Legoland Resort has been on our family's bucket list of places to travel in Florida for the longest so when they provided us with tickets to enjoy a day at their resort we were thrilled.
Considering we had not traveled outside of our city for the past couple of months due to the pandemic, our family was really itching for an adventure, a new place to go, explore and since we are only a couple of hours from the park, Legoland was the perfect place to break the coronavirus traveling halt.
However, before I dive into all the things you must know about Legoland before heading to the park, let me give you a little background on my family: We are a family of five - husband and I, two toddlers and a 10 year old with autism.
I find it important to discuss these details with you as many of the tips I will be sharing is based on my family's experiences and needs, so yours may be different or very similar, either way I hope it helps you and your family get the best out of your vacation.
Now that I have given you a little information about our family, let me tell you a little bit about Legoland.
Legoland is located in Winter Haven, about an hour away from Orlando, and it was built on the same site as the former Cypress Gardens, Florida's very first theme park which opened in 1936 and attracted millions of people each year, including celebrities and even royalties.
Unfortunately, with the opening of Disney World in Orlando in 1965, Cypress Gardens started to experience a decline in guests. People were choosing to spend more time on Disney grounds rather than going to Cypress Gardens.
By early 2010, the park had been sold multiple times to different organizations all which had little to no success with their acquisition until Merlin Enterprises announced that year that it was purchasing the land to build one of their Lego theme parks, a park dedicated to one of kids' favorite toys: Lego.
Legoland still holds many of the Cypress Garden's characteristics, in fact, there is an entire area of the park which is still preserved and looks just as it looked back in the mid 1900's.
The park is 150 acres to be exact and it includes a water park and a lake where guests can watch ski and boat shows, but enough with history and background and let's get to what you actually came here for.
25 things you must know about Legoland
1 - Explore for two days
There is absolutely no way anyone can experience the entire park in one day, even with no lines and little wait time.
From rides to entire cities made out of legos, the park is abundant with attractions, photo opportunities, and so much to do and enjoy and that's not even including the water park which happened to be my children's (and the hubby too) favorite area of the park.
With that being said, if you can afford to play for two days, do it! It's totally worth it and you will not be bothered!
2 - Plan accordingly
Unlike many other theme parks, Legoland opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm, however, the water park opens a little later at 12 pm and closes a bit earlier at 4 pm.
Another thought to consider if you happen to travel during summer months is the rain. It faithfully rains almost every day in Florida and although the showers don't last very long they tend to occur either early in the morning and late afternoon right around 5 pm.
If it happens to start raining and thundering while you are at the park, Legoland may close the attractions and the park but they do offer tickets to return at a later day due to the inconvenience.
Read here : How to effectively plan for theme parks and maximize your day.
3 - No reservations required
Although the park is operating at 50% capacity, Legoland is not requiring that reservations be made prior to attending the park. To visit the park just purchase tickets online or in person and enjoy!
4 - Purchase tickets online
Legoland.com offers many deals on their website including discounts for Florida residents, annual passes and much more. So be sure to check the online prices so you can save some money on your trip.
5 - Two and under is Free
Babies and toddlers up to two years old are totally free and do not need a ticket for the regular park nor the water park, so bring the babies.
6 - Water Park Tickets
The water park is not included with general admittance to Legoland and must be purchased as a packaged or separate. Water park tickets can also be purchased in person at the park.
7 - $2 off parking
Pay for parking online through the Legoland website and receive $2 off.
8 - Preferred parking versus Standard Parking
Standard parking costs $23 and Preferred parking costs $33, the difference between the two is the distance to the entrance, the Preferred parking is much closer, less than a 5 minute walk and it is also covered by solar panels.
Standard parking on the other hand is about a 10-15 minute walking and it is not covered.
9 - Legoland Hotel
Although we did not stay at the Legoland hotel simply because my oldest son has food allergies and to be on the safe side we always stay at resorts with a full kitchen so we can prepare his meals, but the hotel is basically a few steps away from the park.
Very convenient for hotel guests who don't have to pay for parking, get extra hours at the park and don't have to worry about driving after a long day of fun.
