LEGOLAND Windsor | Play-and-Stay Blog

Posts Tagged ‘LEGOLAND Windsor’

Family Easter Fun

March 26th, 2012

Easter isn’t just a great excuse for chocolate eggs delivered by oversized bunnies; it’s also an outstanding time of year for UK attractions and theme parks, which open for the new season with loads of unbelievable goodies. This Easter holiday is an ideal occasion to enjoy some unforgettable family fun and electrifying thrills. Here’s a rundown of what’s on offer at the UK’s top theme parks and family days out when Easter hops along.

LEGOLAND® Windsor

LEGOLAND Windsor is now open for the 2012 season and it promises to be a jam-packed Easter with the opening of the new LEGO® Star Wars™ Miniland Experience, featuring six of the most iconic Star Wars scenes plus one from animated hit Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The attraction is a first in the UK, using 1.5 million LEGO bricks in an atmosphere of authentic sounds and lighting effects, and special event Star Wars™ Invasion celebrates its arrival at LEGOLAND from a galaxy far, far away on 24th and 25th March. Enjoy a child-friendly break to the unique family attraction this Easter.

Paultons Park

Lurking beneath the smouldering volcano is Paultons’ blazing new ride MAGMA, opening for sizzling thrills in time for Easter when the Park reopens on 23rd March. Brave adventurers will delve into the red-hot caverns in a bid to unearth the deeply buried Jurassic secret – but look out, because when MAGMA erupts you’ll be sent into a dizzy spinning rise 25 metres into the air overhead – then feel your stomach plummet as you drop back into the mountain! This fiery journey promises to be a real family treat for all riders over 1.10m.

Chessington World of Adventures

Join the exotic fun this Easter at Britain’s wildest adventure with brand new live show DreamWorks Madagascar Live! Prepare to Party. From 23rd March the little ones will love singing and dancing along with Alex, King Julien, The Penguins and all their favourites in this amazing new extravaganza. Meet the gang in their brilliant Jungle surroundings, plus pose for photos and check out the new African Trading Co. shop and Coffee Hut café.

Alton Towers

Everyone’s favourite prehistoric trio and acorn-chasing squirrel arrive at Alton’s Cloud Cuckoo Land in time for Easter for an immersive 4D encounter. Using a combination of fun-filled 3D footage and eye-popping physical effects that reach right into your seat, this Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4D Experience transports you straight to loveable Sid and Scrat’s ultra-cool world from 24th March.

As if that wasn’t enough, Alton also unleashes the fury of Nemesis: Sub-Terra, an underground lair of hair-raising horrors based on the mysterious backstory of the original corkscrewing classic Nemesis. Dare you embark on the nerve-shattering journey? Courageous explorers can step up for this scarefest from Easter.

THORPE PARK

Bag a white-knuckle break to the nation’s Thrill Capital this Easter, whether you’re a hardened thrillseeker or fun-loving family. Get twisted with the THORPE PARK Mash Up on 6th and 9th April, an explosion of Easter insanity featuring awesome live acts and a few breathtaking surprises. You’ll be among the first brave riders to get your adrenaline pumping on THE SWARM, Europe’s tallest winged rollercoaster, boasting a unique head-first inverted drop from a stomach-churning height of 127ft. For families with a taste for extreme thrills with their chocolate eggs, THORPE makes an epic Easter getaway.

Warwick Castle

Easter is an ideal time to explore the eventful grounds and historical activities of Britain’s Ultimate Castle, where families can enjoy recreations of the great siege and treacherous jousting contests with the coming of spring. The Witches of Warwick have arrived in the creepy Castle Dungeon, cooking up supernatural spells and mischievous mayhem in a bid to avenge their curse. Plus until 15th April you can catch a range of exciting shows throughout the day, offering sights of everything from majestic birds of prey and weapons of war to battling knights and the legendary tale of The Sword in the Stone.

With so much going on at the UK’s theme parks over the Easter holidays, you’ll want to treat your family to some unmissable seasonal fun this April. Book a Play and Stay ticket and hotel package today.

New Ride to Open at LEGOLAND!

May 13th, 2011

The wait is nearly over, Atlantis Submarine Voyage is to open at LEGOLAND® Windsor next Friday.

This world first LEGO® themed submarine ride will take passengers on an underwater adventure to explore the ancient ruins of the Atlantis.

To celebrate the exciting addition to LEGOLAND, here are our top 10 interesting facts about the new ride.

1. 2,683 hours were spent creating the underwater LEGO models.

