Posts Tagged ‘LEGOLAND’

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.

 

Star Wars and all characters, names and related indicia are © 2012 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved.

Madagascar Live! Prepare to Party © 2012 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C

New attraction for Paultons Park

December 1st, 2011

It seems that Paulton’s Park are working on a new attraction for 2012. The exact nature of the attraction is unclear, but this exciting little microsite and the Park’s reports that “unusual rumbling noises and rising ground temperatures” have been felt on land associated with the new attraction seem to suggest that volcanoes will be very much involved.

It’s unlikely that the new attraction will be a white-knuckle thrill ride; Paultons is, after all, a family park. Perhaps some sort of indoor ride? I have no idea, but any new attraction is alright by me.

No matter what the new attraction is, it won’t be open until 2012. While we wait to find out exactly what Paultons are planning, here are some other rides and attractions that feature volcanoes for theme park fans to seek out.

Dino Safari – LEGOLAND Windsor

Dinosaur – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

George’s Dinosaur Ride – Peppa Pig World

Jurassic Park River Adventure – Universal Studios

Dinosaur Adventure Park – Norfolk

Ticket and hotel packages for Paultons Park and LEGOLAND Windsor are available from Play-and-Stay.co.uk

Five ingeniously innovative uses for LEGO

November 15th, 2011

LEGO brings out the inventor in all of us. Personally, I never managed to design much other than spectacularly un-aerodynamic aeroplanes and houses that look like they were designed by a mad, colourblind architect. However, some clever folk can make some truly impressive LEGO creations. Here are five of the best YouTube has to offer.

Combination safe


Everyone has their little cache of precious things, their personal treasures. No matter if your treasures are interestingly-shaped rocks and weird feathers, diamonds and designer stuff or 1980s Star Wars figures in original packaging, you need somewhere safe to store them.

What could be safer than an actual working combination safe? Maybe the lair of a covetous dragon, but apart from that, nothing, that’s what.

Desktop computer


It saddens me to say it, but the vast majority of desktop computers are hideous things. Boxy, dull-looking monoliths without the slightest thought given to aesthetics, computers are perhaps the most depressing purchase for the trendy and design-conscious.

To brighten up your PC, reach for your LEGO stash. The case in the video above may look like the lair of a tiny, plastic supervillain but the beauty of LEGO is that you can take a design and make it your own. Depending on what bricks you’ve got laying around you can re-case your PC in whatever colour or combination of colours you fancy. The really ambitious could even modify existing LEGO sets to house a computer…

3D printer


A LEGO model that can build LEGO models? Welcome to the future!

Sure, the process is slow, requires very specific software and the only models that ‘Makerbot’ can currently put together are very simple, but it’s nevertheless impressive. It’s can’t be long until some clever clogs improves on the design and makes a machine capable of putting together far more complex models or perhaps even replicating itself…

Hamster elevator


Everyone loves to spoil their pets, that’s why diamond collars and those bags you can carry little dogs in exist. The market for luxury products designed for hamsters is a little limited, but with a handful of LEGO and a bit of patience you can install a private elevator in your hamster’s home, allowing him/her to enjoy levels of luxury usually reserved for the super-wealthy.

Toilet-flushing robot


The age of the service robot is finally here!

Why flush your own toilet when you can have a robot do it for you? After years of waiting, we’ve finally taken a step towards having Jetsons-style domestic robots. A loo-flushing robot made out of LEGO may only be a small step, more of a tiptoe in the right direction, but it’s a step. Best bit? the flushbot will thank you for allowing it to flush for you, ensuring you don’t feel bad for leaving him in the bathroom all the time.

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!

UK’s Attractions Celebrate the Royal Wedding

April 19th, 2011

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton will take place on Friday 29 April 2011 and is set to be one of the most celebrated events in history.

Thousands of well-wishers are expected to follow the Royal Procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and many will watch the ceremony live on a screen in Trafalgar Square.

What’s more, plenty of special events will take place outside of the city on this day and even a selection of the UK’s biggest attractions are joining in the regal celebrations.

So, why not treat yourself to a short break away to one of the following family-friendly places and join in the fun? Make the most of the extended Spring bank holiday weekend and enjoy a trip to remember.

