Legoland Windsor Resort is one of my family’s favourite attractions in the UK but it can be a very expensive and tiring day out. Here are 18 tips to get the most out of your visit to the fantastic Legoland theme park.
- Book your tickets in advance online and save up to 25% compared to the gate price.
Or take advantage of 2 for 1 offers found on Kellogg’s cereal boxes or special Cadbury sweet packs. Tesco Clubcard Days out is a great way to keep the cost down. You will need £13 of Clubcard points for a ticket for either an adult or a child (children under 3 are free). Your ticket is emailed to you instantly to print at home. The great thing about the Clubcard tickets is that they are valid for six months from the day you redeem them on the Clubcard website. - Measure your child before you go to Legoland. Any child under one metre tall will not be able to go on many rides. Children under 1.3 metres will need to be supervised by an adult (1 adult per child).
- Children can be given a wristband which you add your name and mobile number to. If a member of staff finds your child unaccompanied you will be contacted so that they can be reunited with you.
- Download the Legoland app on to your phone it is free. You will receive special offers and discounts and there is a guide and map to help plan your day. The app also shows the waiting times for the rides so you can avoid the rides with the long queues.
- If you stay in the Legoland hotel you get to enter the park 30 minutes before anyone else so you will be able to get some of the rides done before the crowds.
- If you are not staying in the Legoland hotel it is recommended to arrive early. The park opens at 9.30am but rides do not open until 10am, use this time to go to the toilet and plan your itinerary.
- Q-Bot’s are expensive and I don’t always agree with them but during peak times the queues can be very, very long – well over an hour during weekends and school holidays. So by getting a Q-Bot will help you queue jump and get the most out of your day.
- Start your day in Knights Kingdom, Pirates Shores and Kingdom of the Pharaohs as these rides are quieter in the morning. For example the two Dragon Rides are hidden of the way and only seem to get popular late in the morning when people discover them, so get there early.
- Remember to pack swimming costumes and a towel or spare clothes so the children can enjoy the Duplo Splash Valley. This is quieter in the morning.
- Take snacks or a picnic with you as food is very expensive at Legoland. Alternatively take advantage of the dining offers on the Legoland app as children eat free after 3pm in selected restaurants.
- The Lego Friends show or Pirate Shows are great and allow you to rest, eat your picnic and enjoy the show.
- You won’t be able to ride every ride. Pick your favourites and then you can take advantage of Miniland, Desert Chase, Thunder Blazer, Fairy Tale Brook and Duplo Train with little or no queue.
- I would try and avoid the wettest rides at the start of the day. As tempting as the likes of Pirate Falls, Viking River Splash and especially Raft Racers are, you are very likely to get a wet bottom. The alternative would be to take a lightweight rain poncho with you which will keep you dry.
- Don’t bother with the Laser Raider ride in the Kingdom of Pharaohs. The queue is always huge and they have no queue time outside. We wasted over an hour waiting for a ride that lasted a couple of minutes.
- Leave Miniland until the very end of the day when the rides are closed.
- It’s tempting to leave the shopping at the massive Lego “Big Shop” at the end of the day but its absolute chaos near closing time. I would recommend catching the hill train back up during lunchtime and get your shopping done then. You can leave it at the pick up point and collect it when you leave. There is also a nice Starbucks cafe here next to the toy shop with great views over the park. It’s also much quieter than the restaurants and cafes in the park. Alternatively if you buy Lego in the theme park you can collect it from the Big Shop located at the entrance at end of the your day. This saves you having to carry bags of toys around the park with you.
- I would recommend paying for your car parking as you enter the park. If you leave this until the end of the day there can be really long queues of people waiting to pay for their ticket as there is only one ticket machine.
- To beat the traffic in Windsor toward the M4, when you leave Legoland turn right on the roundabout. Other routes are signposted.
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