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On September 9th and 11th I visited LEGOLAND California with my son and my
dad. We had a great time and I tooks lots of pictures with my new Olymous
D490 digital camera. My dad leaves in
Sept. 9th - http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=1397
Sept. 11th - http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=1398
The weekend we were there was the first "fall" weekend with the park open
from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. We were planning on buying a multi-day visit
pass which allows a second day visit to the park if used within four days of
the first visit. I had called LEGOLAND prior to departing and spoke with a
nice woman who told me she would leave a coupon (for what she didn't say) at
guest services for me.
So Saturday morning we headed off to guest services to see what sort of
coupon I had waiting for me. While there, the woman working at the counter
told us about a better deal than either the coupon ($4 off each ticket), the
free child ticket with purchase of adult ticket coupon (thanks to Frank
Filz) which is not valid for multi-day passes, or the standard multi-day
pass. LEGOLAND currently has a deal where you can get a fall season pass
for $34! It is good until Dec. 24th. So we chose this route.
Interestingly enough, later in the weekend we heard an advertisement on the
radio for the fall season pass and on Monday when we went back, there were
signs advertising it. Now all I need to do is figure out a reason to be in
southern California in December to see Miniland decked out for Christmas
(which the back of the information card on the fall pass says it will be).
On Saturday the 9th the park was not very busy when we got there but was
reasonably busy later on. There was about a 15 minute wait for the Safari
ride I believe mostly due to the fact that it is the first ride you
encounter when you enter the park and head towards Fun Town (where the
Driving School is). My son is five so he is not old enough for the Driving
School but he really enjoyed the Jr. Driving School.
I was very impressed with LEGOLAND from a parent perspective. It is very
much geared for younger children (5-10 IMHO). Many of the rides are set up
so a parent can ride with their child. I think this is a great idea. I
have been to Busch Gardens and all of their rides geared for younger kids
are set up so that parents are observers.
The thing that surprised me most was how much my son enjoyed Miniland.
Being five I figured he would think it was neat but would grow bored of it
and want to move on. This was hardly the case. He would have spent all
afternoon looking at everything if I would have let him! Each time we went
near Miniland he wanted to stop and look at which ever section we were
passing. This was okay with me as I was just amazed at the detail and the
quantity of the models. It is truly impressive. It is nice to know that
Miniland is not perfect, I noticed a couple of things that need some
attention: ;-)
Here is a flat car that has come apart:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15263
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15264
Here is a policeman lying down on the job:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15254
Here is a trolley that had come off its track:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15253
As other people have reported, there are lots of models everywhere. There
is a stroll down a path on Castle Hill that has a bunch of animal models, I
particularly liked the fish swimming up stream which I apparently did not
take a picture of.
Near the Maniac Club is Fun Town Market. In the market there are several
glass displays with pristine versions of some very old sets on display
including a Town Plan, Auto Chassis and others:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15377
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15378
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15379
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15380
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15381
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15382
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15383
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15384
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15385
We also had a great time at the Build and Test track in the Imagination
Zone. On Starurday the Zone was pretty busy with lots of people all
building vehicles from the parts bins. The parts bins seemed to be stocked
with mostly Free Style like parts along with some Technic beams and axels.
My son was getting a little tired so hanging out in the Zone was the perfect
way to refresh. He built a bunch of vehicles to race down the track and of
course, I had to build one as well. The results of Saturday's session:
My car from Saturday:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15238
Travis' car (one of many dervitives, his is pretty much a constant work in
progress) from Saturday:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15235
There was a young boy who took a particular interest in my car, commenting
on it a number of times while it ran down the track. When we were getting
ready to leave, he asked if he could have it so I gave it to him. He was no
relation to me, he just liked the car.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15242
On Monday when we went back we practically had the Build and Test area to
our selves. This time my dad got into the act as well and all three of us
build cars. There was a nice woman named Pam working there who told us the
time to beat was 3.0 seconds. She said anything under 3.0 was a very good
time and the best time she had witnessed was 2.88. Now we have a goal - how
fast can we make our vehicles?
My car from Monday (final version):
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15327
Travis' car from Monday, as before, a constant work in progress although he
liked this one the best because it would go down the ramp upside down as
well as right side up:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15334 (kinda blurry)
Here are all three cars (mine, my dad's, and Travis')
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15338
My best time turned out to be 2.93 seconds, respectible but not a world
record. Both Travis and my dad got their cars down in the low 3.1 range.
The Build and Test area was one of our favortite parts of the park. It
provided a great forum to go relax, rejuvinate, build, get out of the sun,
and watch a bunch of kids (and adults) have a good time. The part selection
was reasonable (unlike the castle area - see comments further down) and they
seem to have plenty of wheels which has always been an issue (the lack of
wheels) at the Orlando LIC play area when I have been there.
On Monday we also visited the building area on Castle Hill. While not as
big as the Build and Test area, it was also nice. The biggest problem was
limited selection of parts to build with. The parts they did have, which
castle fans would have loved, they had lots of (black wall panels, black
2x2x3 steep slope corner pieces, grey arches, 2x8 grey bricks, faceted
bricks (the long and short diagonal pieces). I looked for a long time and
could only come up with two 2x4 bricks! There is a chunk of a pre-built
castle on some baseplates that can be added on to. But it was really hard
to build much of anything with the limited selection. Now if I could have
had a handful of parts to take home from either the castle area or the build
and test area, I would have to go with the castle area because of the black
steep slope outside corner pieces! This is what Travis and I came up with:
The top section on top of the huge pile of 2x8 grey bricks is what we built:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15425
When we went back on Monday the park was pretty quiet. As I mentioned
earlier, at one point we almost had the Build and Test area to our selves.
We did not have to wait in line anywhere with one exception. All day
Saturday (and I assume Sunday) they had been testing the Spellbreaker, a new
roller coaster ride. Without announcement it opened about 3:00 PM on Monday
afternoon. We just happened to be on Castle Hill at the time and my dad and
I had taken turns riding the roller coaster (Travis had no interest in
riding it). We were going to do the same on the Spellbreaker but by the
time my dad made it through the line and the ride and it was my turn go, the
line was pretty long so I decided not to wait and we moved on so Travis
could drive the boats.
In summary, we had a great time. I was really impressed with LEGOLAND as
was my dad. They have done a really nice job of making a younger kid
friendly park. I think older kids (10+) might get a little bored with some
of the rides but it appears to me they are addressing this part of their
customer base with rides like Spellbreaker. Food was expensive but not
outrageous (like it can be at a professional sporting event). Prices and
selection in the Big Shop were average. Actually, I expected a bigger
selection in the Big Shop. Based on my last trip to the Outlet at Potomac
Mills, I'd have to say the Outlet had a better selection plus they had
scratch and dent! The only real deals I saw were basket of sets for $2.95.
Of the sets in the baskets, the only real deal was 5938 which is a good deal
at $3.
I really hope LEGO decides to build another park on the east coast
somewhere. Going out to California with a family could be a costly
endeavor. I was lucky in the fact that because my job requires me to travel
a fair amount so I have lots of frequent flyer miles. That took care of
what would have been the biggest expense. If anyone is curious as what it
cost for the three of us to go to California for this trip (we arrived late
on Friday, went to LEGOLAND Saturday and Monday, the San Diego Zoo on
Sunday, and flew back to North Carolina on Tuesday) let me know and I'd be
happy to summarize it.
I think they My dad, a retired US Marine, was most impressed with the model
of Iwo Jima:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=15190
Mike - mike_walsh@mindspring.com
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