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John Raoux / AP
A life-size Lego model of a tourist with binoculars is seen Sept. 27 at Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, Fla.
With new theme park Legoland Florida charging admission rates of $75 plus tax for adults and $65 plus tax for children, is the new theme park really worth the money? Opened on Oct. 15, Legoland Florida appeared on the site of the old Cypress Gardens park in Winter Haven. It's a nearly hour-long drive from the Orlando theme parks, but Legoland's strong line-up of kid-friendly attractions ought to encourage many families to make the trip to check it out.
But add in parking ($15 a day) and lunch, and a family of four could easily spend $350 in a single day—plus lodging (starting at about $60 locally) and airfare. Some parents may want to paraphrase Johnny Paycheck and say, you can take all that and shove it.
Is Legoland Florida worth the cost?
It depends on whether you've ever been to a Legoland before. Fans have consistently rated Legoland's California park as the best in the nation for children, even ahead of the Disney parks, according to Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider. Says Niles: "I know many East Coast and Midwestern families who've been waiting for a Legoland on their side of the country."
Slideshow: Legoland comes to Florida
How does Legoland compare in price to other Florida theme parks?
It depends. Disney's larger complex with greater hours of operation (in other words, Legoland closes at 5 p.m.) offers better value for the money, according to the math done by The Ledger. The newspaper found that, on a per hour basis of daily operations, Legoland costs twice as much as Disneyland's Magic Kingdom.
Are there any tricks to saving on Legoland Florida?
You should avoid paying the up-front admission fee. Plenty of discounts can be found online at "promo code sites," such as the always reliable Mouse Savers. If you don't have time for online research, know that Legoland sells a two-day upgrade ticket, which gives visitors a second day in the park for an additional $15.
Any other money-saving advice?
Resist cries from your kids to buy souvenirs. The Lego sets sold at the park can be bought elsewhere at cheaper prices.
Bottom line
Vacations are about their value, not just the dollar amount—that's the Budget Travel philosophy. Families will happily splurge if they know they're going to get memories of a lifetime and that they're not going to overpay—relative to what they could find elsewhere. Legoland Florida can be a good value if you've never been to it before and if you approach it as a savvy consumer looking for discount offers.
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Leave a Comment:
Both Legoland and Disney are overpriced, no matter how you look at it.
LEGOLAND Florida is totally awesome !!
Best Legoland park anywhere.
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$75 ? For my family of 5 we're looking at almost $400 just for the tickets alone. Forget that!!
I think I'll just buy a box of Legos and stay home.
They have the right to charge whatever they want - they also take the risk of going belly up from low attendance! $65 a pop for each kid sounds awfully steep.
A medium sized family could easily drop a thousand bucks after hotel, meals, travel and tickets. And that's just for a couple of days.
I'll pass.
Both Disney Parks and Legoland are huge ripoffs and always will be. They are a haven for rich families and nothing more.
I used to have season passes to Cypress Gardens, it was a great place to go. I would have to win the lottery not once but twice before I'd consider paying these outrageous prices. Same goes for Disney ripoff
This article tells us nothing about the park itself to help us determine whether it is appropriate for our family. What age childrend does it cater to? Does it have rides or is it all exhibits? Are there shows? What exactly do you do there? The advice of "if you can get a discount it is a good value" does little to help us decide and applies to pretty much anything.
According to the Legoland tourist video we received, the park is designed especially for kids ages 2-12.
They claim 50 rides, interactive attractions and shows. Their park video can be viewed at http://florida.legoland.com/Park-Map/Park-Video/.
My partner and I attended the grand opening, and I am sorry to say we were very disappointed.
This is a place to go when you run out of other places to go and do not mind driving over an hour to get there from Orlando.
I'm not surprised by the high price of Legoland. Lego toys have become very expensive, now to the point where we do not buy them for the kids except for a special occasion like Christmas or a birthday. Needless to say we won't be going to Legoland (unless I win the lottery like Rob above).
These theme parks may be in danger of pricing themselves out of existence. We had thought about taking our two children to Florida for a Disney vacation. Upon seeing what it would cost for a week's vacation, we decided we could not and would instead return to North Carolina for our usual beach vacation. Upon telling the kids, they breathed a sigh of relief and told us they preferred the beach anyway.
We have been to every major park in Florida. We went to the opening weekend and spent two days at Legoland. This is the best park by far for kids 12 and under. It is a nice blend of rides, shows, and exhibits. If you think Legoland is expensive then you are going to think any of the major parks like Disney, Universal, or SeaWorld are too expensive. If you can afford it, it is well worth your time.
