Touring plans for SeaWorld, Legoland, and Universal

[eargal]

My S. Cal trip is only a little over two weeks off.

I have a good grasp on Touring the Disney parks since
1. I have been many times.
2. I know Hydroguys tips by heart
3. I read these forums a lot more than I post

However, I am not at all confident about a plan of attack for the other parks. Let me put some details out here and see if anyone can help me out. Thanks in advance.

Legoland Sat. September 29
Only 4 of our group are going. Just me (34 year old theme park fan), my 37 year old best friend, and my two little ones. DS has just turned 6 will try anything once (other than Tower of Terror ) and is tall enough for most things at 53". DD is 3, loves anything tiny, cute and themed well, gets nervous on many rides but gives most things a try. She's not quite tall enough for everything but holds her own at 42.5".

SeaWorld Sunday Sept. 30th
Everyone from above plus my parents and husband. My parents are 62ish. Dad likes anything I like (I've got the guy totally wrapped ), mom doesn't like thrill rides or exercise . DH loves all rides and attractions.

Universal Studios Hollywood Sat. Oct. 6th
Everyone from above.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[grumpyvet]

Your youngest dd is actually tall enough for everything, I think. However...if there is some fear, the Technic Coaster might be a bit much. My daughter loved it at 3!!
So, what I recommend is get there at opening and once thru the front area to make a right. If you go left, you will immediately be put into the little kid part which is cute. Great theming, non-scarey rides, (safari, dino coaster, Fairy Tale Brook and an area that you can dig for dinasaur bones). Great place, but should not start there. In the morning that is where everyone with little kids goes...so it is far more crowded in the morning than the afternoon when toddlers have all pooped out and have gone home!! In the AM you may have a 30 minute wait for the Safari ride, and find after lunch that the wait is 5 minutes!! Also, the Dinoland leads into Funtown which is also very cool, but once your 3 year old hits the play ground there, there will be no shifting her!!!
Go right, there you will first find the Coast Cruise...cute, worth it. Then the Aquazone..fun...you can get a little wet or medium wet on this one. I only ride it if I am wearing Tevas or such as my shoes always get really wet.
Then the Bioncle Blaster....re. Tea cup ride, then the Technic Coaster. One big hill which is high enough to be adult-fun.
Between the Coast Cruise and the Aquazone is an area where you can build your own legoracer and go down a track...and a 3D theater with two different films playing. The 3 D theater made my DD CRY at age 3 and 5, now at 7 she will go willingly but takes off her 3D glasses and plugs her ears. So, be warned. My DD can ride TOT at CA about 99 times, but is very sensitive to loud attractions...and scary (as she sees them) movies! Of the two shows, I prefer the LegoRacer themed one over the Spellbinder one.
Generally only go if it is super hot and I need AC.
Continue following the path and reach Castle Hill. Great theming. The Dragon coaster is pretty mellow, and the Royal Joust is painfully cute, if a slow loader. Knights tournament is one I don't much like...but others might enjoy. Usually longish wait for kind of unpleasant shaking motion.
Good icecream. Mediocre BBQ. And an awesome Redwood kid play structure. Cute little "nature trail" with a great creaky bridge. Live show on the stage..haven't caught this year's new one,so can't advise.
Then on to Pirate shores....log ride really lame!! Cranky's challenge fun.
Splash Battle..likely the longest line..but fun. Kid's water area...bring swimsuits!!!!
On to Funtown. All rides here are 3 year old friendly, airplane/boat/ helicopter. And the Volvo driving course, Your DD's will have to do separate ones due to ages, but great fun. Kid Power tower...we like it, but it has gotten lukewarm reactions from guests. Sky Cruiser looks like it would be fun. It actually isn't. It is a rollar coaster you pedal yourself. No matter what speed you pedal, go the same slow rate. So, of all the attractions, I say SKIP this one! The FIre Themed live performance is very cute.
Finally Explore Village. Great Playground. The entertainment show, ventriliquist is good.
And then back to the beginning. To ease the whining about leaving...we always stop at the shop on the right as you face the gates which allows you to buy candy by weight. Amazing how 70 cents worth of candy will make the exit much more attractive. Have a gummy shark and be on your way!!!
I think I have said enough. Sorry, even as a kid I was known to have a lot to say!!
Hope this helps!!!!! Amy

 

[eargal]

Wow Amy, Thank you!
Seriously, between the coupons and this amazingly detailed touring plan I will owe all the enjoyment of Legoland to you.
Thanks again. I'm printing your post to take with me.

Anyone want to give SeaWorld or Universal a shot?

