First trip to Disney (but possibly more importantly, first trip to Legoland Florida!)

jmeninno

Hey all,

So, the family and I will be going to Disney in a few weeks.  I've actually never been, but my wife has been a number of times over the years, so while advice is very welcome, that's not what I'm actually here for.

I am here to learn about your adventures at Legoland (Florida).  We have never been to Legoland (except for the smaller version in MA).  We only have one day carved out to enjoy the entire park, as the focus is Disney, water parks, etc.  While I hope we are able to hit everything in the park, I'm nervous about missing out on something...anything...so my questions to you are:

-What are the absolute must-do's while we are down there?  Rides, food, etc.
-What exclusive items should the family and I be on the lookout for?  Polys, etc.
-Any other general advice?

I appreciate any comments, feedback, advice, etc.  I am a total noob when it comes to traveling and considering this is my first time to Legoland, I'd like to make the most out of the one day we'll be there.

Thank you!!!

jmeninno

Oh!  And minifigure trading...is it really a big thing down there?  Do they trade new minifigs?  Can I trade really beat up minifigs (lol)?  I considered buying a ton of used ones as cheaply as I could, since my kids and wife and I would likely want to be a part of it, but I really don't know how the trading works and I thought I had read some stories online about how there really arent many opportunites to trade...?

BrickByBrick

Go to cosmic Rays starlight cafe in tomorrowland in magic kingdom to see the animatronic sonny eclipse.

Switchfoot55

I think @SumoLego might still have a hidden treasure you can look for?

jmeninno

^There may or may not have been discussions with a @SumoLego (which originally started with discussions for a trade)...I plead the fif.

Pitfall69

I don't know if anyone found the minifigure that @SumoLego "planted" at Hollywood Studios? It took him awhile, but Sumo found the minifigure I stuck in the ground. 

hleonffu

Have not been to LL Florida in several years. The last time I visited, there where very few park exclusive sets. If you are into LEGO clothing, especially adult sizes, you can find them at the park. I liked the water park and would do most of the rides.

SprinkleOtter

jmeninno said:

Hey all,

So, the family and I will be going to Disney in a few weeks.  I've actually never been, but my wife has been a number of times over the years, so while advice is very welcome, that's not what I'm actually here for.

I am here to learn about your adventures at Legoland (Florida).  We have never been to Legoland (except for the smaller version in MA).  We only have one day carved out to enjoy the entire park, as the focus is Disney, water parks, etc.  While I hope we are able to hit everything in the park, I'm nervous about missing out on something...anything...so my questions to you are:

-What are the absolute must-do's while we are down there?  Rides, food, etc.
-What exclusive items should the family and I be on the lookout for?  Polys, etc.
-Any other general advice?

I appreciate any comments, feedback, advice, etc.  I am a total noob when it comes to traveling and considering this is my first time to Legoland, I'd like to make the most out of the one day we'll be there.

Thank you!!!

1. Screw minifig trading. Half the employees had battered minifigs from little kids when I was there. Some didn't know the program existed. Pass

2. Miniland there sucks. Okay, that's a little harsh- it looks amazing, but the layer of grime, and all the broken models really detracts from it. The staff there do not maintain Miniland AT ALL- just walk around looking so proud of it. Um, hello, 90% of the marching band figures are missing legs... you wanna get on that? No? okay, then...

3. Wanna do more? Bring some sandwhiches. You can hit up a decent restaurant any time, especially when you aren't paying roughly $10 an hour per person to be there anyway (this goes for Disney, too). This lets you do so many more rides (especially when the number of people in line drops around lunchtime). If you want something to eat from the park, literally everyone suggests the apple fries in Fantasy area (I can't vouch, as I have food allergies, however).

Must-dos (for my family, at least): Skipper School (seriously, that's waaaaay at the top of the list), Technic coaster (if you're into roller coasters), and Bionicle Blasters (think Disney teacup ride).

