Legoland turns 20 with a
ONCE upon a time you could make a crane or a simple car from Lego, but things have got more ambitious since I first left tiny bits of Danish plastic all over the carpet for my mum to step on. These days you can make a theme park. And amazingly, Legoland Windsor is marking its 20th anniversary this year.
There will be many events to celebrate, but the big one is already here – the new Lego Movie 4D. It’s a great stopgap for those who enjoyed 2014’s full-length Lego Movie and can’t wait until 2018 for the next one.
But as the sunshine was out we decided to take in some other attractions first. New this year is the 500,000-brick Death Star, part of the Star Wars exhibition. My daughter Claudia was freaked out by Darth Vader’s breathing, so my geekexcitement was a snatched pleasure. More to her taste was the driving school, where she and her friend Isabel raced Lego cars around Toytown, observing the traffic lights like model citizens. It was on the first ride that I realised I loved the Q-Bot Express, the virtual queuing device that allowed the girls to go on the same ride three times in a row with only minimal waiting in between. The last time I came to Legoland Windsor, sans Q-Bot, getting on rides was a battle of endurance. This time we had a seamless journey through the park, reserving our place on each ride and whizzing from Atlantis Submarine to Squid Surfer to Spinning Spider without missing a beat.
It also helps to plan your park visit carefully for fun without frazzle – Miniland’s incredible Lego model cities are peaceful to stroll round. In contrast, Heartlake City, with its restaurants, lake and pirate show, is always heaving.
Staying overnight as part of a Legoland mini-break makes things smoother too, giving you two days in the park to fit everything in.
Book a room at the Legoland Resort hotel and you’ll get entry into the park slightly earlier than everyone else. Alternatively, you can wind down at one of the park’s partner hotels – ours, the Beaumont Estate hotel,
was family-friendly with a pool and playground, and was just 15 minutes away. In the end we were so busy with rides that we didn’t watch the Lego Movie 4D until the following day. We booed and hissed at Risky Business, the brother of original movie baddie Lord Business, as he tried to lure the Lego heroes to Brickworld, his knock-off Legoland.
The Lego Movie 4D is not going to win any awards for plot development but the script is fun. And thanks to the film’s special effects, you get an indoor snowstorm and blasts of fire, which made the girls squeal with excitement.
As the Lego Movie song goes, everything is awesome…