Today’s guest article comes from Chris Castagnetto who shares his family’s experience visiting Legoland California.

Is Legoland California worth the trip? Do the newest rides and experiences live up to the hype? Is there enough to do with the park being a quarter of a century old, and what’s worth doing? These are just a few of the questions I hope you will be able to answer after reading this opinionated look at Legoland California from the eyes of a parent.

My name is Chris Castagnetto, and I’m an AFOL. As such, I am also a huge fan of pop culture and theme parks. I have been an avid theme park and attraction attendee my whole life, taking classes in college about zoo and theme park business, design, and management. Luckily enough, I’m now a father of two and get to see theme parks and experiences in a whole other light. As a father I’m always looking to learn more online about parks and attractions to help plan out my experiences with my family to help ensure the best use of our time to help maximize our experience.

After recently visiting Legoland California, I wanted to take a moment and share my thoughts, tips, and recommendations for other parents to help ensure the best experience for families when visiting Legoland California.

Legoland California Quick Guide

Before I jump into our experience and the associated review, I wanted to provide a brief summary for those who want to skip the explanations and get straight to the 2x4 brick core of the article.

Is Legoland California a good spend of my money and time with younglings?

Yes! As long as you plan before you go to maximize your experience, it is an incredible value and fun experience for the whole family—especially if you embrace your inner Benny.

Is the Legoland Hotel worth the higher rate compared to other local options?

Most defiantly! The free breakfast is essentially a $20 per person savings, but more importantly, the immersive experience, additional entertainment, and room quality are top-notch, so pick your room theme wisely. The early park access is also nice.

What rides should we do after rope drop? (If you know, you know)

Ninjago and LEGO Movie are the big E-ticket rides, and the roller coasters are fun, but the lines don’t get too crazy. Doing Ninjago multiple times with little to no wait in the morning saves you a lot of time in the afternoon to do more casual attractions (see more info below about Dino Valley).

Which rides and experiences are MUST DOs that we should not miss?

Ninjago is a unique interactive ride, though if you’re a thrill seeker, the Technic coaster is fun. The most immersive rides would be LEGO Movie and Dragon Coaster. Lost Kingdom Adventure and LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure are fun interactive rides for the family, and Driving School is always fun for the little ones.
For shows, I recommend attending at least two different 4D shows: identify the LEGO themes your family likes best and then plan around those specific shows. Monster Chase is our favorite as it’s the best story and more entertaining for a wider audience.
As for experiences, the Adventure Club is fun, and the Hideaways is an amazing playground for the little ones to get their energy out mid-day while you snack on Apple Fries. I highly recommend also participating in Minifig Trades and Pop Badge Hunts—both are explained below for maximum interaction during the day.

How are the food options?

There are a lot of options for folks with alternative needs when it comes to food. The prices are normal theme park prices, so plan accordingly. There is little to no fancy coffee at the park outside the one market at the entrance so be warned. Be sure to bring your own water bottle as that will save you a lot of time; if you don’t have one, the stores have some very high-quality options for water bottles, which are much more economical than paying per bottle.

What should we pack beforehand to ensure the best experience?

Water bottles are a must, hats for waiting in line, and sweaters or jackets in case of wind or colder weather are suggested. Sunscreen is also recommended. There are not a lot of lockers, so plan accordingly with a backpack or stroller to hold your supplies. I would also recommend snacks as there are not a lot of snack options, and you don’t want a hangry kid while in line for an attraction. In addition, I HIGHLY recommend that you participate in Minifig trading (as discussed below), so bring your unwanted figs to trade with staff and other guests at special events and locations. Additional ziplock bags are also a good idea so your kids don’t lose the minifigs and accessories during the day.

Any other critical tips?

Order your tickets in advance or bring your BOGO coupons to help maximize your time and value.
If you’re a foodie, there aren’t a lot of unique foods other than the Apple Fries, but we highly recommend this tasty and unique treat.
Download the app ahead of time and plan out your trip. You can also see the menus and plan your meals accordingly.
Plan all your shopping for the end of the day, as the shops stay open a bit later than the rides and experiences.

