gisco Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Looks like Erik's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 That is really scary looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PriestofSyrinx Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 There are some parts of St. Augustine that are just... scarry. And not "OMG THESE PIRATES ARE SO SCARY!!!!1!!" But more like "OMG IM A GONNA GET MUGGED BY THESE PIRATES" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 There are two ways of assessing Legoland Florida. If compared directly to Central Florida's theme park giants--Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens--Legoland is a bit small and rough around the edges. On the other hand, if viewed strictly as a kids park, then it must be said that Legoland Florida is the best kids park ever. Â As someone who hasn't played with Lego in 30 years, my first thought when I saw how the park was divided up, was that there were too many areas, and that they didn't make a whole lot of sense in relation to one another. It was only once I saw today's Lego themed product lines that the whole thing started to make sense to me. Â Lego Kingdoms In my opinion, Lego Kingdoms is the best, most well-themed area of Legoland Florida. The first thing we come to upon entering the gates is a fun little flat ride by the name of Merlin's Challenge. I honestly don't know who built the thing or what its technical name is, but it's sort of halfway between a Himalaya and one of those old turtle rides. Ooh, a new credit! Er...kind of. Well, it's new for Smisty, anyway. Basically, Legoland took Cypress Gardens' existing Vekoma roller skater, got themselves some new trains, and and added a dark ride section to the beginning of it. The storyline seems to be that you're, um, going through a castle. With the usual drunken monk debauchery. Then Merlin puts an end to the fighting with a magic computer. Unfortunately, this releases a dragon! But it's okay, because Merlin has bats! The transition from the dark ride section to the lift hill is very slow and uneventful, and there's really no theming during the coaster part--but still, it's a dark ride and a fun little roller coaster, so I'm really not complaining. Plus, Legoland's very relaxed when it comes to things like on-ride photography. Unfortunately, they're also very relaxed when it comes to things like directional signage--which makes exiting The Dragon an adventure unto itself. Giftshop Battle Princess Here, we see a real princess getting two little boys to fight over her. The only eatery in the Kingdoms section of the park is Castle Burger. And while the burgers are actually pretty tasty, I can't say that I'm particularly impressed with Legoland's food overall. I just report what I see. Lego pig. Â (Look, *you* come up with a better caption!) Royal Joust is one of the few attractions at Legoland Florida that adults are not allowed to ride. Which is a shame, since it looks kind of fun. Still, it's hard to complain since there are only two or three things in the entire park that adults can't do. (And there's none of this "adults must have a child" nonsense. Either you can or you can't. And mostly, you can.) The last attraction in Lego Kingdoms is The Forestmen's Hideout. It's a play area, with bridges and climby things. Wait, how did I get up here?? Oh well, guess I'll just have to slide down. Wheee. Oh, bother. Now I seem to inexplicably find my self on the rope and block contraption. Will my perplexity never cease?? "Raven" is the name of our car. So...okay, I guess that makes sense. I'm not sure why these Lego wolves are in a wooden cage. None of the other Lego creatures, dangerous or not, are imprisoned. Good sir! Good sir! The wolves are escaping! Oh, alas! Hark, a means of escape! Â Oh, alright, I'm done. The princess doubts my self-photo-taking skills. Or, she's just disgusted by us. Hard to say. We certainly aren't disgusted with Legoland, though. In fact, we quite love it. Especially Lego Kingdoms. Â As always, thanks for reading. Now comment. Â (Please?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hey, look at that: I control the LINK feature. Who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I can't believe you haven't played with Legos in 30 years! Buy something NOW and put it together! Legos are a lot cooler today but require less imagination then when we were kids. Â By the way, I'm glad to see you are not making Smisty haul around a backpack anymore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 ^ They had Legos when you were a kid???? Â I didn't know they could carve rocks with interlocking bumps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Is it bad that I actually really want to go back to Legoland Florida?!?! Â We were just talking today about how they just need some more shade and some water rides and it will really quickly get up to the level of the other Legolands. If it does well and we see a Sea Life and Water Park within a few years it will be a really complete experience. Â When I didn't have a kid I would have been equally frustrated about not getting to ride the Joust, but now that I have a kid and have to wait in those slow moving low capacity ride lines, I appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moinab Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I can't begin to express how