The official LEGOLAND website includes details on all attractions in the park (there are over fifty), but many of the attractions need no explanation or particular effort in planning to see. This section will instead concentrate on tips, tricks, and suggested touring plans to maximize your day. By its very nature, such recommendations are subjective, so keep in mind that your own circumstances may dictate a different path.
Sections:
Lands
Major Attractions
Major Shows
Touring Plans
LANDS
Like many amusements parks, LEGOLAND has themed lands. The environments are not as richly appointed as you might expect from a Disney park, so you may not feel “transported” to a new place, but the novelty of Lego bricks used in construction and themed elements adds to the cuteness of the experience. The overall effect is one of an oversized child’s playroom – an appropriate metaphor for a park designed to let kids play!
Here are the lands:
- The Beginning – essentially unthemed “town” buildings at the front of the park
- Fun Town – continuation of the Beginning, with no standout theme
- Duplo Village – very small subsection of rides and play areas for toddlers and preschoolers
- Lego Kingdoms – highly themed medieval castle and village
- Land of Adventure – ancient Egypt comes to life in these few buildings
- Lego City – like a modern small city, this zone has a fire house, an airport (Flight School roller coaster), city streets to drive on, and a boating track.
- Lego Technic – steel and girders are the dominant metaphor here
- Pirates Cove – a lightly themed stadium for the pirate show
- Imagination Zone – a colorful, but otherwise unthemed, small area home to one dropout ride and the indoor brick-building facility
- Cypress Gardens – walking paths through botanical gardens; completely natural rather than themed
- Miniland – famous cities in America rebuilt at a small scale using Legos
MAJOR ATTRACTIONS
Here are the major attractions at the park, listed in subjective order (the “don’t miss” attractions come first on the list):
- FORD Driving School – a “real” Autopia, with electric cars not on tracks at all. Kids maneuver through a city street grid and obey road rules, painted lines, and even traffic signals. There’s a junior version as well, for kids aged 3-5.
- Miniland – Lego reconstructions of famous cityscapes, like New York, Las Vegas, Washington DC, and San Francisco, as well as local areas such as Daytona’s racetrack, Kennedy Space Center, Miami beaches, and Pirates in their Caribbean hideouts.
- Lost Kingdom Adventure – like a shorter, more little-kid version of Buzz Lightyear, this laser shooter is ideal for kids under 7.
- Coastersaurus – the former Triple Hurricane, this wooden roller coaster was present in the park when it was still Cypress Gardens
- The Dragon – first it’s a dark ride, then it turns into a roller coaster only a touch more thrilling (but twice as long) as Goofy’s Barnstormer.
- Test Track – a wild mouse roller coaster themed to Technics
- Aquazone Wave Racers – like a souped-up Dumbo taking place skidding atop the water, this spinner lets you have some limited control (it feels like jet skiing) and also dodge water jets from all angles.
- Flying School – an “inverted” (riders are seated, with legs dangling) coaster that was from the park’s Cypress Gardens days; not particularly fast or thrilling.
- Rescue Academy – first you pump to move your fire truck, then you pump to get water to your fire hose, all the while racing three other families doing the same thing
- Royal Joust – a solo rider slow horse “coaster” with bouncing movements.
- 4D animated movies (12 minutes long; 3 films to choose from) – Lego figures are the heroes in these engaging animated films that use both 3D glasses and in-theater effects such as sprinkling water or snow-like soap bubbles. As a bonus, enjoy the air conditioning while you wait for the movie to start
- Safari Trek – picture Disney’s Jungle Cruise, but on a slow moving jeep vehicle and with Lego animals.
- Boating School – a snaking course of free-floating boats, which are harder to control than kids think (the trick is to “plan ahead” and turn early)
Numerous other minor attractions need no introduction or particular planning.
MAJOR SHOWS
The 4D movies were mentioned above. Each show lasts about 12 minutes. Here are sample playing times from the October, 2011:
- A Clutch Powers 4-D Adventure – 12:00, 2:15, 4:30
- Spellbreakers 4-D – 10:30, 12:45, 3:00
- Lego Racers in 4-D – 11:15, 1:30, 3:45
Other listed entertainment from October, 2011:
- Pirates’ Cove Ski Stadium – Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty: 11:30, 1:00, 2:30, 4:00
- Lego City Stage – The Big Test: 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:30 (the show involves finding volunteer firefighters, and the front rows of the stadium get wet)
- Character Meet and Greet – Mascot Buddy, Max, or Stormer. Times vary.
- King’s Market Princess Meet & Greet. Times vary.
TOURING PLANS
The simplest touring plan might be to just start at the top of the “major attractions” list in the previous section, and work your way down. However, an attraction’s subjective ranking (ie, “how good it is”) does not accurately capture its hourly capacity, crowd popularity, or wait times, so a different kind of list is needed to maximize your day (and minimize your waiting).
Keep in mind that a plan built to prevent long waits will put attractions one after another even when they are not all close to each other, and you’ll have to criss-cross the park sometimes. This is by design (it’s one of the reasons you CAN beat the lines, in fact). LEGOLAND does not offer any ride-reservation (FASTPASS-style) system. The plans discussed below intentionally place the rides with the longest waits at the top of the list, so that you can visit these attractions in the early morning, before they have a long line.
Depending on what kind of visitors you are (or who you have with you), it may not be wise to assume a “one size fits all” mentality. Thus, below are some basic recommendations for touring plans.
Plan With Roller Coasters – try to finish five to seven items in the first hour!
- The Dragon
- Lost Kingdom Adventure
- Coastersaurus
- Test Track
- Boating School
- FORD Driving School (or Jr. Driving School, as needed)
- Flying School
- Rescue Academy
- Aquazone Wave Racers
- Safari Trek
- Royal Joust
- Island in the Sky
- Factory Tour
- 4D animated movies – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
- Miniland – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
- Any “smaller” children’s attractions (Duplo Village, Fun Town Carousel, Merlin’s Challenge, Forestmen’s Hideout, Pharaoh’s Revenge playground, Beetle Bounce, Kid Power Towers, Technicycle) can be visited when you pass by while crisscrossing the park following the rest of the list.
Plan Without Roller Coasters (Optimized for Visitors with Children)
- Royal Joust
- Lost Kingdom Adventure
- Boating School
- FORD Driving School (or Jr. Driving School, as needed)
- Aquazone Wave Racers
- Safari Trek
- Beetle Bounce
- Technicycle
- Rescue Academy
- Merlin’s Challenge
- Forestmen’s Hideout – all items from this point onward in the list can be done “out of order” and during the crowded part of the day
- Duplo Village (as needed)
- Fun Town Carousel
- Factory Tour
- Island in the Sky
- Kid Power Towers
- Pharaoh’s Revenge playground
- 4D animated movies – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
- Miniland – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
Plan Without Roller Coaster (Optimized for Visitors without Children)
- Lost Kingdom Adventure
- Safari Trek
- Boating School
- Island in the Sky
- Aquazone Wave Racers (if this attraction is not too thrilling)
- Rescue Academy (if this attraction is not too physically taxing)
- Factory Tour
- Miniland – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
- 4D animated movies – can be visited at any point in the plan, since there is no line
In all cases, it’s recommended to start the day early, and, if time is tight due to crowds, be prepared to stay until park closing as well. But don’t be late at the start of the day. The first few minutes are critical to avoiding big lines later in the day.