Birthday celebrations are the best aren’t they? A few weeks ago we ventured down to Windsor and LEGOLAND in celebration of a very special boys birthday. Our gorgeous George had just turned 7 and what better place to celebrate? We did the same last year and had such a great weekend. So we thought we’d do it all over again with the addition of inviting friends along. Our annual Merlin passes have been such a great help when planning days out, especially when you know the weekend is going to be full of so much fun and laughter. Last year the journey just seemed a little tough so early on a Saturday morning so we decided to stay over for two nights this year and made our way down Friday evening. We also wanted to explore Windsor, it really is such a beautiful part of the world isn’t it?
It goes without saying that we love theme parks and LEGOLAND is high on George’s list. This little boy of ours has loved rides since he was 3 years old. The bigger rides at LEGOLAND are perfect for him right now and I love that there is a really good mixture of interactive rides, water rides and rollercoasters. I think what makes LEGOLAND so special is that as a theme park they really do cater for the children, the themes, the rides, the interaction with the staff, the displays and of course the facilities. All tailored with little people in mind which is different to most theme parks we visit. I really do hope that we have another couple of years visiting the park before our thrill seeking little man grows out of the rides.
And so, I thought I would share some tips with you after spending a second successful year at LEGOLAND. Little tricks to have a smooth visit but also so that you make the most out of your trip…
Q-Bot’s
We were very lucky to be working with LEGOLAND on our trip and took the opportunity to review their Q-Bot’s – what a great invention. Very much appreciated on a busy Saturday combined with such high temperatures. We took the Express Q-Bot’s which guarantee you can reduce your wait time by half, and would highly recommend them. It just meant that by using them we were able to avoid standing in such long queues, some as long as 120 minutes which are tough with little people. On top of this we could plan our day around the park more efficiently as we knew we would get on so many more rides. We managed to tick off the boys ‘must have’ rides and more on our first day which meant that we could take it much easier on Sunday.
Whilst the mummy’s hung back and enjoyed a coffee the boys ran off and enjoyed using the App to plan which ride was next based on queuing times and area of the park they were most interested in. The Q-Bot’s are genius, a luxury but so worth the investment – possibly not needed on quieter week days. We opted for the handheld device however I did see others downloading the Q-Bot app on their phone. You can pre book your Q-Bot’s online or purchase on the day although some days they can sell out as there are as expected limited availability. We picked them up from the kiosk just as you enter the park however I did see another Q-Bot desk which was in Heartlake City – personally I would head straight down to their to collect it as we never saw a queue! The devices are super easy to use.
Eating in the park…
There are so many eateries, picnic areas, ice cream points and quick stop drink points whilst in LEGOLAND, you really are spoilt for choice. That said we took a picnic on both days by stopping off at Sainsbury’s on our way in, and then packed snacks to keep everyone going. Food can become quite expensive if you were to buy all day long, and sadly we queued for over 30 minutes for a kids meal at one of the fast food points which isn’t realistic. Although George did say it was super tasty! I would also recommend taking a bottle of water in with you and refilling it at the water fountains dotted around the park. Genius. We initially considered the refillable drinks option (£8) however on reflection the container just wasn’t big enough to warrant the queue to refill them. It really is down to personal choice.
Arrive early…
On each of our days in the park we were parked and waiting at the entrance points by 8.50am which was such a great time to arrive. Highly recommended. The actual park doesn’t open until 10am however you are free to browse the shops, collect Q-Bots, identity wrist bands and make your way down through the park to the final entry point. By doing this it meant that we were almost first in the queue for LEGO NINJAGO. We also managed to have a wander around Miniland without the crowds. I am always blown away by the intricate detail and loved the two new additions of Miniland USA and Explore The World. I particularly loved the recent Royal Wedding display.
Our favourite rides or attractions…
Wow there are so many, firstly George and Josh are both 7 and love the bigger rides so there were lots that we skipped. So our favourite rides are… LEGO NINJAGO, Raft Racers (I screamed all the way down), The Dragon (everyones favourite), Pirate Falls (the boys favourite), Spinning Spider, S.Q.U.I.D Surfer and Viking’s River Splash. All but one we used the Q-Bot’s, I honestly think that we would have struggled to ride them all in one day without them. I will just add that we visited on a busy weekend in June when the sun was shining which I think adds to how long the queues were. And lastly, a surprise area which the boys loved was the LEGO Reef interactive zone, this is a new attraction for 2018 and I am so glad that we stumbled across it on our last day. The boys had so much fun digitally building their fishes and then seeing them live on the big screen.
Digipass…
This is our second year of having Merlin Annual Passes however as part of our renewal earlier this year there was a promotion for a free digipass with our Premium pass. It has already created the best memories for us and I love that they are date stamped. It’s great that you simply download them straight from an app to your phone and totally capture the fun we had that weekend. You literally walk up to the photo booth and scan your pass. Simple. Some of our favourite photos from the weekend, just look at his happy face…
And lastly…
Be sure to factor time in for popping into Windsor. We did the same last year and it made for a lovely end to the day. A gorgeous evening walk and some food along the River Thames in the sunshine. We even saw Prince Andrew driving out of Windsor Castle as the Queen was actually in residence during our stay. I do love Windsor so much and actually we’ve added it to our bucket list of places to visit just as a couple.
Do you have a favourite ride at LEGOLAND? If you have any questions about the Q-Bot then do let me know in the comments.
* Disclosure – we were gifted free Q-Bots in exchange for an honest review
I’m Kerri-Ann or KA as my friends call me, always found with a cup of coffee in one hand and my camera in the other. I have a huge passion for photography, fitness, fashion and family travel. I started this blog in 2014. It began as my creative outlet after becoming a mummy to our little boy George Archie. I started out blogging about parenting and over the years it has evolved into a blog that covers lifestyle, fashion, family and travel. Today TheKAEdit is ultimately a life and style blog. Thank you for reading x x
