Theme Park Insider - January 2013 Attraction of the week: Legoland's Driving School Great theme park attractions leave you with something more than a moment's entertainment. Think about the first time you rode a "big" roller coaster. Or let a theme park ride truly surprise you. That sense of accomplishment -- that you not only went on a ride, but did something special during it -- elevates certain attractions into lifelong memories.And as special as those moments can be for you, they're magnified when they happen for your children.My attraction of the week this week is Legoland's Driving School, which my children experienced here in Southern California. But east coast theme park fans have a Driving School at Legoland Florida, too. (You'll find Driving Schools at the international Legolands, too.)Driving School enables children between ages six and 12 to get behind the wheel of their own Lego car for a drive around a city street grid. I'll turn it over to Theme Park Insider Daughter (and Driving School veteran) Natalie to explain:"The thing that makes Driving School different from rides like Disneyland's Autopia is you're not on a track.
You can drive the car wherever you want -- and run over things if you're not careful. So you have to learn to be careful, to stay in your lane. It's safe, but it doesn't feel safe when you first drive. You've got to be in control; there's no track to keep you from hitting things. But you're not scared when you drive. If you crash the cars, you're going to be fine."Legoland also made the ride look like the real world. They put in a lot of details -- like a gas station, and people walking and lots of traffic signs and signals, so you can feel all grown up while you're driving around. You even can get a license afterward."Sure, a few kids treat the Driving School like a well-decorated bumper car ride, careening into everything in sight. But two of my great thrills as a parent in a theme park were watching each of my kids navigate the Driving School course perfectly for the first time, with no collisions and obeying every traffic signal correctly. (Yeah, that required a few evasive maneuvers from each of them -- but that's part of life in the real Big City, too.)
Due to weather conditions, LEGOLAND California Resort will close today at 3:30 PM. SEA LIFE will remain open until 5:00 PM. Drivers just keep getting younger! Kids weave in and out on this oval course to earn a LEGOLAND Driver's license. Rider must be 3 - 5 years of age.Kids will learn the rules of the road and earn their own LEGOLAND® Driver's license in this free-wheeling driving attraction! Guests must be able to transfer to ride vehicle Recently my family spent a day at Legoland Florida. Before going I found very little as far as reviews or tips on visiting Legoland so I wanted to share our thoughts and tips. You need to read this Legoland Florida Review before you go! Getting to Legoland Florida from Disney WorldOur family decided to spend one day at Legoland during our Disney World trip, but we didn’t have a car. Legoland is about 45 minutes away from Disney World so taking a Taxi would be very expensive and cost prohibitive. You could rent a car for the day if you want the convenience to come and go as you like and still be cheaper than taking a taxi.
The most economical way to get to Legoland Florida from Disney World is to take the Legoland shuttle. The shuttle only costs $5 per person, but you must reserve your spot on the shuttle in advance. The shuttle departs from Orlando Premium Outlets at 9am sharp. So make sure to get their a little early. A taxi from your Disney hotel will cost about $15 each way. (Please make sure to have a taxi dispatch number handy for the return trip as Taxi’s do NOT line up by the bus stop!) The bus leaves Orlando Premium Outlet at 9am and will get you to the park about 45 minutes after park opens. The shuttle returns right after the park closes (time varies by daily operating hours, ask bus driver for today's’ time). Ours left at 6pm. The driver waited about 15 minutes and then left without the missing passengers, so please arrive promptly. The bus itself was VERY nice. It was newer and very comfortable. There were foot rests, seat belts, and a bathroom at the rear. The bus driver had Legoland maps for us to look at during our trip.
There was also a welcome video and lego cartoons played throughout the trip. The bus was very nice and I would definitely recommend the bus. If you are driving to Legoland Florida make sure to check their website for driving directions. Discounted Tickets to LegolandYou can often time find discounted tickets (like kids free with a paid adult) in the Lego magazine, online, or at Toys R Us. So if you are planning to go, make sure you are on the lookout for these coupons that will save you $59 per child! What age is best for LegolandOn Legoland’s website they say the park is for families with children ages 2-12 years old. Personally, I think Legoland has a much smaller niche. I feel like Legoland is best suited to kids ages 5-8 years old. Many of the rides have height restrictions and limits. It’s a park where you will mostly watch your kids go on rides, not ride with them. Kids ages 5-8 will be able to ride and do most everything. They will enjoy the small thrills of Legoland coasters, the “cheesy” shows, and the minor (at least in my mind) attractions.