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Warwick Castle — Royal Wedding Garden Party

Come along to Warwick Castle on the weekend of the wedding and experience a wonderful Royal Wedding Garden Party. Enjoy a picnic in the Central Courtyard whilst listening to the sounds of a live band and celebrate the big day in style. Relax in the historic grounds, explore The Castle Dungeon and even climb to the top of the towers. Frequented by Royalty for centuries, Warwick Castle really is the perfect place to spend the long weekend.

Warwick Castle

Buckingham Palace. Image copyright Christine Matthews and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence

LEGOLAND — Royal Wedding Tribute

Book a short break to LEGOLAND® Windsor and venture to Miniland where you will discover a fantastic LEGO® scene of the Royal Wedding. Marvel at the miniature couple as they embrace outside Buckingham Palace, see the adoring crowds and spot the Queen up on the balcony. Meet LEGO corgis, photographers and guardsmen and even keep an eye out for celebrity guests including David and Victoria Beckham. A fantastic tribute to Kate and Will’s big day, the model took over 30 hours to make and is built from 10,000 bricks.

The Royal Wedding Scene at Miniland

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Enjoy a wonderful short break over the long Royal Wedding weekend and celebrate the big day in style. There is so much going on around the special day, so book a great break away and enjoy a fantastic adventure.

Stay Longer and Save – Summers Deals Not To Be Missed!

July 12th, 2010

Turn a day trip into a mini break and keep the kids entertained for longer this summer.

With so many fantastic deals out there right now, be sure to make the most of them and get real value for money. Here’s our guide to the best offers around this summer. All you need now is your sunscreen and sunglasses and you’re ready to have some summer fun!

Stealth at Thorpe Park

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LEGOLAND®
Can’t decide which them park to take the family to this summer? Well now you don’t have too. If you book a break at LEGOLAND you can get your 2nd day at the park FREE! Now the kids will have plenty of things to look forward to throughout the holidays! Hurrah!

CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES
If you are already planning a trip to Chessington this summer holiday you’ll want to make the most of this deal. Book now and you can stay for a second night at the Holiday Inn Chessington for only an extra £10 per room! From the huge selection of rides to the animals in the zoo, there is something everyone will enjoy.

THE EDEN PROJECT
Don’t worry if theme parks aren’t your thing, you can still benefit from these summer deals. The Eden Project is the perfect place to spend a relaxing summers day walking around the beautiful gardens and taking in the Cornish scenery. If you book a break now, you will get 2 days for the price of 1. Everyone deserves a summer break so book now and make the most of this unmissable deal.

Why not turn your break into a real adventure and explore the surrounding area too. You can add on attractions at each park when you book a break and you’ll receive even more great discounts. Visit places like the London Dungeons or the Waterpark at Alton Towers and make the most of your break. Happy holidays!

LEGOLAND Survival Tips

November 17th, 2009

When we were invited to LEGOLAND by Play and Stay, I did what all responsible parents do in such situations—I asked proper, responsible parents for their LEGOLAND survival tips.

It proved to be a real life-saver. Theme parks are big, expensive places and some inside knowledge can really help you get the most out of your visit. Here are a few of my tips—some from other parents, some we learned ourselves. The hard way.


1. Get there early. Even during term-time, I was amazed to see how many cars were pouring into the car park ahead of us at 10am on a Thursday morning (the park opens at 10am during the winter season). You can pay £5 for priority parking but that’s for parking wimps, frankly. Get there for 10am and aim for car parks A, B or C.

2. On arrival, head down the hill for the driving school. It’s one of the busiest attractions and the queue is shortest first thing—there’s a great driving school for 6-13 year olds and a learner course for 3-5 year olds. Flea loved it.

3. There’s a ride in Duplo Land called ‘Extreme Team Challenge’ that you can’t really see until you get right to the front of the queue because it’s covered with shrubbery. Just so you know, it will involve you sitting on the floor of a small, wet dinghy and being hurled down a chute at 35mph. At the end of the ride, you will appear to have wet yourself. Take it from someone who has been there.

4. If you take a picnic, try and time lunch with a show at the Duplo Theatre—it’s a perfect picnic spot and next to the playground. The show when we visited was a pretty funny Pop Idol parody.