Legoland California Hotel

Now that the quick guide is out of the way, let’s dive in and chat about the experience and learnings that we had at Legoland California. To kick off our trip, we decided to stay the night at the official LEGO Castle hotel for the first time, and wow, this was incredible.

Upon first entering the hotel, you are surrounded by a fun, immersive experience with kind staff and a lot of fun experiences. If you time your arrival right, there are interactive experiences like a magic show, minifig bingo, and a brick building contest, as well as other fun night entertainment like screenings of the various LEGO movies and a dance party. These experiences, along with the amazing ambiance, really hyped up the kids. Before we even got to our room, we had spent a few hours of fun enjoying the hotel. Once it was time to get to the room, the kids were in awe of the fully branded room and customized kids’ sleeping area. There was a scavenger hunt with polybag prizes and even fully brick-built features in the room.

After a good night’s rest, we headed down for breakfast, and best of all, the restaurant’s theme was incredible. You are literally surrounded by brick-built sculptures and there is something fun to see around every corner to continue to capture your imagination. There were themed staff members running activities and it was a very fun and thoughtful family experience. As a frequent traveler, I will say that this hotel is top-notch if you’re a fan of LEGO, since you’ll feel like you’ve been dropped right into the fun. There are multiple types of rooms to choose from, so be sure to choose the theme you feel your family would appreciate most.

Dino Valley (2024’s Newest Attraction)

In Spring 2024, Legoland opened Dino Valley, a refresh of an older part of the park with four rebooted experiences. The first ride you’ll come across when walking through Dino Valley will be Coastersaurus. This family-friendly roller coaster is exactly that: a fun, smooth kiddy coaster where you will likely go through the ride two times for a fun ride experience. This isn’t the best kiddy coaster, but for the short wait, it’s a fun ride for the family. There wasn’t much change from its previous version, just some new paint, but it was still a fun experience.

The newest experience is the Explorer River Quest boat ride. On this ride, you get on a boat, float through a river, and check out brick-built dinos alongside jumbo-size minifigs. This ride is good for younger visitors and for a nice casual float through fun brick-built characters. This was a reboot of the older storybook land-style boat ride, and I personally think it is a good upgrade. I feel this is a much stronger ride than before and gives more unity to this region of the park.

Lastly, there is the Duplo Little Dino train and the Dino Outpost “sandbox-style activity, both of which are fun for the little ones but definitely good to skip if your younglings are over 7 years old. All in all, Dino Valley is a nice refresh of an older part of the park with some amazing things to look at and take pictures with.

Rides, It’s All About the Rides!

If you have kids who like different styles of rides, knowing which of them you want to go on ahead of time can be a real benefit to help you schedule your trip and plan out which parts of the park to hit up first and in what order. From our experience with an 8 and 11-year-old, we decided to skip any of the activities or rides that were intended for the younger preschool ages, so I don’t have much to add regarding those rides, but there is definitely a large selection of rides for that age group.

With that being said, the majority of the rides at the park are for all ages, including the super younglings. That’s another great benefit of attending this park, that so many of the following notes and commentary are still relevant for the super younglings. So let’s dive in and talk a little about some of our favorite and most memorable experiences with a selection of Legoland Ride Quick Reviews from a parent point of view:

Dragon Coaster: A+

This is still the shining star in this park. Even when I was a kid, I remembered this ride. It still stands to this day as a really fun, family-friendly roller coaster. The entrance with the LEGO models and the smooth drop and curves make this ride fun and not too jarring. We rode this multiple times, and it was our family’s favorite ride at the park. (Check out this BrickNerd article about the behind-the-scenes of the inside!)

Ninjago The Ride: A+

We loved the Ninjago ride! As you ride through this interactive attraction, you move your arms and hands as fast as you can and throw elemental powers at a collection of the Ninja’s greatest foes. This is a ton of fun as you earn scores and can compete with each other to see who can “Beat Dad” and get the best score. This ride is top-notch for its immersion and engagement and is a very unique experience.

