Legoland Hotel questions

[CheriePenguin]

Just a few miscellaneous questions before our upcoming trip - hopefully someone can answer them. (Sorry there are so many!)

Are they currently doing the "treasure hunt" for the kids? Or just having the "prizes" in the safe? And do the prizes vary depending on how many kids you have?

Do you have to ask for the free VIP lanyards for the kids (are these even still available)? Does each kid get one (ours are ages 2, 7, 10)? Do they get to keep them?

Are the LEGOs in the common areas and in the room really as dirty / gross as others have mentioned? Any tips other than lots of hand cleaner afterwards? And how do they monitor that people don't walk off with them?

Does anyone let their kids bring some of their own LEGOs along (aside from mini figures for trading) or is that a dumb idea?

Is the mini figure trading fun and/or worthwhile? I read some comments that the ones the model citizens had to trade were often not as good as the ones they were bringing along. And do you need the figure's weapons, etc.?

Are there any exclusive type LEGO items in the stores at the hotel (or the park)? What is best to look for there? Is there anywhere online to see some of what is available? (The boys got gift cards from Gma & Gpa, and we don't want to get any huge sets, or anything that is available [and cheaper] elsewhere.)

Thanks for any input or advice anyone may have!

 

[Angrose]

We stayed at the Legoland Hotel in May, it was me, DH and DS6. We LOVED it! The treasure hunt was just a series of questions that you could answer by walking around the hotel to find the answers. The answers were all numbers that added up to the combination that unlocked the "treasure chest" safe in the room. There were two sets of prizes in the safe, even though we only had one child with us. If you need more than two prizes then you may want to let them know before you arrive so no feelings are hurt.

I didn't see any lanyards when we were there. My son got a VIP slap bracelet instead.

Yeah, the legos in the common areas are pretty dirty. It is what it is, come prepared with the hand sanitizer/wipes.

We didn't bring any legos with us but we did buy some while there that DS played with in the room. Not a dumb idea at all if you think it will make the kids happy, just make sure you don't leave any behind, and make sure you don't get them mixed up with the ones that are already in the room.

We didn't do the minifigure trading.

There were a few items in the shops that you could not find anywhere else. For example, my son is really into Mixels and they had all the new colors available that were not yet available at our local Target. Also some minifgure sets, swords, shields, clothing items were there that I have not seen elsewhere. Most of the sets are the same ones you can find at other stores. The prices were about the same as other stores.

Have fun!!

 

[SpacecadetNZ]

That's all really helpful for me too, thanks!

I too was wondering how they monitor the communal Lego to make sure people aren't walking off with pocketsful. Not that I was planning on doing that, I should add!

 

[laura&fam]

Yes, thank you for your comments they were helpful to me also. We will have 3 children with us so I will make sure to tell them before we get there.

What are the VIP lanyards/bracelets?

 

[coopersmom]

I am planning a July visit with my Lego-obssesed son, so thanks for the info. I also wondered if a particular room theme seemed "better" than others (more stuff to do in room), or if it was just personal preference. Also, cost-wise, should I be looking anywhere other than the Legoland hotel website for better deals on the room cost?

 

[Angrose]

What are the VIP lanyards/bracelets?

The VIP bracelet identified you as a hotel guest and we showed it for early entry into the park the next morning.

I am planning a July visit with my Lego-obssesed son, so thanks for the info. I also wondered if a particular room theme seemed "better" than others (more stuff to do in room), or if it was just personal preference. Also, cost-wise, should I be looking anywhere other than the Legoland hotel website for better deals on the room cost?

When it comes to the themes of the rooms, I think it's just a personal preference. There isn't much to do in the rooms per se. The treasure chest safe and generic bin of bricks to play with are in all the rooms. We chose the pirate room because it was on the 2nd floor and we wanted to be able to ride the disco elevator. The rooms on the 1st floor are knights and 3rd floor is adventure (sorta like Indiana Jones). You can see the room types on their website.

We booked our stay through Wild At Work. I checked the rates on the LEGOLAND site and it would have been $279, but we got it for $215 for a Sat night, mid-May stay. We also got our tickets through Wild At Work, they were $75 with the 2nd day free, no park hopper. You can go to the Wild At Work site, try to register and see if your company is a partner with them.

