And we're thinking about Legoland again....

[Meemoo]

Hey there,

With our trip fast approaching and full payment being required soon, I am toying with last minute ideas before everything becomes final and unchangeable. Our California trip is totally Disneyland based, we haven't been in such a long time, love it so much and my kids first time at CAL DL. I have a 10 day pass, which we will prob get 9 days use from. I'm thinking to slot a stay at Legoland Hotel in on a Sunday night since DL will probably be busy on Sunday's, then I can visit the outlets at Carlsbad on the way. How does everyone feel about Legoland in general I am not expecting DL quality but do the kids love it? When we get back to Anaheim we will still have 2 full days at DL.

 

[Disney Kidd]

It depends how old the kids are. The hotel is really cool with three themed rooms: pirate, castle, and adventure. The elevator is really fun! The park itself is marketed towards children. There are some rides only the kids can go on, and the adults have to sit by and watch (which is the reason why Walt Disney made Disneyland). I thought Legoland was fun as a kid, but not so much as an adult. My favorite area is Miniland USA.

 

[Angrose]

How old are your kids? We just got back from a weekend at LEGOLAND this past weekend. It was a quick LEGOLAND-only trip. We stayed Fri night at a cheapie hotel and Sat night at the LEGOLAND Hotel. My DH and DS7 are obsessed with Lego, so they love it and staying at the hotel just keeps the fun going! If your kids are into Lego then they will enjoy it. However, be prepared, it is a step down from Disneyland. You will have to put your Disney-expectations aside and accept LEGOLAND for what it is, a fun place for younger kids (and kids at heart) who love Lego. The rides are pretty basic and not too thrilling. There are a few that are a little more exciting. The water park is loads of fun!! We really enjoyed it even though it was PACKED! The hotel is so convenient and has some fun evening activities and movies by the pool. Let me know if you have any other questions. We have been there twice now and my boys plan on making it an annual trip!

 

[Meemoo]

Thanks for all the fast responses -I realize now I put this in the wrong section, but nice to get lots of responses still! My kids are 7 & almost 9, they do love Lego and my husband does also. I will put my DL expectations behind me, so as long as I can see my kids just love it, I wont mind. If we all felt underwhelmed then I may have regrets but the hotel rooms do look very fun for kids! What are the wait times like for rides on a week day, not school holidays or anything..

 

[beachdreamr1229]

We took our 5-year-old and 18 month old twins this past summer. If your kids are between 2 and 10 years old, yes, go for it! My 5-year-old loved everything about the experience and the Legoland Hotel is so much fun for kids. There are activities planned every evening, a giant play area, and a great swimming pool. We were there on a Saturday-Monday in June and the waits for rides in the morning were not bad, but by lunchtime, you could see long waits (about 40 minutes-1 hour) for some of the more popular rides. If you're going in warmer months, our favorite part of Legoland itself is the water park. My son could have spent days just playing on the water slides. Do it!

 

[kpallas3]

I agree that if your children are under the age of 10 they will love it!! We went two years ago the 2nd week in September and my 6 old son absolutely loved it! He prefers it over Disneyland.......adults did not. It is definitely a step down from Disneyland but if you go in knowing that you will not be disappointed. Unlike the other comments, we were not too thrilled with the water park. We set 2 days aside for LegoLand and 1 day for the water park. We ended up only staying a few hours at the water park and spending the rest of the day at Legoland. I'm not sure when you are going, but the second week of september was great! The lines were short and we were able to do a lot! I definitely recommend checking out when the Legoland Firefighters are doing their performance. This was the highlight of the trip for my son. I agree with everyone that the hotel is awesome! The rooms are great and my son could have spent half a day just riding the elevator.

 

[atmail35]

We have been to Legoland 3x with our now 10 year old. She enjoys it. The aquariuim was nice, but takes less than an hour. We just do a day trip now. We stayed at the hotel in 2013. Really loved it. I have a review in the so cal forum. http://www.disboards.com/threads/my-thoughts-on-the-legoland-hotel.3157970/

The rides are small, but we go with her younger cousins. I love miniland. The shopping is fun too. The Lego Movie set is a must see.

I think one day or 1.5 days is plenty (without water park)

 

[corinne76]

I think your kids will love it. My kids were 2 and 5 when we last went. I think 5 was a good age, but they will be 5 and 8 when we go next year and I think they are both at great ages for Legoland! I'd like to get this trip in now before they outgrow LL. the kids seems to have an age limit, it's not like DL where you can enjoy all it at any age.

and yes, it's not DL quality! I noticed some cobwebs here and there, but for lego lovers, it's a pretty fun place!

 

[Sorcerer Jody]

How far is LEGOLAND from Disneyland? And what if you don't have a car?

 

[corinne76]

By car it's about 90 minutes +
Not sure how to get there without a car. I'm sure someone actually from the area would be able to better answer that.