Emmet’s Flying Adventure Ride: A

Have you ever wanted to board a triple-decker couch and fly through the various worlds of the LEGO Movie while not just seeing the sights and experiencing a small story but also being able to smell the worlds? If so, then this is the ride for you. The ride is a bit short compared to similar rides like Sorin’, but given the quality of the production, it is well worth the wait.

LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure: A

This is another peaceful ride where you enter into submarines and are underwater looking at sculptures while looking for hidden objects. The interactive screens know what is located in each section, so you can accurately track what you have found to see who has the highest score at the end. This is another midday casual, relaxing moment to catch your breath while being fun and interactive. We loved how this ride kept you engaged and is great for all ages.

Lost Kingdom Adventure: A

Although the Adventures theme is a bit dated, this ride is fun. You get your own blaster and can shoot at classic shooting gallery-style animatronics while going through an ancient pyramid. This is fun for all ages and is very engaging and immersive. You can see your scores similar to Ninjago, but this is much more skill-based as it's slower with clearer targets compared to Ninjago, which is a bit more chaotic. We recommend this ride, as it’s well worth the wait.

Captain Crank’s Challenge: B+

Normally I’m not a big fan of the big boats that go forward and back, but this ride is a fun exception to this rule as not only do you go forward and back, but the boat may spin in all directions, getting you multiple dimensions of movement providing for a unique and fun experience.

Coast Cruise: B

If you’re looking for a casual boat ride while admiring a collection of LEGO sculptures and the mainland, this is the ride for you. It’s very low-key and a great way to relax mid-day while enjoying the scenery.

Explorer River Quest: B

In this river ride adventure, you search for Dinosaurs of every size, shape, and color. This is casual and for a younger audience, but it is a nice, calming ride. Be wary of the line due to this being a newer attraction.

Royal Joust: B

If you’re looking for a smooth horseback riding adventure, this ride is for you. This is definitely for the younger kids but still provides a fun experience for older children. You ride along a given path, looking at fun LEGO sculptures on horseback. It’s a solid ride for the children but nothing to write home about.

Technic Coaster: B

This is a nice mid-size roller coaster similar to beach boardwalk-style mini coasters, as it has a single drop and then jerks you around tight curves. It’s not the most amazing ride, but for what it is, it’s a good ride for the thrill seekers but not for the casual visitor. My kids loved it as they were just tall enough to ride, but we were not too thrilled as it was a bit rough.

Unikitty’s Disco Drop: B

This ride is exactly what it looks like: a basic drop tower. The nice thing that makes it different is you don’t just go up and down one or two times, but this ride gives you at least four to five ups and downs, making it a longer ride with fun LEGO Movie music playing to give it that added flavor. It’s fun if you like drop towers but a pass if you recently ate lunch.

Coastersaurus: B-

This is the shortest and least thrilling of the different coasters in the park. If you’re looking for more of a kiddy coaster, then this is the ride for you.

Driving School: C

In driving school, your children get driver's licenses and then drive mini cars in an open lot with roads, lanes, and obstacles. This ride has not changed over the years—a fact that is hard to ignore. This could definitely use some refurbishment, but the kids still loved driving in circles and ramming into each other on “accident.” In general, this one normally has long lines and is not worth the wait, but it depends on your kids and if they like driving. So this is a solid pass for my future visits, but it could be fun for the right folks.

Shows and Experiences

When it comes to the shows, Legoland hosts a number of fun and interactive attractions, all of which offer different experiences. Similar to the above quick guide, I’ll be breaking down a selection of Legoland shows and experiences in a few quick reviews from a parent's point of view:

SeaLife Aquarium: A+

This attraction is worth visiting if your ticket gives you access to Sea Life. There are thousands of fish in multiple habitats, and it’s a fun way to learn about sea life with your family alongside LEGO. This does close after the main park closes, so some strategic planning can get you more time in the attraction. Plan this one out, as you should give yourself at least 1 hour, if not 2+, to experience all this aquarium has to offer. The stamp book is also a fun way to do a self-guided tour of the space, and there are some goodies at the end.