 

[wdhinn89]

I see you stayed at the GC for your Disneyland stay, were did you stay for the Southern California part of your vacation?

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

We just got back on Dec 15 from all that you are doing & we did the Zoo in San Diego too.

Universal: Good luck (IMO) it was so very spread out & took forever to get from on level to another. We kept missing shows, etc because of this. I would just say
MUST DO's: Terminator 3D (best 3D I have ever seen)
Behind the scenes tour (awesome)
Jurassic Park (84 ft drop)
a few other cute things - but nothing like Florida's, almost can't even spend an entire day there.

SeaWorld: Same - good luck, I know that my abilities to read a map may really stink, but come on I had 3 other adults with me & we really struggled to find things.
MUST DO's: Shows, shows, shows
the dolphin show kicked our local zoo's shows x10
Shamu show - absolutely incredible
even the little seal lion show was very cute
Pets rule - very different - another must
feeding the dolphins was high on our list...although when you read that you pay $5 for a tray of fish, they should say you pay $5 for a tiny basket of 4 minno's (sp?) No kidding! But still worth it to see the look on my daughters face!
I am sure there is more from SW, but those are the high lights. It was really hard to follow any pattern for SW (IMO) because of show times, etc. We started off to the right & back in the middle for a show, then back to the right, then back in the middle for another show & on & on.

Any questions just PM me, we went from 12/6-12/15 to SanDiego Zoo, SeaWorld, LegoLand, Universal, & DL for 4 days. Long trip, but awesome vacation!

 

[wdhinn89]

We just got back on Dec 15 from all that you are doing & we did the Zoo in San Diego too.

Universal: Good luck (IMO) it was so very spread out & took forever to get from on level to another. We kept missing shows, etc because of this. I would just say
MUST DO's: Terminator 3D (best 3D I have ever seen)
Behind the scenes tour (awesome)
Jurassic Park (84 ft drop)
a few other cute things - but nothing like Florida's, almost can't even spend an entire day there.

SeaWorld: Same - good luck, I know that my abilities to read a map may really stink, but come on I had 3 other adults with me & we really struggled to find things.
MUST DO's: Shows, shows, shows
the dolphin show kicked our local zoo's shows x10
Shamu show - absolutely incredible
even the little seal lion show was very cute
Pets rule - very different - another must
feeding the dolphins was high on our list...although when you read that you pay $5 for a tray of fish, they should say you pay $5 for a tiny basket of 4 minno's (sp?) No kidding! But still worth it to see the look on my daughters face!
I am sure there is more from SW, but those are the high lights. It was really hard to follow any pattern for SW (IMO) because of show times, etc. We started off to the right & back in the middle for a show, then back to the right, then back in the middle for another show & on & on.

Any questions just PM me, we went from 12/6-12/15 to SanDiego Zoo, SeaWorld, LegoLand, Universal, & DL for 4 days. Long trip, but awesome vacation!

Where did you stay in Southern California and would you recommend it?

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

In San Diego we stayed at the Days Inn on Hotel Circle. I would recommend it, it was nothing fancy, but good rate ($100ish) & very friendly & nice. They had a free shuttle that would pick you up at the airport, had shuttles to & from the Zoo & SeaWorld. They were awesome, they even said if the shuttle was availible they would pick you up elsewhere (reasonable places) and different times at the zoo & SW if requested. And the mall was only a short walk from the hotel too. The pool was being re-done & it was Dec., so we weren't going in anyway - so no opinion on that.

In Anaheim we stayed at the Desert Inn & Suites, and yes I would recommend that one too. Again, nothing fancy, but decent rates & they had suites & indoor pool. Right across from the DL entrance, so very nice.

Any other questions -PM me or ask away!

 

[mindylovesmickey]

Sea World is great, we go every year at least once.

I would say you most definitely need to do Journey to Atlantis, mind you, this is a water ride, and you will most likely get wet to some degree, some get it worse than others, but everyone gets it, so be prepared. It's unique as it is a small coaster with drops and it has the main drop in the water ride. My dd 7, enjoyed it but was a little scared, however has said she would do it again. She's not a big coaster fan yet.

All the shows listed above are great and must do's as well. I also recommend the Sea Lion show, it is hilarious, leaves us in stitches every single time!

If you have the money, I also recommend the behind the scenes attractions as well. So far we have done the Saving a Species, where we got to touch sharks (they are small, don't worry), feed the sea turtles, and learned a bunch of great stuff. We have also done behind the scenes with the penguins, that was awesome, bring a sweater or jacket because you go right into the attraction and it is COLD!! If you have time, start your morning off with Breakfast with Shamu right when the park opens, it is a very nice buffet, and you are thisclose to the killer whales, it is the closest you can get, and while you can't touch them, it is the most awesome thing we've done there so far as far as the kids were concerned, and the trainers talk to you pretty much the whole time, take questions, etc. I have pictures and everything if you are interested.

