Legoland, Florida
This is a brief review of the Legoland theme park in Florida which opened up to the public just a few weeks back. I will discuss its pros and cons.
We went to Legoland, FL a few days ago. Legoland takes place on the grounds of what used to be Cypress Gardens, a very popular theme park/botanical gardens. The park closed its doors after an unfortunate hurricane hit it and destroyed its landscape. there are reminiscence of the old park throughout Legoland for everyone to enjoy. After spending a day there, here is what I noticed:
Pros:
- I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of foods available. You could find anything from your usual junk foods to very healthy snacks and wraps. Unlike Disney World where I have to pack healthy lunches for everyone and thus carrying a backpack all day, I was able to just enjoy a vegetarian avocado wrap, fresh grapes an apple and a bottle of water at the Lakeside Sandwich Co.
- The park is small enough for you to do all activities and rides in one day, stress free
- Legoland functions and is laid out like a Disney park. The tickets work the same way, strollers, lockers and wheelchairs are available, and located at the front
- There are many fun rides and there is room for a large amount of people at a time, which reduces the time spent waiting in line. Most rides will accommodate 24 people at a time. It’s pretty good. You feel that you are actually moving along in the line
- The outdoor surround sound music is not nearly as loud as you will find at Disney parks. you can actually manage to take a nap after lunch on one of the many benches or retaining walls that were built at sitting level (not sure if that was done on purpose, but it sure works)
- People seem to be much more relaxed after they find out that they can walk the park in a day. They don’t rush and elbow one another to get in line as it is customary at Disney. The atmosphere is mellow and pleasant
- Just about every attraction has high speed cameras, so there are plenty of opportunities to see yourself in action and spend much more money than you trusted yourself to spend. The culprit is at the driving school, where you cash out $15.00 for a driver’s license and then spend another $32.00 and some change to get it printed on Lego blocks, thus making it a puzzle of yourself. Cool gift for children who have everything, meaning all of them here in the US.
- The Pirate’s Cove water ski show is very engaging. Be ready to get wet!
- The Miniland area that captures major cities and monuments in the USA, from KSC launch pad to San Francisco to the Statue of Liberty, is a treat for all ages. All the sculptures made of Lego blocks prove that nothing can’t be made out of plastic blocks
Cons:
- They don’t have Coke and I’m not a Pepsi person
- The parking lot is not well marked. It was hard to find where our car was. Legoland people, please number your aisles! Make it dummy proof, will you? Also, the lighting was not adequate at night
- The park does not offer character photo sessions like at Disney. They could build a more fervent atmosphere by releasing characters to the wolves every couple of hours or so
- Legoland has no parade. We want parade! It doesn’t have to be as over the top as Disney, but again, it would keep the crowd engaged
- The stores are very small, even the Big Shop isn’t big. For us shopaholic, that ain’t cutting it. The Lego toys are not at all geared toward girls. I had a very hard time finding something age appropriate and girlie enough, mainly a Christmas house. If you like Harry Potter, Ninjas, Transformers, architecture, Lego Technic, Star Wars, Sponge Bob, etc…you are in for a treat. If your children are girls, are too old for Duplos and too young for Lego City, there isn’t much to bridge the gap. Many sales opportunities are lost there
- Last but not least, there really isn’t a Guest Services station. If you want to upgrade your ticket to an annual pass or something else, there are no explanation whatsoever on how to do so. You have to to go Lost Parents to change your ticket, and the line is very long and sloooooow, the lack of explanation oblige. I also found it interesting that the annual passes are not transferable to any other Legoland, Madame Tussaud or Sea Life parks in the USA or abroad. Hm…
Overall, we had a pleasant day at Legoland. you probably will too if you have children between the ages or 3 to 12. Over that, I think it might fall short for the hyperactive Y generation.
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