The LEGOLAND 2014 thread all your tips and questions answered here!!

[HRHQueenMe]

link to the 2013 thread here

Starting afresh for the new season! The new pirate playground is not yet built (what have they been doing all winter????) but the park has been pruned and tidied and looked lovely yesterday! Xbox room is still closed as well.

The new Pirate Captain Birdsnest is a bit more of an eyecandy man for us mums than last years young man, so thats an improvement, and the lovely pirate Georgie is back in all her glory, still as charming as ever!

Please add your hints and tips, and there is a few of us LL regulars who come on here and will happily answer all your questions!!

Lastly, there is a new burger joint under construction, so that will be a great improvement (as long as they keep the prices reasonable). The coffeeshop in the harbour still does great latte!

Enjoy!

The pop badges come in kids meals and competitions only. Most staff wear them on their lanyards and if you have one you can ask the staff member to swap if theirs is nicer or if you have doubles. Ebay is full of them too.

Thanks passama

I'm thinking of going to LL with DD (2.8) & DH on either the Sat or Monday of the bank holiday weekend next weekend. Is this total madness? Or should we wait until a weekend in mid-Sept when we next have free day? We both work full-time and don't have enough holiday to take a day off and do it midweek outside school holidays.

Just back from a bank holiday weekend (staying in LL hotel) with DC1 aged 8, DC2 aged 5 and DC3 aged 1. For future reference, the saturday (morning esp) on bank holiday weekends is a good day to go - we walked straight on to lots of rides and straight into the 3D cinema around 3 o'clock. Sunday was rammed (but we had qbots that day - worth every penny - which made it much more bearable).

If you stay in the hotel, there are now 6 rides you can go on from 9.30 - boating school, driving school (big and little), atlantis, dino safari, dragon (I think) and one more - we did boating school (as 1 year old could go on it), driving school and then atlantis (as all could go on it) - then went on dino safari twice as no queue. I'd suggest doing it in that order if you have little ones. Within 30 mins of the park opening to the public there were enormous queues for boating school and driving school.

The food is not only appalling and overpriced, but also the service is the slowest in the world - huge queues everywhere (including to get into restaurants which were, at best, only 1/3 full) - definitely take your own food and enjoy the day.

Top tip if staying at the hotel on a busy day - head back to the hotel to enjoy the room/hotel playground/hotel pool (which is great for all ages of kids) late afternoon then pop back out into the park around 6ish - you should be able to walk straight onto a large number of rides which are still open for an hour then amble back to the hotel for dinner at 8.

Agree DinkyStinky re the food, why they cant sort out fresh attractive nice food is beyond me with what they charge! I once bought a burger and found they had forgotten to put the meat in it! Salad bap anyone?

Aaarghh! Going tomorrow - went to buy Q-bots online and it says unavailable. Do you think that means we won't be able to buy them there as well?

I think you should be able to buy them there too - theres a certain quota for sale on line according to previous posts.

Hi, we're going to legoland Sunday. We've used clubland vouchers and have taken the advice on this thread. BUT, we absolutely cannot afford QBots....is this going to be a nightmare? I've read reviews saying how queues last 3x longer than stated because of people using QBots. I totally get that there will be queues but just trying to gauge how bad it's going to be!

We are going to legoland later this week once some schools have gone back. Park closes at 5pm so does that mean you have to leave then or could we eat in the park then? Others have mentioned kids eat free after 4pm but does that mean we would need to be finished by 5pm? Also are the 6 rides open early to those in the hotel still open next week from 9.30am or was that just for the school holidays? Many thanks.

We went to Legoland yesterday and I can't praise the QBots enough. We managed to get on 14 rides despite the crowds, virtually no waiting. By the time you finish your ride and walk to the next one your allocated time was there. You can also go later, the slot is not disappearing.

But: some rides do not have QBots like the Squid Surfer and the Boating School and the Laser one in Kingdom of Pharaohs is on add-on only.

I don't think the queues were particular long due to the QBots as in the ones we did there were maybe only 3-4 people with QBots per ride. At the Dragon's Apprentice they only let 2 people with QBots on per ride.

