Legoland

[joeysmommy]

joeysmommy.....its me! (momofbuzzfan from LP) I see you are still doing your annual Sept birthday trip. We are still doing our annual after Thanksgiving trip as well! Although it still makes me a bit nervous to talk to their teachers about missing a whole week of school for DL

We added a day at Legoland on to our trip two years ago, and it was a BLAST! We tried to do it again last year, but DD got sick and we ended up staying at our Anaheim hotel for the day. To answer your question, I would say yes yes yes - you should rearrange!!! We did Legoland first, and it was such a great day. Our friends did it last after a few days at DL, plus it was a weekend so LL was busier. They didn't enjoy it nearly as much as we did. I would say go during the week...even during the middle of your trip, if not the first day. (They are closed on Tues & Wed.)

I should add that I just went to look at Legoland's calendar, and there are Halloween events on the first weekend of October. I'm not sure if that is the Sunday you are planning on going to LL (10/3), but it has the Brick-or-Treat Trail that day during normal operating hours (10-5). The night before they have a Brick-or-Treat Party from 5-9. I assume its ticketed event, like DL. But I don't know. So if you really wanted to see the Halloween stuff at LL, then maybe it would be good to be there on a weekend. But I still can't imagine being there for the last day of a trip to So. Cal. Legoland is awesome, but nothing can compare to enjoying DL at night to finish up a vacation.....

OMG! How have you been???
I'm glad to hear you're still doing your annual trip too.

Thanks so much for the tips on Legoland. I promised Joey we would be at DL on his actual BDay this year 9/29 which is a Wednesday so it throws a wrench in my Legoland plans.
It would be perfect if we could do Legoland on the Tuesday and then go to DL on Wednesday.
Yes, I was thinking possibly spend 10/3 Sunday at Legoland. But that means we would have to get up early and check out of the GCH and sit in traffic.
When it's our last day I like to have a leisurely morning at the pool then drive home.
I'm not too concerned about checking out the Halloween events at Legoland since we'll be doing all that at DL.
This is our first year doing the Mickey's Halloween party on Friday Oct 1.
Then I wanted to stay Saturday night and see WOC. I'm sure it will only be showing on weekends by then.
Check out Sunday and either drive home or go to LL.

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

OMG! How have you been???
I'm glad to hear you're still doing your annual trip too.

Thanks so much for the tips on Legoland. I promised Joey we would be at DL on his actual BDay this year 9/29 which is a Wednesday so it throws a wrench in my Legoland plans.
It would be perfect if we could do Legoland on the Tuesday and then go to DL on Wednesday.
Yes, I was thinking possibly spend 10/3 Sunday at Legoland. But that means we would have to get up early and check out of the GCH and sit in traffic.
When it's our last day I like to have a leisurely morning at the pool then drive home.
I'm not too concerned about checking out the Halloween events at Legoland since we'll be doing all that at DL.
This is our first year doing the Mickey's Halloween party on Friday Oct 1.
Then I wanted to stay Saturday night and see WOC. I'm sure it will only be showing on weekends by then.
Check out Sunday and either drive home or go to LL.

What about Thursday in Legoland? Not to discourage you from going on Sunday.....we would have fun there any day of the week. DH just can't stand crowds.

As far as traffic...I assume you meant heading down to LL. We left Anaheim around 8:15 and had no traffic at all. This was on a Monday. We were one of the first cars in the LL parking lot around 9:35 (just a short wait for the 10am opening). We were very happy that we weren't crawling along I-5.

That is so exciting that you are going to the Halloween party! My sister is taking her kids to it as well. My parents want to go with her, and are trying to talk us into doing Halloween instead of Christmas. We'll see....it would be fun to see the Halloween decorations.

Have a great trip!

 

[ValpoCory]

I have a couple of extra coupon tickets that I bought off of ebay cheap and they are BOGO free and they can be either adult or kids. Most brickmaster one are buy one adult get a kid free.

Hi 8timesblessed, I sent you a PM.

Edit: Nevermind 8timesblessed, we won't be able to use those this time. In the future, do you think your coupons work on the 2-day Hopper tickets with the Waterpark admission?

 

[ValpoCory]

The best price I have found on tickets is through AAA. You basically get 2 days for the price of 1 (this is from the AAA website):
2-Day H20 Adult Ticket: $66.00 ($12.30 savings + free day)
2-Day H20 Child (3-12) or Senior (60+) Ticket: $59.00 ($10.30 savings + free day)
Tickets expire December 31, 2010 and are non-refundable.
Combo ticket includes two visits into Legoland and two visits into Sea Life within a 9-day period.
Water Park (H20) ticket includes two visits into Legoland, two visits into Sea Life and two Water Park visits within a 9-day period.
Water Park is scheduled to open May 28, 2010 through Labor Day (9/6/2010).
Updated: 4/23/2010 - Prices subject to change without notice.

