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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU and a misery guts? Legoland

133 replies

notsohippychick · 28/10/2017 18:57

Ok, so arranged a day out at Legoland yesterday. I was able to get free tickets as my son is disabled via charity, so that was fabulous.

Off we trundled, full of excitement and hope! Its 2 hr and 40 min drive however it took us 5 hours!!!!!!!! M25 was a nightmare as part of it was closed!!

Got there - queued for our tickets. Of course the 'BIG LEGO' shop is in full view of the queuing area, which caused a bit of hassle before we had even got in.

To cut a long and very stressful story short, I hated every minute of it - the queues, the crowds, the insanely overpriced ice cream. I was so disappointed that id imagined this unforgettable day out, didn't live up to expectation. Never ever again. My son loved the mini lego village and luckily there was fireworks that night which was a huge saving grace!

I just didn't 'get it' - I didn't understand the fascination, and it didn't give me the 'wow factor', but then I'm not a child! This morning I calculated what it would have cost to enter with day tickets. £150 for three of us, and my 2 year old would have got in free. That doesn't include parking but did include an advanced booking discount. I was horrified!!!!!

However, on the positive side it has taught me that my son is quite a simple soul, he wasn't really interested in the rides, or the weird dancing Master Wu. He'd much prefer to kick a ball around a field or paddle in the sea. I'm trying to put it down to experience!

So this leads me to this question, when have you been disappointed by a day out you've had so much hope for?

OP posts:
Goldenbug · 28/10/2017 19:29

I read the trip advisor reviews this morning out of general curiosity. Legoland seems on par with Ryan Air for customer experience. Dirty, expensive, queues so long you hardly get on any rides, people paying extra to queue jump, terrible food, poor staff, charging the over 2s as adults, etc. Can't believe it's going to stay open for long like that.

ScarletSienna · 28/10/2017 19:31

There was another thread about Lego Land this week and pretty much everyone agreed with you. I do too. I hate it. Can’t think of one redeeming feature.

gluteustothemaximus · 28/10/2017 19:31

Legoland is a shithole

😂😂

We've been lots of times, as we were loyal merlin pass holders.

It is going down the toilet, and we will not be going back there again, or getting merlin passes again.

Paultons park is the BEST theme park ever. It really focuses on the children and adults, not the money.

WishingOnABar · 28/10/2017 19:32

Absolutely have to agree about Legoland. The majority of the rides were fairly tame and the queues ridiculous. I know there is the option to use q-bots but those would have more than doubled the already high cost of our entry, food was expensive and the rides are spread so far apart the kids get grumpy. When I asked my son at the end of the day what his favourite part was, it was looking at one of the lego models at the front of the park Confused . Definitely agree Gullivers are way better value for money and even on busy days I’ve never queued longer than 25 minutes for one of their rides (we live quite close to one so go fairly often)

hidinginthenightgarden · 28/10/2017 19:32

@Buggerthetabloids I am in Cheshire and we are on half term next week, so in Lancashire I believe (is where my sister works anyway).

Original poster
notsohippychick · 28/10/2017 19:33

I think what was odd was that the service was really, really slow, from getting your ticket, to buying an ice cream. There just didn't seem enough staff.

I'm sure it does depend on when you go, in hindsight perhaps Friday in half term wasn't the best idea. I suppose its also what you make of it. I was super stressed and tired by the times I'd even got through the gates!! The drive did not help my mood!

OP posts:
Original poster
notsohippychick · 28/10/2017 19:35

I need to try Paultons Park - the boys love PP. I might wait until I've recovered from this experience first before I embark on another theme park outing!

OP posts:
VioletCharlotte · 28/10/2017 19:35

I think these parks can be fun, however they let FAR too many people in which takes all the enjoyment away. I had a brilliant time with my 2 DS at Lego Land in an inset day, they got in all the rides without queueing and had plenty of time to see the show and look at all the legos models. Second time we went was in the school holidays and it was a horrific! 2 hour queue for the driving school. Never again!

WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn · 28/10/2017 19:36

We have done Legoland and Paulton’s this year. I don’t see how Paulton’s doesn’t focus on the money. It costs a fortune to get in as they don’t offer discounts or Tesco points etc. It cost £39 for the three of us to do Legoland and £81 to do Paulton’s. Searched high and low for offers and couldn’t find anything.

Sparklingbrook · 28/10/2017 19:36

Here's the other thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3069979-Legoland-Left-feeling-Id-been-mugged

It sounds horrible. We went about 15 years ago and absolutely hated it, it was for DS1's 3rd birthday. Not in the school holidays either but it was very disappointing.