I'd honestly skip the Jonny Thunder ride,  unless the line isn't long. It's not nearly as fun as the Buzz Lightyear version at Disney (which, also, is a must for all ages).

General advice for theme parks:
Show up before they open. I can't tell you how many rides my fam can hit before lines even form anywhere. Did Pirates of the Caribbean 3 times in a row Disney world last time (even after doing Aladin first). Doing this even an hour later in the day would have taken minimum 3 hours. So prioritize the rides you think you'll like most, and do them as soon as the park opens.

Fast pass, Fast pass, fast pass. Get it for a ride with a long wait (e.g. Space Mountain), then hit something with a shorter wait.

If you're staying late at Disney (which I suggest you do, but I don't know how old your kids are), you can also do about 6-8 rides within the last hour of closing (the fireworks are also nice, too).

Switchfoot55

@jmeninno, my wife and I are more Disneyland experts than Disneyworld, so I can't give as much detailed advice, but there are several apps/websites out there that can help you build an "itinerary" or sorts to help direct you through the park and maximize your time. 

The good ones have a nominal fee (~$5), but the reward for a more enjoyable day has always been worth it for me. I've used Touringplans.com and have also gone with ridemax.com in the past (once for Disneyworld). You can customize several parameters based on your family/group. How fast you want to walk, frequency of bathroom breaks, if you have a designated fast pass runner, what types of rides you want to do/don't want to do, etc.... 

Might be worth checking out if you usually take a more OCD approach to a *relaxing vacation. 

*please note that no vacation to any of the Disney properties has ever actually been relaxing

BrickByBrick

Get a fastpass for Flight of Passage in animal kingdom assuming you're going to that park. Trust me, best ride there

SumoLego

If you are staying on-site, you can get your Fastpasses 30 days in advance through the DisneyWorld App.

SumoLego

Check that - it's 60 days in advance on the FP+.

jmeninno

Thank you everyone for your feedback!  I have been relaying it back to the wife.  We are officially less than a month away from flying!

blokey9

let us know how you went with Legoland. i will be heading over to Orlando in January, so would like to know if it's worth adding Legoland to the itinerary.

SumoLego

We visited the tail-less dolphin in Clearwater.  It was a nice half-day trip before heading to Disney.  We flew into Tampa, went to Clearwater in the morning, and then had plenty of time to get to the hotel at WDW that evening.

NicksBricks

blokey9 said:

let us know how you went with Legoland. i will be heading over to Orlando in January, so would like to know if it's worth adding Legoland to the itinerary.

I’d also like to know how it was. My son is 2 and a half and we went to Disney this year. Avoided Legoland because I assumed he’d be too small to enjoy it. We plan on going back when he’s a little older and want to know if Legoland is worth a visit.

jmeninno

Thanks again everyone for the input.  We will be headed down there in a few days, but I don't think Legoland is until "Week 2" of our vacation.  I'll report back soon enough!

jmeninno

We are back!  Had a blast at Disney and Legoland.  Much more feedback to come when I have more time to write something up that captures my thoughts and also hopefully will help others as they plan their vacations.

PJ76uk

jmeninno said:

We are back!  Had a blast at Disney and Legoland.  Much more feedback to come when I have more time to write something up that captures my thoughts and also hopefully will help others as they plan their vacations.

Look forward to your write up since I'm taking the family there in the summer, son is Ninjago mad so hopefully plenty for him to see/do whilst there!

Oubird

If you went to universal as well, please compare that with Legoland.  We’ve done disneyworld and plan to see other parks as well on next trip

blokey9

well i just got back from our trip to Orlando and i have to say, Legoland was really disappointing. The rides weren't that good. The good part of the day was the fact that the crowds were low, so we didn't feel rushed. We went at our own pace and didn't have long queues to deal with.

I also wasn't aware that Star Wars miniland had been removed from the park.

The Trump figure in front of the Whitehouse was pretty funny though.

Disneyworld, Universal and the Kennedy Space Centre were all highlights.