LEGO Inside Tour 2014

khopewosin

leemcg said:

Hi @kennywest‌ Good to see you here. I was actually going to make the point that one of the most interesting things I learnt from the tour was the large numbers of people who are on Brickset without posting. Almost all the AFOLs on the tour told me that they were members of Brickset but didn't post much, or at all. Always worth bearing in mind.

@leemcg I'm also one of the brickset lurkers. It was an excellent tour and the best part was being able to share it with 34 other people with the same mindset and being organised by a group of very Lego passionate people. Hope the next 3 tours will be even better. Will someone give updates on those as well?

Mauricio

Someone else asked, and I think this info will help future tour participants with their planning, especially those from the US.

The discount at the store is 50% off the DKK (Danish krone) price. So you can go to the Denmark version of shop.lego.com, cut the price in half, and check against the current USD exchange rate.

For example: the Parisian restaurant is 1300 DKK, or 650 in the store, so that is about $120 instead of $160. (I picked up that one!) Meanwhile, Back to the Future DeLorean is 400 DKK, or 200 in the store, which is about $37 instead of the $35 US retail, so not worth it.

For European and especially Australian residents, I believe everything is a great deal.

Let me know if you want more info on that.

bammac

Add me to list of participants from the first tour. Had a wonderful time and meet some even more wonderful people. Had to leave during the farewell speech from Mad's to the group, so I couldn't interrupt that by saying goodbye. I also couldn't miss that long flight back to Australia. Camilla promised to post my inside Tour set so I will have to wait till that arrives to find out what it is lol! I wonder if it will beat my large box from the staff store.

One thing that I have found when explaining the tour to friends since getting back, is that they generally comment "oh it sounds like a business trip, I thought you were going on the rides". In a way it probably is more akin to a business trip, they certainly opened the curtains behind the various business departments at LEGO. Of which all of the team were extremely generous with their time given to us. I left reflecting that they really did show us the inside mechanics of the company, and got an amazing insight into the culture and people at LEGO.

Putting my own passion and love for the product they produce to one side, the company behind the product is just as amazing. I'm certainly going to reflect on how they do things with my own business back home.

If you work in the corporate world, the lessons & insights learnt for me were well worth the price of admission.

Attached is my view from my room, it was a wet start to the morning...

Basta

Sounds great.

Did you get to walk through the design studio or what ever it is called?

There was some pictures that got released a year or two back and they had a metal slide and heaps of sets and MOCs on display including one that looked like the LOTR Tower of Orthanc (Long before it was released).



Although I know you can't tell specifics it would be interesting to know if you might have had a glimpse (Even if you didn't know it) of future sets :)

cheshirecat

bammac said:

If you work in the corporate world, the lessons & insights learnt for me were well worth the price of admission.

Tax deductible? I wonder if I can persuade the training budget to pay for me to go as personal professional development!

bammac

I spoke to @leemcg and @GoldJono about some IP we noticed that did not fit into some current themes. That was more us speculating, but we can't really say what we saw inside any LEGO building.

I won't ruin future tours by saying what/where we spent our time with the designers, I will say we spent plenty of time with them. They were very open and accessible.

I would imagine that many of you would watch the designer videos will recognise them on the tour.

bammac

GoldJono said:

@Mauricio good to meet you on the tour. Personally I would prefer if you waited until after the final tour, it's not really that far away. In the meantime you could post on our groups share point site.

Oh i forgot about the Sharepoint site, that would be great to share photos.

adiemc

@bammac‌ I was wondering why I didn't see you after the farewell speech!

As to the designers I'd back up everything you said. More than happy to chat about about anything. I particularly enjoyed meeting Olav who designed the new sandcrawler. He seemed genuinely disappointed when I told him I wasn't able to buy it in the employee shop as it wasn't there yet!

kennywest

I am planning to send a mail to our lovely hosts to thank them for everything. I would also like to ask them to try and contact all participants of the tour and I would like to receive from all of them (yes, that includes you guys her :) ) a picture with all the participants in their family. I would like to add this to my photo album I will create next month or so. Not online, something to cherish in printed format. After all, it is not only the tour that was very interesting, but also the people I've met.
Does this sound as something reasonable to ask?

adiemc

^ Count me in for that @kennywest. I'm also planning on sending an email to thank Camilla, Sanne and Regina as they looked after us so well. That's in addition to the all the work they have to do before we even arrive.

husky96

@Mauricio‌ thanks for the pricing heads up. My family is going next week on the tour and are super excited!

