Just discovered you book Legoland Hotel through Undercover Tourists. It saved me about $60 plus you have free cancellation(something Legoland doesn't even offer)!
Thanks for your report! We haven’t been to Legoland since 2013 (there have been several additions to it since then); but we all absolutely loved it and are planning on going back particularly for my 3 year old and my Lego obsessed 8 year old. We went over Memorial Day weekend in 2013 and there were no crowds which definitely made it enjoyable for all of us and a break from what we were used to after spending five straight days at the Disney World parks prior to our Legoland day. I do agree that since almost all the rides/attractions are outdoors that going when the weather is pleasant will definitely allow you to have a more successful day there. You also can’t beat the value you get for your money with the deals/promotions you can get for Legoland tickets too. We always get the kids free coupons and kids are considered “kids” up until age 12 at Legoland and not 9 like at Disney .
This is great! I was literally coming to this forum to look for a LL review
We have a day in Orlando before our DW stay begins, and I'm researching what would be the best thing for us to try out. Your report was very helpful in its detail
Looking forward to your review! This is something I haven't looked at yet.We're going on Thanksgiving and staying at the new Legoland Beach Retreat hotel. I'll keep you posted! Thanks for the info!
Side Trip
We usually like to eat at local restaurants, but hadn’t done much planning prior and the two chain restaurants within walking distance were too easy of a choice instead of gambling on something else. Both were good meals.
I did see “Andy’s Drive In” referenced by others, and we had driven past it on our way in so we did decide to check it out. They still have their original neon sign. Holy Milkshakes Batman. I got a “regular” hot fudge milkshake. It was huge but oh so good. I don’t think any of us actually was able to finish what we ordered. They also have a sit down restaurant but it isn’t open on Sunday evening. Prices were great for how much you got.
Also, as we were leaving on Monday morning we saw signs for a waterskiing museum. I think this might need some more investigating at another time.
Final Thoughts
Where to start….. Legoland…. it isn’t WDW, and I went in knowing that so I wasn’t disappointed. I would put it about equal with Hersheypark in PA but for a younger age category. They are trying to do themeing and in some places it is great, and in others not so much. The park was clean, and the restrooms were clean. The employees were okay. Some were just there, some were a little more engaged, but it was definitely a younger crowd similar to what I would find at any seasonal park.
Pluses –
1. The park is generally clean and so are the restrooms
2. I thought the Lego Sets weren’t any more expensive then I would find from any retailer. We bought a DC Girls set, that I had never seen in any stores near us, but I thought the price of it was reasonable. I found it on Amazon for about $5 less then we paid. 3.
3. It is an easy day touring and there are plenty of activities and rides to keep younger kids engaged.
Negatives
1. Walt Disney’s best idea was to purchase all that property because not seeing the outside world does wonders for the experience. There is a very shabby looking Shergill Grand Hotel that you can see from quite a few areas in the park. You can also see the parking areas.
2. Be wary that there are quite a few rides that are kiddo only or a tight squeeze for parents (Safari Trek). Another thing that I forget to appreciate at WDW. Our DD is six, and actually pretty adventurous when it comes to rides but still does that kiddie stuff too. She had a great day. She got to do all the stuff she had seen advertised plus some. I think my nephew 11 would have been bored because he enjoys the more thrilling ride.
3. Weather brings shutdown. With so many rides outdoor, rain brings the park to a complete halt. There were plenty of warnings in entry signage but I really didn’t think about it. The vibe we got when the rain stopped at 4:30 with a 7pm close was that they were pretty much shutting down for the day. Maybe that was just the employees we encountered in that area.
4. No characters. While character meets aren’t a complete priority for us, we do enjoy them. We saw zero characters at Legoland. I am not sure if we missed them in an indoor area or if it is rare to run into them.
Will we be there again? DD says yes. I would rather go to Sea World, but depending on when we get back to central FL again, we might try it again because there were some things we missed and she had a great time. I feel like she is only a few years from aging out of this park. I think no matter how warm it is, we would skip the water park area, it took a lot of time for just a little relief. I would either plan on staying at the Legoland Hotel and doing a mid day break or just doing as many indoor activities as possible. However, if we had not had the rain, we probably could have ridden a few of the rides we missed and still left before closing.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope this info helps anyone planning a trip.
Does anyone have a recommendation? Do the crowds at LL vary greatly for weekday vs. weekend? Would a 5 pm vs. a 7 pm closing time make a difference in your decision? Thanks!
