4-12 year olds Articles Parenting

Legoland Trip – part 2

welcome

I probably got about three hours’ sleep in the end after much tossing, turning, snoring and sleep talking… and I threatened, on more than one occasion, that I would drive us all back to Norfolk if the noise did not settle.

However, after the 7:15 alarm went off, I felt refreshed enough to at least attempt a fun day at Legoland. The breakfast was great. With the choice of a full English, toast, cereals, pastries, and/or fruit, there was certainly something to suit everyone’s tastes. 

Finally, at 9:30am, we were ready to set off on our family day out. The boys excitedly pointed out the brown signs on the way showing which direction to go in for Legoland. Once there, it was a very smooth operation to get into the car park with marshals directing you. 

We had booked online and printed out the tickets, so getting in was really simple after the standard security checks by looking inside bags. Once through the main gates, we were offered the chance of buying a DigiPass. This was what I had tried to book online, but it had thrown it out of my basket at the last moment and refused to let me re-add it. Frustrating to say the least as booking it online meant we would have got a free print of our choice. Unfortunately, the DigiPass was pretty much a waste of money as we only got photos from one of the rides (Pirate Falls Treasure Quest) and then three of the boys sitting on the Legoland deckchair when we first arrived. The one taken on the Viking River Splash was not available as the technology was not working. We were informed it had been broken for around a week, yet no one had fixed it and, what bothered me most, no one had told us. £30 for essentially one photo (the boys on the deckchair we could have taken ourselves) was an absolute rip off.

Having moaned to start with, I must say that the park itself was great in many ways and the boys absolutely loved themselves, although the queue times left a lot to be desired. We joined one with an estimated queue time of 75 minutes, which shot up to 2 hours while we were in it. It took us 135 minutes to get on there. What I was pleased with was the number of rides, which had nearby play equipment and toys for children to occupy themselves with while the adults waited.

A great idea! Open and closed on and off throughout the day for whatever reason, the main ride that the boys really wanted to go on was the newest addition to the park: the Haunted House Monster Party. With just 90 minutes left in the park, the app showed that it had reopened and the queue was seeminly short. We made a quick dash over there and managed to see what all the fuss was about. We definitely ended the day on a high. All in all, the boys were thrilled with their day and are desperate to return.

Pros

  • Play equipment and toys for children to use while the adults wait in the queues for some rides
  • Free app was great – it tells you where you are and gives estimated queue times for rides
  • No smoking and vaping – gone are the days of having to tolerate second-hand smoke for hours whilst queueing. The designated smoking areas made it so much more pleasant for us!
  • Good selection of food
  • Great variety of activities for young and old children (and adults!)
  • Sensory room available for those with additional needs
  • Wide selection of products in the shops

Cons

  • Exiting the car park was a nightmare – it took over an hour to leave the car park and was the complete opposite of the well-organised entry
  • Toilet sanitary bins overflowing at the end of the day causing an unpleasant smell in the toilets
  • One ride photos not working, so day DigiPass not worth the money
  • Staff seemed to be largely unwilling to confront queue jumpers
  • Broken buttons on the hand soap dispensers
  • Overflowing litter bins throughout the park attracting wasps

You Might Also Like