I like the idea of a group photo so I'll be sure to mention that if there is a moment where everyone is together and not rushed.

Mauricio

@husky96‌, they will arrange a group photo on the first day.

TheLoneTensor

Pitfall69 said:

No offense to TLG and Lego itself; I can take a family of 4 to Walt Disney World Resorts for a week for less money than going on this Lego tour.

Or a month of Cedar Point :)

Doppelganger

Hi all! I was also on the tour (the mom with a son; I built the hair salon) and didn't discover this site till today. As I told @kennywest, apparently the tour has converted me. I really enjoyed meeting you all and had a fabulous time on the tour.

@bammac, I'm sorry you had to leave early. My son was looking for you afterwards to tell you more thanks. He has been talking a lot about your generosity and had a lot of fun building that set. Thank you!

Re: advice for future tour-goers, I have a couple of lessons learned.

1. The tour itself does not allow for much time to explore and do the rides at Legoland, so plan your flights to allow that either before or after the tour.

2. Danish VAT is about 25%. If you spend more than 300DKK on a purchase (and live outside the EU), you can have that refunded at Billund Airport on your way out. However, you need a special form/verification from the store. The Legoland store has a small sign at customer service that says "tax free shopping." Stop there after you check out and get the paperwork. I do not know whether the employee store has the paperwork or not; if so, that would be even more valuable.

At the Billund Airport, you get your paperwork processed at the desk that says "Customs" on the left side of the terminal. Then you get the actual money back from the bank upstairs in the departure area.

3. Most American credit cards do not have chip and PIN technology. My plain credit card still worked everywhere Lego, including the hotel, the employee shop, and the Legoland store. However, it did not work at many places in Copenhagen. Either carry enough cash to cover your needs or ask your credit card issuer to send you a more Europe-friendly card.

4. Not only are the prices for sets good at the employee shop, they have cool branded items that you can't get anywhere else. I wish I had gotten more of that kind of stuff. To a PP's question: yes, they do have tshirts in adult sizes that are not available at the park.

That's enough for a maiden post. I hope our new friends will be in touch (like @kennywest, I need some filler for our photo album), and wish all you future tourers a great trip.

husky96

@doppelganger Are you from the US? I didn't think the airport would give you the VAT back if you don't have the goods with you? I'm assuming that if I have LEGO ship my box of goodies, Customs wants to see proof.

khopewosin

Doppelganger said:

2. Danish VAT is about 25%. If you spend more than 300DKK on a purchase (and live outside the EU), you can have that refunded at Billund Airport on your way out. However, you need a special form/verification from the store. The Legoland store has a small sign at customer service that says "tax free shopping." Stop there after you check out and get the paperwork. I do not know whether the employee store has the paperwork or not; if so, that would be even more valuable.

Unfortunately the employee store does not have the tax free arrangement. I asked and it was not available.

oldtodd33

@TheLoneTensor I could hang out for a month at Cedar Point. It's been a long time since I've been there.

kennywest

@Doppelganger‌ , remember to read the book I advised: http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Love-Story-Jonathan-Bender/dp/0470407026

For me, this has been a true eye opener ...

MorkMan

To all - thank you so much for your insight and thoughts about the Inside Tour. I'm not going this year (and don't expect to go next year either), but that doesn't stop me from drooling over the experiences you have all had. I could never have gotten these tips/tricks/insights were it not for Brickset. Thanks @all and @Huw‌.

Huw

^Thanks, and welcome aboard all the new members who've joined after the tour.

Doppelganger

@husky96: Yes, I am in the US, and yes, you do need to have the goods with you for the VAT return. Although you won't have the box that the LIT sends for you, I can almost guarantee you will have other Lego goodies. The one box from the employee shop is, indeed, only one box. Also, it can only be used to send boxed Lego sets. You will be responsible for bringing/sending home other stuff, like clothing, key chains, etc. From what @fatboyandson says, that is moot with respect to VAT (and thanks for telling me that - I was kicking myself for not getting the paperwork at the employee shop.) So it sounds like the VAT refund applies to purchases from the Legoland shop and anywhere else in Denmark you might have spent more than 300 DKK.

