Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

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

Flip

Original poster

Legoland at the beginning of September???

22 replies

bea · 18/08/2009 13:44

Do you think it will still be in full summer chock-a-block mode?

Am thinking of going on the first Thurs in September and am counting on the fact that some schools will have started again by then.... also if it is really really busy...

is it worth getting one of those Quebots?

First visit to legoland and don't want it to be a crush/queue fest!!!

OP posts:

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 13:49

We went last year on 1st Sept, and it was OK. Busy but not manic.

I would ALWAYS recommend getting a Qbot. Otherwise you will spend all day just standing in queues. With a Qbot you can spend the time in between rides looking round the lego models in the middle (which DS was thrilled with), and getting something to eat, or just resting your feet a bit.

WSe're doing the same again this year (Sept 1st is DS's birthday, & he'd rather do this than have a party)

Original poster

bea · 18/08/2009 13:53

How many Q bots did you get? There are five of us and the 2 yrold will only want to go on the baby stuff... is there baby stuff? and i suppose me or dh will go on rides with dd1 and ds1... so does getting 3 qbots sound about normal?

OP posts:

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 13:53

Oh, and aim to be driving in for about 9:45 a.m. , so you can get your plan and decide what rides you want to do in which order, and pick up the Qbot before they open the gate down to the actual attractions at 10:00.

We all loved it (even me, and I didn't go on any of the rides).

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 13:57

There isn't much by way of baby stuff IIRC.

Yep 3 person Qbot should be okay. We got a 2 person one last year, so DH & I could take it in turns to go on stuff with DS, but in the end DH did everything cos
a) I'm disabled, and quite of a lot of the rides are awkward to get onto
and
b) DH was enjoying it all soooo much (the main reason)

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 14:06

oooh, meant to say, if you are not using TESCO reward vouchers to buy tickets, Don't buy them on the legoland website, or at the gate on the day.

It's cheaper to go thru lastminute.com to buy your tickets, then go to the legoland site to book your Qbot (and do book that in advance)

Original poster

bea · 18/08/2009 14:19

ooo! Thank you Clumsymum... you are a font of knowledge!!!

i'm thinking of getting the tickets through mumsnet

"The standard walk-up gate rate is £35.24 for adults (age 16 and over) and £26.43 for children (2-15 years) but Mumsnetters can pre-book tickets for only £19.75 (adult) and £17.50 (child)."

does this sound like a good deal???

OP posts:

mrsjohnsimm · 18/08/2009 14:21

The bit your 2yo would probably like is sort of down the hill and to your left once you're through the entrance. It may be advisable to split up and you go there with the 2yo while your DH and older children explore the rest of the park. How tall are your elder two (will be easier for your DH to take both of them on a ride if one is tall enough to ride officially unaccompanied)

Original poster

bea · 18/08/2009 14:23

ahhh! height restrictions!!!! forgotton about that as dd1 (8) and ds1 (5) are quite small for their ages... but then again... they're not very adventurous with wild rides so not sure whether this will be a prob or not...

OP posts:

TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon · 18/08/2009 14:26

They'll probably be tall enough to go on everything except the Jungle Coaster, but not necessarily to go on unaccompanied. Still, should be OK for most things so I wouldn't worry.

The Mumsnet deal does sound pretty good, yes.

IdrisTheDragon · 18/08/2009 14:27

Ds and I are going to legoland soon - I was looking on the website and the height restrictions didn't seem too excessive (mostly around 1m to be on your own or if under 1.3 m needed to have an adult).

Driving school is by age and you need ID - photocopy is all right. DS and I are getting excited

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 14:29

Oh, didn't realise we could get them thru here , and yes, it's a little bit cheaper than on Lastminute.

You'll still need to book the Qbot direct tho' I think.

I was a LL virgin last year, so just wanted to pass on what I learnt.