The LEGO Movie 2 Experience: A+

This is just amazing. In this experience, you can see the actual sets used to film the LEGO movie and some recreations, and it’s just incredible to see these builds in real life.

Hideaways: A+

This wooden play structure is HUGE, and its location mid-way around the park makes it a wonderful stop to grab a churro or apple fries and chill as the kids run around. The structure is very safe, incredibly huge, and filled with fun brick-built goodies. This is one of the best theme park jungle gyms I have seen.

Classes and Workshops: A

There are several different classes and workshops you can sign up for during the day. I highly recommend signing up early as they fill up quickly and have limited spaces. We did the LEGO robotics workshop, and the teacher was amazing. She knew her stuff and was very kind and patient with the students.

Adventures Club: B+

This is going to sound weird, but we loved this walk-through experience. Essentially, you walk through several themed rooms looking for hidden secret keys. The search and find is fun the first time, but what's really unique are the fun builds all through the experience. This is more of a do-it-once-and-you-’re-good type of experience but is a lot of fun with the family as a unique experience. Think of walking through a haunted house but no jump scares with a focus on cultural art.

Ninjago Training Camp: B

This is another jungle gym that is better than Revenge but not as good as Hideaways. This is your more current or traditional play structure and not as unique as hideaways other than the fun ninja builds all around. If you like Ninjago, this is the one for you due to the theming.

Various LEGO Build Spaces: B

There are various LEGO build spaces throughout the park, each uniquely themed. The experience is essentially the same: build something fun with a unique selection of parts and colors and maybe even get a reward. In general, these are all fun ways to express your creativity during some downtime and can be a good time sink when you want to unwind a bit during the day. We personally liked the Queen Watevra YouWa’Na Build and LEGO DreamZzz sections due to their unique piece selection. Build-a-Boat is also unique, but the others were not as unique and could use some refreshing.

Miniland and the various experiences around it: C+

I hate to say it, but Legoland California’s Miniland really needs some refreshing and cleaning. If this is your first time, it is a great experience to see all these amazing models—but many have been sun bleached and worn down, and they need a bit of a facelift. That said, the scavenger hunts make it more interactive, but there are still a lot of open and vacant sections. It’s worth seeing once, but I would recommend the more scenic view with the boats on Coast Cruise as you don’t see all the imperfections and can enjoy it more.

Pharaoh’s Revenge: C

This is essentially a smaller jungle gym/ball pit, nothing more. Not really worth the time, just walk a few more feet over to Hideaways, there is no comparison. This is good for the very younglings as it’s smaller and easier to grab them if they need help.

Various Dance Parties, Ninja School & Character Meet and Greets: C

When it comes to the numerous dance parties and character meet and greets, what you see is what you get: photo ops and opportunities for your kids to get their energy out after that ice cream bar or soda. There is not much more to be said here, but this is definitely for the younger audiences. For ages 8+, you may want to skip these and spend your time in more interactive experiences like doing a workshop or a build space activity in place of a dance party where you will get run into constantly by kids and hurt your eardrums… clearly, that wasn’t the best experience for us!

Various 4D Films

We have seen all the current 4D films at Legoland and local Discovery Centers, and these shows are hit or miss. So, with regards to Legoland California specifically, here are our quick reviews of the current slate of shows:

The Great Monster Chase: A+

This is by far the best of the 4D films. This is just amazing. The story was very clearly thought out; it does a great job of using every monster LEGO from the associated minifig series and splashing in other similar figures. The use of 4D is very well thought out, and the LEGO comedy is spot on. This show is fantastic, and I recommend going to any of your local Discovery Centers in October to see if it is playing, as you will love it if you’re an AFOL, and the kids won’t stop laughing.

LEGO City 4D: Officer in Pursuit: A

Hot Dog, anyone? Banana? Corn? This show is language-independent and is a ton of fun. It makes great use of the 4D elements and is full of clean LEGO humor. Everyone laughs, and it has some fun uses of City sets and pieces that fans of all ages would appreciate.

Ninjago: A

It’s a fun story with good use of 4D. It’s great if you know the show, and it’s still a fun experience if you don’t. All in all, a solid show.

