At the end of May we were lucky enough to be invited along to see the new Heartlake City at Legoland Windsor. I’m not sure who was more excited about the trip, the children or dad of 3 and myself.
We travelled down to Reading the night before as we had to be at Legoland before the park opened to the public. So after a lovely nights rest in a hotel we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then made the half an hour journey to Legoland. Upon arrival we made our way to the entrance where we were greeted and directed to the train which would take us through the park and closer to Heartlake City where we could have a look around and try out the new Mia’s Adventure Ride before heading to the Heartlake Harbour Arena to enjoy a special showing of “Lego Friends to the Rescue”.
Luc and dad of 3 where keen to have a go on Mia’s Adventure Ride so we headed there first. Erin was immediately taken with the Lego animals which are around the ride. Mia’s Adventure Ride features a circle of horse all facing outwards, once the riders take their seats and are safely secured the ride starts. Gently at first moving along an axel backwards and forwards. While this is happening the circle of horses with their riders is also rotating. I waited at the side watching dad of 3 and luc with the other three children and I have to say it looked fun although I’m personally not very good with heights! Luc certainly enjoyed the ride and it was one we returned to later in the day.
After a quick drink we made our way to the Heartlake City Harbour Arena to find a seat ready for the show to start. The show started and I could see that Erin was immediately really taken with it, getting really involved with the storyline. It was also the first time we had actually watched a show at Legoland and I have to say we were all impressed by it. The was the right mix of action and singing all suitable for all ages.
After the show we had an opportunity to meet the Lego Friends. I thought that Erin would really enjoy this as she had loved the show but sadly she was too shy. Rowan though couldn’t wait to go and meet the girls and took his class teddy who he had for the half term break with him! The Lego Friends did say hi to Erin despite her shyness which was lovely and Rowan was quick to ask if he could have his photograph taken with them!
After the meet and greet we were able to go and explore the rest of the park and enjoy the rides. As we had visited Legoland last year we decided to try to get on some of the rides we hadn’t done before and then go back to our favourites from last year. We were extremely lucky that our press bands for the day also gave us fast track passes to the rides which meant we didn’t have to queue long for any of the rides.
I loved the fact that Erin was now old enough to really enjoy the rides and the whole Legoland experience. Watching her little face light up and join in was fantastic and she thoroughly enjoyed the day. I had taken our old stroller into the park with us just incase the walking got too much. But apart from a brief ride she walked so we used the stroller to hold our bags with snacks in.
Driving School Fun
We were very fortunate with the weather during the day as well which is always handy. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants in Heartlake City at around 1pm before heading off to enjoy more rides.
Miniland
I was also able to catch up with the lovely Mummy Bird and her family while there as well as Tired Mummy of Two and Alice from Life As Alice Blog. It’s always great to meet up with other bloggers and this was no exception.
After an amazing day out we headed towards the shop at the main entrance for a treat before a quick refreshment break and trip to the toilet. We left the park at 4.30pm as we had a five hour journey home and wanted to leave before it got too busy. The children slept part of the way home too which was great.
Our top tips for visiting Legoland Windsor:
1. Try to budget for Q-Bot machines (fast track passes) these mean you can jump the queues, which during busy periods is a godsend.
2. Take your own picnic with you. There are areas around the park where you can sit and enjoy a picnic. There are several options for eating around the park however they can get busy.
3. Take advantage of the free refills available for soft drinks. You can buy drinks bottles which can be hung around your neck. Once you have bought the first time they can then be refilled as many times as you like. You can get the refills at all the snack bars around the park and the restaurants.
4. If you can try to plan your day in advance, use the website to identify the rides you really want to go on first. That way you can head to these first.
5. We try to head to the furthest part of the park to start with and work our way back towards the entrance. We have found that this way we are going the opposite way to the majority of the other visitors.
6. You can also collect collectors badges during your visit. A selection are available from the restaurant and some are available as staff swaps. Then for those staying at the Legoland Hotel you will also find some there. You can then display your badges on the straps of your drinks bottles.
7. Make time to enjoy a show at Heartlake City Harbour Areana – this is something we haven’t done on previous visits and having seen the new show I would thoroughly recommend seeing one.
You can find out more about Legoland Windsor by visiting their website here. You will find visitor information and also information about staying at the Legoland Hotel.
Thank you Legoland for inviting us to spend the day with you and explore Heartlake City. We had a fantastic day out and loved every minute.
Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the opening of Heartlake CIty at Legoland WIndsor and were kindly provided with passes for the day for the purpose of this post. However the content of this post is 100% my own.