Legoland California Tips

This guide is really about when you get to the park but if you have never been at all then a quick overview:

• Legoland is designed for kids 2-12 years old.
• You don’t have to be Lego fanatic.  It’s not all building legos in the park.  It’s really a regular theme park but designed for younger kids. There are some stations where you can build things with Legos but mainly it’s rides and some shows.
• Legoland California has the rides for smaller kids to the left and bigger kids to the right.
• Some rides have height restrictions but they are typically pretty short. 34-42 inches.

Here are 6 tips for Legoland (mostly geared towards ages 5-12), as well as some secrets!

1. Get there EARLY. To make the most out of the trip it’s best to get there right before they open.  When we went they supposedly opened at 0930.  If you are a guest at the hotel they supposedly let you in early as well so I’m assuming they open up limited parts of the park at 0900.  They do prevent you from going too far on the left or right until 10am.  They have it chained off and people queue up there towards the time they open it.  Riding Coastersaurus and Safari Trek early are really the only times to do it if you don’t want to wait in longer lines.
2. Parking.  You had to pay $10 to park when we went.  You can pay $15 for preferred parking but the parking lot is relatively small plus anyone who is decently healthy should get a little extra exercise.  If you are disabled, there is handicapped parking up front. Also, there is some special parking deal if you have a Volvo as well.
3. Bring water and food.  If you are health or value conscious I really really really (did I say really?) stress doing this.  Sadly, as like pretty much all amusement park and fair food most everything here is unhealthy and super expensive.  On the day we went I spent $4.95 on a small salad which really was a lot of lettuce, 2 tiny cherry tomatoes, and unhealthy croutons.  On their website they do promote healthier options on the other side of the park like at the Garden restaurant and the Market but we didn’t go there.
   *Also, if you forget to do this then plan to waste some time waiting in line again because the food lines get crowded as well.
   *If you do forget to bring food and stay after 5pm then they did have a special when we were there where kids could eat free with a paying adult. We went to the Pizza & Pasta Buffet which actually did work out great and was $14.95 per adult.  The kids just really enjoy the buffets since they can go and get what they want.
4. Bring swimming clothes and changes of clothes.  If it’s a reasonably warm day then have the kids wear swimming suits under their clothes especially if you bought a hopper ticket and plan to go to the water park for part of the day. (I’ll state more details about the water park below).  Make sure to bring all the other important items you need depending on their ages (swim diapers, sun tan lotion, towels, etc.).
   *Beware that there are many places even outside the water park where kids can walk through water or get sprayed by water.  The PIRATE REEF ride will get you SOAKED!
5. You don’t have to pay full price if you plan. LEGOLAND California Resort coupons are in many places.  My wife bought our tickets at COSTCO but there are many places that have discounts including LEGO club magazines and some local hotels.  Buying online provides a slight discount as well.
6. Strategically avoid long lines. When it’s crowded I suggest going to the places where you don’t have to wait in line as much.  There is MiniLand, Adventurers Club, Hideaways (play structure of nets and slides probably mostly for kids 4+ even though there is no height restrictions).  Typically Dune Raiders (the 30 ft. slide) has short lines and it’s just simple and fun.

Final important notes and warnings:

• This park really isn’t for older kids.  It depends on your child and what they like but I’m assuming some kids may even be bored at 10 or 11.  I’d say definitely most kids by 13 are not going to be as interested in this park (they tell everyone they design the park for 2-12-year-olds).
• The pirate ship play area in the main park can get a little out of control for smaller kids when it’s crowded.
• On warm days the Water Park can be really crowded as well.  Expect to wait in pretty long lines on the slides.
• If you are someone that likes efficient lines then be prepared to be frustrated.  Legoland is not about streamlining operations for their guests. For whatever reason they haven’t designed most rides to be efficient.  They also don’t offer single riders at any ride so they often let many seats go empty.