First, THANK YOU to everyone who has been so helpful in providing me with guidance for our current trip to SD and Disney. You have saved me lots of time and given our family more smiles for an even better trip!
I thought I'd share our Legoland experience since some have asked for the information.
Our family (DW, Me, DSons 8 & 6) went to Legoland for the very first time on Tuesday, April 2. We have visited Disney World several times and avoid most lines. We tend to get to the park for RD and take a break or stay until 4:00 and then leave for the day.
In the case of Legoland, we were transitioning from SD to Disney on that day. We hoped to RD Legoland (if we could get there) and stay until mid-afternoon, hitting the attractions we anticipated our kids would like the most. Since we were doing one day, we did not do the MindStorm activity.
The park was supposed to open officially at 10, with select attractions opening at 9:30 and turnstiles opening at 9:00. We arrived at 9:06 and secured $15 general parking that was nearly as good as the $20 preferred parking. The Legoland Hotel, which opens in just a few days, looked completed with the exception of some minor landscaping.
After going through the turnstiles, we went to the right of the park where we discovered that none of those rides were opening until 10. We then went to the left side of the park and waited for the 9:30 RD. While waiting, we met a very nice person who gave us a few tips.
At RD, we headed to Coastersaurus and were the first in line. It took a VERY LONG time to get our ride going. I could tell right away that the comments about long lines as a result of slow loading were true. Coastersaurus really is a kiddie ride. My two boys didn't find much thrill in it although the whip from the turn seemed to be the most intense force of all the roller coasters.
We then headed over to Safari Trek and it became quickly evident that although there weren't that many people ahead of us, we most likely would not get through the ride before 10:00 when the other rides were opening so we headed back over to the right side of the park. Frankly, the Safari Trek was a kiddie ride as well. It seemed that most rides that opened at 9:30 were for really small kids which didn't seem to make much sense to me. I expected the "headliners" to open early. Go figure.
Anyway, at 10:00 we rode the Lego Technic Coaster. We were the 4th family on and it still took quite a while. When we got off, the line was already huge. It was probably the best coaster there. We then waited about 15 minutes for the Lost Kingdom Adventure. The boys enjoyed it, but I couldn't imagine waiting longer for this 2 minute ride which again, loaded slowly. The line was MUCH longer when we got off.
We then headed over to The Dragon Coaster which was nearly a walk-on. It was a fun coaster with some neat scenes inside and a short and very tame ride outside.
After the Dragon Coaster, we crossed the park, which as many have said, doesn't take very long, and the boys did the Driving School, which was certainly one of the highlights of the day. Somehow, we hit a lull so our wait was less than 10 minutes, but again, the line was much longer when we got off. Upon exiting, each kid receives a paper driver's license, and if your child is incredibly motivated, can convince Mom or Dad to purchase the official driver's license card with the child's photo.
We then traversed the park again and showed up at 11:10 for the 11:30 Chima movie. My boys love Chima so they really enjoyed the film. I was underwhelmed, but I did earn a proper Chima education. I could almost tell you who is who.
We were able to easily make the 12:00 Fun Town Stage presentation about Fire & Safety. My DS8 enjoyed it and DS6 was laughing hysterically most of the time. It was well-done and I also smiled and chuckled at times too.
Lunch afterward at The Market. I've read mixed reviews about the food. The Market had a single serving salad bar, cheese steak sandwiches, fresh pasta, and much more. I thought it was well-above a lot of them park quick-service.
At this point we checked out Sky Cruiser, but the wait was 45+ minutes. My boys were no longer interested. They walked on to the Kid Power Tower instead and had fun.
The boys blew off some steam at Hideaways, a glorified playground. They had lots of fun. 30 minutes later, we walked through MiniLand and really enjoyed looking at all the Star Wars sets.
Of course, we did some shopping on the way out and left the park around 2:30.
Legoland was an enjoyable park geared for younger kids. Things worked out pretty well for us. In fact, I think we would do most everything in the same order again as far as minimizing wait times. I would skip Coastersaurus and ride Skyfari or the Driving School (if it is open) at 9:30 and then head back over to the right of the park. I also think MindStorm would be something they would have really enjoyed if we had been aware of it ahead of time.
The other thing that I would mention is that I would suspect that the park clears out in the late afternoon. Since this park is designed for the younger crowd, many of those tots are going to poop out and families will be forced to leave.
