Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Disneyland vs Legoland?


moinab

Recommended Posts

Ok, hear me out. The Disney park price increase thread got me thinking (a dangerous thing!)

 

We will be flying to SoCal from FL for a cruise, in January. We have been planning on flying in a few days early, to go to DL/DCA. My husband is the only one in the family who has ever been to DL (or CA, for that matter.) We have been to WDW many, many times with FL resident seasonal passes.

 

Between the cost of the cruise and airfare for 5 people, the trip to DL is going to be a stretch, but I've been looking at it as a once in a lifetime thing.

 

However, I have been torn about Legoland. My son, who will be 9 at the time of the trip, is a Lego fanatic. Seriously, he has a room full of Legos, and that's all he ever wants for gifts. My older daughter will be almost 7 at the time of the trip. She likes Legos, but is not as obsessed as her brother. We also have a 2 year old, who will be along for the ride.

 

The only theme parks my kids have been to, thus far, are WDW and SeaWorld. They never knew that Legoland existed.

 

I don't see that we'd be able to do both DL/DCA and Legoland.

 

Now, knowing that we have extensive WDW experience and a child who lives and dies for Legos, would it be absurd to consider skipping DL/DCA and just going to Legoland, before the cruise?

 

In my way of thinking, by skipping the 3 or 4 day hopper passes for DL/DCA, we could probably get seasonal passes for WDW again, next year. (We haven't had them since April, 2008.)

 

My daughter has been watching the DL planning dvd obsessively for the past few weeks, but when I showed both of them the Legoland site and the photo trip reports on TPR, they both said they would rather go to Legoland!

 

Also, my son has been wanting a Lego Brickmaster membership, which, for $40, includes the magazine, 6 Lego kits throughout the year, and a free pass to Legoland.

 

Sorry - I know that's a lot of info, but I'm curious what you all think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 18
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Even though I always pick Disneyland over Legoland, if your kids want to go to Legoland, I would probably do that.

 

I mean WDW is pretty much a larger and better version of Disneyland anyway, so if you aren't doing it for the credits and for your kids, I would pick the one they want to do.

 

Hope this helped a little, and I'm sure whatever you choose, you and your family will have lots of fun.

 

--James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, if your a "Disney" fan, the opportunity to "Walk where Walt walked" is something you should not pass up.

 

Granted, there are MANY things at Disneyland that also exist in FL, there are many things that don't.

 

I don't typically like that excuse of the cloned rides between the parks, and I don't buy it. Considering we go to Disneyland once a month yet are having MAJOR FL withdrawals should tell you something. And it's not just because FL is better.

 

Legoland is a 5 to 8 hour park at best. Especially on a weekday in January.

 

Just keep your eyes and ears open for Disneyland discounts, because they do exist. Before your trip ask around to see if there are any for the times your planning your trip and check Mousesavers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's kind of what I have been thinking, Gregg. I grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney, and have those images of Disneyland imprinted on my brain.

 

Frankly, I can sway my kids opinion, either way. They are gung ho on Legoland for the moment, because I just introduced it to them.

 

I didn't think to check Mousesavers.

 

Hopefully, I can pick up a bunch of OT shifts, this fall, so the expense won't be as big a concern. I would really love to do both. *sigh*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My daughter has been watching the DL planning dvd obsessively for the past few weeks, but when I showed both of them the Legoland site and the photo trip reports on TPR, they both said they would rather go to Legoland!

 

This coupled with the possibility that saved money can lead to Annual Passes to WDW makes me say the Legoland trip is the best option for your kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your kids would like Legoland. And it's a little different from the usual Disney, too. We took Diana there when she was 11 (in 2001) and we all had a blast.

 

But having been to both DL and WDW, I will say that there is a "charm" about walking around in Walt's original park.

 

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on the kid. My son has read biographies on Walt Disney, but I don't think he is at a point where he has any kind of emotional connection, like my husband and I do.

 

I do have some Disney-loving friends with teens who are very much enchanted with the Disney mystique.

 

 

I just read this on Mousesavers:

 

Using Walt Disney World Tickets at Disneyland

 

Interesting, unpublished fact: you can use any unexpired, leftover days on a Walt Disney World ticket at Disneyland or DCA! Present the Disney World ticket at the gate on arrival -- they will take it somewhere, deduct a day from it, and give you a one-day Disneyland Park Hopper ticket. You can repeat this day by day until the Disney World ticket is used up. They will not give you a multi-day ticket all at once, even if you have multiple days left on your Disney World ticket. Also, MouseSavers.com reader Danny P notes that any Disneyland ticket obtained from exchanging a Walt Disney World ticket must be used on the same day it was exchanged.

 

This policy has been in effect for at least 5 years, and the information was last reconfirmed by a MouseSavers.com reader as of March 2009. Don't even bother calling Disneyland to ask about this -- the people answering the phone have no idea and they will tell you they don't take Disney World tickets.