2. The tank holds a whopping 1,000,000 litres of water.

3. The are a total of 8 submarines on the ride.

4. Each submarine holds up to 14 people.

5. There over 2,500 fish in total in the tank for you to spot on your way around.

6. The 2 biggest fish in the tank are the Zebra shark and the Nurse shark.

7. There are over 100 LEGO models to be seen underwater on your Atlantis adventure.

8. The ride lasts approximately 4.5 minutes – giving you plenty of time to spot your favorite sea creatures!

9. Each submarine weighs a massive 11 tones!

10. There are over 50 species of fish to be found on this magical underwater adventure.

Be one of the first to go on this amazing new ride and book a family holiday to LEGOLAND! For those of you who are lucky enough to go on it next weekend, be sure to let us know what you think!

What To Do with the Kids This Half Term

October 19th, 2010

It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes since the children went back to school after the Summer Holidays and already October Half Term is fast approaching.

With loads of Halloween and Fireworks events taking place, there has never been a better time to treat the family to a theme park break, without it costing a fortune. Thankfully, Play and Stay are are here to help you plan your trip.

If you are looking for something spooky to do with the family this Halloween that will even be suitable for the little ones, then plan a holiday to Chessington World of Adventures and go to Hocus Pocus between the 22nd – 31st October. If you book now you will get 2 days for the price of 1, meaning twice as much family fun.

For these older ones who aren’t afraid to be frightened to the max, THORPE Park is hosting it’s famous FRIGHT Nights event now. Visit the nations thrill capital on the 15 — 17 and 22 — 31 October for lots of terrifying fun. Be warned, this is not for the faint hearted and definitely not suitable for the younger kids.

Alternatively, Alton Towers is holding their Scarefest event, which caters for all ages. Come along between the 16th – 31st October and experience all of the tricks and treats Alton has to offer it’s visitors. There are horror mazes for the brave one’s among you and family fun entertainment for the younger ones. Or, if you’d rather give Halloween a miss, then the Alton Towers Ultimate Fireworks display is a must. From the 5th – 7th November you can book a break with Play and Stay to see the magical event.

LEGOLAND® Windsor is also hosting their annual Wizard’s Fireworks display on the 23rd, 24th, 29th, 30th, 31st October and 6th November. It’s the perfect family break away, with rides, fireworks and a hotel stay all included in the price. And on certain dates you can get your 2nd day in the park for FREE!

So what ever age your kids are, with so much going on, there is something to suit everyone! See www.playandstay.co.uk for more information and our latest prices.

Top Attractions for Toddlers

September 7th, 2010

It’s September and everyone has gone back to school. So, what better time to take your little one’s to a theme park!

There are plenty of rides to keep toddlers entertained. And what’s best, the queues will be a lot shorter as it’s off-peak season! Here’s our selection of rides for kids under 5…

Alton Towers Waterpark

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LEGOLAND®
LEGOLAND really does cater for younger children, with so many of it’s attractions and rides aimed for this age group. Kids will love to see the LEGO models in the LEGO Creation Centre. Or they can design their very own LEGO car in the Rocket Racers area. For something a bit more adventurous, 3-5 year olds get the chance to race their very own LEGO car in the L Drivers zone. Even better, children under 3 years old get into the park for FREE! Hurrah!

Alton Towers
For a real treat, plan a family trip to the Alton Towers Waterpark. The younger children won’t be able to go on all of the big flumes, as restrictions apply, but there is The Little Leak pool, which is shallow enough for your kids to have plenty of fun in! Or take a visit to the pirate themed aquarium. Sharkbait Reef is full of sharks, fish and rays for you to see. Be brave and dip your fingers into the UK’s only Tropical Interactive Pool!

Chessington World of Adventures Resort
If the kids want even more driving experience, take them to Chessington for a ride on the Tiny Truckers. Or if they have lots of energy, let them run around the Dragon’s Playhouse. This indoor soft play area is the ideal place to let them have some fun! Alternatively, take some time out of your busy day at the park and enjoy a live show. The Dragon’s Tale Theatre has shows running throughout the day at 11am, 1pm or 3pm (see site for more information) and join the characters as they embark on a safari themed adventure.

You don’t need to go onto the biggest roller coasters to enjoy a day out at a UK Theme Park, see what else there is to explore and book your family break today.

Top 10 Queue Busting Tips

July 21st, 2010

Want to beat the theme park queues this Summer? Simple, just follow our 10 helpful tips…

1. Print at Home Tickets
To save time, buy your tickets to the park on line and print them out at home to avoid the queues at the entrance gates. All our themepark tickets are print at home, just print off the email attachment, stroll past the ticket queues and scan your barcoded ticket at the entrance – easy!

2. Plan in Advance
If you’re going in a large group, have a look at the park map and plan which rides you want to go on BEFORE you arrive. This way you’re not wasting time deciding which rides to go on all day.

3. Go Outside of School Holidays or during weekdays
School holidays and weekends are obviously the busiest times for theme parks, so if you can, go when the parks are quieter and the queues are shorter.

Stay overnight at a hotel and beat the queues the following morning!