AnneElliott · 28/10/2017 19:36

That review was hilarious! I would only go on an inset day. Too long queuing otherwise.

TheFormidableMrsC · 28/10/2017 19:37

There was another thread about Legoland the other day, I agree with you totally. Massively overpriced, dated, hideous. Had we not had free tickets, we wouldn't have left after 1.5 hours. Never again.

Original poster
notsohippychick · 28/10/2017 19:37

2 hour queue for the driving school. Never again!

Having anxiety even thinking about this!!

OP posts:
Original poster
notsohippychick · 28/10/2017 19:38

Oh I didn't see the other thread! I'll have a little look!

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 28/10/2017 19:39

That review was fantastic. And the reply from LegoLand was humourless and fuck-witted, which doesn't bode well.

UterusUterusGhali · 28/10/2017 19:40

I drove to Legoland once.
Of course we didn't actually get in, because it was a warm day and was full by 9am, so after spending 2 hours in a queue of cars a mile from the park we turned around and took three crying kids home again. Hmm

Friends tell me it's shit tho so I won't try again.

FoodieToo · 28/10/2017 19:40

Massive theme park fans here and Legoland was by far the worst we have been to. Never again.

We used Tesco tokens for entry ( thank goodness because if I had paid real money I would have been gutted!!).
The rides are pretty crap for a start. The queue management is non existent. I think we did 5 rides in a VERY long day.

Overpriced and rubbish !!!

Off to Duinrell , Holland tomorrow for third time. I highly recommend. Theme park and water park included in accomodation price.

Near Amsterdam and also adjacent to a fab village with lovely restaurants and the best ice cream shop in the world!!

RandomUsernameHere · 28/10/2017 19:40

@BuggertheTabloids we are going on Monday too! Thinking it's not such a good idea now as this is the second bad thread about it today :(

gluteustothemaximus · 28/10/2017 19:41

This is how Paultons is compared to Legoland:

Paultons: Clean
Legoland: Dirty

Paultons: Queue times, even if half term are 20 minutes max
Legoland: Can be up to 2 hours

Paultons: No queue in, no queue out
Legoland: Can take up to 2 hours to get out

Paultons: Free parking
Legoland: think it's £6 ish

Paultons: No fastracks
Legoland: Q bots, which do affect the main queues

Paultons: Staff are amazing
Legoland: Staff are miserable and very very slow

Paultons: Rides are amazing, from very little ones to bigger coasters
Legoland: Biggest ride is the Dragon. Woopy doo.

Paultons: Masses of green space to run around, several parks to play in, lots of picnic spaces
Legoland: Hill by mini land to sit on. No where near as much space.

Paultons: Water park is brilliant
Legoland: Water park water is freezing

Paultons: small rides all over the park, all are free (usually have to put a £1 in)
Legoland: They charge you for everything and anything on top

I could go on, but you get the general idea.

brilliantslight · 28/10/2017 19:41

I have been once. I had free tickets for 4 of us. It was the worst day out of my life. I can't imagine how I would have felt if I had paid more than a couple of quid.

Probably the worst attraction in the UK.
Overcrowded and overpriced even when free! Grin

Dozer · 28/10/2017 19:42

Have been to Legoland several times and loathed it. Very tired lego displays and rides - they have an asset and are milking it. All theme parks are sensory overload and feel overwhelming for me though, so am biased!

ScarletSienna · 28/10/2017 19:47

I too loved Paultons Park. Hardly any queueing (perfect with a toddler), spacious, clean, free car park, averagely priced shops...just lovely.

nuttyknitter · 28/10/2017 19:52

Another vote for Paultons. We took my DGD last November for her birthday - most of the big rides were closed so the ticket prices were much reduced but as we’d only gone for Peppa Pig World it was perfect.

JaneEyre70 · 28/10/2017 19:54

We did it once, took over 4 hours to get there (from Gloucestershire) and luckily we did a school inset day. Even then, the queues were something like I'd never seen before and our DDs were very "meh" about the whole thing. I hate packaged entertainment like that, and being a captive audience.
We now have grandchildren, and I spent Monday taking eldest grandson to a NT parkland that is near our home. We packed a huge picnic and took the dog, we walked miles without hardly seeing a soul and they'd made a fantastic effort for Halloween (think coffins coming out of the ground with skeletal fingers poking out, fake gravestones, skeletons sitting on benches, bats in the trees) and he absolutely loved it. Didn't cost anything other than the £10 I pay a month, and it was fab.

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