parkhopping
DIS Veteran<br><a href="http://www.disboards.com/s
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2012
Today I had the opportunity to visit Legoland, and I wanted to report back here for anyone considering a visit. There is a lot of great info on this board (just search for Legoland) but I thought I would add some insight from the perspective of a visit with no kids.
Our group consisted of 5 girls, all in our 20's. We were all able to get in free, as well - 2 in our group were teachers, and they get in free all the time, plus we had some free 1-day admission vouchers my teacher roommate got in the mail. We were pretty surprised to have gotten those, but were thrilled to be able to use them!
Park hours today were 9-5, and we arrived around 10:30. I was a little nervous about getting there so late in the morning - given that it was a Saturday and Veterans' Day weekend, I was expecting crowds to be pretty heavy. My fears were quickly allayed, however - we experienced low crowds all day and never spent more than 20 or so minutes in line for anything. We also kept seeing some of the same families all day...not sure if that's more to do with it being a small park or low crowds, but I'm going with it being a sign of the latter.
Upon arrival, we turned right and headed to The Kingdom. We had an approximately 15 minute wait for The Dragon coaster, which I would rank somewhere between The Barnstormer and BTMRR. I should note at this point that the posted wait times outside the rides were completely useless for us today. They never seemed to accurately reflect the length of time spent in line, whether longer or shorter. Case in point - the sign outside The Dragon said 5 minutes.
After that, we proceeded to the Land of Adventure and walked right onto Lost Kingdom Adventure, a ride/game similar to Buzz. I found it easier than Buzz, because the laser is much larger and easier to see, and your target changes color to let you know you've hit it. I still didn't do very well in competition with my friends, though
But it was fun, and I would have done it again if we'd had time. We skipped Coastersaurus as no one in our group enjoys wooden coasters. (I love coasters, but wooden ones give me a headache!) Before leaving that land, we did the Safari Trek. I had read on the boards about how many rides at LL are very slow loading/unloading, and I found that to be particularly true for this ride. It is obviously geared towards the younger set, and I was a little disappointed in how short it was compared to how long we spent in line (about 20 minutes). The Lego animal sculptures were neat, but not that interesting. Something else to point out here is that I was surprised at how many rides they will only allow 1 adult to a vehicle. I'll admit that the safari vehicles would have been a bit of a squeeze for 2 adults, but we could have handled it. Other attractions seemed to have ample space for 2 adults, but we still had to ride separately, so I'm guessing it's a weight issue. That meant that all day, the 5 of us were taking up almost twice the number of ride vehicles necessary and thus causing longer wait times for those behind us. We felt bad about this, but what can you do? 
We then made our way down to Lego City. The Boating School looked interesting, but the line appeared to be quite long (didn't even check the board at this point) so we moved on to Flying School, which we walked right onto to my surprise. This was a fun coaster and I really enjoyed it, though it could have been longer. I was lucky enough to ride in the front row. I would definitely ride this again if given the chance.
By this time it was just past 12 noon and we were all ready for lunch. We decided to try the I-Zone Panini place in Imagination Zone. Being budget-conscious, all 5 of us got the Kids' Panini meal. For $5.50, this included 1/2 a ham and cheese panini, choice of Baked Lays chips, a bag of apple slices and grapes, and choice of milk, chocolate milk, or a bottled water (full size). Everyone agreed this was a great value for the money; it was plenty of food at a very reasonable price. The MCs (Model Citizens) did not question our non-kid status, and there is no age limit listed on the kids' items, so this worked perfectly for us.
Moving on to Lego Technic, we next rode the Technicycle. This is sort of like a Dumbo-type ride, except instead of pushing a button to control how high you go, you have to pedal. The faster you pedal, the higher you go. It's a neat concept and I would have enjoyed it more if my shin didn't keep hitting the metal bar! Clearly designed for people shorter than me...and I'm only 5'4"...! And another ride where only 1 adult can go in a vehicle at a time. There are only 6 vehicles, so the 5 of us took up almost the entire ride! Next, we tried the Aquazone Wave Racers. This was a really fun ride. It's hard to describe...you'll just have to see it for yourself, I think...but I will tell you that it was really fun to swing out from the side into the water. It's a quick thrill, and the ride lasted longer than I thought it would.
The way they have the Kids Power Towers placed, it looks like it's part of Lego Technic, but they're actually located in Imagination Zone and we had to walk back down and around towards the restaurant to get to them. On this ride, you pull yourself up on a rope to get to the top of a rotating tower, then have a relatively slow freefall to the ground. You can stay at the top and enjoy the view, or let yourself drop and come back up as much as you'd like. It was easier than it looked and you get a beautiful view of the lake.
By this time we were in a perfect position to catch the next water ski show. This had a cute storyline and some neat guest interaction, plus the talented skiers and their stunts. If it's a warm day, try to get there early enough to get a spot in the shade. And a word of caution - if you sit in the front few rows, you may get wet!
The historic Cypress Gardens is right next to the ski show, so we toured that next. That area is so beautiful and secluded from the rest of the park. The banyan tree alone is worth seeing, and there are some benches with views of the lake that make for nice resting spots. I never visited Cypress Gardens before it was LL, but I'm glad to see they've preserved this area.
