Legoland

This year Scott has discovered the joy of Legos.  Coincidentally, last Christmas Matt's brother and his lovely wife gave us tickets to Legoland, CA.  We couldn't think of a better time to go.  Specifically we went on Tuesday, May 14th.  According to their website Legoland is usually closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during off peak days.  Luckily for us, the day we went was part of their Summer hours (Legoland Water Park was closed).  We had beautiful weather and a very small crowd.  I kept seeing the same people over and over throughout the park.

We arrived a few minutes after the park opened and didn't have to wait in any kind of line to get inside.  Keeping in mind we are Disneyland folk, we are used to a more crowded experience at theme parks.  Scott was extremely excited!  We didn't tell him we were going, and we went on a school day.  Of course, to Scott he may not have realized we were playing hooky, to him it may just as well been a weekend.  But, the moment he realized where we were was so sweet.  He noticed the large Lego mini-figures that greet you as you drive down the driveway to the parking lot.  Finally we asked him, "where are we?" to which he joyfully responded, "LEGOLAND!"  He recognized it from watching videos on YouTube.  We couldn't have been happier at his response, except for the fact that Matt just barely missed recording it. :(

Parking was a breeze too.  We paid the extra $5, total $20, to get "premium" parking...which just meant we parked within feet of the courtyard entrance.  I am not sure if it was necessary, or worth it, but it was a really nice parking spot.

Riding the LEGOLAND Express in Duplo Playtown.

As we went from ride to ride we learned that Alice was about an inch too short to go on mostly everything in the park.  Scott and Matt were able to go on the rides together while Alice and I strolled around and found other activities.  We dug for dinosaur bones, and played in the Duplo Playtown, and found shaded stations where you could play with either Lego bricks or Duplo bricks.  So, I think it is worth pointing out that the majority of the rides have a height minimum of 34".  Luckily the website has an interactive map that shows you what height requirements are for each attraction.  Unfortunately for me I didn't take the time to click on each and every single attraction to see what they all were.  I just took it for granted that there would be plenty of activities for the entire family.  Alice did get a bit frustrated throughout the day.

Alice was a little bummed she couldn't go on the rides.

Playing with some Duplo blocks while Scott goes on a ride.

Fireman Scott puts out a fire and saves the day!

Meanwhile, Matt and Scott had fun.  Matt found a few of the rides/activities to be quite physical   He either had to cycle, or pump levers, or pull a rope to activate certain attractions.  Perhaps if he had the strength of a few people combined helping out it would have been better, but Scott wasn't too much help, so Matt had to muscle through all on his own.


The last "negative" which wasn't a negative at all, just more of a "darn it" moment is when we came to the amazing pirate area we realized that bringing a bathing suit was almost necessary!  We knew that the water park was closed, but again without taking the time to really go through the map I had no idea that there was a toddler friendly soak zone.  There were plenty of opportunities to get good and wet, but we just did a little light splashing and had to get out of there before the kids got too upset that they couldn't get in there and really play.  (I only brought changes of clothes for potty accidents).

Arrr, we be pirates sailin' the seas looking for treaure!

Alice was happy to find the water.

Ok, so I didn't want to paint this as a negative experience AT ALL, but I did want to just point out practical points so that if anyone else was planning a trip they would have a few pieces of info they might be able to use.

We had a blast!  Honestly, we just had the best day.  Scott was in love with everything he did.  He was so excited to go on "The Dragon" roller coaster. He drove like a pro in the Volvo Junior Driving School.

Scott loved "The Dragon" roller coaster.

 He also just loved all of the beautifully created Lego figures, animals, and displays.  They really were quite amazing!  I want a full-sized Lego elephant for my front yard.  :)

The new lawn flamingo?

 The Star Wars Miniland displays were a huge hit for our whole family, and the kids got a kick out of pushing the buttons that activated the sounds and movement in the displays.  We thought the intricacies were stunning.

We ended the day in The Big Shop.  Scott wanted to get some new mini-figures.  I am still learning about all things Lego, but I found out that there is a series of mini-figures and when you purchase one you don't know which one you are getting (much like baseball cards).  Matt noticed a mom feeling the packaging to identify parts to tell which mini-figure was in each one, she was quite experienced.  Then I learned that after opening the package if you didn't want that particular mini-figure you had the option to trade for a different one by going to certain shops that had a trading box...or any cast member wearing a mini-figure on their name tag (minus the food service workers...I found that out by asking the lady in the cafe for the skeleton mini-figure she had on her name tag...it was so cool, but she couldn't give it to me).  I only wish we had known this going into the park, so we could have been on the lookout for a good trade throughout the day.  But, we did a little trading before we left and got a decent set of mini-figures.  I think it is also worth mentioning that some of the mini-figures being traded may be missing pieces.  Like a Trojan soldier missing his cape, or the skydiver missing his helmet, etc.

Alice got her first set of Duplo blocks.  She has been wanting to play with Scott's Legos so we figured it would be best to get her started with something more age appropriate, but it hasn't changed anything...she still likes Scott's.

I do want to go back to Legoland!  We need to wait until Alice is just a bit taller, so we can experience the entire park together as a family.  I know Scott wants to go back.  Within minutes of returning home we overheard him saying "want to go to Legoland again!" and he brings it up almost on a daily basis!  We need to thank Michael and Aracely for the tickets.  I am not sure I would have ever thought of going, and I am so glad we had the opportunity.  Matt will be putting together a video of our entire day, coming soon.