Legoland Windsor – fun for all the family

Last Sunday we were lucky enough to be invited to the opening of Pirate Shores with it’s new features. Sadly castaway camp was not ready yet but we still had access to the Jolly Rocker and Knights Kingdom. Plus lots of pirate fun along the way.

We arrived at 8.30am to check in and were greeted by some friendly faces. We were given maps of the resort and wrist bands to wear. Then we were ushered through the gates to wait near the shops until everyone arrived. This gave us the opportunity to have a chat with others that were there and get our bearings. Once everyone had arrived we were told to follow the skull and crossbones which would lead us to our destination. The boys loved following the trail which lead to Pirate Shores. There we were greeted by some Pirates who welcomed us and handed out pirate eye patches to the children with drinks bottles. Then it was time to enjoy the rides that had been opened to us. The older two boys and dad of 3 headed straight for the Jolly Rocker while I watched with the younger two. They came off with big smiles on their faces and eager to try out more rides. So headed over to the Knights Kingdom to find some more rides, I have to say it was lovely being able to get on a few rides before the public came into the park. I’m not one for roller coasters but to Rowan wanted to go on one so agreeing I took the boys on the small one while dad of 3 waited with Erin, I have to admit it really was quite good fun. Next Dad of 3 and the older two wanted to try the Dragon, a bigger, faster roller coaster. So I took the younger two to the viewing platform to watch.

By the time we had been on rides six or seven times we noticed members of the public had arrived in the park, it was kind of like a wave of people descending making their way to the rides. We stopped to get a drink and decide where to head next. We worked our way around the various areas with dad of 3 and myself taking it in turns to go on rides with the boys.

As we walked around there were lots of Lego models to be seen both Incorporated into rides but also throughout the different areas. The detail in them was fantastic and they looked so life like. Walking through Mini land was fun trying to spot the landmarks we recognised and gave the opportunity to take a break from rides for half an hour or so.

By midday we realised that Erin had yet to go on a ride and although we were unsure how she would react we decided it was time to find something for her to do so we headed to Duplo Valley were the rides are geared to children aged three and under. They were also ideal for Rowan who was delighted to drive the train on one of the rides. Erin seemed to really enjoy the few rides she went on especially Storybook Brook which she went on three times!

The older boys were keen to have a go at the driving school and thoroughly enjoyed this experience. It was quite funny watching them drive around in the cars, Luc showed he knew he had to keep to one side of the road and stop at traffic lights etc while Trystan wanted to make sure he covered the whole area and although was careful was a bit more hap hazard about the course he took.

One of my favourite rides was Atlantis, we were all able to enjoy this one as a family and was a very calm ride compared to some of the others. Erin’s face when she spotted the fish was lovely. I could have stayed on Atlantis for longer as it seemed to be over too soon.

We had lunch from one of the burger bars and took it out into the sunshine to enjoy before heading off to enjoy yet more rides. We were so lucky with the weather that day, the sun shone and it was quite warm. The boys were upset that we wouldn’t let them enjoy the water area in Duplo Valley despite having their costumes with us. But I didn’t feel it was that warm and was worried about Rowan’s asthma playing up. So promised them that we would plan a return trip when the weather was warmer so they could enjoy the water.

There is so much to see and do in Legoland that even after we had spent seven hours in the park there was still things we had not seen and rides we had not been on. Making it quite easy to visit the park over two days if you have the opportunity. We were lucky to be given fast track entry for the rides and they certainly meant we didn’t have to queue for any longer than twenty minutes which on days that are extremely busy like the one we visited on it makes things so much better.

Our top tips for enjoying Legoland Windsor –

1. Arrive early so you can park and be ready to get your tickets at 10am
2. If you can afford it get Qbots (fast track entry) for the rides, they are well worth the price and will ensure you can enjoy lots of rides.
3. Take a picnic, I like the fact that Legoland allows you to take picnics with you.
4. Take your swimming costumes to enjoy Duplo Valley
5. Try to plan in advance which rides you want to get on, head to those at the far end of the park and work your way towards the entrance as the majority of visitors will work the other way around.

We had a fantastic day at Legoland Windsor, there was something for all the family and we would love to go back and see those bits we didn’t have the chance to this time.

Disclaimer – We were given tickets to Legoland as part of the event we were invited too however the content of this post is 100% my own.