Day out: adventures in Legoland
There is a diverse range of attractions that will cater for children of all ages. I'm looking forward
to going back annually, or thereabouts, so that my son can delight in all the rides that will now
be available to him. We went on a Sunday and though the car parks appeared to be fairly full, it
didn't seem to be uncomfortably crowded in the park. There was minimal traffic when we were
leaving, which was a great relief to me, as there's only one thing worse than waiting in a traffic
queue, and that's waiting in a traffic queue when you are going home after a tiring day out.
My son formed a very passionate relationship with the model village, specifically the trains that
hurtled round the representation of Newcastle. In principle, I have no objection to this, but
spending the remaining hours of the day staring at them didn't strike me as an attractive prospect. A small scene ensued. If I were interested in playing "spot the commercial sponsorship" then I could
surely have stood there with him for days.
Lunch was a hearty portion of fish and chips. Very reasonably priced and, as an annual membership holder, I
enjoyed a further discount. I was expecting astronomical prices in the restaurants but was pleasantly
surprised. I was, however, disappointed by the sweet shop. At first glance it seemed immense, but once I was inside I discovered that the range was actually very limited, and there were actually a dozen or so containers of
each variety. Which makes sense, as it reduces crowding and fighting, but I ha d spent the entire day
anticipating the pleasures of losing myself in a market of obscure and diverse confectionary.
By Pete Hall
We went over the Easter break for three nights as part of a package deal booked through Legoland resorts.
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Marlow which has the usual amenities' (swimming pool, gym and inclusive
buffet breakfast) as well as an outdoor hot tub, adventure playground and an improvised indoor play area. I
was happy that the hotel offered us a family room with two double beds and was pleasantly surprised with the
child friendly touches (e.g. kids welcome pack, Easter egg hunt, colouring table and complimentary milk and
cookies). Offering ample outdoor grounds for the children and a beautiful view of the lake - being 30 minutes
away from Legoland was not an issue for us.
Legoland is a great theme park and there’s something for all age groups from toddlers to adults. We had a
two day pass and broke up our visit by visiting nearby Windsor castle which was very busy over the Easter
break. Dear Husband kindly queued for over an hour whilst we visited Windsor museum which had lots for
the little ones to do (colouring, dressing up, toy castles, stain glass making). The waiting and crowds were
worth it and we hope to visit again as we converted our tickets to annual passes for free.
Pros:
Could be better:
Close to Bicester
Would get a queue jump ticket next time
Variety of rides for all age groups
Other attractions close by.
Early April was too cool for the kids to enjoy the outdoor
“splash safari”. To go again in Summer would mean longer
queues and crowds. So it’s a catch 22 for us as this is
probably the best attraction for under 7’s.
By Raj Kaur (2015)
Star Wars is a big theme at Legoland and
this is due to get BIGGER as they are
launching a variety of new themed attractions in May 2015.
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