We have been to Legoland twice, and stayed in the Legoland hotel once. We have 3 boys, ages 4, 7 and 10...all obsessed with Lego...you can just imagine the amount of Lego my house has! First time we went, baby was in a stroller, and the Chima section was the bomb - the water blasting ride was a hoot. I waited near the stroller while my older two went through the boat ride with DH - I got to soak them, they got to soak me, it was fantastic. There used to be a Chima race section, but it wasn't there on our second visit. There was a wait for the driving school, so we remembered on our second trip a couple of years later when baby was 3 to go straight to the driving school.
On our first visit, it was late January/early February. There were some lines for some of the rides (the jousting one is really slow), but most were decent. It was freakin' hot, the minisection HAS NO SHADE be warned do not leave this until late in the day, you will be pooped. Last time we went...it was in the December just before the Ninjago section was going to open (my kids made us promise we'd be back!) The rides were all walk on, there just weren't any crowds, it was fabulous, sometimes they'd just let us re-ride stuff 5 times in a row (until I cried uncle at a roller coster and wanted off!!!). They had a giant Lego Christmas tree! The kids had an absolute blast everywhere. It's really geared for their age range. I asked my kids on our upcoming Disney cruise trip March 1st if they wanted to do another few days at WDW before or after, and they said no, they wanted to go back to Legoland! Yup, it was that great for them.
Of course...last time we stayed at the Legoland hotel, which wasn't open the first time we visited. We received a great deal, as early December was low season I guess. Well, let me say that the theming in the hotel is fabulous. The lobby has a gazillion minifigures behind the front desk, there are giant vats of lego for kids to build with (or swim in, like my 4 year old did), a giant lego structure (I want to say pirate ship, but it might have been a castle), they have nightly entertainment for the kids and build competitions (my eldest won!), and a large bar area next to the play area for the adults to lounge in, lol. The restaurant was massive, and the breakfast buffet was awesome, really great as you'd spend the rest of the day walking in the heat. The dinner buffet was also great - lots of things my picky kids ate, which was great. I think we had reserved the times for dinner, and lucky we did as it got pretty packed as everyone let out of the parks pretty much at the same time. There was an area where you could have a master builder session (and keep the build) - you had to sign up for it, but the times weren't convenient so we missed ours as we were having too much of a blast in the hotel pool. Which was awesome! Full of floating lego. And we saw characters come o ut to visit by the pool - Captain Brickbeard came by to say hello, and Emmett too. Not sure how many in the pool were Canadians like us, but the water was heated and we weren't alone, lol.
the rooms are veery nicely themed, once my husband had covered the huge friggin' lego spider with a towel. We stayed in the Kingdom series of rooms. Rooms come with bunkbeds, with a trundle bed coming out of the bottom, so all 3 of my kids were in heaven. Ithink I even remember a tv in their section, but I might be confusing it with another hotel. Plenty of storage space. There is a safe in the room, and the kids have to solve a puzzle to unlock it to get a lego surprise for each. Lots of cool lego models in the room (and they mark the price down in case they "disappear", lol). The little gift shop inthe lobby was pretty lame, compared to the parks of course, but it had sunscreen, towels, a few swimsuits, in case you forgot yours. Being a hotel guest gave you the parking which was great. And the early park entrance and separate line was fantastic. WE really took advantage of it, and scheduled some of our stuff so we'd do the wet rides (like the Chima boat ride again) just before we'd head back to dry off, then go back in. It was literally 120 kid steps from the hotel front door to being inside Legoland, enough said. We never did the water park, not our cup of tea and impossible with the ages we had in the past. Best part of the hotel according to my kids? THE DISCO ELEVATOR!!! Yes, as son as the doors of the elevator close, a disco ball with lights and music activates, very cheesy disco music but the kids went nuts every time. I think we rode the elevator for a good half hour, just because it was so fun. Yeah, that trip was hard to beat. It was almost perfect, except for the giant signs saying "Ninjago coming soon" in the park, lol. We did all of the rides as we had 2 days. We did the play areas, the discovery areas, but we didn't do the movie as we have a Legoland discovery center in Toronto and we'd seen all the movies already. The skies opened once on us, but we were in the store on our way out already, so we didn't see anything shut down really.
So in 6 weeks, we are going back. This time, we will be staying in the Legoland Beach Retreat bungalows for 3 nights right after getting off the Disney ship (and visiting Kennedy Space Center during the day). I think the restaurant is different at the beach retreat, as dinner isn't a buffet but we could pre-order food. Anyways, these hotels are crazy expensive, and we didn't get the great deal we got the first time, but for March break timeframe it's still way cheaper than Disney, so it's all perspective I guess. It was still cheaper than renting a two bedroom condo, so there is that.
Has anyone bought and used the discounted tickets on the PTA website? Just wondering if anyone has used them lately and If they are Legit!! Looking to go in November but nervous to book the tickets there. Thanks!!