Disclosure:  This is an unsponsored post.  All opinions expressed are my own.

We are not working with LEGOLAND NY but I do have an avid builder so we have season passes that we purchased two years ago like many of you when they had a deal that you basically would have been crazy not to take, for the price of approximately one days admission, you were able to pre-purchase a season pass.  (A) is such a LEGO fan that I knew we would have to do it.  We figured we lived close enough, and parking was included, that it made sense.  We finally went this week for his 11th birthday, and here’s what we found.

(A) and his friend are about at the top of the age group that it will work for at 11.  After this year, there won’t be much for them to do or explore unless the park gets some additions.  That being said, we DID spend 6 hours there this week, and both boys were engaged and had a good time.

The park isn’t huge, which makes it perfect for a day trip.  The day we went (a Tuesday, that was overcast and sprinkling rain) it was super empty especially at opening.  That was by design, I didn’t want to wait on line forever.  I ALWAYS go at opening to these type of places because the rest of the world isn’t ready yet. For LEGOLAND that’s 10 am, but not everything was open and operating at that time.  Some of the food vendors were still closed, and some of the games were not operating.

When I take (E) back I will be better able to report on her age group (8) which is a little younger and may experience things differently.  This time both boys were 11 so I have a bit of an older take on the trip.  They wanted to start the day walking down the hill looking at the intricate models they had built (this I KNOW my 8 year old will care less about).  They marveled at how many bricks it must have taken for each one, asking me to take photos of ones they liked best, and trying the interactive aspects.  I am not sure if its growing pains as its so new, but the majority of the functions didn’t work, and there were control knobs missing.  They DID however have sanitization stations near each model which was nice because the boys (conditioned at this point to cleaning from the pandemic) would try something then use the station.

We then headed down to the pirate area where there are a few water rides.  The single rider ships were cool, and great for a little refresher, but the boys LOVED the bigger pirate ship where you can shoot the spectators, and have them shoot you back with water cannons.  I stayed off and let them soak me.  That was a real HOOT!

The climbing pirate ship was cute, but the boys weren’t interested, that’s what I think (E) will like, and those younger (say ages 4-9) so we passed that by and moved into LEGOCity.  At opening (10 am) not all the food or vending areas were open, again, I am aware that its not completely open at this time, but it does set a tempo.  The boys enjoyed getting their Drivers Licenses and putting out fires.  The coast guard ride was closed, unfortunately, which i could see the boys enjoying.  We didn’t attend the show (as a COVID precaution) but perhaps we would be interested in seeing it next time.  We did meet one employee at the fire station who was super happy and excited about making our time great- he was a stand out (I wish I had taken his name).

There are “carnival” type games strewn throughout the park, but I told the kids no.  It’s just not my favorite, but if you enjoy them plan on spending a little more time in each area.

I was saddened to see how few patrons paid attention to the CLEAR signs that said no climbing on the LEGO setups and nicely asked them to stay on the paths.  It is obvious that a lot of time and effort went into them, and it will be a shame to see it all ruined by people who don’t follow the rules.

Up the hill is the Castle and the Ninjago areas where I knew the boys would spend the majority of their time.  They had a good time on the dragon rollercoaster, and the tower climbing attraction, then made me buy swords and shields (Moms you feel me….. I know).  The dragon coaster photo was great so I purchased that.

In the Ninjago area there is another ride-on game that was super fun (I killed it, but didn’t rank for the week, I may have to practice).  There is another photo opportunity here.  The climbing area was closed, but there is another game in the corner where you have to run from cylinder to cylinder and tag the one of your color you can compete with friends on that was super fun.

When we first walked in, there was a list of  “shows” you can see.  We recalled that the boys wanted to attend Master Wu’s training.  There are no other signs throughout the park with the schedule, so when we asked personnel, we were shocked to find that they also didn’t know the times or places.  Perhaps another kink?  Either way, we did finally make it back for the show, but found quickly that it was not with Master Wu. This show was geared toward much younger kids.  They left after about 2 minutes.

