We are a LEGO family. My kids each have their own LEGO build kits and when the Lego Batman movie came out my son was one of the first ones to watch it. I have been wanting to take my kids to LEGOLAND for several years now and was so happy to have that opportunity this summer.
Legoland is awesome and the lego theme runs throughout the entire park. There are many characters created out of legos including a car that my daughter and her friend really loved because they got to sit in it and take pictures!
One of my favorite areas was MINILAND USA and seeing at all of the towns and national monuments and iconic places built out of legos. We saw the Starwars Area, Golden Gate Bridge, and Times Square to name a few. My kids even got to race cars on one of those sets which was really fun.
This park is best for kids ages 12 and under which is nice because my 7 year old was able to go on all but one of the rides with her brother and friends. When we first arrived at the park we headed to the new Ninjago area to check out the new ride. In this ride, 4 people ride together through what feels like a real live video game. Using your hands, you are able to launch fireballs and lightning at the enemies of Ninjago. As you hit the villains, you receive points allowing you to compete against friends. We rode this ride twice...it was that much fun! In addition to the ride, the Ninjago area also had Cole's Rock Climb, Jay's Lightning Drill, Kai's Spinners and Zane's Temple Build.
There is an area of LEGOLAND called LEGO CITY which is a really fun idea. In this area, kids get to go to Ford Driving School and receive their own drivers license, Boating School, Fire Rescue Academy, Flying School and Tot Spot. At the Ford Driving School, the kids watch a short film about driving safety and then they get to go out and put their new skills to the test. After, they each receive a driver's license which was a huge hit with my kids.
My daughter and I both shared a boat in Boating School and she really enjoyed being able to navigate her boat around the course. My son and his friend really loved running into us with their boat. Ha!
The Fire Rescue Academy was one of my favorites. Each family competes in a challenge to load their firetruck up, drive it over to the burning building, pump the water to the fire hose, put out the water, and then drive the firetruck back to the starting position. I love how this ride incorporates the entire family!
My kids and their friends will tell you that their favorite ride is the Project X. This is a thrill ride that looks like a roller coaster but with more sharp turns. To start, the kids sit in a jeep with 2 in front and 2 in back. Then the fun begins as they whip through the course going down steep hills and with sharp turns. My kids loved this ride so much that they rode it about 4 times and I had to drag them away from it!
My favorite ride and one of the boys top favorite rides was The Quest for CHI. This is a boat ride where you will get soaked and since it's the summer...I'm all for that. In this ride, riders sit back to back with their own water cannon. The ride takes you through the Ninjago where your sole purpose is to aim at the targets to defeat the villians. As you hit the targets, some will unleash a stream of water at you or cause some other kind of interactive experience. This was hands down my all time favorite ride at LEGOLAND. I love how this was an interactive boat ride and this was the only boat ride I have been on where you get to shoot at targets. We rode this a couple of times back to back...it's just that good!
For parents with babies and toddlers, there is the DUPLO VALLEY area of the park that includes the DUPLO Farm (an indoor climbing play area), DUPLO Splash & Play interactive water area), DUPLO Tot Spot (kids 2 and under), DUPLO Tractor andDUPLO Train. Of all of the theme parks that I have visited, LEGOLAND has the best baby and toddler area by far!
We ended our day at the IMAGINATION ZONE which is an indoor area of LEGO where kid get to experience hands on LEGO building activities. This area includes the BUILDING ZONE, CREATION ZONE, FLIGHT ZONE, KID POWER TOWERS (outside ride), LEGO Mindstorms, Warner Bros. Games Zone, WATER ZONE and WHEELS ZONE. We didn't have much time when we finally got to this area and my kids spend all of their time in the WHEELS ZONE where they got to make their own race cars and then race them down the track. They were constantly making upgrades to their cars trying to create the fastest car! It was a hands on engineering project and I loved it...and being in the A/C!
All in all, LEGOLAND was such a treat and my children's new favorite theme park. It's one of the few theme parks I've visited that has lots to do for both babies and toddlers as well as elementary/early middle school kids and I highly recommend visiting if Orlando is in your vacation plans!