The LEGO Movie 4D: B+

We enjoyed this short 4D film that takes place after the first LEGO Movie. The story is clear, and it has good use of the 4D elements. This is a good experience and worth it if you like the characters from the film.

Lego Friends 4D Alien Invasion: B

This has a clear story and is very well thought out. It is good for all genders but didn’t use the 4D elements as much as it could. It’s a solid show but has some areas of improvement.

Mythica: C

This story of a unicorn is a fun ride through a world of imagination. The story is okay but not super compelling, and the use of 4D is also lacking. I don’t have much else to say on this one, as it’s pretty clean-cut and independent from any of the current LEGO themes.

LEGO DreamZzz 4D Z-Blob Rescue: D

OK, so this is the only D I’m giving this review, but it is deserved… this show is just bad. There is no clear story; they only use a few random sound clips of character names to save cost, and the backgrounds and character models are just pulled from various episodes of the show and slapped together with very little 4D integration. This was not as clearly planned and thought out as the other 4D films, and it shows. If you like the characters, your family may enjoy it once, but if you only choose one 4D film, don’t choose this one.

Pop Badges and Minifigure Trades

Outside of the rides, experiences and shows, Legoland hosts two very immersive activities that you really need to know about before you go to help maximize your experience: Pop Badge collecting and Minifigure Trades.

One thing you will recognize when visiting any Legoland park is that the employees, staff and many attendees are wearing round plastic badges with various art and phrases—these are called Pop Badges. When visiting the park, you are encouraged to talk to and interact with basically all of the staff at the park and ask them the repetitive question, “Do you have a pop badge?” Most of the staff at the park will smile and say, “Not today,” but many will respond with a yes.

What they have will depend on who they are and what they do. Some staff, like janitors or security guards, have special badges, while others have special, exclusive badges you need to earn through trivia or other activities. In some parts of the park, you can earn a badge by completing a scavenger hunt or a workshop, while others will give you the badge for asking. There are tons of different badges; some are seasonal, and some are exclusive to specific activities, so there are a ton that you can collect. In addition, one staff member will have the elusive Mr. Gold pop badge, and the first person who asks them (and potentially performs a fun task) will earn that badge.

In addition, every day the lead of each park division is given a less exclusive badge to give out, providing a very limited opportunity but opening it up to more than just one person a day like Mr. Gold. During our trip, this was the special “Space Baby” pop badge, which smelled like Vanilla, and it was super cool after hours of interacting around the park to find that special someone who had that badge for the kids to earn. It was a very special moment that they will never forget. So when you go, be sure to look out for pop badges!

Minifig trades are another amazingly immersive experience at the park. Essentially, most staff members—no matter the division—will have a special name tag with a collection of minifigs on it to trade. There are also a good selection of official trading locations with plastic cases where you can look at a collection of figures and trade with the staff. In addition to the normal staff and the physical locations, there is a wandering “Go Team” with a HUGE minifig wall of hundreds of figs that they bring out a few times a day over near Ninjago for a massive trading moment, which is a very fun sight to behold.

The great thing about this activity is that you can plan in advance with your kids to gather all of the CMFs that you have extras of or random figs from old sets that the kids don’t play with anymore and bring them to trade. We brought many older figs, and the kids were trading all day—a great way to fill time when waiting in lines or walking between attractions.

It’s Magical!

All together, Legoland California was a ton of fun and a great change of pace from other theme park experiences. We didn’t get to the water park or eat all the food, but the rides are unique enough to provide fun moments while the shows and experiences immerse you into the world of LEGO while being engaging and full of energy. We greatly appreciate the Legoland staff for their hard work in making the park and its experiences all come to life—they are the real magic of Legoland!

I hope that you will be able to enjoy the fun and excitement of Legoland yourselves someday. And let me know if you have any questions about our trip in the comments, as we would be happy to provide any additional insights. Play well!

DISCLAIMER: Tickets were provided by Legoland California. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. Photos via the author and Legoland California.

What are your favorite parts of Legoland California? Do you agree with the ratings? Let us know in the comments below!

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