I keep meaning to write up a trip report, but haven't gotten around to it. Feel free to ask any other questions in the meantime!

 

[atmail35]

We went in August 2013 and stayed in a deluxe Pirate room...highly recommend it! Although the deluxe rooms are farther away from the elevator.

I have a trip report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3157970&highlight=legoland+hotel

Minifigure trading...we brought some, but did not trade because DD couldn't find anyone with one she wanted (lots of common ones, nothing really interesting).

Common area bricks....it's the honor system/human decency

Bringing your own....we didn't (only spent 2 nights) and bought some things at the gift shops. The carpets in the room are pretty busy and it would be hard to find lost/spilled items on the dark carpets (at least in our room it was very dark/patterned).

I booked through LEGOLAND Hotel website w/ AAA rate. At that time they also offered a good deal on breakfast vouchers. I had to call to find out about that though...worth asking.

I highly recommend the store that is near the "factory" tour...they will engrave keychains or bricks....a very cool and unique gift! They do have some exclusive sets (I got a picture frame in 2013 - found it at the hotel shop) and another one this past April. I will try to dig out pics later tonight for you.

The stores at LEGOLAND do not accept the LEGO Store VIP card for VIP points as they are run by a third party (as is LEGOLAND). Do you have LEGOLAND gift cards or LEGO Store gift cards? I do not think they accept LEGO Store gift cards.

Feel free to ask other questions and I will try to answer.

 

[laura&fam]

Thank you for the link to the trip report it was very helpful.

From looking at the hotel website I thought there was a door between the kids bunk bed area and the rest of the room. Is that not correct? I was really liking the idea of being able to shut the kids in their own room

Is there any kind of night light in the room? We usually plug one in the bathroom in case anyone has to get up in the night in a strange place.

Good to know about the double peepholes. I'm 5'3" so I probably won't be able to see out the tall one either!

Do you need your room key or anything to ride on the elevator? I know my kids will want to but we're big Lego Kingdom fans so I guess our room will be on the first floor.

 

[Angrose]

Thank you for the link to the trip report it was very helpful.

From looking at the hotel website I thought there was a door between the kids bunk bed area and the rest of the room. Is that not correct? I was really liking the idea of being able to shut the kids in their own room

Is there any kind of night light in the room? We usually plug one in the bathroom in case anyone has to get up in the night in a strange place.

Good to know about the double peepholes. I'm 5'3" so I probably won't be able to see out the tall one either!

Do you need your room key or anything to ride on the elevator? I know my kids will want to but we're big Lego Kingdom fans so I guess our room will be on the first floor.

No door between the rooms. I know, that would be nice.

No night light, but there are lamps on the walls for each bunk. They are really bright though, so I would bring a night light with you.

No key needed for elevator.

 

[atmail35]

Here is a link to pictures of a set I bought at Legoland CA this past April:

http://brickset.com/sets/40115-1/LEGOLAND-Entrance-with-Family


Picture Frame (purchased in 2013, I think they had them when I was there in April 2014):

LEGOLAND Magnet and Keychain

Engraved Key Chain:

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thank you to all who posted to answer my questions prior to our trip.

We are home now, and I wanted to report that I was really impressed with the LEGOLAND hotel (for the most part)! The rooms were nicer than I expected and I thought the food at the breakfast and dinner buffets at BRICKS was really good!

I'll post a mini trip report (soon, I hope) in a separate posting, but here are a few notes:

The kids got (nice) slap bracelets that identified our family as hotel guests for the early entry. The early entry was AWESOME! We got to go in through a separate entrance at 9am and get into the main part of the park to 5 or 6 attractions that were open for us, including the Sky Cruiser (usually longest and slowest line in the park). The gates opened for everyone at 9, but they couldn't get past the ropes out of "The Beginnings" until 9:30, when most of the 2 front sections of the park were opened. The rest of the park opened at 10.

