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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

The LEGOLAND 2013 Thread Top tips and recommendations

316 replies

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 15/03/2013 15:31

To update from last years great threadlink to the 2012 thread

The park reopens today!!! I cant go until in a few weeks time , so if you have been, please update with this years new attractions and fun!! (Overexcited mummy here....)

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NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 04/04/2013 17:01

Bonzoed, Im sad you didnt enjoy your day, but I fully agree, I avoid the place in August because its just too crowded and full of stressed out parents and its just not fun. If you can go back in term time mid week you will find it a completly different place with no queues and great fun.

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girliefriend · 04/04/2013 17:13

Hi was planning on taking dd age 7yo next Monday, I am going to have to get her some waterproof trousers aren't I ?

We don't have any ski gear so will just put lots of layers on and hope for the best. Will take a full pack lunch in with us, think with the price of the tickets they have a flipping cheek to expect you to pay for car parking as well Angry

What on Earth is a qbot?!!

girliefriend · 04/04/2013 17:15

Also am slightly anxious that you had to que for loos as I have ibs and don't get that much warning when I need to go, are there plenty of them?

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 04/04/2013 17:21

LEGOLAND FOR TODDLERS AND BABIES UNDER 90 CM

The following are things to do with the little ones that cannot ride on the bigger rides. I have listed them in the order I would do them, bearing in mind if you go in the school holidays you might have to leg it down to boating school and atlantis first so you avoid the queues. Also you might want to time the Green Orient Express train ride during the Pirate show when it will be quieter. You cannot do the rides with a baby in a sling, but if you take baby out for the ride and perch him next to you you are fine. Bear in mind the staff will ask if baby can sit unaided, just say yes. Most of them are teens and couldnt tell a 3 m old from a toddler. (DISCLAIMER PLEASE FOLLOW SAFETY RULES, and apologies to the lovely older staff who are fab fab fab)

GREEN TRAIN ALERT, this is a water squirting ride so sit adults on the edges and kiddies in the middle so you can shield them from the water. The water squirts in the beginning and over the bridges. Waterproofs are good. People might think you are silly wearing them but they will think you are clever when they are wet and you are not.

Entrance, say hello to the funny family and the dinosaurs, then head down the hill to the left past the hill train taking in the slides and miniland as you go. Head over to duplo land and do the Fairy tale brook (closed until May) and the little Blue train. Check out the timings on the puppet show. When the Duplo land reopens in May this will be the place to be. Bring swimgear and towels as its all waterplay. Go down past the driving school to Boating school (you cannot bring a baby in a sling onboard, baby needs to sit unaided in the boat, one adult per boat with 2 kids allowed)
Then head for Atlantis (baby can stay in the sling on this ride!). Walk round the lake looking at the big carp in the lake and admire the hotel. Walk up towards the Squid rider and you will find a big playground in the shade next to the silly amusement alley. Nice place for a picknick!
Do the pirate show on the square, (check for timings and a good place to eat your picknick too!) Do the Green train, then the round about horse carousel. You can do Laser Riders, its fine to bring baby. You can also do Balloon School and I think Aero Nomad ( Im scared of heights so never do it). Walk up and find the squirt buttons to squirt all the passengers on the Green train. Ha ha ha its quite funny!!!
Walk towards Lokis labyrinth and watch all the rides there, then head over to the knights castle area and look around. The Pirate training ground is good for little ones to play on but hard to negotiate with baby in a sling and toddler I found. Then head to the Hill train and go up, turn back on yourself and do the Starwars Exhibit, its a bit dark and little ones might find it scary but mine quite like it. This will all take a day if its busy and a few hours when its quiet. There is plenty more to do and see but this is my standard route. You can also do the 4D cinema, and all the build rooms, esp the toddler one with big softplay bricks.

As I said there is lots more to look at and do but you will not be bored or left sitting on a bench with a baby in tow! Enjoy!

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girliefriend · 04/04/2013 18:03

NoRoom I take it you work for Legoland?!

CecyHall · 04/04/2013 18:44

Thank you so much noroom that's so helpful!

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 04/04/2013 18:46

Girlieroom no I dont work for LL, I live 10 minutes from LL, have 3 children under 5 and am a childminder so spend an awful lot of time there!:) As we are lucky enough to have annual passes we tend to treat it as our local playground, and we love it.

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NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 04/04/2013 18:46

Girliefriend i mean!!:)

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Rosvita · 04/04/2013 20:18

NoRoom is 1 day sufficient in term time or in your opinion is it a 2 day sort of thing?thanks!

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 05/04/2013 07:58

girliefriend lots of layers is fine, just dress warm!! And waterproof!!!
There are loos around the park, pick up a map they are marked on there. There arebig family loos that you can fit a ...family and double pram in which are great.
A qvot is a little box you buy that lets you book on to rides without queing in person. Its expensive but takes all the stress out of the day. The basic one is fine you really dont need the excecutive ones unless you plan to run legoland like a loon.

