Getting to Legoland Florida from Disney World
Our family decided to spend one day at Legoland during our Disney World trip, but we didn’t have a car. Legoland is about 45 minutes away from Disney World so taking a Taxi would be very expensive and cost prohibitive. You could rent a car for the day if you want the convenience to come and go as you like and still be cheaper than taking a taxi.The most economical way to get to Legoland Florida from Disney World is to take the Legoland shuttle. The shuttle only costs $5 per person, but you must reserve your spot on the shuttle in advance. The shuttle departs from Orlando Premium Outlets at 9am sharp. So make sure to get their a little early. A taxi from your Disney hotel will cost about $15 each way. (Please make sure to have a taxi dispatch number handy for the return trip as Taxi’s do NOT line up by the bus stop!)
The bus leaves Orlando Premium Outlet at 9am and will get you to the park about 45 minutes after park opens. The shuttle returns right after the park closes (time varies by daily operating hours, ask bus driver for today's’ time). Ours left at 6pm. The driver waited about 15 minutes and then left without the missing passengers, so please arrive promptly.The bus itself was VERY nice. It was newer and very comfortable. There were foot rests, seat belts, and a bathroom at the rear. The bus driver had Legoland maps for us to look at during our trip. There was also a welcome video and lego cartoons played throughout the trip. The bus was very nice and I would definitely recommend the bus.
If you are driving to Legoland Florida make sure to check their website for driving directions.
Discounted Tickets to Legoland
You can often time find discounted tickets (like kids free with a paid adult) in the Lego magazine, online, or at Toys R Us. So if you are planning to go, make sure you are on the lookout for these coupons that will save you $59 per child!
What age is best for Legoland
On Legoland’s website they say the park is for families with children ages 2-12 years old.Personally, I think Legoland has a much smaller niche. I feel like Legoland is best suited to kids ages 5-8 years old. Many of the rides have height restrictions and limits.
It’s a park where you will mostly watch your kids go on rides, not ride with them. Kids ages 5-8 will be able to ride and do most everything. They will enjoy the small thrills of Legoland coasters, the “cheesy” shows, and the minor (at least in my mind) attractions.
The entire family will enjoy Miniland USA.
Miniland USA – What Legoland does best!
Your entire family will enjoy Miniland USA where you can see entire US cities recreated in painstaking detail with Legos. This is one of the only attractions your entire family can do together. There is also a really cool Mini Star Wars land our family really enjoyed.
If you are going to Legoland – this is the best part of the park. However, don’t plan on seeing this first. The roller coasters will all get long (60+ minute) lines – so save the best of Legoland for later in the day.Legoland Rides are dissapointing
Some may disagree with me, but I was incredibly disappointed with the rides at Legoland. If you just came from Disney your disappointment will be more intense than if you are comparing it to a Six Flags type experience.
Legoland Florida took over an amusement park and then just changed elements to make them “Lego”. So you will find lots of minor attractions with some Lego flair. There are so many height restrictions we were not able to play as a family. We were constantly trying to figure out who could go on which ride and always had someone disappointed they couldn't ride (including Mom & Dad who spent most of the day sweating in the heat watching kids ride).
Don’t miss the Lego Creations trying to get to the rides that will disappoint!
Expect really short rides, bumpy coasters, and long lines. BUT if you are at Legoland because you love Legos (the only reason you should be at Legoland) take time to marvel at the Lego creations found all throughout the park. The Lego creations are what is unique and done right about this park. So don’t miss them trying to get to the rides that will (sorry) disappoint.Here are a couple of the better rides (from best to average):
- Driving School – both versions are fun, but if your kid is 6+ the bigger kid version actually takes the kids through a short video explaining about road signs and then the kids get to drive cars obeying traffic signals. Probably our favorite ride here.
- 2 story Lego Carousel – Finally, a ride we can all do together! The cute lego looking horses were a hit in our family.
- Quest for Chi – This is basically just an excuse to get wet as you each get a water gun to shoot at others. Still, it is one of the better rides here.
- Safari Trek – One of the few rides everyone (3 & up) can ride on. The ride itself is okay, but the cool thing is all the lego animals you’ll see!
- Royal Joust – Kids love going on the Lego style horses – again one of the more original rides here.
- Flying School – This ride has a height requirement, and will bang your head back & forth, but your kid will love the coaster where their feet are dangling in the air.
- Pull Yourself Up – Okay it has a real name, but it eludes me. You get to pull yourself up to the top. It if found between Imagination Zone and Lego Tecnic
Legoland Employees are very UPBEAT
We found Legoland employees to be very friendly and upbeat. (Not Disney worthy, but actually pretty good.) Unfortunately, they are not very well trained. They were incredibly inefficient in loading the rides which meant what should have been a 15 minutes line ended up being a 45 minute wait. So while the ride was running, instead of lining up guests in the rows to load, all 3 employees would watch the ride run. Then they would unload them. Then they would start lining up guests in rows. Then they’d let them in. Then they’d do 1-3 (yep 3) seat belt checks before finally starting the ride again.
You can take minifigures with you and trade them with any employee. You don’t even need the accessories, just the head, body and legs. We found some cool Minifigures throughout our day.
Legoland Food is expensive!
No, it isn’t that much more than Disney, but (and this is a BIG but) the quality is so much different. I can get a hamburger & fries at Legoland or a BBQ Sandwich at Disney. The food is “traditional” American food, and not much more.HINT: We ended up getting lunch in the Castle area and all ordering kids meals which gave us a hamburger, fries, fruit, and a drink for a more reasonable $6.99.
Legoland is a hot park!
It is hot in Florida and many days it will rain. The unfortunate part about Legoland is that everything is outside. With the exception of a covered outdoor stadium at Pirate’s Cove, main restaurant by the entrance, and the theater if you need to get out of the heat (or rain) you are out of luck!So if you melt (like I do) you need to know that to cool off you’ll need to spend time in the Market Restaurant. One nice thing is that there are Lego blocks for kids to build with while you sit!
Best Legoland Florida Touring Strategy
Okay, if I was doing Legoland again here is what I’d do.- Start off riding the Dragon & Coastersaurus.
- Ride Safari Trek & Royal Joust
- Ride Quest for Chi
- Head over to Driving School
- Have lunch wherever sounds good & see a couple rides that looked like fun to you
- 3:30 (or whatever time it is scheduled for on your visit) see Pirate’s Cove Show (it’s not great, but it is a good break and the water skiing is unique)
- 4pm – Ride 2 story carousel
- 4:15pm - See Miniland (marvel at the mini US towns & Star Wars recreations – don’t forget to push the button!)
You will find more shopping choices at the Lego store in Downtown Disney (surprised, so were we!)
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Should you go to Legoland Florida?
Well, if you have kids 5-8 years old and your family loves Legos then maybe once. Just don’t expect to be wowed by the rides, and make sure you get kids get in free tickets. I’m glad we went once to see the Miniland. But our family does not feel the need to go back – once was more than enough for us.
Additional Travel Resources
Additional Travel Resources
