Home > Family Vacation Ideas > Theme Park Family Vacations > LEGOLAND Florida vs. LEGOLAND California LEGOLAND Florida vs. LEGOLAND California There are only two LEGOLAND theme park locations in the U.S., so it's natural for families to make comparisons. These are our main observations for LEGOLAND Florida vs. LEGOLAND California -- see what's different and the same at both parks. Lots for Little Ones LEGOLAND excels in catering to the pre-school set. In both Florida and California, DUPLO Village is an entire section dedicated to children ages 5 and younger, with indoor and outdoor play spaces. There are several playgrounds and hands-on areas throughout these parks, where LEGO pieces are available for recharging moments of creative play. Both have Baby Care Centers, stroller rentals, and healthy food options. You'll find several rides and attractions unique to LEGOLAND, and both of these parks include the popular Lost Kingdom Adventure with interactive target shooting with laser guns, the Aqua Zone Wave Racers, Royal Joust, Beetle Bounce and the Coastersaurus, Dragon, and LEGO Technic coasters.
Both have driving schools -- sponsored by Ford in Florida and Volvo in California -- where kids drive their own cars freely through simulated streets. In 2016, LEGOLAND California debuted NINJAGO the Ride, and in 2017, LEGOLAND Florida will do the same, bringing with it a new section of the park dedicated to the LEGO NINJAGO: Masters of Spinjitzu TV series. The highlight of any LEGOLAND is this section with several large-scale LEGO replicas of major cities, recreated in amazing, artistic detail with interactive elements like water features, sound, moving pieces and vehicles. In California, part of the experience is a boat ride to view them from the water. The Florida section -- originally constructed for Carlsbad -- was moved to Winter Haven and replaced with a Star Wars vignette. The world's first LEGOLAND Water Park was in Carlsbad. Four waterslides emerge from the center attraction, a 45-foot tower, which looks like it was built from oversized LEGO pieces. Build-a-Raft River, DUPLO Splash Safari, Orange Rush and Joker Soaker are attractions meant to get you wet.
LEGOLAND Florida added a water park in the former Cypress Gardens. It features pretty much the same attractions as in Carlsbad, along with a wave pool. LEGOLAND Florida, at 150 acres, is the world's largest LEGOLAND. It includes the expansive former Cypress Gardens attraction. There is just too much to do and see in one day, especially in the "off-season" months when it may only be open for seven hours. We found that the California park was doable in one full day (though the kids will obviously want to stay longer). At LEGOLAND California, you'll find a SEA LIFE Aquarium adjacent to the park. Admission requires an upgraded ticket fee. You'll discover 200 species of marine life in exhibits which include the Octopus Garden, a Ray Lagoon, Kingdom of the Seahorse, and Discovery Zone Touch Pool. Amusingly, several incorporate LEGO sculpture, including the divers exploring the Lost City of Atlantis. In Winter Haven, LEGOLAND purchased the land of what was once the Cypress Gardens attraction, and restored the lush gardens with species from around the world, as well as the cove for water ski shows.
Today's version tells the story of Brickbeard the Pirate, and features impressive water ski stunts. Also remaining is the Island in the Sky ride, a revolving disk, which rises to 150 feet to offer 360-degree views of the entire park and Lake Eloise. It's incorporated within the park, so there isn't an extra admission fee. If you love LEGO, you'll love both of these parks. While you'll find much in common as you stroll through the Land of Adventure, Fun Town, and the Imagination Zone, you will also experience unique rides, attractions, shops and eateries that make it worthwhile to visit both. Both LEGOLAND parks in California and Florida operate adjoining LEGO-themed hotels. The LEGOLAND California Hotel opened in 2003 with 250 rooms, while the LEGOLAND Florida Hotel opened in May 2015 with 152 suites. Both hotels offered family rooms with bunks and other features for kids; onsite dining that includes mini-buffets for kids; onsite activities including shows; and best of all, early entrance to the parks, one hour before the general public can enter.
More From Family Vacation Critic: Best Ages for LEGOLAND Annual Events at LEGOLANDWritten by Traci L. Suppa Find Your Family Vacation Any Type of Vacation AdventureAll-inclusiveBeachMuseum/CulturalSkiingTheme ParksWater ParksWater Sports AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaCanadaCaribbeanCentral AmericaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDisneyEuropeFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMexicoMichiganMid-AtlanticMidwestMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew EnglandNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPacific NorthwestPennsylvaniaRhode IslandRockiesSouth AmericaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaSoutheastSouthwestTennesseeTexasUSA National ParksUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming There are a lot of posts in this forum about where to stay, but not too many about the Legoland rides themselves. I'll be there in November with my 3 kids, ages 2-7, so we're interested in the full range of attractions.