We checked in 7/3 and checked out 7/5, so there were some different and more busy things going on for Fourth of July. Each of us in the family got a neat lanyard with LEGOLAND Hotel VIP on it to identify us as hotel guests to use on 7/4, since they didn't want non-hotel guests on hotel grounds during the fireworks. We got access to the pool area, Skyline Cafe area, or front of hotel (which we chose) to watch the fireworks. The fireworks were GREAT! And we had a great view from the sidewalk in front of the hotel / pool - with room for the kids to dance around. The only bummer was that they did not have the cool glasses I read about that make the fireworks/lights look like LEGOs. The people at the hotel had no idea what I was talking about, and the people at the park remembered them from the past, but when they checked around they found that they weren't having them this year.)

The kids got to do the "treasure hunt" to get the code for their treasure chest safe. In the safe at check in was 1 Legoclub magazine and 2 Lego movie packs - containing a keychain, small 4-in-1 set, and a few stickers. Our check-in info said "If you are staying more than one night, be sure to check the safe for a surprise." And the 2nd day there were 3 packs of Mixels! (DS7 had already bought 11 packs of Mixels with his LEGOLAND giftcard from Gma & Gpa). I had read reports of the magazine and minifigures being in the safes previously.

DS7 and DS10 were excited about doing minifigure trading. I gave them a few minifigures and DS10 brought a bunch of others along to trade. They weren't always thrilled with what the model citizens had available to trade, but did both end up making a few fun trades. Note - the ONLY minifigures available for purchase there at present were the Simpsons ones ($3.99) (or the build your own packs - 3/$9.99). Most "MC"'s have minifigs on their name tags and can trade with you, and most cashiers have a box of minifigs available to trade as well. (Workers in the restaurants seemed not to be able to trade, however.)

As far as exclusive items, a prior reply post here showed some good examples. One cool thing we splurged on was really exclusive! DS7 became a roller coaster fan this trip, and there was a really cute picture from his ride on the Dragon coaster. Usually I don't like to pay for those pics, but they had an option to get the picture imprinted on LEGOs for an 89 pc stand up puzzle (w/ bonus minifig)! It was $30 (plus tax), but I got it because the pic was so cute and it was so special and unique.

I hope to have a short trip report up soon. If you have any questions, I can try to answer them! I may not be able to answer super fast though.

 

[laura&fam]

Thank you for your comments! Information about Legoland and the Legoland hotel is pretty sparse so your comments are appreciated. Please post a link to your trip report when you get to it.

Glad you had a fun trip!

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thank you for your comments! Information about Legoland and the Legoland hotel is pretty sparse so your comments are appreciated. Please post a link to your trip report when you get to it.

Glad you had a fun trip!

I'm not sure I know how to put a link in to my trip report, but I posted it today to the same main board as this one (Southern California Theme Parks).
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3300593

Glad my notes are helpful to someone - I know I also had a hard time finding info and answers to questions about Legoland and the hotel.

 

[CheriePenguin]

I also wanted to mention the other souvenirs we got.

One item in particular - I'm not sure if they were exclusive to the park or not, but I've never seen them anywhere else - the LEGO brick Jibbitz charms. A few years back we bought bracelets and notebooks with holes in to accept Jibbitz or Snappitz charms (they also fit in Crocs shoes). We got a bunch of Disney themed ones and general ones at the time. The Big Shop at LEGOLAND had a 3-pack of LEGO bricks Jibbitz charms for $5.99.

I also bought a pack of playing cards with pictures of the Dragon coaster on the front, since we like playing card games for family game night.

I also bought each boy a small LEGO box (in their favorite color). The had lots of sizes, from tiny to huge.

DS10 bought a giant LEGO movie set and a smaller LEGO movie set with his money from Gma & Gpa and from me (and the LEGO dollars they earned before the trip - I found some to print at http://www.overthebigmoon.com/free-printable-lego-money/ - then we paid for that much on the trip for them.)

DS7 bought 11 Mixel sets ($5 each) (and the cool ride picture LEGO puzzle I mentioned before - oh, DS corrected me that it was a ride picture from Coastersaurus, not the Dragon coaster.)

DS2.5 bought a cute stuffed LEGO guy (~$20), a DUPLO motorcycle set ($10), a big flaps LEGO board book ($10), 2 other LEGO books, a stuffed unicorn (not LEGO), and yellow sunglasses.

And I got a magnet for the fridge and a pencil (which I try to get from every trip). And we got each kid one of the small covered kids cups (they have a straw that bends over and kind of snaps on to make it reasonably spill-proof).