We stayed the night before in the Premier Inn Hounslow which was very nice and smart, very close to the airport which meant that we had some good views of planes taking off and landing, but with no actual airport noise in the room at all. We paid for our breakfast the next morning which was delicious, and because the children ate free didn't work out too expensive.
We arrived at the Legoland hotel at 8am and were greeted in the conference room by a table of friendly bloggers and a table of gorgeous iced biscuits. We were given a special lanyard and the most important thing - a wristband each which allowed us to enter any of the rides without queuing!
I hadn't met many people going before in real life, so it was lovely to put some faces to names, although there wasn't much time for socialising as Ram and the children were desperate to be off! The wristband did cause Ram a few problems though, he has a Legoland touring plan which he always follows strictly when we visit, and the fact that we didn't need to rush about to beat the queues threw him completely!
Having this wristband made a huge difference to our day. Normally we only manage a half day or so, but because we didn't have to spend time waiting in queues we ended up staying until the park closed at 6pm. It also meant that we could go on some of the rides that we normally avoid because they are so busy, in particular Ram and I took it in turns to ride the Dragon rollercoaster which we really enjoyed!
We especially enjoyed the Fairy Tale Brook ride, which has been updated this year with new models and some new scenes and is looking very sparkly and clean. Duplo Valley is a new attraction since our last visit, and although we opted not to go into the waterpark we spent some time playing in the new Brickville playground. Another of our favourite rides is the Boating School.
We enjoyed a late lunch at City Walk Pizza and Pasta Buffet - late because children eat free after 3pm. The selection is reasonable and there is plenty of it, and because we timed our meal to co-incide with Mia's nap we could actually enjoy our food rather than trying to control a fed up and wriggly toddler!
Harry had a bit of a slump at this point and looked as though he was about to fall asleep in his chair, so we perked him up with the promise of a go on the Fire Academy. This is one ride that I didn't mind missing while I waited with a still sleeping Mia, children love it but it's far too much like hard work for me!
We had a brilliant day out and I'm so grateful to the Tots100 and the MAD Blog Awards for organising and to Legoland for hosting.
I won a family ticket to Legoland with VIP wristbands and a night's stay in the Premier Inn.
Looks like a great day. I've only been to Legoland once when I was presenting at a conference and although I went into the park I didn't spend a lot of time there; I assume it is much more fun with children.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting meeting other bloggers. The only blogger I've meant in real life I actually met through the bookcrossing website before either of us started our blogs.
It is much more fun with children! There's not a lot for adults or teenagers to be honest unless you are there with younger children. I used to use Bookcrossing all the time, I need to get back into it!
DeleteOooooo lucky lucky lucky!!
ReplyDeleteOne of the places I want to take my kids when we live there is Lego land!!
It looks great! Loved your photos!
Tammy xx
Thank you! It is a great place to take the children!
DeleteSuch a lovely day! Makes me laugh that Ram has a special order for the rides, my husband does too! Great to meet you and see you again tomorrow!
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