How Long at Legoland?

[samara]

I'm planning to do a day at Legoland (staying at the Sheraton the night before), and then drive to Anaheim that evening to do DL the next day. At first glance, I didn't think there would be enough to do at Legoland to take up the whole day but after reading some other posts I'm reconsidering. The park will close at 8, but that seems a little late to do the drive and get the kids to bed in a new hotel. How many hours are really necessary to do this park?

 

[Lissame]

Not sure how old your kids are, also, do you plan to do anything else (the aquarium or the water park?)

If you get there right at opening, and head to the back of the park to the rides that typically have really long lines (the dinosaur one, the techniq racers one, the indiana jones/laser one) and get those out of the way quickly, you might find that you've done everything you want to do by 5 PM. We went a couple of weeks ago and got a lot done in a small amount of time.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Not sure how old your kids are, also, do you plan to do anything else (the aquarium or the water park?)

If you get there right at opening, and head to the back of the park to the rides that typically have really long lines (the dinosaur one, the techniq racers one, the indiana jones/laser one) and get those out of the way quickly, you might find that you've done everything you want to do by 5 PM. We went a couple of weeks ago and got a lot done in a small amount of time.

I second this. If you skip the aquarium and water park and are waiting in line before opening and head straight to the back of the park, you should be able to do everything you want by 5 PM if not sooner. You may not want to discount sticking around until 7 or 8 PM though. Traffic can be a real pain, so leaving Legoland at 4 or 5 PM isn't always desirable. We have done it, but we do it knowing that a ride from Anaheim that took us 50 minutes in the morning before rush hour is going to be anywhere from 30-60 minutes longer in the evening.

 

[PortieOwner]

1. I agree, skip the water park and aquarium.

2. We were there all day, opening to closing, and didn't see everything, but we did spend a little time in the water park.

3. Lines are long for meals--if there is any way you can avoid eating, perhaps by bringing your own food along to snack as you walk around the park you will save time.

4. Legoland is surprisingly big and there is a lot to do there. We could have easily done a second day, and almost did. It's an excellent park for kids age 3-10.

5. If it were me, I'd do things the opposite of your plan. I'd find a cheap hotel in Oceanside, have dinner at Bull Taco in Oceanside, and then get up early--leave by 6:30am and you should make park opening at Disneyland one hour north on I-5. Check into your hotel in Anaheim during the afternoon when you need a rest anyway.

 

[ktlm]

Are you only doing DL for one day? If so, I'd say skip Legoland and spend 2 days at DL/CA unless your kids are begging for Legoland. How old are your kids? DD (4) liked Legoland, but she much preferred DL/CA. DH and I were underwhelmed. It has a lot for the 3-6 year old set, but unlike DL/CA where there are things adults enjoy too, there isn't much at Legoland for grown-ups or even older kids. My friend took his 6 year old son while his 8 and 10 year old boys were at summer camp, and he said he was glad he did not have the older boys with him as he thought they were too old for it and would have been bored with it. His 6 year old really liked it though.

 

[erinbharris]

Are you only doing DL for one day? If so, I'd say skip Legoland and spend 2 days at DL/CA unless your kids are begging for Legoland. How old are your kids? DD (4) liked Legoland, but she much preferred DL/CA. DH and I were underwhelmed. It has a lot for the 3-6 year old set, but unlike DL/CA where there are things adults enjoy too, there isn't much at Legoland for grown-ups or even older kids. My friend took his 6 year old son while his 8 and 10 year old boys were at summer camp, and he said he was glad he did not have the older boys with him as he thought they were too old for it and would have been bored with it. His 6 year old really liked it though.

I completely agree. We just got back and Legoland was a big disappointment. If I could do it over again I would skip Legoland and have an off day, or do an extra day at Disneyland. Our kids are 4 and 7 and thought it was just ok.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I completely agree. We just got back and Legoland was a big disappointment. If I could do it over again I would skip Legoland and have an off day, or do an extra day at Disneyland. Our kids are 4 and 7 and thought it was just ok.

ITA - we did Legoland this past weekend and our 6 and 8 year old deamed it "lame".

OP, when you enter the park, head right instead of left, especially if your kids are older. We hit all the "better" rides within the first 2 hours of park opening. Also, skip the waterpark. In the back of the park, in the Pirates area, there is a great water play area that is FREE! Pack your towels and suits and enjoy!

 

[marcemc]

ITA - we did Legoland this past weekend and our 6 and 8 year old deamed it "lame".

OP, when you enter the park, head right instead of left, especially if your kids are older. We hit all the "better" rides within the first 2 hours of park opening. Also, skip the waterpark. In the back of the park, in the Pirates area, there is a great water play area that is FREE! Pack your towels and suits and enjoy!

A friend just made a comment about this the other day. We are planning a "mommy's & kids only" visit to Legoland. Nobody has been there so we really have no idea what it is like. She mentioned that she heard that the older the kids the boring it gets.

We will be traveling with kids raging from 12 years old to 4 years old. The majority being 4 & 5 year old boys. Do you think it's worth it? it's a 6 hour drive

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

We went almost two years ago when my kids were 7 and 4. They LOVED it. We were there on an off-season weekday, so the lines were VERY short. Plus we used two of the buy one-get one coupons, so we only paid for DH and I to get in. We might not have liked it as much if we had paid full price.....but we probably would have. It was a great day. I doubt I would take my son there when he was 12 (it is definitely geared toward the younger set), but if we were all going and he was part of the group, I'm sure he would have fun.