Sadly we did not get a chance to ride Project X. We were standing in line for about 10 minutes when the ride had technical difficulties and had to shut down. We stuck around for a while hoping it'd be up and running soon, but they then had to clear the entire queue area. So we gave up and moved on. I was disappointed as it looked like a really fun coaster.
We decided to try Sunny's Ice Cream shop for an afternoon pick-me-up. I was able to get 1 LARGE scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone for just $1.50! There was some confusion over pricing, though. $1.50 is the menu price for 1 scoop in a bowl, cake, or sugar cone. I ordered it in a waffle cone figuring they'd just upcharge me 50 cents or something like that. But I only paid $1.50. One of my friends ordered the same thing and was charged for a kid's waffle cone, which was about twice as much. So I can't tell you what to expect there. If you don't care about a waffle cone, at least, there is a good deal to be found at Sunny's.
Next we rode the Island in the Sky. This is a really neat ride with some beautiful views. I would have gladly done it again were it not for the muzak and narration being a bit annoying. We then headed over to the Fun Town theater for a 4-D movie. The one we saw was Spellbreaker. Honestly, this was passable for me. The movie itself was OK, but it kind of creeped me out that the Lego people never talked - only made weird noises/grunted to communicate. Maybe this would make more sense to me if I watched Lego cartoons or something We sat on the left side of the theater, and it seemed like only the center section got the full 4-D effects, so that was a bit disappointing. We also rode the carousel, just because it's a double decker and that seemed neat. It was a very jerky ride - kind of like a real horseback ride, I guess! - and I was ready to get off by the time it was over.
We then walked back to Miniland and spent a good 15-20 minutes looking at all the sculptures. They are incredibly detailed and fun to look at. There are also several interactive areas. Anytime you see a button, press it - something might squirt water, or play music, or dance...it's pretty neat.
Finally, before heading out the gates at 4:55 or so, we walked through the greenhouse and its gift shop. Both pretty, neither outstanding.
My verdict: I'm really glad it was free. There is no way I would ever pay full admission price to get in. That said, if you are able to get in for a discount or are a big Lego fan, it could be worth it. Also, I saw it stated on another thread not to expect Disney. That's very important. If you spend all day comparing it to Disney you will end up sorely disappointed. Others have stated they found it lacking in theming...I didn't notice that, so much, but there are a lot of general things about the way it's run that make it clearly inferior to Disney, especially for an adults-only party. If you can take it for what it is and enjoy it in its own right, though, it's a fun park.
*whew* That was a very long post and I thank anyone who stuck with me! If you have any questions, fire away!
Our group consisted of 5 girls, all in our 20's. We were all able to get in free, as well - 2 in our group were teachers, and they get in free all the time, plus we had some free 1-day admission vouchers my teacher roommate got in the mail. We were pretty surprised to have gotten those, but were thrilled to be able to use them!
Park hours today were 9-5, and we arrived around 10:30. I was a little nervous about getting there so late in the morning - given that it was a Saturday and Veterans' Day weekend, I was expecting crowds to be pretty heavy. My fears were quickly allayed, however - we experienced low crowds all day and never spent more than 20 or so minutes in line for anything. We also kept seeing some of the same families all day...not sure if that's more to do with it being a small park or low crowds, but I'm going with it being a sign of the latter.
Upon arrival, we turned right and headed to The Kingdom. We had an approximately 15 minute wait for The Dragon coaster, which I would rank somewhere between The Barnstormer and BTMRR. I should note at this point that the posted wait times outside the rides were completely useless for us today. They never seemed to accurately reflect the length of time spent in line, whether longer or shorter. Case in point - the sign outside The Dragon said 5 minutes.
After that, we proceeded to the Land of Adventure and walked right onto Lost Kingdom Adventure, a ride/game similar to Buzz. I found it easier than Buzz, because the laser is much larger and easier to see, and your target changes color to let you know you've hit it. I still didn't do very well in competition with my friends, though
But it was fun, and I would have done it again if we'd had time. We skipped Coastersaurus as no one in our group enjoys wooden coasters. (I love coasters, but wooden ones give me a headache!) Before leaving that land, we did the Safari Trek. I had read on the boards about how many rides at LL are very slow loading/unloading, and I found that to be particularly true for this ride. It is obviously geared towards the younger set, and I was a little disappointed in how short it was compared to how long we spent in line (about 20 minutes). The Lego animal sculptures were neat, but not that interesting. Something else to point out here is that I was surprised at how many rides they will only allow 1 adult to a vehicle. I'll admit that the safari vehicles would have been a bit of a squeeze for 2 adults, but we could have handled it. Other attractions seemed to have ample space for 2 adults, but we still had to ride separately, so I'm guessing it's a weight issue. That meant that all day, the 5 of us were taking up almost twice the number of ride vehicles necessary and thus causing longer wait times for those behind us. We felt bad about this, but what can you do? We then made our way down to Lego City. The Boating School looked interesting, but the line appeared to be quite long (didn't even check the board at this point) so we moved on to Flying School, which we walked right onto to my surprise. This was a fun coaster and I really enjoyed it, though it could have been longer. I was lucky enough to ride in the front row. I would definitely ride this again if given the chance.
