7 Tips to Avoid Legoland Missteps

Picture this- you wake your girls up early to surprise them for an adventure. They have NO IDEA where they are going! The main goal is to end the summer with a bang. The car is packed and you set out for what you imagine to be the best day filled with smiles, laughter, and family time! We hit the road and we are Legoland bound! Little did we know that we were about to encounter a few missteps along the way!

My husband and I decided to take our girls to Legoland a few days before. Now, I am a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of girl. I love a good adventure and I can sometimes be spontaneous. However, I quickly came to the realization that when you go to Legoland, you need to be prepared! After our “not so perfect adventure”, I compiled a list of 7 tips to help others avoid some of the major missteps that we experienced during our first Legoland adventure.

Parking

When we first entered the park, you are immediately met with amazing Lego statues and my two girls were mesmerized. Everything was awesome and we were anxious for the day to begin. Our first decision of the day; preferred parking or regular parking? Ummmm… What is the difference?

• Preferred parking- $25
• Regular parking- $18

We asked the parking lot attendant and she said the difference was that the preferred parking lot was closer. We are not intimidated by a little bit of walking so we paid for the regular parking.

Okay, you guys.. It was like a 2-5 minute difference. So, if it is not absolutely necessary that you be closer, pay for the cheaper lot and spend that $7 on something inside the park.

Find Coupons

We found our parking spot, we applied our sunscreen and now we are heading our way to the entrance. I did a quick search prior to see if there were any benefits to buying them before but CLEARLY I did not do a thorough job.

We purchased our tickets full price at the gate and then we moved through the line. I then overheard the woman behind us go and I see that she has a nifty coupon that read, “Buy one adult, get one child FREE”… SAY WHAT?!? We just threw down how much money and we could have saved $89 if I would have done a little due diligence. Ahhhh, man!

Too little, too late for myself but now I am doing my homework for everyone reading this post. I have found the coupon for YOU! If you are planning a Legoland trip, here is that nifty coupon (valid through 12/31/2017)… Take advantage because it is a HUGE savings :).

Plan Out the Day

I can’t stress this one enough… Especially coming from me, a behavior analyst mama! Unfortunately, the first ride of the day was one that my youngest was too little for… MISTAKE! Although my oldest had a blast going on a ride with just her daddy, it was a rough start for my youngest. She IMMEDIATELY started crying and felt left out. From that point, we were more cognizant on the ride choices and made sure that everyone felt included.

As my youngest was still recovering, we were a little preoccupied getting past the tears and we just hopped in another line. We ignored the “wait time” sign and did not notice that the next ride had a very long wait… MISTAKE! More tears!

My suggestion- Mix it up! Legoland has amazing options in terms of roller coasters, play grounds, water rides, splash pads, etc. There is something for everyone! If you plan ahead, you can ensure that all members of the family are happy and feel involved throughout the entire day! I wish I would have known this before starting our day.

Bring Swim Suits

Bringing swim suits did not even cross my mind because we did not plan to go to Legoland’s water park. What I did not anticipate were all of the water play options inside of Legoland! There are so many water rides and splash pads, this could have been a huge game changer for us! At one point, we just stripped down our youngest to her diaper because she couldn’t resist a good water play session.

Bring Mini Lego Figurines

Each of the Legoland employees have a name tag. On that name tag, there are spots for 4-8 mini lego figurines to be positioned on them. The idea here, is if you bring your own mini lego figurines from home, the employees will trade with you.. Cool, huh? It is like Legoland’s version of Disney’s pin trading. You could come home with a whole new set of lego figurines!

If we would have remembered to bring our mini lego figurines, I think this would have added an entirely different element to the day. #nexttime

Pack Food

We packed light for the day. We made sure to have a few waters and snacks but that was it. When it was time for lunch, we had two very tired and hungry girls. EVERYONE at Legoland was eating lunch at the same time and no matter where we looked, food lines were a mile long. I waited in line for lunch for what felt like an eternity.

My suggestion- Utilize your stroller and pack if full of food! If you can pack a few sandwiches, do it! Grab a small cooler so you can pack an entire lunch! I love that Legoland allows outside food to come into the park. This helps to save on money and keep your little ones happy when hunger strikes!

After we ate, everyone was feeling better. My youngest went down for a nap and my oldest did a few rides that only “big girls” could do!

Bring Cash

Lastly, make sure you have cash! There are a lot of “carnival games” at Legoland which I was not anticipating but was a fun surprise. This made for a fun interaction for both my girls and my husband! We RARELY have cash so we were scrounging to make it happen.

There are a few games that you “Win a Prize Every Time!” My girls were excited to “win” at a game and this was a great way to end our day.

 

We learned a lot during our day at Legoland. Would I have done things differently? Yes! Which is why I felt like I should write about our experience. I hope my notes on our day will help a few people if they are going to Legoland for the first time!

I hope EVERYTHING IS AWESOME for you at your next Legoland adventure!

 

About Anesa:

Anesa is a mother of two, a Behavior Analyst and a Professor. She has a Masters in Education, post grad work in Applied Behavior Analysis and working towards her PhD in Psychology. Just recently, she launched a blog that follows the chronicles of a mama facing parenthood but with a trained eye on behavior. There is a mix of mommy humor but also research based suggestions that readers could benefit from.