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4. Book a Break
Stay the night before your visit and head to the park ready for opening time, that way you’ll be first onto the most popular rides or stay late and enjoy the rides once everyone else is heading home and head to your hotel for the evening. In fact why not do both and book yourself in for a proper family adventure.

5. Start at the Back of the Park …..
and work your way forward! Everyone else will be starting at the front, so this way you’re more likely to get on the rides quicker.

6 Have a Late or Early Lunch
Visit the big rides when everyone else will be eating – usually around 12 – 2pm – and hopefully there will be less people in the ride queue and you may avoid the lunch queue too!

7. Fast Track Tickets
Although they cost extra money on top of your entrance ticket many people say they are well worth it. Fast Track tickets are a great way to beat the queues on the most popular rides. Simply pay at the stand for your ticket and head straight to the front of the queue! LEGOLAND Windsor offer Q-bot from just £10pp which queues for you on the most popular rides, you can just turn up at your allocated time straight into the fast track entrance.

8. Stay at the On Site Hotel
By staying at an on site hotel the night before you can be first in the queue the following morning AND beat the crowds. During school holidays Chessington give 30 minutes early ride time to those staying at the on site Holiday Inn Chessington.

9. Download the App
THORPE Park have now launched their app for the iPhone which helps you keep up to date with the queue times while you are actually at the park. Brilliant!

10. Visit the Most Popular Ride First
This way, even if you do have to queue, at least you know you have been on it! And if you get into the park nice and early, the queue is likely to be shorter.

Return to LEGOLAND

June 15th, 2009

This weekend, armed with three tickets, a picnic and big dreams of reliving last year’s fun, I took the family to Legoland for the day. The sun was shining, Stanley was practically wetting himself with excitement and the lovely Mrs Lane was no longer “with child” – fun times were ahead.

Last time we went to the park, Land of the Vikings had just opened and the place was packed. We queued for up to 45 minutes to get on some of the better rides.

Now, I’m not sure if it was because of the new area, Kingdom of the Pharaohs, or if Legoland just wasn’t as busy as before, but the queues were significantly smaller this time round. A quick look at the board on entry showed waiting times were reduced to 15 minutes on average. Was it because there were more rides to choose from?

Anyway, we took advantage of this and went on as many rides as we could while trying to sample the few we didn’t make it on last time around.

And we did it as well. This made me realise that Legoland Windsor is actually a great place to take the family for a short break as well as a day out destination. The only ride we didn’t get on was Jungle Coaster – at five years old, Stan was still slightly too small to go on it.

If there was one attraction that was the highlight of our day, it had to be the Bob the Builder show in 4D. It was only 15 minutes long, but the show was actually (as my boss would say) awesome. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say this: the effects were spot on and there is a lovely little surprise at the end of the show.

We left the park at 7pm (the same time as every other Tom, Dick and Harry) and proceeded to sit in the car for another 30 minutes as we tried to get out. If you like traffic jams, you can stop reading now. But, if you want to escape the rush, hang back for a short while. Eat some food, wander round the shops for a bit, practice speaking foreign languages – whatever – the point is, leave later. You will escape the crowds and still get home at the same sort of time.

Legoland Windsor was nothing short of brilliant once again – I really can’t stress how great the place is, you just need to go there and see it for yourself. If you have small children and live the South, there is nowhere better to take them for a treat. I look forward to going back there next year when Stan will be old enough to ride the Jungle Coaster and checking out the new zone for 2010.

Tenuous LEGOLAND Based Blog of the Week – The Cogitate Game

May 8th, 2009

I received an email recently that brought a shocking truth to my attention. Tenuous LEGOLAND® based blog of the week has been bereft of LEGO Technic stuff. I have no idea how I missed it, I’ve covered all sorts but generally it’s just good old reliable normal LEGO.

Personally I always avoided Technic, it all struck me as unnecessarily complex and I always preferred pirate ships to working cranes. What can I say, I always aspired to be a swashbuckler, not a builder.

Anyway, I’m drifting off-topic. What I really wanted to tell you about is the new game from The Institute of Engineering and Technology (thankfully shortened to IET) as you may have guessed as I’m writing about it in a LEGO blog, the game is based on LEGO, LEGO Technic to be precise.

The game (called Cogitate) was apparently designed to promote IET Discover and Inspec Direct and I can assure you, it’s disturbingly fun (and also infuriatingly difficult).

Simon Thomson, IET’s publishing director seems to be delighted that Cogitate is proving so popular and that LEGO themselves have got on board:

“Interest in the game has exploded. It was developed using a high-tech physics simulator, so the possibilities are limitless. To add to the fun, the LEGO Company found the game so inspiring they have allowed us to use LEGO Technic pieces as some of the components in the virtual contraptions.”

Give it a go, so far I’ve reached the dizzying heights of level two www.theiet.org/cogitate