Oh, take towels and change of clothes. There is a water play area near the Tinies play bit (which I've just remembered), and all the kids want a go, even if it's not mega-warm weather. We didn't have towels/change

Original poster

bea · 18/08/2009 14:30

just been looking at the parkland map on the website and now i'm begginnning to wonder how on earth are we going to get round it all in one day!!!?

at one point we were thinking of booking into a hotel and getting one of those deals where you have a 2 day pass... is one day enough?

OP posts:

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 14:34

TBH with a qbot I think one day is enough, if you have the energy to stay until chucking out time.

We managed to go on all the rides DS wanted to do (virtually all of them), altho I know they have added a couple this year.

Personally, I don't think I would have wanted to do 2 days consecutively, and I don't think we would have filled a second day, so I would have resented the extra cost.

IdrisTheDragon · 18/08/2009 14:36

I am planning that ds and I will have a Long day

TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon · 18/08/2009 14:39

You can't do everything in a day, even if you go on a weekday in schooltime when there are virtually no queues at all. At least, you can't if one of you insists on going round five times on the Dragon and three times on the Viking splash ride . We have annual passes now so I'm quite happy to leave wanting more and save things up for next time; we tend to go one way round the park on one visit and the other way round the next so that with any luck we end up covering everything. A two day trip would be good for your older two, although I'm not sure whether there's two days' worth of stuff for your 2yo.

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 14:43

We had driven down to Windsor the night before, stayed in windsor travelodge, and got to LL before 10:00 a.m. We stayed right to closing time (it took ages to get out of the car-park mind), and then drove back up to Nottingham.

DS slept all the way back, and had to be carried in to bed, even tho' it was his 9th Birthday. Then he had a quiet day at home, which was what he needed (constructing the lego kits he'd bought with his birthday money).

This year we're staying in a really nice hotel on the river for 2 nights, but only doing LL on the middle day. As he will be 10, we're being a bit more sophisticated about it.

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 14:47

"you can't if one of you insists on going round five times on the Dragon and three times on the Viking splash ride"

Ah, we had agreed in advance that we would do each ride ONCE and once only, only going back to a ride if we had time at the end of the day. It worked for us. You do need to book your next ride on the qbot as soon as you get off something tho.

I was in charge of that, booking just as dh & ds came to the end of the ride.

TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon · 18/08/2009 14:52

This was when there were no queues at all and you could stay on the rides and just go round again, so no need for QBots. DS's favourite rides are the Dragon and the Viking one so I'm quite happy to stay on them going round and round all day if necessary (with a break for lunch, I suppose) but it struck me that therefore we've never, strictly speaking, attempted to go on every single ride once in one day. I'd still be surprised if it were possible, though, unless you sprint from one ride to the next and don't take time for a loo break.

TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon · 18/08/2009 15:00

(come to think of it, our trips have all been when it's only open 10am-5pm, so with longer opening hours, who knows... We've managed to do every ride apart from the Miniland area in one 10-5 day, but I just don't worry about it now and mentally save missed rides up for next time.

I suppose if your DS is older he probably wouldn't be fussed about Miniland and the little rides, though -- mine is 4 so wants to do all the bigger more exciting rides and all the little kid rides... sigh...

IdrisTheDragon · 18/08/2009 15:00

DS has an amazing bladder. We will be fine

TheDailyMailHatesWomenAndLemon · 18/08/2009 15:03

Just don't give him anything to eat or drink all day, and you should be fine...

clumsymum · 18/08/2009 15:03

The thing was, DS was able to wander round the lego world in the middle between rides (cos you still have to wait for your slot, even with a qbot), which was great, cos he was fascinated with it. It would have been a shame to miss that, which is why I think a qbot is soooo vital (unless you can go in term time like you did DMHWL).

I don't think it occured to us that we would get to ride on EVERY single thing, Ds was quite content with what we achieved.

And I still say I wouldn't have wanted to do 2 days consecutively. I think the second day might have seemed a bit of an anticlimax tbh, and could have resulted in some whining.

Flip