We are off to LL tomorrow for the first time, V excited! There are 4 of us,me, DH, DS age 13 & DD age 3. We have 2 adults tickets from the newspaper offer. So we will have to pay for DS age 13 & DD age 3? Short notice but does anyone know of any vouchers for kids that could be used in conjunction with adults tickets?
We are on a very tight budget so trying to do as cheaply as poss. No Qbots, do you think the queues will be fairly short as it's in term time ? Also, just checked weather & it's saying rain, thunder & lightening!!!! Will take buggy & raincovers & waterproof coats. We were hoping to picnic whilst watching the pirate show, does the show still go on in the rain? Is there anywhere to eat your own food under shelter?
Am slightly worried my 13 yr old may be bored although he loves Lego. We have been hoping to take him for years but couldn't afford it, so really want to take him before it's too late & he thinks it's not cool IYSWIM.
Also, one last thing, does anyone have any tips for what rides are good for my 3 yr old & 13 yr old for us to all do together or should we split up and DH & DS do the bigger rides & me & DD do the more toddler friendly rides, would 13yr old enjoy fairy brook?!

Thanks so much to everyone on Mumsnet for such a great thread with so many useful tips!

we are going in a couple of weeks on a saturday with two 5 year olds. Is it worth getting Q-bots? Also which are the best rides for them
Thanks

Just found this thread, invaluable tips, thank you. am heading there at the end of the week for the first time.

have booked a toddler and parent deal- £19 midweek via the raring to go website. i have tickets for two adults and two children, but one child is now sick, so i'm worried about trouble with the tickets!

anyone know if legoland are sympathetic to sickness? i don;t know whether to call them or what!

Anyone been in October?
Am heading there on Saturday with DH and DD's (8&6) and am debating whether to get the q bots.

Also, someone asked upthread about picnicking in bad weather? I'd be keen to hear any advice on this too.

Is it true that, providing you aren't in a rush to leave, that the paying to exit car park isn't necessary and that they leave the barriers up?

Also, we are staying in the Holiday Inn in Windsor and am trying to figure out where to go to eat before going back to the hotel. Is it worth staying in LL and eating at the buffet (all you can eat)? Is the food any good?

Any tips on the fireworks? We are merlin passholders but have never been when fireworks are on. Is it too busy to be worth it?

Thinking of going this Thursday(inset day), do many schools have inset this Thursday I wonder and also private schools are on their half term this week already so I'm wondering if queues will be long. Anyone been this week , yesterday or today? Was it busy?

If you are driving and visiting for the fireworks, I would strongly recommend following the signed 'alternative routes' to and through Windsor to avoid the traffic.

We have a retired and tested route that we always use which avoids any traffic (don't need to go anywhere near Windsor), so not worried about that. I was thinking more about places to watch from, what time to get in to position etc. Can you see them from the top of the hill by The Beginning? Then we can race down to the car and best the queues to get out!

Tried, not retired!

Going in the morning, really can't make up my mind whether to book the Q bots or not. Not half term for everyone yet(or us, but have an inset), so wondering if anyone's been this week and if so was it very busy? If they are still available online to rent now I suppose they may still be available in the morning. We went in the June half term and it was miserable as we queued all day for three rides, felt very ripped off so want tomorrow to be stress free and the children to get the most out of it.

We're going next week for 2 days with a deal for the park entry and a night at a nearby premier Inn (Bath Road, by Heathrow airport). I'm confusing myself with the alternative routes - can any locals advise me please?

I haven't prepaid parking - is that worth doing?

Did fireworks on Saturday, bring a blanket and sit on the ground up in the high end if miniland, everyone does this. Sit facing the big speaker the firewoeks will be behind the trees but high up so you get a good view and it wont be too crowded. Tried to do the kids eat free but the queues were horrendous just after the fireworks so didnt bother. Maybe do a few rides after and try later. Definitly hang around after as the traffic leaving is stooopidly bad. Park is open late, but not all rides are open, only the ones they can safetly floodlight.

Picknicking is still fab, weather is dry and warm this week! And its busy so Qbot Qbot Qbot!!!!

Muchtodo,
From Bath road go straight straiight straight until you hit junction 5 on the M4. Follow signs for Datchet. Go through village until you hit the Thames (straight on over traintracks, you will see the thames.) turn left. Follow road until you hit a big roundabout with houses in the middle of the roundabout, just past Wimdsor farm shop. Turn right towards Windsor. Next roundabout. Turn left towards Ascot. Follow road through the great park. It will be sign posted from here.

Hexbramble, before going back to the hotel turn right out of legoland and 5 mins up the road (towards Ascot) there is a lovely Loch fyne restaurant. Very childfriendly. Otherwise in Windsor you have every restaurant imaginable. The Real Greek by the river is nice, there is a Wagamama, a Zizzi, Carluccios, Bills, you name it its there!

Finally a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread, its been a huge help to a lot of people, we even got a Mumsnet write up!
We will start again next season new and improved to make it easier, with links to the old threads of course! Happy winter everyone! Xxxx