As discussed above, this AAA website is the local Oregon/Idaho AAA website. However, I was able to call the AAA office in Portland, Oregon, and bought 2 Adult, 2 Senior, and 1 Child two-day H20 tickets for $309 ($66x2 + $59x3) plus $15 S&H. So instead of $430 at the gate, I paid $324. Definitely a fantastic deal. Thanks jodeja.

That local office sells to any AAA member across the country.

 

[NancyHawaii]

we were there a few days ago... the kids had fun but I recommend 2 days if you also going to the Water Park.

 

[erinbharris]

How was the water park?

 

[jodeja]

As discussed above, this AAA website is the local Oregon/Idaho AAA website. However, I was able to call the AAA office in Portland, Oregon, and bought 2 Adult, 2 Senior, and 1 Child two-day H20 tickets for $309 ($66x2 + $59x3) plus $15 S&H. So instead of $430 at the gate, I paid $324. Definitely a fantastic deal. Thanks jodeja.

That local office sells to any AAA member across the country.

Yay!
I am so glad that was helpful for you!

Enjoy your trip

 

[jodeja]

I finally got someone at Legoland on the phone yesterday to ask about our BOGO coupon from the Lego magazine. I asked her "If I buy an adult 2-day park hopper would I get a 2-day child park hopper free with the coupon?" She said no, the coupon we have is for a one-day admission but we could add $10 to the adult ticket + $10 to the child ticket to make them 2-day tickets. She also said we would have to add $10 to the child ticket to make it a park hopper.
So, here is the math that I did - please correct me if I am wrong:
AAA tickets = $66 adult park hopper + $59 child park hopper + $59 child park hopper = $184
or
Legoland Adult park hopper $87 + $10 for second day + $10 for child second day + $10 for child H2O park admission + $59 AAA for 2nd kid's park hopper ticket = $176

Since I would only be saving $8 by using the coupon at the gate for 2 of our 3 tickets, and because I have to go to the AAA store anyway to get the 2nd kiddo's ticket, I just decided to get all 3 tickets through AAA. I would hate to get to the gate at Legoland and find out that the person on the phone told me the wrong thing and have it cost more.

That being said, if anyone would like our BOGO coupon from the Lego magazine send me a PM and I will put it in the mail for you. Since we leave tomorrow I will have to mail the coupon out when we get back

 

[mhalpern]

That being said, if anyone would like our BOGO coupon from the Lego magazine send me a PM and I will put it in the mail for you. Since we leave tomorrow I will have to mail the coupon out when we get back

Jodeja - I sent you a PM

Thanks!

 

[jodeja]

Jodeja - I sent you a PM

Thanks!

Hi! I am so glad you were able to repsond right away. I will put it in the mail today

 

[ktlm]

We went to DL and Legoland last week and here is my take on it. I am not including the water park, as we did not go to that one. With the limited hours at Legoland if you want to do the Waterpark too, you should plan 2 days. We didn't have a second day and I think the water park is probably better for kids a little bit older than DD.

1) The price for what you get is ridiculous when you compare it to DL. DL is only slightly more expensive for a 1 day pass (around $5 to $10). DL was open from 8-12 (16 hours) while Legoland was only open from 10-5 (7 hours), so you theoretically can get over twice as much time at DL for your money. At, DL you get great shows, fireworks and parades for your money too. You don't find too much of that at Legoland. You don't have the food choices at Legoland you find at WDW either. The rides are pretty much one step up from a carnival. There is no comparison between DL and Legoland even though the prices are so close. (I'm talking about full price- not prices with coupons).

2) Legoland is clearly for little kids. Unlike DL, there is not much to entertain the adults or older kids (although looking at the cities made from Legos is pretty neat). I would say if your child is over 8 or 9, they would be extremely bored at Legoland. DD (4) had a lot of fun at Legoland. DH and I enjoyed watching her, but other than that we were pretty bored. As I said above, the rides are pretty much one step up from carnival rides. If your kids are scared of the dark rides at DL/CA, then Legoland will probably have a lot more rides they will do than DL/CA DH, who absolutely loves DL and WDW, says that he would prefer not to return to Legoland. DD (4) would like to go back, but when I asked her if she would rather have an extra day at DL or go to Legoland, DL won. She is not Lego crazy. If your kids are Lego crazy and little, they may well pick Legoland. I have a friend who also took his youngest son (6) to Legoland last week when they were nearby for a wedding. He said his 6 year old had a great time, but he was glad that his 8 and 10 years olds were not there, because even though they loved Legos he did not think they would have been impressed with Legoland as he thinks they were too old for most of the things there. DD was not impressed in the slightest with the Sea Life Aquarium. She kept saying it was boring and asking if we could leave. I have to say, DH and I were not that impressed with it either. It was okay. If you have ever been to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas or Moody Gardens in Galveston, you may be disappointed in SeaLife.

3. Legoland is clean and well laid out so that you can start in one area and work your way all the way around the park. 10-5 is barely enough time to get through it all if you are doing most of the rides and attractions. We found ourselves rushing through things at the end. We also did not do the water play area because it was a bit chilly that day and we intentionally did not bring an extra set of clothes for DD. If you planned to spend any time in the water play area and the lines were long at all, I don't see how you could do it in that amount of time. (There were only a few things were we waited more than 10 minutes in line).