Rosvita as Wish said, 1 day is fine but its lovely to go back the next day and redo your favourites and relax!

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cece · 05/04/2013 09:58

Thermals on.
Flask of coffee made.
Off we go!

Somermummy1 · 06/04/2013 19:31

Hope you had fun cece

Just booked today for first weekend in June staying at holiday inn maidenhead

Whoop whoop!!!!

cece · 06/04/2013 22:22

Thanks had a nice time.

We have passes so under no pressure to 'do it all'. So we just queued for the ones where the queues were shorter. Some of the rides had queues over an hour long, but we didn't bother as we can come another day to do those when it's quieter.

We wore thermals and warm coats, it was cold, but we kept warm.

Off again next week before the holidays finish Smile

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 07/04/2013 10:56

How did it go Missy?

MrsHerculePoirot · 08/04/2013 09:54

Thinking about going on Friday - will it be madness?!?

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 08/04/2013 10:56

Some parts of the UK are back to school now, likely to still be pretty busy I would think.

NoRoom will probably have a more objective opinion though!

monstermissy · 08/04/2013 18:02

Well I made it there and back!! We had a great time. The hotel was excellent (holiday inn heathrow) about ten mins down the m4 away from the park. Room was lovely, food was good. I wish did you say you stayed there and paid to park? The parking was free I doubled checked.

We went last Thursday and Friday. It was freezing. However after reading on mumsnet we were well wrapped up and with a flask of hot chocolate we laughed in the face of the snow. We also froze our arses off too so really do check the weather before you go. Thursday was good for getting on the rides quickly. Particularly later in the day I think the weather sent most people home. We had exit passes as ds2 has asd, they give you ten passes a day to use. The first day we only used five as the queues were very small anyway, Friday we still had three left when we came home. It's the first time I've ever used these and they are bloody magical. Completely changed the day for ds2 and the rest of us. We did queue for some rides and saved the passes for the really long queues but even a ten minute queue was horrid. So happy to of used them.

Rides like Atlantis had massive queues in the middle of the day (tho about 4pm Thursday we got straight on no queue at all). We used a exit pass to go on the laser ride were you shot the laser guns... If I had queued a hour for it I would of been very underwhelmed. The kids were not fussed about going on it again. There favourites were the water rides, pirate ship, dragon coaster in the castle and the driving school. Be warned the driving school is for ages 6-13 and my 5 year old was so unhappy about it we pretended he was 6. (He's still talking about that lie.... He's 6 in 8 weeks) boating school and driving school had big big queues at all times we went past.

I used the £20 deal for photos, you can have four photos for that. Otherwise they are £8 each. You can buy the driving licence photos using that too. Hot chocolate was £2.50 a cup. Our lunch for two kids burger meals and two adults burger meals was £35, more than the evening meal at the hotel. You can buy a drinks bottle for £7 then have it filled up anywhere in the park for free. I may of been tempted if I had known on the morning of the first day.

All in all I really loved it but I've been before so it was all new. I think I've covered everything. Oh and I saw a couple of people off the telly too :) an actress who I can't for the life of me remember what's she was in and some ex rugby bloke who done strictly. I think he was rugby anyway.

monstermissy · 08/04/2013 18:04

I've never been before I mean.

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 08/04/2013 18:52

Went today (Monday) and it was PACKED!!! Even had to park in the overflow field. Kids got to run around and chased eachother round miniland and we queued for two rides and that was enough. Def recommend qbots if the weather stays bright and sunny!! Its still cold but no snow :)

If you can go out of term its well worth it as there are no queues and its lovely and relaxing.

Its great hearing everyones stories and experiences, as we go all the time you get a bit blind to the place:)

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IwishIwasmoreorganised · 08/04/2013 19:19

Missy we stayed in the Heathrow Premier Inn, not the Holiday Inn.

Glad you had a great time. The exit passes sound ideal for your ds - a great tip to pass onto others in a similar position too.

cece · 08/04/2013 19:41

I must be mad - off there again tomorrow and Thursday!

monstermissy · 08/04/2013 21:42

Ahh I did think of you when I parked :)

Walking around I was thinking 'ohh must mumsnet this' clearly I spend too much time here. :)

BerthaTheBogCleaner · 09/04/2013 16:54

So, given the choice, should we go

Fri before may half-term (got an inset, but so may other people and its the BH weekend)
or
Sat the weekend after half-term (i.e. not the end of half-term but a week later)

We've noticed at other places that the weekend after a half-term is usually a bit quiet (everyone is collapsed at home I think).

What do you think?

cece · 09/04/2013 21:03

Quite quiet today considering it is a school holiday. We even walked straight onto a couple of rides.

NoRoomForMeInMyBed · 10/04/2013 10:32

Bertha I would say either or, you will prob have a quiet fri morning but busy afternoon, and on sat busyish all day. Its a tough call! If the weather is bad on the sat it might be quieter...

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