10 - Temperatures required
Temperatures are conducted prior to entrance of the park. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 and above will be admitted.
11 - Mask requirements
Masks are not mandatory throughout the park but must be worn during ride by all adults and children 8 and over. If you don't have a mask, you can purchase one at a merchandise store for $1.99 and up, there is even Legoland themed masks.
12 - Height Check
Stop by the guest services area which is located right after the entrance, to get your child height measured. This makes easier to determine which rides your child is eligible to ride. The child receives a wristband with the color appropriate to their height.
13 - Heroes Pass
If you have someone with a disability in your party, stop by the guest services and ask for a heroes pass.
The heroes pass serves as a fast past that can works for the entire family to skip long lines as long as the disabled person is also riding.
The pass is totally free so take advantage of it.
14 - Food policy
Legoland's food policy is absolutely awesome! You are pretty much allowed to bring anything you desire as long as it doesn't require any heating or cooking.
You can even bring a cooler, check out Legoland's cooler and food policy here.
Read here : Complete menu for theme parks including gluten free and vegetarian options
15 - Bring water
Since the reopening of the park after the coronavirus outbreak, the park's water fountain are currently suspended.
While there is water available for purchase all throughout the park, bringing your own filled water bottles may be more cost and time effective.
16 - Credit cards ONLY!
Legoland is operating on credit cards only and no cash or other form of payment is accepted and that included apple pay. So bring your credit/debit card or a visa gift card in case you want to make any purchases at the park.
17 - Hand Sanitizers everywhere.
The park has installed touch free hand sanitizers stations all throughout the park including the water park. So sanitize your hands away!
18 - Sanitized Rides
The park is working really hard to keep the safety of its guests. I personally witnessed a couple of times staff members sanitizing and cleaning rides in between guests.
19 - No Lines, few wait time
There were basically no lines to ride any of the attractions, the wait time of two to five minutes occurred mostly due to rides being sanitized and cleaned for the next group.
20 - Sit down, relax and eat.
If you brought food from home (hotel lol) as we did, you can easily find a picnic table or a bench in a shaded area where you can enjoy your meal/snacks or just take a break from the heat and the rides.
There are plenty of them available throughout the park including the water park.
21 - Spotless restrooms
It is impressive how clean Legoland's restrooms are, both female and male ( I asked my husband).
Out of curiosity, I checked their cleaning log and by 12:00 pm that day, about 15 employees had already been in that bathroom to check it, maintain it and clean it.
22 - Lockers available at water park
Lockers are available in the water park section for anyone who does not want to carry their backpacks and other personal items throughout the water park.
Prices vary from $9 to $16 (small to large) and only credit/debit cards are accepted.
23 - Cabana Rentals
For maximum privacy, cabanas are available for rent at the water park. Price varies from $99 to $199 per cabana.
They are a great option for families with babies who need to take a nap, nursing mothers or anyone who wants to relax in private. You can book them online here.
24 - Shower and go!
Want to rinse the chlorine off before enjoying the rest of the park? No worries, the restroom right next to the lockers have shower stalls that you and your family can use.
So bring your toiletries and a new set of clothes and you will be ready to go!
25 - Take a walk into history
Want to take a look at Florida's first theme park ever? Then stroll through Cypress Gardens, the area preserved I mentioned earlier.
By preserving this area of the original park, Legoland made it possible for guests to take a step back into history and see what a theme park looked like in the mid 1900's.
Overall, the park was a great experience and our family's favorite part was by unanimous vote the water park for many reasons.
Now, while it was fun and we had a great time, Legoland still has much improvement to make before they can even come close to rivals like Universal Studios, Disney World, etc.
First and foremost, the staff needs better training. There's no excitement displayed by staff members, in fact some (most of them) looked unhappy to be there. If Legoland wants to make the experience magical for everyone who visits them then they must start with the people who are in close contact with the guests
Question is: Will I return to Legoland? Most certainly ! We didn't even have the time to check out half of what there it to do at park and their water park is simply awesome, so we are excited to return, hopefully soon.
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