Wow, and I thought admission to my local park (Busch Gardens Williamsburg) was pretty steep. No way in you-know-what I'd be willing to pat $75 per adult, plus $15 parking, just to go to a park. After you factor in travel from Virginia, hotel, food and admissions, it would cost my wife, son, and I well over 1200 for a 3 day trip.
Maybe someone needs to tell these park owners to have a look at the economy...
Are you declaring Busch Gardens expensive or is it the fact that the City of Williamsburg Overtaxes the park.Maybe someone who knows Williamsburg is hanging on by a thread and propped uip previously with real estate values,of course which is failing,then Maybe the Park Owners would lower the price,more especially if people demanded less for their money.
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeesy......I wouldn't go there if u paid me.A bunch of idiotic Lego statues.....how utterly ridiculous??? Who would bankroll that mess ??I bet in less than 5 years that place will be bankrupt.
We've been to Legoland in Calif. twice-took 10 yr old granddaughter. She loved it. Said she enjoyed it more than Disneyland.
I agree it's VERY overpriced if you don't get any discounts. $75 for one day, but $99 for an annual pass!! So if you think you'll get there more than once, even just twice, it's a great deal. I wondered about the pricing, as it seems prohibitive for people from outside Florida and who also might already be spending $$$$ on Disney. However, I would guess they know what they're doing, as the Legoland parks in Cali and Europe are extrememly successful. Definitely look for discounts and upgrade to at least a 2-day ticket and you will get excellent value.
We live about an hour away from the park, and got cheap preview tickets to check it out. We upgraded to the annual pass right away--if you have kids in the recommended age group, 2-12, they will love it! My kids, age 3 and 5, had a BLAST and we can't wait to go back. We saw older kids, maybe 13-15, also having fun. The rides are great, and there are shows, movies, playgrounds, tons of exhibits, and lots of opportunities to just build with legos. They also kept a lot of the history with the old Cypress Gardens along with the waterski show (adapted for legos, of course).
On the other hand, if you don't have kids, like lamort DeLioncourt up there, then you should save your money and not go--because it's for little KIDS.
Disney land or world,the article is biased and shifted towards the person or persons who wrote the article,if they wouldn't consider 75 bucks for admission feasible for legoland because they aren't interested to some degree about it,doesn't mean Disney Park is worth the money you spend to go to it either,Although the article sells that it is, nope:stay home and pay your mortgage not Disney's Mortgage.Screw the mouse,play with legos'.
Not going to happen - I'm out. In fact I would think twice at $7.50 but $75?
My son went to Lego Land in England with friends. He really had a wonderful time. However, there is no way I am going to spend that sort of money for a day ticket at a theme park that closes at 5:00. Seems a very short day for a hefty price. With a family of five we have to spend our vacation dollars wisely and well I think they are over priced for what you would get.
Better to take a cruise or go to Costa Rica where there are many options for entertainment and adventure. The tickets to swim with the sting rays or climb a water fall weren't that much. Nature offers considerably more entertainment than man made plastic from China.
Whoa,...that will never happen.
Clever idea, but it's clearly not the caliber of a Disney park,...and Disney earned their way up to their prices.
I've had my kids to Disney half a dozen times, but I wouldn't pay $75 to see Legos.
Everyone everywhere is trying to make the big grab and earn all of their money at once,...no patience, no humility. i won't be rewarding that.
Comparing cost per hour of operation is useless.
Disney World may be open 20 hours a day, but you're going to spend 10 of those hours standing in line or walking from one attraction to another.
How much time do you spend in line at Legoland?
I would have really liked some more info about the park itself. $75/person could be a lot of money or little money depending on what you get.
But I feel really bad for large families with kids though (whom the park is really for). The price can really add up even if it is wroth it. Also I don't understand why such short hours. By the time you are able to drag your family there, the park is almost ready to close! :(
However I have seen cupons for the park everywhere; online, in local magazines, thru AAA....so most likely not that many people actually pay the full advertised prize.
There's so much whining about the price. If you did a little research you'd find much better deals on admission. In fact, you can get $60 adult $50 child tickets across the street without much effort. You can get better with a little more effort. Stop whining.
the article is mistaken about the parking, it's $12 (not $15). It is a beautiful park with lots to do and see, many interactive attractions. The Lego creations are amazing and the detail of the mini-land is incredible. Plenty of discount options from pepsi promos, to AAA, to Publix across the street from the park. Check out the park before condemning it.