annoyed I am that they announced Legoland Florida approximately 12 hours after we returned from Legoland California. Â Our kids are pretty much the perfect ages for it, right now, but I feel like we should wait a year or two for it to flesh out a bit more. Â Looking forward to further updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Is it bad that I actually really want to go back to Legoland Florida?!?! Â We've gone, like, four times now. So no, it's not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 ^Let me know if you see any other random deals for Annual Passes. Would love to pick some up, but mad because we missed the deal before they opened since we didn't think we'd be living here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traincrossin Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Wait, how did I get up here?? Oh well, guess I'll just have to slide down. Wheee. A Mitch Hedberg joke? This report gets my seal of approval, which isn't really saying that much actually. Glad to see Legoland Florida is off to a good start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 That has got to be the bitchiest princess I have ever seen! Â Love your reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The SETGO Guys Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Glad that you enjoyed Legoland. It looks like have added more theming to the park! (Which is always good to see) Â I agree its a great kids park. Unfortunately Legoland is always going to be compared to Disney/Universal/Busch because of the proximity. Â In your opinion do you think the value of "enjoyment" matched the (rather steep) admission cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 In your opinion do you think the value of "enjoyment" matched the (rather steep) admission cost?  We bought annual passes, have already used them several times, and are still eager to go back--so I would say yes. We tend to like well-balanced parks, rather than being pure thrill-seekers, though.  Speaking only for myself, I would rank Florida's theme parks thusly:  1. SeaWorld 2. Islands of Adventure 3. Legoland 4. Busch Gardens 5. Animal Kingdom 6. Universal Studios 7. Hollywood Studios 8. Epcot 9. Magic Kingdom  So use my other rankings to put my feelings about Legoland into some sort of context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 2. Islands of Adventure 8. Epcot  You are now dead to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce232 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Here are my rankings: Â 1. Busch Gardens (I think it has Florida's best coasters) 2. IOA (Everything about it is just amazing. Especially WWoHP) 3. Seaworld (The best family park in Florida. It has my roller coasters, and the rest of my family's dark rides and shows.) 4-6 Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot (I love all these parks equally and can't really rank them separately.) 7. Universal Studios (Haven't been in years, but I really need to get on HRRR) Â 8. Magic Kingdom (Hate everything about it. Lame rides, annoying kids, the most tourist-filled place on Earth) Â *I haven't been to Legoland yet so I can't include it on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 ^^ While it's true that I don't think very highly of Epcot as an amusement park, it *is* one of my favorite malls. Â /Just ahead of Uncle Bernie's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 ^ 8. Epcot 9. Magic Kingdom  So, shouldn't this read as follows? 8. Epcot 9. Uncle Bernie's 10. Magic Kingdom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazydaveh Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Epcot is awesome! It holds the title for Orlando's most expensive cover charge for a bar! Still the best time to enjoy beer on any day of the week! Â Quality stuff down at LegoLand. There are still some private deals on AP's from area businesses. It's kind of one of those things you just have to know about it and have the link to the deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmetal Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 My list of Florida parks... 1. Busch Gardens 2. Animal Kingdom 3. Epcot 4. Seaworld 5. Legoland 6. Magic Kingdom 7. IOA 8. Universal Studios 9. Hollywood Studios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 ^As if we didn't already know but Misty > Erik! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PriestofSyrinx Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 +1 Smisty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Â Congratulations on matching shoes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pirouettes907 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 As always, I enjoy your reports, and I like how you picked one area of the park to cover in-depth. I really enjoyed Legoland Florida. I'd never been to a Legoland before, so I don't know how it compares to the other parks, but I was impressed with what I saw. Â Well, except for this. I agree with you on the food. I had a grilled cheese from one of the places towards the front of the park, and this is what I got: Â Even if it wasn't missing half the bread, this still wouldn't look remotely appetizing. Â But hey, beyond that, it was a lovely place! Â Looking forward to your next Oddventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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