@kennywest‌: The book is already ordered!

For all of you who say you got VIP points: is any of you in the US? I did not get the points. I emailed Lego.com customer service yesterday to ask and was told they are not given for the tour. Maybe it's a US/UK thing? I'd love to get them if I can.

Back to sorting photos . . . .

husky96

@Doppelganger‌ I got the points like everyone else and I'm in the US. Like what previous posters have said, it was 1300 points I believe per person?

GoldJono

@Dopppelganger here is an extract from my VIP account history, clearly showing the points for the tour (which I have already spent).

2014-03-21 Y591378915 21050 Studio V17 149 -
2014-03-18 3001992764 LEGO INSIDE TOUR FEE 1300 -
2014-03-06 Y578473844 LEGO Factory PAB-online LFH101 47 -

They should treat everyone the same way, remember it's supposed to be "only the best is good enough".

Mauricio

I also got my VIP points, and I am in the US. I actually didn't expect that, so that's a nice bonus! 2600 points for the two of us, all on my account.

rgp

Thanks to everyone for all the great tips and advice !! Leaving Zimbabwe on Monday next week to join the next Inside Tour :) .. Off to unpack my case ...... so I can fit more sets in ..;) Looking forward to meeting everyone !!

Bandit

Why aren't they giving the full points for the cost (isn't it roughly $2300 USD per person)? Not to sound ungrateful or that 1300 isn't better than nothing... :)

Doppelganger

Thanks, everyone, for verifying this about the VIP points. I just emailed C to ask about it. I thought I'd check with her first, rather than emailing back the guy who said we weren't supposed to get them. I don't want any of you to have them taken away!

GoldJono

@Bandit the points are based on the Danish price 13,000DKK which is what you pay for the tour in.

Bandit

GoldJono said:

@Bandit the points are based on the Danish price 13,000DKK which is what you pay for the tour in.

Ah, I see, thanks for the clarification!

bammac

@Doppelganger‌ Yes sorry I wasn't able to stay and say good bye, I really didn't want to interupt so I departed quietly. I hope your son has had a wonderful time playing with the new sets!

I'm also in the list of Tour members who did not get any VIP points, the receipt of the tour is clearly attached to my account... just no VIP points. I would be interested to hear how you get on with that. Thanks to @Goldjono for the showing your account statement, should help with resolving this.

I have managed to steer clear of the sites that leaked the Inside Tour sets, mine is on its way apparently. Can I ask without ruining the surprise if everyone was happy/surprised with the set?

Mauricio

@banmac, my wife and I were quite pleased with the set! It happens to fit in with my favorite product line, which I won't spoil here.

kennywest

Box from employee shop arrived today ... seems I should have bought more :(
But I guess there is no way to satisfy one's addiction to LEGO :)

Mauricio

@kennywest‌, that was fast! We also realized there were a few things we could have gotten (second box was only half full), but I think I got the ones with the biggest savings.

kennywest

Living only 800km away from Billund helps I guess :)

evert

Hey Guys
I am also reading this thread for quite some time. So it's time to say hello.
First of thanks for all the good advice for the trip. It is very help full.

I am coming the tour on the 17 t/m 20 of june. I take the car so plenty of space to bring some sets home.

I had a problem with the VIP-point but that was large my mistake. C did a very good job in fixing it. I must say that the lady's are very kind and are giving a superb service.

I saw the part list from TLC for the exclusive set and I was able to the find almost all the pieces. So I started building form there. I will not say what i am building but it looks great!

Greets Evert

Legolyn

First time post! Thanks for all the interesting hints and tips above and to those of you going on the tour next week (20-23 May) see you there!

Doppelganger

legogregors said:

^^ Also, were any of the tour dates cheaper to get flights for from the US or any city/connection/airline significantly lower? Now they all seem to be 1,200-1,600USD.

@legogregors, we bought our US flights some months ago and economy on SAS was roughly $800 USD. I just checked for the rest of the summer and the prices are twice that.

legogal

That is correct as to flight prices from the US. I have watched them the past 8 months and saw few round trip (return) fares below 1100us from the US to Europe. I finally jumped in and spent 1050us for Air Canada via Toronto to BIllund because they are partners with Lufthansa, which has shuttle from Billund to Frankfurt and will check your bags in at Billund all the way back to the US.