The entire family will enjoy Miniland USA. Miniland USA – What Legoland does best!Your entire family will enjoy Miniland USA where you can see entire US cities recreated in painstaking detail with Legos. This is one of the only attractions your entire family can do together. There is also a really cool Mini Star Wars land our family really enjoyed. If you are going to Legoland – this is the best part of the park. However, don’t plan on seeing this first. The roller coasters will all get long (60+ minute) lines – so save the best of Legoland for later in the day. Legoland Rides are dissapointingSome may disagree with me, but I was incredibly disappointed with the rides at Legoland. If you just came from Disney your disappointment will be more intense than if you are comparing it to a Six Flags type experience. Legoland Florida took over an amusement park and then just changed elements to make them “Lego”. So you will find lots of minor attractions with some Lego flair.
There are so many height restrictions we were not able to play as a family. We were constantly trying to figure out who could go on which ride and always had someone disappointed they couldn't ride (including Mom & Dad who spent most of the day sweating in the heat watching kids ride). Don’t miss the Lego Creations trying to get to the rides that will disappoint!Expect really short rides, bumpy coasters, and long lines. BUT if you are at Legoland because you love Legos (the only reason you should be at Legoland) take time to marvel at the Lego creations found all throughout the park. The Lego creations are what is unique and done right about this park. So don’t miss them trying to get to the rides that will (sorry) disappoint. Here are a couple of the better rides (from best to average): Driving School – both versions are fun, but if your kid is 6+ the bigger kid version actually takes the kids through a short video explaining about road signs and then the kids get to drive cars obeying traffic signals.
Probably our favorite ride here. 2 story Lego Carousel – Finally, a ride we can all do together! The cute lego looking horses were a hit in our family. Quest for Chi – This is basically just an excuse to get wet as you each get a water gun to shoot at others. Still, it is one of the better rides here. Safari Trek – One of the few rides everyone (3 & up) can ride on. The ride itself is okay, but the cool thing is all the lego animals you’ll see! Royal Joust – Kids love going on the Lego style horses – again one of the more original rides here. Flying School – This ride has a height requirement, and will bang your head back & forth, but your kid will love the coaster where their feet are dangling in the air. Pull Yourself Up – Okay it has a real name, but it eludes me. You get to pull yourself up to the top. It if found between Imagination Zone and Lego Tecnic Legoland Employees are very UPBEATWe found Legoland employees to be very friendly and upbeat.
(Not Disney worthy, but actually pretty good.) Unfortunately, they are not very well trained. They were incredibly inefficient in loading the rides which meant what should have been a 15 minutes line ended up being a 45 minute wait. So while the ride was running, instead of lining up guests in the rows to load, all 3 employees would watch the ride run. Then they would unload them. Then they would start lining up guests in rows. Then they’d let them in. Then they’d do 1-3 (yep 3) seat belt checks before finally starting the ride again. You can take minifigures with you and trade them with any employee. You don’t even need the accessories, just the head, body and legs. We found some cool Minifigures throughout our day. Legoland Food is expensive!No, it isn’t that much more than Disney, but (and this is a BIG but) the quality is so much different. I can get a hamburger & fries at Legoland or a BBQ Sandwich at Disney. The food is “traditional” American food, and not much more.
HINT: We ended up getting lunch in the Castle area and all ordering kids meals which gave us a hamburger, fries, fruit, and a drink for a more reasonable $6.99. Legoland is a hot park!It is hot in Florida and many days it will rain. The unfortunate part about Legoland is that everything is outside. With the exception of a covered outdoor stadium at Pirate’s Cove, main restaurant by the entrance, and the theater if you need to get out of the heat (or rain) you are out of luck! So if you melt (like I do) you need to know that to cool off you’ll need to spend time in the Market Restaurant. One nice thing is that there are Lego blocks for kids to build with while you sit! Best Legoland Florida Touring StrategyOkay, if I was doing Legoland again here is what I’d do. Start off riding the Dragon & Coastersaurus. Ride Safari Trek & Royal Joust Ride Quest for Chi Head over to Driving School Have lunch wherever sounds good & see a couple rides that looked like fun to you
3:30 (or whatever time it is scheduled for on your visit) see Pirate’s Cove Show (it’s not great, but it is a good break and the water skiing is unique) 4pm – Ride 2 story carousel 4:15pm - See Miniland (marvel at the mini US towns & Star Wars recreations – don’t forget to push the button!) If you get really hot you can always try to take in a show at the movie theatre or have a shake in the Market Restaurant while the kids build with Legos. The Lego Factory tour is a joke, but kids 5 and under might enjoy pushing the buttons. You will find more shopping choices at the Lego store in Downtown Disney (surprised, so were we!) Should you go to Legoland Florida? Well, if you have kids 5-8 years old and your family loves Legos then maybe once. Just don’t expect to be wowed by the rides, and make sure you get kids get in free tickets. I’m glad we went once to see the Miniland. But our family does not feel the need to go back – once was more than enough for us.