Planning a trip to Legoland California with kids? You’re probably wondering if it’s worth it, especially with a baby or toddlers in tow. We visited with our toddler and baby, and I’m sharing everything we learned in this honest Legoland California review. From ride recommendations and park layout to snacks, queues, and how toddler-friendly it really is. This guide covers what we wish we’d known beforehand. Plus, I’ll share our top Legoland California tips to help you get the most out of your visit, avoid meltdowns, and have a fun, stress-free family day.
At the time of our visit to Legoland, California, our boys were aged 3.5 years old and 4 months old. I can honestly say, we all had the best time. Many people said they’d be too young to enjoy it, but my 3-year-old was living his best life! I think 2 -7 (ish) is the ideal age for Legoland. I can’t imagine teenagers or huge thrill seekers enjoying it there as much.
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Our Honest Legoland California Review for Families with Young Children
We had such an amazing experience at Legoland California and I would highly reccomend it, even if you have a baby and a toddler! We spent two days in Legoland California, one at the main Legoland Theme Park and one at the Legoland Waterpark, we really enjoyed both!
A lot of people told us we should do Disney World instead but our toddler is a big fan of Lego and not really in to Disney. I’m sure we would have also had a great time at Disney World but I’m so pleased we stuck with our plan to visit Legoland!
We found it to be very family orientated and well set out for strollers (pushchairs). As well as all the facilites such as baby-changin bathrooms you would expect.
There were plenty of rides that we could all enjoy, even our baby could go on lots of them! We found we werent spendng too long waiting in the quequs and went on everything we wanted to. They also have quite a few cool play areas that you can enjoy without needing to queue, this is a great way to break up to waiting around for little kids!
I would honestly give Legoland California a positive review. For any of my English readers, it is SO much better than Legoland in Windsor!
READ MORE: OUR FULL REVIEW OF LEGOLAND WINDSOR
Enjoying the main Legoland California Theme Park and at the Water Park
How Long to Spend at Legoland
Our two days at Legoland Callifornia were perfect. The first day exploring the main theme park and the second, relaxing in the waterpark.
If you only have one day, I would suggest sticking to the main Legoland California theme park.
Getting Tickets For Legoland California
Legoland California tckets are cheaper if booked in advance.
CLICK FOR: ONE DAY ADMISSION TICKETS or TWO DAY ADMISSION TICKETS
Where to Stay to Visit Legoland California
If you want the full Legoland California experience, you can stay at one of Legoland’s own hotels: LEGOLAND California Hotel and Castle Hotel. With magical, family-friendly themed rooms and first access to the park, this would be an amazing place to stay for Lego fans!
If, like us, you’re in need of an option that’s a bit more budget-friendly. I’d recommend the Carlsbad by the Sea Hotel, which is where we stayed. It is less than a mile from the Legoland California resort and offers a free shuttle service to the park.
Best Rides for Toddlers at Legoland California
Our recommendations for the best rides for toddlers at Legoland California are below:
- Coast Cruise – a boat taking you around a world made of Logo. Perfect for all the family.
- Costersaurus – a dinosaur roller coaster for little thrill seekers!
- DUPLO Little Diono Trail – a fun safari-style ride. Perfect for all the family.
- Explorer River Quest – another dinosaur-themed ride, suitable for all!
- Lego City: Deep Sea Adventure – an “underwater” adventure for toddlers.
- Lego Ferrari: Build and Race – build your own Lego car and race it!
- Lego Ninjago: The Ride – become a mini Ninja!
- Miniland USA – a model of America made entirely from Lego.
- Skipper School – drive your own model boat through the Legoland canals.
- Splash Battle- fire a water gun as you sail around in a ship!
- Fairy Tale Brook – another magical boat ride. Perfect for the whole family.
10 Tips for Visiting Legoland California with a Toddler
1. Before you book tickets, you can check how busy the park will be by using this site. One of the best things about visiting with young children is that you can avoid weekends and school holidays!
2. There are plenty of rides for toddlers, and even a few babies can go on. If your kids struggle with the waiting in line part, there are also lots of play areas and activities that you don’t have to queue for! These are a great way to break up having to wait in line between rides.
We especially enjoyed Duplo Playtown, Ninjago Play Area and Pharaoh’s Revenge.
3. Look at the rides before you go. We asked our toddler what he thought looked best and prioritised taking him on that first thing before the park got too busy. We managed to do everything we wanted to in a day, but sometimes the park may be busier than others.
4. Download the Legoland California app. It has a map which tells you the wait times for the rides and where the restrooms are located. We used the app to pick a ride close to where we were that didn’t have a very long wait time.
5. If you see on the app that a ride has a long wait, just try again later. One ride had an hour queue. Later in the day it only had 10 minutes!
6. We didn’t use this much but they let you ride swap. This means that if you all line up, one parent can wait with the baby while the other takes the toddler. Then you can swap which saves queuing twice!
7. The park is very stroller-friendly. We took our own but it is possible to hire one there. They have both single and double options. If your baby is still in a bassinet, you should take your own.
8. You’re allowed to take in snacks and drinks, but not ‘big food.’ You should take plenty of snacks, they’ll keep kids busy in the line if nothing else.
9. You should also pack spare clothes as you get wet on some rides!
10. My final and most important tip: Know when it’s time to leave! There were A LOT of toddlers having meltdowns at around 5 p.m. Even though the park was open til 8, we left at 6. That worked for our kids, any later and they would have been too tired! Don’t let the fun day be spoilt at the end!
Thank you for reading our Legoland California review, I hope our tips have been useful and you have the best time exploring Legoland!
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GUIDE TO LOS ANGELES WITH KIDS
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