The picnic lunch with shamu is also offered, it's priority seating and a picnic lunch, but totally not worth it compared to the buffet style that they do. If you get there early for the show, you can get seats that are just as good if not better, and the picnic lunch wasn't that great. We won't ever do that one again.

I believe that they usually have the clydesdales out for a tour around the park, that is a sight. And you can get a picture with a clydesdale as well.

We love Sea World and still don't get to do everything in one day, but we always have fun. It is hard to follow a true pattern for the park, but find if we do the exhibits near the areas where the next show we want to stay is, we don't have much down time, if any.

As far as hotels, we have also stayed at the Days Inn- Hotel Circle and find it very clean and comfortable and good rates, and the staff is very accomodating. We can get around pretty well down there since we've been so much, so we usually drive so I can't give advice on shuttles or anything.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[SnowWhite12]

Is Days Inn hotel circle, now called Days Hotel--Hotel Circle? Everytime I go to Days Inn website, it directs me to the Days Hotel website, and pictures and restaurant are the same.

 

[mindylovesmickey]

Yes, I'm pretty sure that is right. And when you drive up to it, it only says Days Hotel. They have a little cafe right onsite. Decent food, too. It's not anything special, but it's better than calling out for pizza and close, too.

 

[grumpyvet]

I messed up in referrencing this thread..so decided to bring attention to it a lower tech way!!

 

[minniebeth]

Bumping this thread up...
I have some specific questions about Legoland...
Amy's (grumpyvet) touring plan is really great!

My question are, can you get through this in a day?
It seems like the rides are doable, but then when you add in the shows, and playtime, it seems like it is a lot to fit in. What play areas would you skip if you only have one day?
I read on the LL website that there is a nominal fee for Dig Those Dinos for tools, does anyone know how much? And you get an "egg" to keep, does anyone know what this is?
Are there any other "extra" costs (besides food obiously) that you can come across in the park?
Also, do kids bring bathing suits to change into or wear them under their clothes for the pirate play area?
Last quesition, are all the food places "counter service" or are they sit down?
Any recommendations?
LAST question, apple fries...they look really good, are they?

Thanks! Beth

 

[jenjersnap]

I plan to use Amy's suggestions too! Thanks, Amy! Don't forget there's a new land that opened this spring - Land of Adventure - so got to add that in too.

I know LL has 4 sit down restaurants. The rest are counter service. I too would love to know which has the best food.

 

[grumpyvet]

LegoLand has opened a new area called Land of Adventure. It is on the way to Knight's kingdom . It is an Indiana Jones type theme. There is a little play area that is a bit noisy as it is inclosed and the kids get lobbed with foam balls that are shot out by some type of air cannon type thing. Too loud for me, so I didn't check it out but my DD7 thought it was fun, but only spends abut 5-10 minutes playing there, so not apparently that exciting. There is also a serioulsy "poor-mans" Buzz LIght Year Astro-Blaster type ride. Ride a car through some scenes and shoot your lazer gun at targets to get points. Kids liked it, so it was okay. There is also a little kid airplane ride (very like something you would see at a fair) and a ride that is called Beetle Bounce. Looks really lame, but actually is kind of fun. I like the floating pit of my stomach feel of free fall, and you get that for a second on this ride!!

I also in my touring plan skipped talking about the little kid area....Dinosaur Coaster, Safari Trek and Fairy Tale Brook. I LOVE Fairy Tale Brook. I think it reminds me of a boat ride I used to go on at KennyWood as a kid!! The dinosaur dig is over here too.

So, finally to try to address your questions.


Can you do it all in one day?
Pretty much. If you take it slow and let the kids play in every available area, it could take two days, but you will feel that you have seen enough in a full day.

The age of the kids, would determine which play areas to skip. The play area in Explore Village is amazing, little houses, mild water play, tiny little train ride, interactive fountains and the under 5 set could likely play there the entire day, older kids more of a 20 minute pass thru. The wood structure in Castle Hill is a bit much for the little ones if it's crowded as they get stampeded by excited bigger kids. Most kids seem to like to play 30-40 minutes on this one. In the Imagination Zone there is a location to bulild and race Lego racers. Little kids, doesn't hold their attention long, bigger kids (two boys age 9 and 12 that I took there) were happy to devote an hour and then some to their creations. In Castle Hill, Fun Town and Explore Village there are areas to just play with Legos.

