SoCalDude Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Ok, so this is my first TR here, so if there is some sort of hazing ritual for me - bring it on! Ok, so Legoland CA (and YES that counts as a theme park thank you very much!) opened up its newest area this week and I must say I am impressed with it. They call it “Pirate Shores” and if you even walk into the area there is a very good chance you will get wet! This is the first addition to a LL park with the new ownership, so seeing how it was done was an eagerly awaited test of what may be to come from the Merlin ownership in the future. The area consists of a few different areas, starting with the two water play areas – one for little kids and one for bigger kids. Both are very well laid out and just flat out fun. The little kid area consists of little foot pools where the kids can get their feet wet, bounce type of swings and Duplo themed elements that shoot out heated water. The bigger kid play area is fashioned after a pirate ship with two play levels. It is impossible to go near this thing without getting wet, and the water is not heated. There is two water slides for the kids, one smaller red one that was popular with the younger kids and one slightly larger tubular blue one that was more popular with the bigger kids. There is countless ways to get wet in this area, water shooting out of the floor, squirted out of hoses, coming out of tubes, etc. But the two major sources of water was two LARGE buckets of water that dump a very large amount of water every so often. The bucket in the back is a tad smaller than the one in the front, but both drop so much water with so much force it really does give you a good heavy soaking (trust me!). LLCA also has two rides in the area. One of them, Treasure Falls, is not open yet. It looks like a VERY cheapo carnival ride and nothing more. There is NO themeing to the ride –in any way-! It is a simple metal ride that takes you up, drops you down and gets you wet. I was told it was not open yet (and I quote) “because they put it together wrong and it did not pass the safety inspection”… umm ya I have confidence! They had to special order a replacement part that got there the day I visited (or so I was told). So lets hope they break out the instruction book for the out-of-the-box ride THIS time! The other ride that is up and running is called Splash Battle and is a very cool little ride! The line was LONG and as with all LLCA rides, it is a slooow moving line! If you are in the SoCal area you may have seen the ads for it on TV, well the ride looks nothing like what you see in the ad. The boat is the same as it is in the ad, but really that is it. There are 4 water cannons on the boat, two in the front and two in the back and you shoot the water by spinning the thing on the sides. Up to three people can fit on each side as long as at least one of them is a kid on the small side. As you go along on your path you get close to other boats and you can shoot them with your water cannons. You can also shoot people that are not on the ride at certain spots – so watch out if you are just looking at the ride! The fact the boats can shoot outside of the ride must not have been known, as parents parked their strollers in an area that DID get wet (sorry little babies! Your stroller is all wet thanks to Mommy!!). They also have a good number of water cannons that non-riders can shoot you with as you go by (and as far as I could tell you could also shoot them in return). The themeing of this ride is great! I do wish the giant skull and shark were made from Lego elements, but I will let that slide. One of the things I found funny was a VERY blatant rip-off of a very popular icon of Disneyland (see pictures below!). One of the things I really liked about this ride was the ride elements that were shooting water that you expect to turn off as you go by never go off! That took me by surprise and was a nice change. My kids and I had a GREAT time in Pirate Shores! It is a great addition to the park and will be a popular hang out in the hot summer sun! If you are going to the park take a change of clothes and a TOWEL! We forgot our towel and were forced to buy a $15 dollar "towel" that is about as thick as a paper towel! Overall I would give this area a 7/10 with the only real downside being the cheap looking carnival looking flume ride. If they do theme the area and at least cover the cheap looking metal I would bump this score up to 9/10. Sorry for being long-winded, if you actually read it all – thanks! My two young ones at the end of a fun day with the newly acquired $15 paper thin Legoland Pirate Shores towel. DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS!! Ok, seeing the pirate in jail holding a bone trying to get a dog’s attention that just happened to be holding a set of keys in its mouth meaks me want to sing “Yo ho, yo ho a Disney rip-off for me!!” The backside of water!! I thought of that all on my own! YES! WHY did this picture have to come out blurry!!! Ahhh but its still a great shot of Lego dude taking a major leak! Is he (she? he-she?) looking for Tums?? I think so! Look at the gas bubbles it has! Nice cheap, non-themed metal! Great work guys! The closed ride thanks to the top notch LLCA staff putting the ride together WRONG! More wetness – the kid n the yellow hoodie made me laugh. I hope that thing kept him dry! This is the area the other bucket soaks when it takes its dump. SPLASH! When it takes a dump, it takes a serious dump! Notice how all those walkways are getting a good dose of water! The bigger kid water play area. Looks nice and calm- but whats up with that large bucket up there?? A view of the ride in action. And yes, I did get wet standing in this spot. The entrance and long line for the Splash Battle. People GO HOME! But I do love that sign! These guys are there to meet you as you enter the area. They do not move and are they really begging for money with that empty treasure chest?? This is the boat you ride on for the Splash Battle ride, also the one you see in the TV ads where the ride looks 100% different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugged One Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Nice report. Color me impressed as this is what the site looked like back on May 21st. Way to get it open on time Legoland! Pirate Shores construction. May 21st 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalDude Posted June 25, 2006 Author Share Posted June 25, 2006 Ya, it really did pop up out of the ground in what seems like overnight. I know I was not the only one that was scratching our head looking at the site and the date a few weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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