in Kaatsheuvel, North-Brabant, Netherlands. It opened on April 9, 1998.
History
Vogel Rok is modeled after the Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor (Arabian Nights) as he travels to the uninhabited island where the giant Rok (or Roc, Roeck) resides. It marks the first time Efteling tried to combine the excessive theming they are known for with a roller coaster. Originally, a expansion of the Python coaster was planned, but got scrapped due to budget reasons. Later, a duplicate of Europa-Park's Eurosat was considered for this location, but MACK Rides could not deliver the ride on time.[1] The original Vogel Rok was supposed to be much bigger as well, having originally two stations and five trains. Due to budget limitations, this was brought back to the current setup.
When Vogel Rok opened on 9 April 1998, it wasn't as well received as the park had hoped, so changes were quickly made. Some new effects were added as well as a lasershow in the queue. The entire queue lay-out changed in 2007, becoming smaller and being in the theme of a cave and temple instead of the sea. Vogel Rok is one of the first roller coasters at a non-Disney park to have an onboard soundtrack, with the other being Flight of Fear and its clone at Kings Island and Kings Dominion. The music plays through 96 speakers in each train.
Theme
The ride is guarded by a giant Roc, which has a span width of 22 meters, making it the biggest bird statue in the world. After walking between its talons, you end up in a cave (added in 2007), where the remnants of elephant bones (the animal the Roc hunts on) surround you. Later, a giant egg of the bird can be seen in a temple. The station has remained the same since 1998 and isn't known to represent anything from the story of Sindbad.
During the mostly pitch-black ride, orchestrated music plays and various light effects as well as 21 birds in total can be seen. Near the end, a giant snake head and a tunnel with lights surround the train. In 2018, some changes were made, like the addition of sound effects to the music and a starry night sky. Sadly, some old effects like lasers were removed as well.[2]
Design
| Elements |
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Colour scheme
Trains
3 trains with 6 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 24 riders per train.
Location
The coaster is located in "Wereld van Sindbad" since 2022, this area, which translates to "World of Sindbad", is themed to the travels of Sindbad the sailor. Wereld van Sindbad is a subsection in the "Reizenrijk" area of the park, roughly translating to "Travel Realm".
References
External links
- Vogel Rok on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
