4 out of 5 from Ye Gads

About the park

LEGOLAND^® Windsor is on the B3022 Windsor/Ascot road just two miles from Windsor town centre. It's easily reached via the M25 and clearly signed from the M3 (Junction 3), M4 (Junction 6) and all approach roads. Parking is free, however there is Preferred Parking for those who wish to park closer to the entrance, at the cost of £6 per car.

The park contains a wide variety of theme type rides (both wet and dry) suitable for all members of the family, however it is designed around kids from the ages of 3 to 12 so the rides are designed to suit this age range. For the new season they have just opened the brand new Land of the Vikings, featuring the thrilling Longboat Invader ride and  their biggest ride to date, Vikings’ River Splash.

The Onsite amenities are very good with toilets and shops dotted all over the park. The park offers a variety of different fast food and healthy option restaurants and cafes, so there is something for all tastes.

LEGOLAND Windsor does not have an onsite  hotel, however they do offer a holiday package in conjunction with Holiday Inn to stay at the Holiday Inn Reading South.

Review

LEGOLAND Windsor is a park designed for kids, so there are no super fast roller coasters, or other adult rides, but of course that is not the point of this park. It is a nice place to bring your kids and while away the day watching them having fun.

The rides are based on a height restriction system:

• No Restriction, but accompanied by an adult if under 1.3 meters
• 0.9 meters, but accompanied by an adult if under 1.3 meters
• 1 Meter, but accompanied by an adult if under 1.3 meters

These restrictions are clearly labelled against each ride on the free park guide that you get when you enter the park. This was great as it meant that we knew which rides / areas in the park were suitable for our son, and meant we you could plan our  day accordingly.

My two and a half year old was 97cm which meant that we were able to get on plenty of rides, however it did mean that I also had to go on the rides with him, believe me don’t expect any thrill rides.

The park has a ride called the sorcerers apprentice, which is a mini roller coaster where you travel around in little dragon cars. This my sons first time on any kind of roller coaster and the “again daddy, again” response that I got when we came off of it says it all. I think we can safely say that this was his favourite ride of the day.

Queue times for the rides did get a little ridiculous as the day progressed and the park filled up. Needless to say we did not queue another 45 mins for a second ride on the sorcerers apprentice. It is good idea to take something with you to keep your kids amused in the queues, as you will be spending a lot of time in them and trying to keep your kid under control as they start to climb the walls will get a little trying.

We managed to find a nice café that served paninis and other sandwiches at lunch time. The prices were higher than you would pay outside the park, but were not ridiculous. We paid just under £20 for three paninis, with drinks and fruit, similar to what you would pay in some high street coffee bars.

All in all a very good experience, my kid came away with a big smile on his face, absolutely exhausted and he passed out in the car on the way home.

We actually enjoyed it so much that we bought an annual pass as we are only 40 mins away, and can pop in for a couple of hours at the weekend if we need to keep our son entertained.

Our 2 tops tips for this theme park are:

1. Take a bike lock so you can lock up your pushchair when you go on rides.

2. Take a picnic if you want to keep your costs down.

3. Get their early and get on the more popular rides to avoid the queue times.

We would suggest you look at the LEGOLAND Windsor website www.legoland.co.uk to help plan your day and to also pick up on line discounts on entry.

Children under the age of 3 go in for free. Children under 15 cost £26 on the day or £23 on line, over 15's cost £35 on the day or £32 on line. There are a whole host of price options, but we think the following offer very good value if theme parks are your thing.

Merlin Annual Pass -This allows entry to Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers, LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, Warwick Castle, Sea Life and the Dungeon. Family of 4 £375 (£330 before 30th April on line)

 Full Annual Pass - Allows full access to the park for 12 months £67 Adult / £51 Child