 

[DLtorgo]

For me it comes down to personality and price. I love the more "lame" rides at DL. I love Small World, I love Tiki Room. If your child likes thrills and coasters then Legoland is probably not for you. Also I will agree with the PP who said they liked it when they paid with coupons. I agree that paying gate price is not worth it. The park is great in off season- you can walk onto everything.

I have taken 6 year old boys and girls down to 2 year olds and all have loved it. If you expect Disney or Six Flags you will be disappointed. If you expect a lower key park that is clean with rides aimed at small children then you will be happy there.

 

[jodeja]

For me it comes down to personality and price. I love the more "lame" rides at DL. I love Small World, I love Tiki Room. If your child likes thrills and coasters then Legoland is probably not for you. Also I will agree with the PP who said they liked it when they paid with coupons. I agree that paying gate price is not worth it. The park is great in off season- you can walk onto everything.

I have taken 6 year old boys and girls down to 2 year olds and all have loved it. If you expect Disney or Six Flags you will be disappointed. If you expect a lower key park that is clean with rides aimed at small children then you will be happy there.

I totally agree with this. We liked the low key atmosphere of Legoland as a nice break from the busyness of DL.
My boys are LEGO fanatics though, so they can easily spend 2 hours in the LEGO factory store where they have pick-a-brick bins and the kids can build their own LEGO creation and then you pay for it by weight. My boys, at ages 10 and 8, also loved the Mindstorms class that you can sign up for.
We did the Sealife Aquarium in about 1 1/2 hours and thought it was worth it, but we don't live near an aquarium so it's not something we get to see often.
The other part my boys like the best is the huge play area at the back of the park. Such a nice way to burn off energy and a great change of pace from standing in line for rides. My boys spend half the day there playing with other kids.
So, how much time you spend at Legoland is largely dependent on how long you let your kids linger at these “free-time” activities like playing, Lego building, and shopping – and of course how much interest your own kids have in doing these things.

I will say that the last time we went to LL, this June, we were a bit annoyed that the park seems to nickel-and-dime you at every turn. There were long lines for the rides and we found that whenever we saw a ride or activity with a short line, by the time we got up to do it we’d find that it was something that costs extra on top of your admission price. $3 to climb a small rock wall for example. Depending on how many kids you have and how many of these little activities you do, that can add up. We did spend money to play one of the midway-type games and ending up winning 2 stuffed animals, so that worked out well!

 

[Squirrel!!!]

I agree with other posters. It all depends upon the child. I have taken kids from age 2 to 14 to LegoLand and have had them love/like/hate it.

Recently a 14 year old nephew adored LegoLand reporting it was the best place in the world. Obviously a lego crazed kid.

My attack plan has always been to go right towards the Technic coaster and go counter clockwise around the park, and then I seem to get as much as I want done in the day.

I love the park, am no longer a member now that my DD is 10, but spent many many years and many memories there.

 

[ardenandjacksmom]

We spent a day at Legoland in January (during a long weekend in San Diego) and my 9 year old DD and (then) 4 year old DS really enjoyed it. (Neither one is obsessed with Legos either). I definitely think it caters primarily to the 4-8 year old kids, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many activities/attractions there were for a small, very walkable park, how they integrated the Lego theme throughout the park, as well as cleanliness, nice enough park food, etc.

BUT (and this is a big BUT) we weren't combining it with a trip to DLR, so the kids weren't comparing the two. I don't think that Legoland 'competes' at ALL to a Disney Theme Park experience. Bless them all, but NO other theme park has that kind of magic!! I've visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg/Tampa Bay, Sesame Place, Legoland, Kings Island/Dominion, Six Flags, Sea World, and Great Wolf Lodges--and I love them all for what they offer, but they just are not Disney.

If you do decide to stick with the Legoland trip, I'd search around for ticket deals--we found buy one get one ticket coupons when we went which was a big help. Enjoy!

 

[Ivette1980]

I am planning a trip in late August, and noticed that on the DL site while getting my quotes for places to stay there the add on option for other attractions. Now is it worth staying at a hotel nearest to legoland first for maybe 3 days just to all of legoland and a combo of aquarium or waterpark, or there is an option where i can go to legoland w/ transportation or legoland/waterpark combo and 2nd day free ... but then I guess for that option I have to stay near legoland. sorry if I confused anyone.

 

[Lissame]

I am planning a trip in late August, and noticed that on the DL site while getting my quotes for places to stay there the add on option for other attractions. Now is it worth staying at a hotel nearest to legoland first for maybe 3 days just to all of legoland and a combo of aquarium or waterpark, or there is an option where i can go to legoland w/ transportation or legoland/waterpark combo and 2nd day free ... but then I guess for that option I have to stay near legoland. sorry if I confused anyone.

I think it depends on a lot of things--how old your kids are, how many aquariums/water parks have you gone to before...
Like I said above, one day is really sufficient for Legoland, and I don't really think the water park is worth an extra day. There are water features within Legoland so you can get wet if you want to. We have great aquariums around here, so that didn't appeal to us at all.

 

[pinktink83]

When DH and DS(8 at the time) went they left early because they had done everything and were bored. So I think 1 day is plenty.