GUIDE TO LEGOLAND
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Legoland! My kids have declared it even better than Disneyland (!!) and shhh, on many accounts, I have to agree. It’s smaller, the crowds and wait times are shorter, the food is less expensive, season passes are readily available and so much more affordable (currently season passes at Disneyland are only available on the highest tier, costing a family of four $6,000 (YES) vs our Legoland Platinum season passes total at $749), and it’s just really fun for my kids’ particular interests and ages they currently are (6 and 3). Totally recommend if you’re visiting the greater San Diego area. Read on for more insider tips!
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO DETAILS
Annual passes. If you are going more than two days in a year, the cost is worth it to buy the passes, especially right now with the buy 3 get one free deal. We have Platinum which includes free parking (otherwise it’s an extra $27/day). There is a small discount on food/merch in the park with it as well (10-20%). If you’re flying in, look into the Legoland hotels or the less expensive nearby walkable ones: Sheraton or Westin. If you aren’t buying season passes, buy your tickets online ahead of time to save some money at the gate.
Hours and timing. The park is open 10am - 5pm weekdays, and till 6pm on weekends. It’s super important to check their calendar before you go, they aren’t open every day of the year in the off season. There is early admission at 9:30am for hotel guests, and a fun dance party for everyone the last half hour of the day near the entrance (with a DJ on weekdays, and a live band on weekends). If you can pull it off, the very best day to go is a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (Wednesdays are my favorite). If you can, avoid weekends, summer and spring breaks, as these times can get very crowded and feel like an entirely different experience. Right now in March we hardly ever wait more than 5 minutes for a ride on a weekday. On weekends it’s common to see wait times over an hour.
Download the Legoland App. Helpful to check current wait times, nearest restaurants and restrooms, height requirements, never lose your map, etc.
INSIDER ACTIVITIES
Minifigure trading. This was a surprise and so fun. Bring any LEGO minifigure from home (or purchase in the park for three for $14, or online for less here), and you can trade it at various display areas. Sometimes there is an extra large display to choose from, usually around 10am and 3pm. You can also request a minifigure trade if it’s on an employee’s badge, and there are a couple trading cases available at all times at guest services as well. Trade as many times as you like! You only need to trade in a head/torso/legs and you can get a lot of different accessories this way.
Pop Badges. Legoland’s version of Disney’s buttons. Collect different ones for different activities. Legoland sells lanyards to display them on ($6.99), or bring in any lanyard, we got this set for about a dollar a piece here. There is a “first visit” badge near the entrance, happy birthday, first rollercoaster, etc. In Rebuild A World, there is a specific employee named Renaté who hosts a “hat trick” and if you time it right on a day she is working, you can earn any badge of your choice and play a game for it there. You can also trade with an any employee wearing one, and we’ve had kids come up to us asking if we’d like to trade with them too.
Mr. Gold Pop Badge and Mr. Gold’s Envelope. These are two extra special items to look for in the park. Legoland distributes 6 hidden Mr. Gold Pop Badges to Model Citizens (employees) every day. the goal is for kids to become comfortable talking and interacting with adults, so children (adults aren’t allowed to play) ask employees the secret question, “Have you seen Mr. Gold?” and the employee responds. It can be visible or hidden. My kids found Mr. Gold TWICE in the first five days, unheard of. They asked every employee they saw and eventually got lucky. We didn’t realize how rare this was until someone told us the odds, attendance is somewhere between 4,000 - 14,000 a day, and there are only 6 available, so it’s definitely tricky! Possible, but not easy. Mr. Gold’s Envelope: we have not found this yet but we hear the rumors! I will report back if we do.
TO WEAR
Right now in March it’s usually in the low 60s. I wear: a workout crop top, leggings, a zip up hoodie, sneakers, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. My kids wear: pants/leggings, a tee shirt, a zip off jacket, socks (two indoor play areas require them), sneakers, a hat, and sunscreen. The weather fluctuates often throughout the day and we’re often switching between layers. Walkable sneakers are key. We’ve had a couple very rainy days and on those days we wear these kids and adult reusable ponchos (I like that they button down the front instead of taking the whole thing off over the head, and they’re only around $5 instead of $20 in the park.)
Safety note: Trey wears his gizmo watch, and on busy days we use that to call each other when we get lost, especially on packed playgrounds. It’s so easy to lose each other in a big crowd and I was so glad to have that. Blaire is too young for one, but she is often worried about losing sight of me so she sometimes wears an Apple Air Tag in a bracelet. This gives us both a little more peace of mind in big crowds.
TO STROLLER OR NOT TO STROLLER
For us, our stroller is key, both to carry my kids around but also to carry all the stuff we bring. My kids are 6 and 3, and my 6 year old often asks to sit on the end to catch a ride too. It’s a lot of walking! I average around 6 miles in a full day (Trey logs 20k steps a day, even with hitching stroller rides!). You can rent a stroller there for $18 if you’re not traveling with yours. For older kids, I can see a backpack working well.