That is important when you are hauling a major load of LEGO. American Air does not have a partner in that part of Europe requiring you to fly back to London City via BA, somehow manage to switch airports to Heathrow, and then somehow get through security in time for your flight back to the US. Don't even think of trying this route. You will die. Unless you are able to conjure up miracles upon demand.

The other death wish involves flying Ryanair from London Stansted to Billund. I survived this flight over, but it is a major pain in the arse because Stansted is so far from London and requires an overnight airport hotel to make the early flights. I had to fly into Heathrow on the way over because Legoland Windsor was also on my agenda this month. It is possible to combine Windsor and Billund Parks into one trip if necessary.

It sounds as if so far everyone has had a blast on the Inside Tour this year. It is great that TLG offers such a fun trip for the hard core fans. And there is so much to see and do in Billund if you really are into LEGO.

leemcg

Very excited as I've just had a text message to say that a box from Billund is arriving today!

adiemc

@leemcg‌ so have I!

leemcg

Next tour starts tomorrow/Weds. Now that we've got our Lego, it seems time to hand over the thread to the next attendees...

rgp

On my way !! Sitting in Johannesburg Airport waiting for my son !! Then we fly to Frankfurt and catch connecting plane to Billund !! Arriving at about 10 am !! Let the fun begin :)

Mauricio

Here is what came in our boxes, plus a few extra things we picked up on the trip. But what you see here is basically what will fit in two boxes.

Enjoy Tour #2!

LegobrandonCP

The employee store was selling the hot dog cart? Nice haul!

Mauricio

For US attendees: here is how you should plan your employee store shopping in advance!

1) Bring up your Brickset "want" list. You know you have one! =)
2) Go to http://shop.lego.com/en-DK (Denmark) and look up each item you want.
3) Divide each price by 10 to roughly convert to dollars $.
4) Compare to the US store price. If lower, make a note to pick it up!

The "divide by 10" rule of thumb includes: current exchange rate, employee discount, and even a bit left over for credit card foreign transaction fees (usually around 3%). For example, #10243 Parisian Restaurant is 1299 kr, or around $130. This is $30 less than the US price of $160, so it is a good deal.

Some themes are about the same price or actually more expensive, e.g. Friends and DUPLO, so check prices carefully. Also note that the prices are close enough that sales at Walmart or Amazon, or even using VIP points at home, may be better.

But it is hard to resist the allure of "Buying a Big Box of Bricks from Billund." =) Enjoy!

kennywest

I can almost feel the excitement of the people arriving today, ready to start the program tomorrow noon.
Please tell Regina, Sanne and Camilla we said "Hi" and send our warmest regards ...

husky96

I'm flying in tonight! See everyone in the afternoon.

minicoopers11

Was there for the May 6-9 tour and it was incredible.

Advice for the employee shop: there were many hard-to-find in USA polybags there. Keep your eyes open for that. Also, the clearance area had some good stuff in it. Also, the battle packs (except Star Wars...so I'm talking about Castle, P of the C, etc) seemed to be ridiculously good in terms of price.

Advice for Billund: Buy the Lego House set. Many local retailers stock it...if you're a non-EU citizen, buy at a shop that supports VAT refund (and buy at least three so you hit 300 DKK minimum for VAT refund).

Advice for Legoland: GoFigure shop (in Western area) has (at least had when I was there) sealed cases of Series 10, Series 11, Lego Movie, and Simpsons CMF. All are 1000 DKK each and VAT refund is supported (just take your receipts to the VAT refund counter in the main Legoland Lego shop to get the paperwork). For US citizens, I think that is a great deal for Simpsons minifigs.

And the exclusive set was amazing. I just sat there in awe. Enjoy it! I am VERY tempted to build it....

minicoopers11

Advice for Copenhagen: If you're spending time in Copenhagen or just driving through there on the way to the airport, stop by the Lego Shop to pick up the Copenhagen minifig keychain (40 DKK each) and the BR shop to get a few of the BR minifigure (10 DKK each).

chiukeung

hi everyone, i joined the first Tour (6-9 May) as well, it is so excited for me to find the discussion here and chat with my tour members again.

CK
from Hong Kong