Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Going to Legoland first time

37 replies

Goingtolegoland · 13/07/2022 16:35

Need some advice as Mumsnet has always been very helpful.

Tomorrow we are going to Legoland with DD (4yo) for the first time since she was born. I'd like to ask you first of all how is the food there, if any, so I know whether to pack lunch? DD is very picky and been a bit poorly lately too.

Also any advice re the rides for DD, best things to do, things to avoid?

Thank you x

OP posts:
Thismummyrunstheshow · 13/07/2022 22:32

Not much help and hope you have a great day but you are us exactly a year ago and went before schools broke up.

We went on a grand total of 4 rides in the whole day because it was absolutely heaving. Like shoulder to shoulder heaving.

We left massively disappointed and exhausted from queuing in the blazing sun for hours for all 4 rides and 15 minute queues for drinks/lollies (hot day). Based on that experience last July, I wouldn't go back again. I do suspect they oversold tickets to bounce back after covid restrictions when we went but it was a real treat day for us that has left a sour taste.

Echo the food tips though, take your own of you can.

Goingtolegoland · 13/07/2022 22:50

Thismummyrunstheshow · 13/07/2022 22:32

Not much help and hope you have a great day but you are us exactly a year ago and went before schools broke up.

We went on a grand total of 4 rides in the whole day because it was absolutely heaving. Like shoulder to shoulder heaving.

We left massively disappointed and exhausted from queuing in the blazing sun for hours for all 4 rides and 15 minute queues for drinks/lollies (hot day). Based on that experience last July, I wouldn't go back again. I do suspect they oversold tickets to bounce back after covid restrictions when we went but it was a real treat day for us that has left a sour taste.

Echo the food tips though, take your own of you can.

Oh no! Sorry about your experience 😔.

We had a similar experience at Peppa Pig World last year in Aug with queuing for rides for 45-60 mins in scorching heat, hated it. Luckily we stayed right until closing time and it got a lot better towards the end. It didn't even cross my mind that this can happen during term time.

OP posts:
Goingtolegoland · 13/07/2022 22:51

BuffaloCauliflower · 13/07/2022 22:21

Hope you have fun!

Thank you x

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Smallinthesmoke · 13/07/2022 22:53

OK don't panic
Arrive early, do one or two rides quickly. Maybe Coastguard HQ and Atlantis.
Take towels and swimmers, go to the splash area. She will love this.
Watch the show by the lake at lunchtime while you have your picnic.
Then flake out, seek shade and lollies, lie around in Miniland (no queues) or visit the 3D cinema (cool, no queues).
Maybe one more ride right at the end of the day. But do not try for much in the way of rides between say 11 and 4, unless the app tells you certain ones have short queues. It really really thins out at the end of the day. Just pace yourself. And try to avoid wasps.

Goingtolegoland · 13/07/2022 23:04

Smallinthesmoke · 13/07/2022 22:53

OK don't panic
Arrive early, do one or two rides quickly. Maybe Coastguard HQ and Atlantis.
Take towels and swimmers, go to the splash area. She will love this.
Watch the show by the lake at lunchtime while you have your picnic.
Then flake out, seek shade and lollies, lie around in Miniland (no queues) or visit the 3D cinema (cool, no queues).
Maybe one more ride right at the end of the day. But do not try for much in the way of rides between say 11 and 4, unless the app tells you certain ones have short queues. It really really thins out at the end of the day. Just pace yourself. And try to avoid wasps.

That sounds like a very good plan 🙂thank you x

The positive thing about reading everyone's reply is that I'm not in for a shock. I'm planning everything tonight as suggested and hope for the best. My DD was poorly recently so her energy is not very high at the moment, which means less pressure on doing a lot of stuff.

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 13/07/2022 23:11

Some schools have broken up; it will be busy. Another time (or for anyone reading in the future), mid week early May is lovely. Feeling lonely at Legoland is definitely a good thing.
I remember one time where the shortest queue was for the toilets, and that was half an hour... gave up and went home.

If it's a one off, I'd buy a meal there, but take a few snacks. if you get a refillable flask on the way in then you can keep getting it refilled with cold drink. As a mean mum, I used to have one between us. Made it quite a cheap drink!
There's plenty of options, for food. All children type pizza/chicken nuggets etc.
I'd advise snacking through to lunch time, then buy something like chips. Then have an ice cream early afternoon. Then go to the all you can eat pizza. When I used to go it was half price for children after 3pm. Don't know if they still do that.
By mid afternoon you'll be thankful to have an hour sitting inside in peace and it shouldn't be too crowded then.

Start with the submarine ride down at the far end. Then with a 4yo I'd go for ones which get a lot of people on each ride. So the carousel, swings, fairy tale boats, hot air balloons, that sort of ones.

I would either go to the water area straight after the submarine or at the end of the day because the queue will almost certainly be dreadful. I think I'd be tempted to save it for the end when they're hot and bothered, but the beginning would work well too.