 

Is anybody familiar with this? I'm wondering if we get 3-day play passes for WDW, would we be able to use them at Disneyland? It would be a gamble, since there's no way to know for sure if they would accept them. If not, we'd still be able to use them for WDW, but then we'd be left scrambling at the last minute for DL tickets.

 

I feel like I'm just scratching the surface of possibilities, here.

 

Another question - how many days would you recommend for DL/DCA, keeping in mind that we will have to take turns going on any rides not suitable for a 2 year old. I realize that several rides will be down, being January and all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I wasn't aware that you could use WDW tickets in any way at the DLR, but it's nice to know.

 

Using child Swap, it shoudn't take that much longer to visit attractions. I'm sure you know about that, but if not, a cast member will fill you in.

 

 

^^ Larry, I understand what you're saying. Most of today's kids don't have a clue as to who Walt Disney was---and as time goes on, even fewer adults do as well. But it does give knowledgeable parents a chance to teach their kids something new.

 

Eri

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, and particularly since you're a Disney fan, I believe you would seriously regret missing DL/DCA.

 

Walking under the railroad tracks and onto Main Street is like entering another world. All you'll need to do to know you made the right decision is look up at the lamp in the window of Walt's apartment above the Firehouse. It feels like he's still there, and there's just no other way to feel that than to be there.

 

I hope it does work out for you that you can visit Legoland as well, but given the choice of only DLR vs Legoland, DLR wins in a landslide.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big question is could your son forgive you if you didn't go to Legoland?

 

I mean, if he's that crazy about Legos, visiting Disneyland would be fun but the prospect of an entire theme park centered around Legos would be off the charts awesome. 9 year old boys have an awesome way of thinking like that.

 

That said, I wouldn't recommend Legoland for any longer than 1 day. There's just not enough in the park to merit more than 1 day there. So if you're looking to fill a 3-4 day span of time, you'll have to figure out something else to do to fill the remaining time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ugh, it's tough, being the grown-up, having to make these decisions. The more I think about it, we can't NOT go to DL/DCA. That would be absurd. Even though it is pricey, it is the mother ship, after all!

 

The dilemma is that I know my kids would love Legoland. Damn, I wish they'd hurry up and build another one in this country! Less talking, more doing!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I'm quite surprised that there isn't another Legoland in the U.S. yet. It's proven to be quite successful here; no reason why it couldn't work elsewhere. It's definitely a great idea for a theme park.

 

Eric

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they are missing out on a vast, untapped market.

 

One of the major complaints about WDW that I hear from my friends is that they market a lot more extras to little girls (princesses, Bippity Boppity Boutique, etc,) without so much for little boys.

 

Most of the boys I know LOVE Legos, and would love Legoland, if only it weren't on the other side of the country!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Are we even having this discussion?!?!?! Go To Disneyland Post-Haste!

 

Better yet, Pick up a SoCal Citypass and you get three days at DLR/DCA w/ hopping AND a day at Legoland, Universal Hollywood, and the San Diego Zoo accordingly..

 

..apologies for the shameless plug

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've pretty much decided against DL, at this point, in favor of FL resident annual passes for WDW.

 

When I asked the kids, "Would you rather go to DL/DCA for 3 days, before the cruise, or would you rather go to Legoland for one day before the cruise, and get WDW passes for the year, starting next month," it was a done deal.

 

We still hope to make it there, someday, but I think this is the best choice for us, right now.

 

Thank you for all of the replies. They really did help us sort through this decision!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've pretty much decided against DL, at this point, in favor of FL resident annual passes for WDW.

I think you made the right decision.

 

While it's hard for me to suggest someone who is a Disney fan to NOT go to Disneyland, it is, without a doubt, in my opinion, the worst of all the "Disney Resorts" and a one-day trip to Disneyland, is not in any way better than a year's worth of WDW visits, if you had to make the choice.

 

Disneyland is a GREAT place for California local "Disney fans" to get their fix and call their own, but you'll be hard pressed to find many people who live outside of California or the neighboring states tell you that Disneyland is the better resort over Florida.

 

Yeah, Walt walked through the castle and he had an apartment there, sure. It's a big deal to some people, and I totally understand why. But if you're going to use that argument then you gotta point out that WDW exists because Disneyland and what the surrounding area developed into, wasn't anywhere close to Walt's dream.

 

Sure, he walked through that castle, and then continued onto Orlando and puchased an obscene amount of land to where was to build his dream park the way he dreamt it.

 

I will tell you though, as a "Disney fan" you should visit the Disneyland Resort at some point in your life, just to make the comparisons yourself.

 

But for this *particular case*, I think you've made the right choice.

 

--Robb "I prefer Legoland to Disneyland..." Alvey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/