4. If you have not found any coupons before you get there, look in the pamphlet/brochure area of your hotel for coupons. Our hotel had a stack of coupons for $10 off up to 6 hopper tickets.

5. I don't understand where people have stated that there are rides that the little ones are not tall enough for. My 4 year old (not even 4 1/2 yet) was only too young for one ride, the Volvo driving school 6+ year old driving side (they have a different version for the younger kids). Everything else, she could ride although there were requirements on several rides that she have an adult with her.

All in all, for just DH and I, Legoland would definitely not be worth the price. There is nothing wrong with Legoland. In fact, we have friends who have never been, or taken their 7 and 9 year olds, to DL/CA (even though they only live an hour away) and they love Legoland. If you are not used to DL and WDW, Legoland might be a lot of fun. If you are used to DL and WDW, it is definitely a big step down. For DD(4), she would think it was worth it. I would be willing to shell out the money and go again if DD really wanted to go. DH would bribe her with more DL, more Beach, and the promise of buying her toys to try to avoid going to Legoland again.

 

[jodeja]

Well, we’re home from our almost perfect trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.
As it happened, the only downside to our trip turned out to be the Legoland portion. We used to be enthusiastic Legoland fans, but we seemed to have a series of unfortunate events this time!
First, after all of our researching and calculating the get the very best deal on tickets, I waited until literally the last possible minute to drive downtown to the AAA office to buy them. I pulled into a meter parking spot right outside of the office and jumped out of my vehicle and jogged to the door, making it by 5:29 (they close at 5:30) only to find the front door locked. Well, a few seconds later a woman exited the building and I asked her if I could buy some tickets, found out that she doesn’t work in the AAA store but she held the door open for me and said I should give it a try. I got to the ticket desk, much to the annoyance of the clerk who informed me it was FIVE THIRTY THREE by her clock. I sweetly apologized and asked if I could buy Legoland tickets. Turns out my AAA membership was expired! So they had to call over a salesperson (from the farthest corner of the building) to sell me a new membership (why they didn’t reinstate the old one, I don’t know, but I wanted my Legoland tickets so I just continued with the smiling and thanking them). By the time I had my tickets the clerk was much more relaxed and pleasant and even wished us a great trip. I rush out to my car happy (except that now I’m running late to pick up the kids) and I find a nice bright yellow envelope on my windshield – a $40 parking ticket!!! That just negated any savings I realized by buying the tickets at AAA!!
Sunday was our first Legoland day (we were doing both Sunday and Monday at Legoland). The Grayline bus picked us up at the DLH at 8:30 am. It was a little tough to get up and get everything packed for the day because I was tired from being out so late at DL the night before. We get to the Grayline bus outside of the hotel at 8:28 and the doors are shut and the driver grumps “You almost got left!” OK, I’m learning a lesson that I need to be earlier…. Well that bus drove us to the Grayline terminal where we all paid for our tickets and then got on our different tour buses to take us to our destinations. I get up to the front of the line and tell her I need transportation to Legoland. She asks “Transportation only? Or with Legoland admission too?” I say “Legoland Only, I already have my…. “ Right then I got a sinking feeling. I left the Legoland tickets in the suitcase back at the hotel!!! So, I had to buy the admission tickets AGAIN. What else could I do at that point.
If anyone is planning a trip to Legoland I am going to post my tickets I bought through AAA for a great price on Craigslist
Legoland itself was fine. We had a fun time, but we all felt that we were a bit over it. We really wished we would have only done 1 day instead of 2. The boys’ favorite things there are still the huge play area in the back of the park in the Medieval Area - they always play there for at least 2 hours, and their most favorite is the store where they have the pick-a-brick and they can build whatever they want and then it’s priced by weight. We’re always over an hour in that store as well. And they like the Technics roller coaster.
I feel a bit like Legoland is really starting to nickel-and-dime you. There were several activities that cost extra on top of admission. And the food is just as expensive as Disneyland (it was $40 for lunch for the 3 of us, although I did have a decent stir fry with about 3 cups of vegetables in it – it’s hard to find vegetables in the parks!).
We walked through SeaLife aquarium, which we missed last time. It takes less than 2 hours to go through but we all really enjoyed it. They have some very interesting and unusual fish.
I would still recommend a day at Legoland – just less enthusiastically than I used to.

Sorry this post is kind of long, and is not really helpful to anyone except as a cautionary tale and hopefully a bit of humor. I always say "Laugh every day - even if it's at yourself." I just wish this laugh didn't cost so much...

 

[DLtorgo]

I am sorry you had such a crazy time with your tickets. Good for you too keep a positive attiude and enjoy yourself anyway.

I agree that Legoland used to have better deals then they do now. I still really enjoy Legoland and recomend it for young kids but if they keep bumping up the prices I don't know. It isn't worth Disney prices. Thanks for the trip report!