LEGOLAND

[Gary]

LEGO now comes in themed boxes. Harry Potter, Orient Expedition, Robots, F1....

When I was a lad..(Oh God!! Here I go again!) LEGO came in buckets and if you got a perspex brick it made for a great window for the castle / fort / house you were building..

Things are a bit ..well..clinical and clean, nicely labelled and boxed off these days.

Likewise LEGOLAND, Windsor.

I watched a young guy appear slowly from his operating hut on The Spinning Spider attraction to allow the kids off the spinning cars, then allow all the new riders on, then check all the cars to ensure the doors were shut (even if noone had ridden on the cars before) and then saunter back to his hut to press the "Go" button.

I feel the place needs an injection of Geoffrey Thompson "Inyerfaceism"

Legoland has its Dragon Coaster (Good..half dark ride half steel coaster with 2 good drops and a few good turns and a head chopping tunnel to boot), its smaller Dragon's Apprentice and its temperamental Jungle Coaster (Great first drop..several tight turns and a brake trim or two but several technical problems on 26/6/04 which meant that only 2 people could ride each 4 person car???))..but other than the magnificent LEGO miniworld which is worth an hour of anyones time I don't think that there is anything really for the person over the age of 12.

Suffice to say my 7 year daughter loved the place.. I don't believe the powers that be have invested enough over the last 5 years since my family last visited if I'm honest.

The theming is beautiful. We just seemed to spend ages walking what appeared to be the peripheries of the park. It is as if we needed to turn right somewhere and find ourselves in the heart of the place but we never did!

There weren't enough rides and attractions. I honestly think Gullivers World Warrington gives it a run for its money (Miniworld aside) and it cost about £15 less to get in!

Jacket potato and tuna cost £4..Nice but expensive.
Free car park (£5 to park close to the entrance) and £500 for lifetime membership.

Good..but not that good. Just my opinion you understand. Like I said my daughter loved it.

[Graeme]

I know some people who went who were similarly impressed as you, Gary (well, a lot less actually)! They commented that the queues for the attractions that were there were too big.

Perhaps the problem is that it has the theming and detail of a 'Blackgang Chine' style park, yet is as expensive as a proper theme park, gives the same, full-day-out expectations as one and doesn't have a comparable selection of big attractions.

I think it looks great though, and I'd still like to go.

[baggles]

i read with interest your comments about LEGOLAND, as this is my ' local' park i am also surprised about your comments re - cost and the professionalism of the place, - i also know a bit about the place and know a fair bit about the build of the place... plus i am along with my family a yearly ticket holder

the park is now a few years old, having opened in 1996 - and since the opening there has been a big shift in the core market... i understand the park was designed originally for a target group of 4- 11 yr olds, there was no white knuckle rides, the LEGO group talk of pink knuckle !- and i think they achieved that in the dragon roller coaster and the pirate falls flume ride,
in recent years the jungle coaster has pushed that pink knuckle a little closer to the white knuckle element....
The target age group has shifted, and its shifted downward, with the core now being 3 -8 yrs olds, ( but the big problem here is alot of this age group have older siblings who also get dragged for a day out with the family, they do not want these junior style pink knuckle rides, they want bigger thrills)

Hence the jungle coaster, - and in due course the robot powerbuilder arm ride that was on show during the christmas offering in 2003( on a temporary basis), this was said to be coming to windsor in the future, this ride will be aimed at older park visitors.....whenever it is built...

but with an annual visitor pass at only £50 ish for adults and £37 for kids it is good value, open til 7 pm in hi season kids can visit again and again after school to let off steam, with this annual ticket you get discounts on food and souvenirs.... plus the amazing firework shows, and entrance now to the pop concerts they add to the schedule of special events every year.over two visits a year and it is cheaper to buy an annual ticket....

as Gary said the theming is good, and if you really look at this place it is the only true single themed theme park.... and that theme is the LEGO building brick- many parks claim to be a theme park but really they are a hotch potch of themed rides or structures, they have no one single co-hesive theme.....LEGO DOES !

so full marks LEGO for that, - yes i also have to agree as the mini world is superb and is getting better as new bits are added, the eye for detail is immense, in the mini london we had the David Blaine stunt and the congestion charge added recently- now that is topical, no sooner than blaine was hoisted up there a model was added near tower bridge- thats good and its that sort of thing that keeps us going back....

as for the operator in the booth - then maybe he needs energising !- it happens to us all from time to time, but as for a park then if you have young kids then its in my opinion the tops !- and having taken my kids to thorpe park and chessington then they much prefer LEGOLAND, its clean and quality... it does not have the large groups of teenagers that could feel intimidating to smaller kids and this is probably why younger kids say under 7s love windsor-
no macdonalds, now rowdy teenagers, queues that are reasonable - up to 45 minutes( not like alton or thorpes anyway where it can be 75 mins plus in hi season) plus a sense of good honest clean fun....

[/b]