 

[Iceman93]

We haven't done the hotel, but my family tried Legoland two years ago and will probably never be back. My daughter and I are both HUGE Lego fans. We knew the park itself wouldn't be Disney-quality but were still disappointed at the theming, ride quality, cleanliness, staff member friendliness, and overall attraction mix. If you go, I hope you'll have a better time than we did, but definitely set your expectations very, very low.

 

[Meemoo]

I think the hotel rooms if what has me attracted more than anything - I gather it wouldn't be worthwhile just for a night in the hotel?

 

[Angrose]

I think the hotel rooms if what has me attracted more than anything - I gather it wouldn't be worthwhile just for a night in the hotel?

Staying at the hotel is really fun, I would highly recommend it! We have stayed there for both our trips and I think it really enhanced our experience. I was on the fence about staying there for this last trip due to the cost, but doing the split stay was a perfect compromise for us. One night there is definitely worth it!

How far is LEGOLAND from Disneyland? And what if you don't have a car?

You can take Amtrak from Anaheim to Carlsbad. After the horrible traffic we experienced this past weekend, I would seriously consider it! I did, however, also sneak up to DLR one night for a few hours and it only took an hour. Drove up at 9pm and came back at 12:30am. I know, a little crazy, but I just couldn't help myself!

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

We went this past spring and my boys who are 5 & 8 (and LOVE Legos) both said they never wanted to go back. I actually took DS5 and baby back early while DH and DS8 tried to do to a few more things. If you do go, dont plan on doing many rides. DH and DS8 were there open to close and got to do two rides and a show. The lines were outrageous! Miniland was very cool and the family enjoyed the apple fries. I am glad we tried it because it was something the boys wanted to see, but I am awfully glad we didn't pay full price (Did the kids free w/ adult coupon). It really isn't worth the money.

 

[Meemoo]

Thanks for the feedback, this trip was originally all about DL for us. I fell in love with it 10 years ago on my 1st visit. It has been a while and since we're coming all the way from Australia I think I may have forgotten how great and magical it is when I consider giving up a couple of days there to go somewhere else. Maybe I will regret it, I guess if I get to DL and feel like I have had enough I can plan a day trip to Legoland. Keeping in mind, we haven't been to DL for 10 years and quite possibly wont be back to California DL for another 10!!

 

[bakerudall]

Would my 12yo son feel too old at Legoland?

 

[Spyral]

We've done Legoland a couple times. The first time, we did Legoland, SeaWorld, back to Legoland and then DLR. The Legoland Hotel hadn't opened yet, so we stayed offisite at the nearby Homewood Suites. I would highly recommend going to Legoland prior to DLR if you are going to do both during the same vacation, otherwise you may come off feeling disappointed about Legoland.

The second time we did Legoland, we stayed a the Legoland hotel (4 nights! ). We enjoyed it for the most part. The theming was very nice. The elevators were a cool touch (disco), but there are only 2 elevators in the middle part of the hotel and may have to wait a bit. It was nice just being able to walk into Legoland. I don't think would do it for 4 nights again, or recommend people stay for more than maybe 2. 1 would probably do it. There are a ton of little ones running around, and it does get a bit loud/crazy at times. But kinda gotta expect that with the age group Legoland is geared more towards. We went in the middle of June, and the park itself wasn't too bad. But we split up park time with the beach (which is very close by). We thought the water park was just ok and only spent a partial day in the water park.

Sealife, which is attached to Legoland is ok. Not the largest aquarium, and it can be walked through fairly quickly. If you get a good deal on a hopper ticket, then go for it, but I wouldn't worry about it if not. On our second trip, we didn't go to Sealife at all. (that being said, we got an APs this year for the local Sealife that opened by us a few years back - they sometimes have great deals on APs)

We do enjoy Legoland quite a bit. If we do go back at some point, it would be just for a day. Just have to go with the right expectations.

For our first trip, our daughters were 6 & 7. On our second trip, our daughters were 10 & 11, and our son was 3.

 

[briggscreek]

We went to Legoland at the end of a DL trip when the kids were 7 and 9 and they loved it. They said they liked it as much as Disneyland, little traitors LOL. We were there right after the hotel opened and the theming was really fun, the kids loved the legos in the rooms. I wasn't expecting much from the park based on what I'd read here, but we had a great time. Most of the rides load a LOT slower than DL though.

 

[agamble]

Thanks for the feedback, this trip was originally all about DL for us. I fell in love with it 10 years ago on my 1st visit. It has been a while and since we're coming all the way from Australia I think I may have forgotten how great and magical it is when I consider giving up a couple of days there to go somewhere else. Maybe I will regret it, I guess if I get to DL and feel like I have had enough I can plan a day trip to Legoland. Keeping in mind, we haven't been to DL for 10 years and quite possibly wont be back to California DL for another 10!!

We haven't been to LEGOLAND yet, but definitely plan to go in a few years when we're done with babies (they don't have many rides for babies, unlike Disneyland). I'd say you should go. Your kids are LEGO fans and will likely enjoy it. Whenever you do make it back they'll be too old to enjoy it. So now is the time to go.

 

[ImDMous]

Would my 12yo son feel too old at Legoland?

YES!