Nominal Fee for tools?
Sadly, I don't have an answer. 3 years ago it was 3 dollars. At that time they didn't offer the "egg". Little kids 4-5 and under can dig in the sand FOREVER. After our first time, I refused the experience. Hot and sandy...not a fan!! Pretty popular attraction.

Other extras to spend money on?

Miniature Golf as you leave Castle HIll and head towards Pirates SHores.$5
Panning for gold in Castle Hill, get a gold coin medallion, was $2, now maybe$3

Carnival like games at Pirate shores...no idea of the cost..haven't done them

Swim suits?Suits are not allowed on rides, although last time there no one was enforcing the rule. Obviously they mean just the suit,not suit under clothes!! My kid wears a two piece under her clothes and I carry undies to change into when we are done with the water park.

One table service restuarant--Upper Deck Sport Zone near the Technic coaster.

Apple Fries?
I think they look better than they taste, but they are good.

I cannot really make much in the way of food recommendations as we usually pack our lunch. (go so often, make it a cheapo day!!). But pretty much anything I've eaten there has been 100% average. I haven't eaten at the Garden restaurant which is suposed to be pretty good. Food at the Sport Zone was yummy for Breakfast...but service was painfully SLOW!!!

Wow sorry for my wordiness...had a lot to say!!! Have fun!!

Amy

 

[minniebeth]

Amy, you are AWESOME!!
It is SO appreciated that you take the time to write all this and answer questions to help maximize our experience at Legoland!
You are truly kind for the information!

It sounds like a lot of fun, and I think we have an idea of how to go about the day (can you tell I'm an obsessive planner? )
I'm so glad that I asked about any other nominal expenses that we may incur throughout the day, I had a feeling there would be more.

My very last question is that you mentioned bringing your own lunch...can you bring it into the park or do you have to stay in a picnic location like other parks have? I would much rather bring our own if possible. We are staying in a hotel where we will have access to a refrig. and can pack a lunch. Much preferred anyway by my kids believe it or not! And snacks and drinks are permissable as well?

Thanks so much, you rock!
Beth

 

[grumpyvet]

LL does not have a bag inspection/security check like DL. At least, not so far.

I carry either an American sling bag or small backpack. With both I am obviously carrying in water bottles....out in the open, ya' know. I then have all sorts of snacks, sandwiches, etc. in my bag. My daughter and I usually find a bench to picnic on, never tried to use one of the outside tables.

In the early days, I'd pack an insulated soft sided lunch box for stuff on the stroller. Never a problem!! I've seen people with strollers with huge feasts...tupperware, the works. I am not that outlandish!! Don't know what would happen if you tried to bring a bigger cooler, aim for subtle!!

I figure if we bring our own lunch....better chance of eating ice cream at Fool Scoops or getting Apple Fries!!!

Oh, and I am also a tightwad!!!!!

Do have fun!!! Your coupon goes in the mail tomorrow!!!


Oh, one thing I might not have mentioned. Don't miss the Adventurers Club in Fun Town. It is a simple walk thru exhibit that kids really like!!

Oh DON"T forget a ziploc bag for the wet suits after the fun!!!! I never bring a towel in hot weather...into "drip dry" and "quit your whining!!!"

Amy

 

[TiggerandTink]

Wonderful thread! Great information as we are planning Legoland and Seaworld too in a couple of weeks and I was wondering some of these same things. I am going to print this whole thread and take it! Great detailed plan for LL Amy.

 

[grumpyvet]

Wonderful thread! Great information as we are planning Legoland and Seaworld too in a couple of weeks and I was wondering some of these same things. I am going to print this whole thread and take it! Great detailed plan for LL Amy.

Thanx!!! Just remember, this is one woman's opinion. Your experience might vary!!! (a little disclaimer).

Any more questions, ask away. I might not know the answer...but will be happy to make something up!! Kidding of course.

Amy

 

[TiggerandTink]

Thanx!!! Just remember, this is one woman's opinion. Your experience might vary!!! (a little disclaimer).

Any more questions, ask away. I might not know the answer...but will be happy to make something up!! Kidding of course.

Amy

Sounds like my kind of answer. If after answering a question someone still questions me or asks "Really?" I regularly say "I don't know, I might be making that up!" Leaves them wondering anyway.

 

[adorelc]

Amy,

Have you ever done the Brick or Treat? We are going to DL in October and thought we might stop at Legoland for this. It would be on a Saturday the second week in October so I was wondering how crowded it would be and if it would be better to do the day activities or the night Brick or Treat. My kids are 3 and 5. Thanks so much for your help!