Legoland/Universal

[K P & J's Grandma]

We will be in Anaheim area for 6 full days the last week of August & the first week of Sept. It will involve part of Labor day weekend. - which we know will be busy, hoping that the first part of the week will be quiet. !!! We are traveling with two grandchildren both 8 yrs. old. We are thinking of doing Disney the first 3 days, hang out the 4th day & finish up at Disney on the 6th day.. The 5th day, were are trying to decide if you should go to Legoland or Universal Studio's??? We go to Orlando a LOT - so could get to Universal there -- this would be the only chance to do Legoland -???!!!! We were thinking of Knott's Berry, but have decided not to go there. One LOVES the thrill rides & the other is not tooooo excited about going on them.
Any opinions will be great!!!!

Thanks ----

 

[The LK 4]

You should absolutely take them to Legoland! They are the perfect age for the park. We took our kids there a few years ago when they were 9 and 7, and our entire family had a great time. I was amazed at the creativity behind all of the Lego sculptures. It really is a wonderful place to visit.

 

[DisQueen]

Since you already have Universal Orlando, I would choose Legoland. It's unique and you won't find a park like it anywhere else in the US. If the kids love legos, creativity, and theme parks like my DS7 and DD3, Legoland is perfect. If your kids are more interested in amusement parks (BIG rides and tv characters) they might be a little disappointed. My DS actually prefers Legoland to DL right now. Yeah, I know, don't say that on this board There was a thread not too long ago about Legoland that had lots of info.

 

[Robin_H]

we loved legoland! My kids thought it was great, and my dh and I were both fascinated with all of the lego's. Some of the things they have created are just amazing. And, there are some fun little rides too!

 

[2Xited4Disney]

I would want to go to Legoland!

 

[zca'smommy]

We have not been to Lego Land, heard really good things about it though
We are planning to go there the end of June while we are in Disney for the week, we will go to Lego in the middle of our Disney week, to break it up a bit.

Does anyone know if you can get through Lego Land comfortably in one day hours of operation for the day we are going are 10-6, is 8 hrs enough? Thanks

 

[mAlien13]

Legoland for two 8 year-olds is a great choice, imo. Too many things at the Universal in CA that may not appeal to them. But just for future reference, there is a fabulous LegoLand in Orlando. We have taken my boys to the one in FL and they had a blast. I think there is some confusion about LegoLands...I read somewhere that there are close to a dozen in the U.S.?

In any case, LegoLand > USH for kids that age.

 

[madelyn]

According to www.legoland.com, there is only one in the USA, in Carlsbad, CA. There is also a Lego Land in Denmark, one in Germany and one in the UK. What Legoland are you thinking of in Orlando? The Lego area in Downtown Disney?

 

[DisQueen]

We have not been to Lego Land, heard really good things about it though
We are planning to go there the end of June while we are in Disney for the week, we will go to Lego in the middle of our Disney week, to break it up a bit.

Does anyone know if you can get through Lego Land comfortably in one day hours of operation for the day we are going are 10-6, is 8 hrs enough? Thanks

One day should give you enough time to see all you want. Inevitably, there will be a couple areas your kids aren't interested in - either the ride/coaster is too big or the little kid ride/area is too juvenille. There are also lots of good family restaurants across the freeway from Legoland (Palomar Airport road, I think) so you can get a good dinner after the park closed.

 

[zca'smommy]

Thanks DisQueen for the info Is there a restaurant you would rec' across the street?? I think there is a Claim Jumper, any of them you like/prefer more than others?

I have 6 1/2 yr old twin boys & 2 1/2 yr old daughter, so it has to be family friendly

Thanks!

 

[mAlien13]

According to www.legoland.com, there is only one in the USA, in Carlsbad, CA. There is also a Lego Land in Denmark, one in Germany and one in the UK. What Legoland are you thinking of in Orlando? The Lego area in Downtown Disney?

LOL...this is the strangest thing and has kept my DH, DM and I very busy trying to figure this out.
I can tell you for certain that we took them, that it was in Orlando, and not in DTD.
I cannot find any info on any existing LegoLand in Orlando atm either. All I can say is that I have dozens of pictures of my boys in LegoLand Orlando...quite a mystery, and all I can think is that they (and the other ones advertised when we were planning that trip) have closed since 1999?

We are still trying to solve the mystery. I'll let you know what we find out.

 

[degrapevine]

Hi there!
madelyn is right - There is only one Legoland theme park in the US in Carlsbad, CA.
There are, however, many Lego stores with play areas, like the one in the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Orlando, FL.
They are completely different, though!
The stores just have the retail part, the play areas with Lego bricks to build with, and the "life size" models, which are awesome.
The theme park has rides, shows, play areas, restaurants, and best of all, Mini Land, which is a Lego maniac's dream!
We made our 2nd trip to Legoland last month on a Thursday when the hours were 10-5.
Since we had visited before, we skipped all the shows, which probably saved us almost 2 hours.
Our kids are DD5, DS7, and DS11, so we really did everything except the real kiddy rides like the Safari, the Dino-Coaster, and the Duplo play area and Train.
We had to keep a brisk pace and didn't really sit down to eat a meal, just snacked all day (yummy apple fries!).
I think you can do it in 8 hours, you just really need to watch your time.
By the way, it was my DS11 who insisted that we revisit Legoland on this trip!
It really is a unique park and definitely worth a visit, especially over USH, when you can visit USO and see almost all the same things.
Check out the Legoland website for more information about their rides and shows.
Just a warning - If anyone is a thrill seeker (like me, who rides everything, including Mission Space, Expedition Everest, and RNR), don't underestimate Knight's Tournament!
I was pretty confident in my riding abilities (nothing seems to bother me), but I chose Level 5 (the highest you can choose) and was loopy for about an hour afterwards!
So, for those thrill ride junkies, Legoland does have a ride for you!
Please PM me if you have any more specific questions.
Enjoy!
Rose

 

[DisQueen]

Off the top of my head, in addition to the Claim Jumper... Marie Calendars, TGIFridays, Rubys. I think there were more, but I can't remember. I have a DD 3 1/2 and a DS 7 1/2. They voted for Rubys last weekend. It's in the outlet mall, but I couldn't get anyone to shop with me My kids really like the burgers at Rubys. We discovered that this Rubys has a large screen tv that was showing old time cartoons. They got a kick out of Betty Boop! It's a VERY family friendly restaurant, but the food is quite good for a burger restaurant.

 

[DisQueen]

I think this will bump the thread to today's posts. If not, I just posted a really weird message