What are the best "don't miss" rides? Which rides are worth a pass? Which rides have the longest wait times? Any other thoughts on rides? One attraction mentioned in this post Ranked of 60 things to do in Carlsbad -:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-TripAdvisor staff has removed this post because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum guidelines with regards to off-topic chat. Please limit conversations to subject matter directly related to the host forum. For example: when in the London forum, please stick to topics that relate to travel within the London Metropolitan Area.Off-Topic Chatter is a forum for discussions gone afield from the topic of travel. Please note that the Off-Topic Chatter forum is un-moderated -- the Forum Posting Guidelines are not enforced, with the exception of pornographic images or text, hate speech, unauthorized re-prints of copyrighted text, and messages that promote or encourage illegal activities. Each user is expected to take responsibility for his or her own conduct.
/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.htmlWe remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. Legoland with small kids is great fun. Not so great for just grownups. Our favorite part of the park is Miniland, with all the models. Decent food at the cafes and prices were not horrendous for what you got! We did the entire park in about 6 hours during the week in September and it was not crowded at all. We liked the Dragon rollercoaster and the self powered cart. The kid liked the driving school, skipper school and the safari trek. Seems they have added quite a few more attractions and rides since we were last there (2005) My son enjoyed the build it yourself places .. made cars and raced them, made his own lego sets and got to buy them. We rode most things. Nothing was too scary for an older kid. Your younger kids may not like the roller coasters.Many of the rides have height limits. There is also a new interactive marinelife center next to Legoland.
I don't know if it requires a separate admission fee. I think it is a bit sad that they added that as we already have an aquarium(Birch Aquarium) and Sea world but I suppose this new facility will have different sorts of activities. For 3 kids ages 2-7 - definitely ignore Chuck (he grew up - never had a vacation in Neverland I guess >. It is perfect for that age child. Our kids LOVE it (now ages 2-10, the 10 year old is getting too old for the park though). Favorite is the dragon roller coaster - mild and cutely decorated at the beginning. Riding school is also a first stop for the kids. The water play area is nice, bring a change of clothes or a swimsuit, and be sure to have some apple fries. "definitely ignore Chuck (he grew up - never had a vacation in Neverland I guess"Been there at least a kazillion times since 1968. Legoland is perfect for your kids at that age. It's been a couple of years since we've been there (my son is now 11) but he loved it. Our favorites were the test track, dragon rollercoaster and aqua blaster.
When you enter the park, the rides to the left are geared more for the little ones and if you head to the right they are more for the older kids (at least that's how I remember it). Don't worry about lines - it won't be busy in November even if you're going Thanksgiving week. All of the rides are good (though I remember a long line for a storybook ride that wasn't worth the wait - not sure if it is still there). You will have some limitations though with your 2 year old for some of them but they do have plenty for a two year old to enjoy. My son loved the train ride and watching the trains in Miniland. The best thing about Legoland is that it is geared for young kids. You won't have the park filled with teenagers looking for thrill rides. It's very young-family friendly. You'll have a blast. My wife and daughter (now almost eight) have had season passes since my daughter was two. I get to go with the free pass that comes with the annual pass renewal. I've been twice with my daughter this summer and both times we had a great time.
The new water play area is incredible. Next time I am bringing my bathing suit and playing in it with her. The new "adventure" ride (similar to Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland) is fun. The Technic roller coaster is a lot of fun. The ride in the Pirate area where you shoot water at other boats is a blast. The Dragon coaster is fun. Heck, lots of the rides are fun. If I was an angsty teenage mope I probably wouldn't like the place. Just go and have a great time (and bring hyour bathing suit). I'm enjoying all the input on the rides. A few people have commented that there's a good water play area. On Legoland's site, there are a few things that look like water play areas: Water Works, Swabbies Deck, Soak-N-Sail. Which one of these is the good one? There's also something listed as The Lake, but I wasn't able to figure out what that is. The Legoland site has a downloadable park map, but it doesn't have any of the rides marked on it...it just has the general areas marked, like "Fun Town" and "Explore Village".
Has anyone seen a map with the individual rides indicated on it? Since you will be at Legoland in November it's likely the water play zone won't be an option. As stated above, from the entrance the rides to the left are geared towards younger children and the rides to the right towards older kits. If you visit the link below on the Legoland website it breaks down rides with full descriptions and photos according to height requirements. We were there last November, water rides were still open. On weekdays there were no lines, or maybe a line long enough that you had to wait for one or two groups to go through...never more than 5 minutes. Our kids are now 5 & 3 and we're going there again this year. I suspect this might be our last year though, I think Legoland for anyone older than 5 or 6 will probably be a bit tame. Legoland hotel and its location What else to do when going to LegoLand? Carlsbad Outlet Mall taxi or Bus #373 Staying at Carlsbad by the Sea next to Lego land