I'm not sure if this provides much insight, but feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I will certainly share my perspective.
Buck
I thought I'd share our Legoland experience since some have asked for the information.
Our family (DW, Me, DSons 8 & 6) went to Legoland for the very first time on Tuesday, April 2. We have visited Disney World several times and avoid most lines. We tend to get to the park for RD and take a break or stay until 4:00 and then leave for the day.
In the case of Legoland, we were transitioning from SD to Disney on that day. We hoped to RD Legoland (if we could get there) and stay until mid-afternoon, hitting the attractions we anticipated our kids would like the most. Since we were doing one day, we did not do the MindStorm activity.
The park was supposed to open officially at 10, with select attractions opening at 9:30 and turnstiles opening at 9:00. We arrived at 9:06 and secured $15 general parking that was nearly as good as the $20 preferred parking. The Legoland Hotel, which opens in just a few days, looked completed with the exception of some minor landscaping.
After going through the turnstiles, we went to the right of the park where we discovered that none of those rides were opening until 10. We then went to the left side of the park and waited for the 9:30 RD. While waiting, we met a very nice person who gave us a few tips.
At RD, we headed to Coastersaurus and were the first in line. It took a VERY LONG time to get our ride going. I could tell right away that the comments about long lines as a result of slow loading were true. Coastersaurus really is a kiddie ride. My two boys didn't find much thrill in it although the whip from the turn seemed to be the most intense force of all the roller coasters.
We then headed over to Safari Trek and it became quickly evident that although there weren't that many people ahead of us, we most likely would not get through the ride before 10:00 when the other rides were opening so we headed back over to the right side of the park. Frankly, the Safari Trek was a kiddie ride as well. It seemed that most rides that opened at 9:30 were for really small kids which didn't seem to make much sense to me. I expected the "headliners" to open early. Go figure.
Anyway, at 10:00 we rode the Lego Technic Coaster. We were the 4th family on and it still took quite a while. When we got off, the line was already huge. It was probably the best coaster there. We then waited about 15 minutes for the Lost Kingdom Adventure. The boys enjoyed it, but I couldn't imagine waiting longer for this 2 minute ride which again, loaded slowly. The line was MUCH longer when we got off.
We then headed over to The Dragon Coaster which was nearly a walk-on. It was a fun coaster with some neat scenes inside and a short and very tame ride outside.
After the Dragon Coaster, we crossed the park, which as many have said, doesn't take very long, and the boys did the Driving School, which was certainly one of the highlights of the day. Somehow, we hit a lull so our wait was less than 10 minutes, but again, the line was much longer when we got off. Upon exiting, each kid receives a paper driver's license, and if your child is incredibly motivated, can convince Mom or Dad to purchase the official driver's license card with the child's photo.
We then traversed the park again and showed up at 11:10 for the 11:30 Chima movie. My boys love Chima so they really enjoyed the film. I was underwhelmed, but I did earn a proper Chima education. I could almost tell you who is who.
We were able to easily make the 12:00 Fun Town Stage presentation about Fire & Safety. My DS8 enjoyed it and DS6 was laughing hysterically most of the time. It was well-done and I also smiled and chuckled at times too.
Lunch afterward at The Market. I've read mixed reviews about the food. The Market had a single serving salad bar, cheese steak sandwiches, fresh pasta, and much more. I thought it was well-above a lot of them park quick-service.
At this point we checked out Sky Cruiser, but the wait was 45+ minutes. My boys were no longer interested. They walked on to the Kid Power Tower instead and had fun.
The boys blew off some steam at Hideaways, a glorified playground. They had lots of fun. 30 minutes later, we walked through MiniLand and really enjoyed looking at all the Star Wars sets.
Of course, we did some shopping on the way out and left the park around 2:30.
Legoland was an enjoyable park geared for younger kids. Things worked out pretty well for us. In fact, I think we would do most everything in the same order again as far as minimizing wait times. I would skip Coastersaurus and ride Skyfari or the Driving School (if it is open) at 9:30 and then head back over to the right of the park. I also think MindStorm would be something they would have really enjoyed if we had been aware of it ahead of time.
The other thing that I would mention is that I would suspect that the park clears out in the late afternoon. Since this park is designed for the younger crowd, many of those tots are going to poop out and families will be forced to leave.
I'm not sure if this provides much insight, but feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I will certainly share my perspective.
Buck