5. Right next to the Duplo theatre is an open area you might walk through to get to the playground. Be aware this will put you in the direct firing line of a series of water cannons wielded by small psychopaths—oh, alright, they’re just kids. But still, you might want to put your waterproof jacket on.

6. Save the wet rides for the end of the day. That’s really Pirate Falls at the bottom of the hill and Viking River Splash at the top of the hill. And take spare clothes for the kids to change into—or take our a second mortgage for one of the electric people dryers available on-site.

7. On Pirate Falls, the camera takes your photo RIGHT as you start down the big slope. Don’t close your eyes and scream like a fool—it’s not photogenic.

8. Measure the kids before you go. Most of the more exciting rides are only suitable for children over 1m and the staff measure every child every time, so knowing in advance will spare upset on the day.

9. The chocolate waffles are amazing. Especially when you’re cold and soggy after Pirate Falls.

10. Take an iPod for the Pirate Falls queue. They play the most annoying pirate music EVER on a loop, along with a video of something involving Justin from Mister Tumble. If you’re queuing there for half an hour (as we were) the iPod may be all that saves you from screaming insanity.

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.

My Favourite LEGO Minifigs

June 1st, 2009

Back in the glorious early 90s when I was a lad, in the murky times before mobile phones or *gasp* the internet, LEGO was king. At my school your popularity rested on two things; 1) The quality of your bomber jacket and 2) The quantity of LEGO you owned.

Tragically my own bomber jacket was, to use correct 90s vernacular, naff. It was from a market. We weren’t poor, my parents just disapproved of bomber jackets and refused to pay more than a tenner for one. I overcame this enormous social handicap by having lots of LEGO, so much LEGO that on one occasion I attempted to make and dive/swim in a Scrooge McDuck moneybin – but with LEGO. It went terribly terribly wrong.

Although volume of one’s LEGO box (for it was invariably kept in massive plastic boxes on proud display in the corner of your bedroom) was important, it was not portable. To showcase your impressive collection on the playground you needed something small, yet something that showed how many different types of LEGO you owned, that something was the minifig.

Minifigs were awesome and the more unusual your collection the better. Some had hand-me-downs from the early days of LEGO, these old ones usually had stories attached to them. “My cousin won it in a game of Magic: The Gathering from this kid from Botswana, he said it was the only green spaceman ever made.” Stuff like that.

Everyone’s collection was personal, and everyone believes that theirs was the best despite mine clearly being better. I present to you, my five favourite LEGO minifigs!

5) Ice Planet pouting girl.

I can’t remember where I got her, I can’t remember where she is now but what I do remember is that, in my imagination, this plastic sex-bomb was Robin Hood’s girlfriend. Just how a bow-toting British folk-hero fell for a red-headed lady space-explorer I’ll never know.

4) Robin Hood (Forestman)

Having done a spot of research for this it turns out that Robin was actually just one of a collection of ‘Forestmen’. Hopefully Ice Planet pouting girl will still love him despite his life being a lie.

The best bit about Robin is that he had all his little accessories. Quite often Robin would swap his bow for Ice Planet pouty girl’s chainsaw and fell a few trees around Sherwood while she shot some baddies. Good times.

3) Merlin

Alas, these days good old Merlin will probably just get called Dumbledore. I have no quarrel with Dumbledore, in fact, after Captain Hook, Gore Lane and every gentleman explorer of the 19th century, he’s my hero. Merlin stood guard over my magical LEGO chest (a normal, non-magical LEGO chest filled with shiny pebbles).

2) The Shark

Always and without fail referred to as The Shark, this slightly unconventional choice was my bath-time LEGO pal. Any toys without flippers, fins or an obvious re-breathing system were banned from my bathtime. The Shark was scourge of the bubbles and once attacked and killed (broke) my sister’s Little Mermaid doll.

1) Mr Spooky (Ghost)

Ahhh, Mr Spooky. What adventures we had together, we haunted the LEGO castle, we haunted the fridge and we haunted the hell out of the dog. My relationship with Mr Spooky conclusively proves that letting children under 11 watch Tim Burton films alone is a bad idea.

If you think the top five from your own minifig collection are cooler than mine (you’re wrong) let me know and I’ll update the blog with a few of the better suggestions.

The comments box ladies and gents, it won’t bite.

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