By this time it was just past 12 noon and we were all ready for lunch. We decided to try the I-Zone Panini place in Imagination Zone. Being budget-conscious, all 5 of us got the Kids' Panini meal. For $5.50, this included 1/2 a ham and cheese panini, choice of Baked Lays chips, a bag of apple slices and grapes, and choice of milk, chocolate milk, or a bottled water (full size). Everyone agreed this was a great value for the money; it was plenty of food at a very reasonable price. The MCs (Model Citizens) did not question our non-kid status, and there is no age limit listed on the kids' items, so this worked perfectly for us.
Moving on to Lego Technic, we next rode the Technicycle. This is sort of like a Dumbo-type ride, except instead of pushing a button to control how high you go, you have to pedal. The faster you pedal, the higher you go. It's a neat concept and I would have enjoyed it more if my shin didn't keep hitting the metal bar! Clearly designed for people shorter than me...and I'm only 5'4"...! And another ride where only 1 adult can go in a vehicle at a time. There are only 6 vehicles, so the 5 of us took up almost the entire ride! Next, we tried the Aquazone Wave Racers. This was a really fun ride. It's hard to describe...you'll just have to see it for yourself, I think...but I will tell you that it was really fun to swing out from the side into the water. It's a quick thrill, and the ride lasted longer than I thought it would.
The way they have the Kids Power Towers placed, it looks like it's part of Lego Technic, but they're actually located in Imagination Zone and we had to walk back down and around towards the restaurant to get to them. On this ride, you pull yourself up on a rope to get to the top of a rotating tower, then have a relatively slow freefall to the ground. You can stay at the top and enjoy the view, or let yourself drop and come back up as much as you'd like. It was easier than it looked and you get a beautiful view of the lake.
By this time we were in a perfect position to catch the next water ski show. This had a cute storyline and some neat guest interaction, plus the talented skiers and their stunts. If it's a warm day, try to get there early enough to get a spot in the shade. And a word of caution - if you sit in the front few rows, you may get wet!
The historic Cypress Gardens is right next to the ski show, so we toured that next. That area is so beautiful and secluded from the rest of the park. The banyan tree alone is worth seeing, and there are some benches with views of the lake that make for nice resting spots. I never visited Cypress Gardens before it was LL, but I'm glad to see they've preserved this area.
Sadly we did not get a chance to ride Project X. We were standing in line for about 10 minutes when the ride had technical difficulties and had to shut down. We stuck around for a while hoping it'd be up and running soon, but they then had to clear the entire queue area. So we gave up and moved on. I was disappointed as it looked like a really fun coaster.
We decided to try Sunny's Ice Cream shop for an afternoon pick-me-up. I was able to get 1 LARGE scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone for just $1.50! There was some confusion over pricing, though. $1.50 is the menu price for 1 scoop in a bowl, cake, or sugar cone. I ordered it in a waffle cone figuring they'd just upcharge me 50 cents or something like that. But I only paid $1.50. One of my friends ordered the same thing and was charged for a kid's waffle cone, which was about twice as much. So I can't tell you what to expect there. If you don't care about a waffle cone, at least, there is a good deal to be found at Sunny's.
Next we rode the Island in the Sky. This is a really neat ride with some beautiful views. I would have gladly done it again were it not for the muzak and narration being a bit annoying. We then headed over to the Fun Town theater for a 4-D movie. The one we saw was Spellbreaker. Honestly, this was passable for me. The movie itself was OK, but it kind of creeped me out that the Lego people never talked - only made weird noises/grunted to communicate. Maybe this would make more sense to me if I watched Lego cartoons or something
We sat on the left side of the theater, and it seemed like only the center section got the full 4-D effects, so that was a bit disappointing. We also rode the carousel, just because it's a double decker and that seemed neat. It was a very jerky ride - kind of like a real horseback ride, I guess! - and I was ready to get off by the time it was over. We then walked back to Miniland and spent a good 15-20 minutes looking at all the sculptures. They are incredibly detailed and fun to look at. There are also several interactive areas. Anytime you see a button, press it - something might squirt water, or play music, or dance...it's pretty neat.
Finally, before heading out the gates at 4:55 or so, we walked through the greenhouse and its gift shop. Both pretty, neither outstanding.
My verdict: I'm really glad it was free. There is no way I would ever pay full admission price to get in. That said, if you are able to get in for a discount or are a big Lego fan, it could be worth it. Also, I saw it stated on another thread not to expect Disney. That's very important. If you spend all day comparing it to Disney you will end up sorely disappointed. Others have stated they found it lacking in theming...I didn't notice that, so much, but there are a lot of general things about the way it's run that make it clearly inferior to Disney, especially for an adults-only party. If you can take it for what it is and enjoy it in its own right, though, it's a fun park.
*whew* That was a very long post and I thank anyone who stuck with me! If you have any questions, fire away!
Other than that, I've heard of people getting a buy one adult, get a child free coupon with the purchase of 
