A Springtime visit to Legoland Windsor

LEGOLAND® Windsor is a fun-filled day out for all the family and is somewhere the whole family enjoys visiting as there is so much to see and do although the park is predominately aimed at children aged 2-12 years old.
Last weekend we took advantage of the lovely weather and headed there for a day of fun to celebrate Isaac’s birthday. We have learned from previous visits that it is impossible to do the whole park in just one day, so made the decision to see and do rides that we have not tried before, with the exception of the Atlantis Submarine Voyage which is all the kids favourite as it takes you on a magical underwater adventure with both LEGO underwater characters and real underwater creatures to see.

We had expected the park to be really busy thanks to the lovely weather, but found ourselves walking on to rides with just a 10 minute queue. We can only assume if was due to the end of the football season and families were staying home to watch their favourite teams.
Surprisingly we had never been on the SkyRider and it turns out we were missing a trick as it gives unrivaled views over the whole of Miniland, with amazing model scenes from Europe and the USA featuring nearly 40 million LEGO® bricks.

Isaac was finally brave enough to try the Squid Surfer which are jet-ski pods, whilst we triggered ‘water bombs’ that explode from the bottom to get them wet. We then joined the Pirates of Skeleton Bay for an action packed stunt show which featured acrobatics, swashbuckling swordplay and some very foolhardy pirates.

Eliza was in her element at Heartlake City which was opened last year, posing with all the LEGO Friends. There is a series of adventures to follow plus a brand new ride for this season – Mia’s Riding Adventure which is spinning disk ride that travels backwards and forwards on a curved track.

Isaac braved the Kingdom of the Pharoah’s to battle his way through this ancient land in search of hidden treasure whilst Sebastian and Eliza prefered the more gentle balloon ride and carousel which was just outside.

Having younger children on previous visits, one area we have not really explored before is the Land of the Vikings but it was so much fun. Sebastian adored the Spinning Spider and insisted on making our log spin ever faster.

It was perhaps the Vikings River Splash which was the favourite ride of the day and the ride was so empty we literally walked straight on so we ended up doing it three times (and getting drenched).

The Jolly Rocker was only braved by the older kids, but the younger ones headed into the Castaway Camp which is a towering forgotten fortress and fearsome battle ships. With high rope-walks, nets and slides that will challenge the most experienced buccaneers, my heart was in my mouth a couple of times as Sebby sped around the highest point.

We still haven’t persuaded Isaac on to the log flume or the Knights Quest rollercoaster but maybe next time. We finished off the day at LEGO Star Wars Miniland which is always a firm favourite, especially with my Star Wars mad Hubby and teens and got to see the brand new 2.4 metre wide, 3 metre high Death Star. The scene depicts the Rebel Alliance attack on the moon sized space station in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. As well as the gargantuan 860kg spherical Death Star model, the scene also features 16 Alliance ships swooping to destroy it with sound and light effects triggered by guests.

I can highly recommend Legoland Windsor as the perfect place to visit with the family. Some of the rides with longer queues have LEGO on tap for the kids to play with or interactive displays to keep them entertained.
For busier days I would recommend getting the Q-Bot, which is a ride reservation device and allows you to reserve your place in the queue line for your favourite rides without having to actually stand in line, however it does cost a minimum of £20 per person so can really add to the cost of the day out.

Ticket prices cost from £37 if bought online in advance, but keep your eye out for cereal box and other offers which offer BOGOF deals.

• family days out
• Legoland
• Theme Park
• Windsor