TO EAT/DRINK
Food. Legoland lists bringing in outside snacks as acceptable, or full meals for allergies. We are GF and I bring in allllll the food, and even going through security, no one cares. I pack two reusable bags in the bottom of my stroller (no large coolers allowed), one with dry snacks, and one with a ziplock of ice (you can refill at the ice stations if needed). Some things I pack: string cheese, sliced turkey, PB&J sandwiches, dried mango, banana chips, apples, trail mix, etc.
If you only buy one food item in the park, get Granny’s Apple Fries! Already GF, taste like an apple pie minus the pie crust, these are sticks of green apples fried in cinnamon and sugar with a big dollop of whipped cream, and they are famous at Legoland. Big enough to share, and our favorite park treat. The cheese pizza near Ninjago world can be made gluten free at no extra charge (!!!) $9 with my discount. The burger places are supposed to be great and also have GF buns. I think the best restaurant in the park is the Smokehouse. I love the Carolina all natural BBQ sauce, I dip my sliced turkey in it or pour it over a salad as dressing.
Drinks. I bring in one water bottle per person and refill with water and ice at the Coke vending machines throughout the day. I also pack cans of TJs cold brew and sparkling waters for me to pour over ice throughout the day (security sees all this at bag check and as long as there is no glass, they do not care, which is so nice).
TO RIDE
So many favorites. Coastersaurus, Technic Coaster, and Dragon are our favorite traditional rollercoasters. Blaire (40”) can ride all except Technic Coaster. More favorite rides: Ninjago, Lost Kingdom Adventure, Deep Sea, Queen Whatevra’s Carousel, Emmet’s Flying Adventure, Bionic Blasters (Legoland’s version of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party), Splash Battle, Driving School (age 6+) and Junior Driving School (ages 3-5). So many more, honestly. They love them all.
TO DO & PLAY
Playgrounds. There are two large ones, both are excellent, Ninjago Training Camp (new!) is very fun, and The Hideaways is our favorite. Ropes, bridges, slides, lots of places to explore and climb. We play at one or both of these every time, and this is often the place where my kids meet and make new friends.
To create. I was surprised at how many creative play stations there were set up for unstructured and interactive lego and duplo play. Some inside, some outside and covered. Such a perk. There are about five total, and these make a great rest stop, break from rides, or relief from busy crowds on peak days. These include: Dots, Ferrarri Build and Race, Build Whatevra You Wanna Build, Builder’s Guild, and Rebuild the World. Another great unstructured play area for young kids: Dino Fossil Dig. Uncover hidden dinosaur fossils in a giant sand area. For older kids: there is a new LEGO Mindstorm robotics class! Two classes, one for age 6+ and one for age 9+ class. The class is 45 minutes long and you need to register for one of few spots available, but very cool to learn basic coding if you’ve got a kiddo into STEM.
TO BUY
While the ticket is expensive enough, sometimes you want to grab a souvenir. Pro tip to save some money: while the giant bubble wands are fun, they are also $22 (they are $30 at Disney!) We found similar ones at Five Below nearby (we don’t have that in Seattle) for $5. Remember to grab the $2.50 batteries too, and still save yourself quite a bit, especially on multiples.
Minifigures are three for $15, if you buy one toy, these are fun because you can trade them and pick up many more accessories. I also love the keychains because they’re $6.99 and a fun way to remember a trip (how cute on a school backpack).The lego sets in The Big Store can often be found on Amazon for cheaper, but there are some items unique to Legoland that are fun to get there.
I gave my kids a budget and let them pick one thing from the Big Shop. Trey chose a Ninjago foam sword with the backpack holder, and at first I was trying to talk him into the cheaper one, but the backpack holder has been awesome because he carries it around by wearing it throughout the park. Blaire also chose a foam (pink and purple! To keep up with her big brother). They have fun with them together and I often hear kids say as Trey walks by “Mom can I get that sword?!” Ninjago is a Big Deal at this age.
TO APPRECIATE
I think the LEGO brand naturally attracts people with a variety of abilities, including nuerodivergent minds, and this is wonderfully present at the park in both guests and employees. There is a “sensory guide” at most rides now, listing on a scale of 1-5 the level of intensity for each sense for those with sensory differences. I thought this was such an inclusive, thoughtful addition. I love the statement of hiring neurodiverse employees as well.
THE VERDICT
We all love it. On day one of being here for a month we got the passes and my kids have begged to go every single day since. They never tire of it. I get that unless you are a Southern California resident this is impossible to pull off in this way, but even for a quick trip I’d recommend it. Twice in the last five days we’ve run into families we know from Seattle who were doing shorter trips. It’s such a blast! I think it’s totally underrated compared to Disney and such a great overall value, especially on an off season weekday.