Taking something to spray them with water is a good idea in this heat. There were water fountains (assuming covid hasn't had them removed) so you can refill that. I have a bit of a story on the water fountains. They initially set them all up (concreted into the ground etc) so you had to use your left hand to press the button to get it to work. DD hasn't got a left hand. So I wrote to them and asked them if they could change one round so she could operate one with her right hand. Got a kind of non-answer back, but the next season when we went every single water fountain had been turned so you could operate it with either hand.

I would consider hiring one of the buggies. Then your 4yo will sit in in (and there is a roof so out of the sun) and not get as tired and hot; you have a place to put bags and generally it's easier on tempers, especially at the end of the day. You used to be able to abandon them at the bottom of the hill before going on the hill train too, which meant you didn't have to drag it back up again.

Have fun!

Goingtolegoland · 13/07/2022 23:39

MargaretThursday · 13/07/2022 23:11

Some schools have broken up; it will be busy. Another time (or for anyone reading in the future), mid week early May is lovely. Feeling lonely at Legoland is definitely a good thing.
I remember one time where the shortest queue was for the toilets, and that was half an hour... gave up and went home.

If it's a one off, I'd buy a meal there, but take a few snacks. if you get a refillable flask on the way in then you can keep getting it refilled with cold drink. As a mean mum, I used to have one between us. Made it quite a cheap drink!
There's plenty of options, for food. All children type pizza/chicken nuggets etc.
I'd advise snacking through to lunch time, then buy something like chips. Then have an ice cream early afternoon. Then go to the all you can eat pizza. When I used to go it was half price for children after 3pm. Don't know if they still do that.
By mid afternoon you'll be thankful to have an hour sitting inside in peace and it shouldn't be too crowded then.

Start with the submarine ride down at the far end. Then with a 4yo I'd go for ones which get a lot of people on each ride. So the carousel, swings, fairy tale boats, hot air balloons, that sort of ones.

I would either go to the water area straight after the submarine or at the end of the day because the queue will almost certainly be dreadful. I think I'd be tempted to save it for the end when they're hot and bothered, but the beginning would work well too.

Taking something to spray them with water is a good idea in this heat. There were water fountains (assuming covid hasn't had them removed) so you can refill that. I have a bit of a story on the water fountains. They initially set them all up (concreted into the ground etc) so you had to use your left hand to press the button to get it to work. DD hasn't got a left hand. So I wrote to them and asked them if they could change one round so she could operate one with her right hand. Got a kind of non-answer back, but the next season when we went every single water fountain had been turned so you could operate it with either hand.

I would consider hiring one of the buggies. Then your 4yo will sit in in (and there is a roof so out of the sun) and not get as tired and hot; you have a place to put bags and generally it's easier on tempers, especially at the end of the day. You used to be able to abandon them at the bottom of the hill before going on the hill train too, which meant you didn't have to drag it back up again.

Have fun!

We were planning to go in May/June which would have been ideal but it didn't happen.

Brilliant they took on board your suggestion about the water fountains.

Definitely hiring a buggie, I think DD would enjoy that.

Had a last minute supermarket trip and I'm taking a lot of snacks and sandwiches and not bother with the food there. I wouldn't expect great quality anyway and queuing for food when you are hot, tired and hungry doesn't really appeal to me.

OP posts:
jellybeanteaparty · 14/07/2022 07:45

I agree with small in the smokes approach. We used to have annual passes and would sometimes happily spend a day doing everything else there is to do that is not a ride and do a couple of rides at the end of the day when quieter.

CredibilityProblem · 14/07/2022 07:59

Last tips. I've been loads but not for ages so am not up on the latest rides, just general techniques.

With a 4 year old you're not going to be doing the big rollercoasters. Get there at quarter to ten (there are things to look at while you're waiting) and do a couple of rides first thing before the queues build up, maybe Deep Sea Adventure and the boating lake which both have huge queues later on. Then for the rest of the day concentrate on the shows (puppet and stunt - both good places to eat lunch), Miniland, the 4D cinema (excellent), and the more young-child-friendly rides which generally have shorter queues. Do the train ride.

Adversity · 14/07/2022 08:57

DS took his GF there early June as she didn’t go as a child and had always wanted to go.He said that the food was ok, queues were 30 mins, two rides were shut, sorry unsure which ones so be aware of that. When we took him he adored the Lego driving school.

SurreyMumOfOne · 14/07/2022 08:59

You can do almost everything with a four year old if they're tall enough. We took our three year old last week, and he loved The Dragon which actually had one of the shorter queues. Perhaps because it's so out of the way and also you don't see it and think 'that looks good'.

We thought we'd be spending most of our time in Duplo Valley but in the end he preferred other areas more.

BertieBotts · 14/07/2022 09:42

A tip for wasps that apparently works is to take a water spray bottle and spray them gently with water. That way they think it's raining and zoom off to their nest. Don't go mad attacking them trying to drown them, a gentle spritz is the idea.

No idea if it works as I'm terrified of wasps and tend to go for the scream and run away flapping method. Not very helpful for DC D:

New posts on this thread. Refresh page