We recently visited Legoland Windsor in the UK. I thought it would be nice to write about the pros and cons of our visit and a review of our day out at Legoland Windsor.
It is a great place for both young and old. I know this because our son loved the place, and myself and partner also enjoyed all the cool figures and things made out of Lego! It really does ignite your imagination.
About Legoland Windsor
Located in Windsor, Berkshire in the United Kingdom, LEGOLAND Windsor is a family-friendly theme park. It has lots of creativity, entertainment, and rides which are the best parts of the visit.
From cityscapes to life-sized creatures, the attention to detail in the LEGO sculptures was very impressive. It must take hours to build them! The best place to view the landmarks etc is in the Miniland section.
LEGOLAND Windsor has a lot of Family-Friendly attractions for all ages. Younger children can explore the DUPLO Valley.
The older kids can go on the Dragon Coaster, a thrilling ride that weaves through a medieval LEGO world complete with a fire-breathing dragon. The LEGO Ninjago World also has a 3D interactive ride.
You can view more info about location, opening times, rides, etc here on the Legoland Windsor website.
Anyway, that’s enough talk about some of the things that you can do at Legoland Windsor. Let’s take a look at our day out and the pros and cons of our visit to Legoland on our recent day out.
LEGOLAND Windsor Pros
Here are our top 5 pros at Legoland Windsor Resort, although I’m sure there are many more.
1. Creativity and Imagination
LEGOLAND Windsor sparks creativity and imagination in visitors of all ages. Through its well-imagined and detailed LEGO models and immersive environments.
Some of the models were fantastic, especially in Miniland. Covering popular landmarks and iconic buildings, just in miniature form.
There was a mini London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Silverstone Dragsters, Amsterdam scenes, and much more. It was Great!
2. Diverse Rides
The park offers a wide range of attractions catering to different age groups, ensuring that every family member can find something enjoyable. There are height restrictions on the rides but some are also available to smaller children.
We were able to take our son on most rides at the age of 4. And our daughter who is only 5 months could go on a couple of the family rides such as the Duplo ExpressTrain and Fairytale Brook.
3. Family-Friendly Atmosphere
The park’s vibrant colors, cheerful characters, and well-designed layout create a family-friendly and welcoming atmosphere that appeals to children and adults alike.
Our son loved looking around and everyone else was there to do the same thing.
4. Accessibility/Facilities
LEGOLAND Windsor offers amenities and facilities that cater to families with young children, as well as those with mobility needs. Ensuring that everyone can enjoy the park comfortably.
To get around the park there are ramps for wheelchairs and pushchairs, or you can do down the stairs.
At the beginning of the park, there are even slides to go down to get to Duplo Land and the awesome Miniland.
5. Nostalgia and Iconic Themes
The park’s incorporation of iconic LEGO themes and characters evokes a sense of nostalgia for longtime LEGO enthusiasts. While introducing newer generations to beloved LEGO stories.
The newer generation will love the Lego Ninjago area and theme, with temples, dragons, and models of their favorite characters.
Or if you are like us and grew up with Lego and love the classics and a bit of nostalgia, then you will love the whole park.
LEGOLAND Windsor Cons
Unfortunately, no place can be perfect, so here are the cons we found with the Legoland Windsor Resort.
1. Crowds and Long Queue Lines
During peak seasons, the park can get crowded, leading to longer wait times for popular attractions, which can potentially dampen the overall experience.
We went in the UK school term time, midweek. So the park should have been quiet as most places are. However, it was extremely busy and there were a lot of school trips there.
We only made it on about 5-6 rides throughout the day as most rides had a queue of about an hour minimum. It is not great queuing with an impatient 4-year-old! In comparison, we went to Paultons Park at a similar time, and we were able to go on all the rides several times!
The queues were also ridiculously long and didn’t feel like they were moving at some points. We noticed that it was because people who had VIP and reserve and ride tickets would walk straight on the rides. However, the staff would let them all on and keep clearing their queue before letting us on, so the lines barely moved! If the wait time said 30 minutes, it was more like 1 hour 30 and they weren’t letting any of us on the ride.
2. Too Expensive/Extra Costs
The cost of entry, combined with additional expenses for food, merchandise, and certain attractions, can make a visit to LEGOLAND Windsor a pricey day for some families.
You can get deals and offers online if you pre-book your tickets. However, they say they will not give you a refund or transfer it under any circumstances.
You also have to pay for parking which currently is £8 if prebooked online, or £10 on the day.
3. Division between standard and premium experiences
At Legoland Windsor in our personal opinion, the whole experience felt very divided. To basically have the best experience you have to pay a lot of money, which not everyone can afford.
Examples:
- Parking – There is the normal car park and then there is a VIP car park which currently costs £16 and lets you park right next to the entrance.
- Water fountains – They had refillable water stations but were very hard to find. They are located near the toilets! But if you purchase the refillable drinks you can basically refill everywhere around the park and almost every area, which is crazy to not offer water at these locations either!
- Reserve and ride – You can purchase reserve and ride/VIP tickets at a cost of almost as much as a day ticket. But you can reserve your place and not queue and then walk on later or go straight to the ride exit to get on the ride. All this does is make the queues for the normal line longer.
We previously went on a ride that broke down after queuing for 50 mins, so we were told to go back later and we could skip the queue and go through the exit. When we got there there was a small queue in front of us, all with VIP and reserve and ride tickets. The member of staff let all of them on, then got to us and we explained that we were there due to the breakdown earlier. She did not let us go on for two more turns.
4. Card Only
Don’t let your child bring their pocket money or birthday money to spend in the gift shop or anywhere around the park. Legoland only accepts cards, which is very annoying if you like to use cash.
5. Ride Closed/Issues
As soon as we arrived at the park we went straight to the Dragon Coaster in Duplo Land as our son had spotted it and was very excited. The queue was not too long as the park had only been open ten minutes but was taking a long time to go down!
Then all of a sudden the coaster was not moving, but we were not made aware of any issues. Then all of a sudden they blocked the queue and asked us all to leave because one of the members of staff was ill and could not press the button. So we waited for 50 minutes and did not even get to ride on the coaster, and were not told what was going on!
Final Thoughts
So that’s our Legoland Windsor review. In summary, LEGOLAND Windsor offers a blend of creativity and family-friendly attractions, catering to a wide range of ages. The LEGO models, particularly in Miniland, are fantastic.
While there are enjoyable and memorable moments for all, the challenge lies in long queues and the VIP passes causing issues.
However, the cost factor, additional expenses, and perceived division between standard and premium experiences should be considered.
There were two types of people on our day out. Half of the people said they were having a fantastic day because they were just walking on the rides several times, and the other half of the people moaned about the queue times and moaning about the VIP passes.
Ultimately, LEGOLAND Windsor provides a unique blend of fun and imagination, yet you should be mindful of potential drawbacks to make the most of your experience.
Currently, I personally don’t recommend going at a peak time as you won’t get too much enjoyment. I think it’s worth a visit in quieter times. However, we were very put off by the prices and costs of all the extras. Regardless, we hope you also enjoy your day out at Legoland Windsor too.