At this point the boys were hungry so we decided to have a bite.  Each area of the park has different food available, so keep an eye out for what you may like.  We were disappointed to find that after choosing, we waited on a line for food in the Ninjago area. They were out of one of the selections (there were 3 options at this site before being out of the beef bowl- this happened elsewhere too) so we all got the Orange Chicken,  It came with a large scoop of rice, about 3 vegetables and some fried chicken balls in orange sauce.  It was OK (it’s theme park food I didn’t expect 5 stars), and again the only drink choices were a few soft drinks.

We wanted to get some dessert as well, so we headed back to something cool I had seen earlier.  Apple Fries- THIS IS A MUST.  I will rave about them and order them EVERY TIME I go.  They were so good, and you can even watch them make them through a window.  They do NOT however have the soft serve Ice Cream advertised at that location, and you cannot get a single scoop of ice cream there, which meant we had to walk elsewhere to find it.  Fine, we looked at it as burning some of the calories we were about to consume.  The vanilla and chocolate ice cream was good, but they colored the vanilla super yellow and it turned everyone’s mouths yellow, it was kind of gross.  I had been previously warned that some of the other flavors were not stellar so we stuck with classics.

We circled back to some of the rides we really enjoyed, before heading up to the building area in Bricktopia.  If you have ever been to the discovery center in Westchester, this area is exactly like the building you can do there, which made my guys happy.  They spent a good long time building race cars and competing.  It was luckily not crowded, and we sanitized WELL afterwards.  The change into a minifigure ride was cute, and has a neat photo that changes as you move it, but we didn’t get it because 2/3 of us were not looking at that part (LOL). It’s on my list for next time.

Last but of course not least is the GIANT LEGO Store.  We saved this for last as (A) had birthday money to spend and I didn’t want to carry LEGO around the park.  It has EVERYTHING you can think of (except one thing which I hope they add) and takes a while to check out.  They have the really neat ‘TV’ setups throughout the store where you can hold up your set and see it come to life (yes this was very fun).  The associates in here seemed very knowledgeable and friendly.

I forced the boys to ride the carousel (its a classic) which I know my 8 year old will enjoy, and then we headed home with our spoils.

OK I know this is getting long so I will give you some quick info to use.  

HELPFUL HINTS:

• Bring a refillable water bottle there are stations everywhere and it sill save you $4.50 a bottle of water.  There are no other “healthy” drinks available for kids.
• If you are a season pass holder, tell them when you purchase ANYTHING and show them your bar code, it saves you 10%.
• They have refillable drink containers available but it seems to only be worth it if you plan to purchase 4 or more drinks throughout the day.
• First photo purchased is like $17.99 after that its $5 per photo, but you have to show the initial receipt.
• It’s a cashless park for now, so don’t go to the ATM, just bring a credit card.
• APPLE FRIES ARE AMAZING ( you can find them on the way from LEGOCity to the Castle)- Don’t eat them all I am coming back.
• I brought a small sling back backpack which was PERFECT.
• Sunscreen on a sunny day, there isn’t a lot of shade.
• Ask about food allergies at EACH station, they have books they can reference for you to be sure.
• Try to go during the week as its less crowded, and early (10 am) you’ll have the run of the park. (This may change when the hotel opens as it opens options to visitors from further away).
• Strollers are allowed, and I would suggest them for kids who are not good walkers as its somewhat hilly.
• If your kiddos bring a mini-figure with them they can trade with staff throughout the park, which is fun.

The hotel opens next month and I am interested to see what they offer.  I haven’t found that they keep us informed all that well.  I KNOW my kids will love the themed rooms (a toss up in our house between the Ninjago and the Castle), but is there a pool? A restaurant or two we can choose from while there?  How about master builder classes, or events to sign up for?  I have SO MANY ideas but no one asks me ;o)  I would like to check it out for sure and report back.

Final notes:

I have heard a bit of negative feedback regarding the park, and remember this.  See it from your kids’ eyes.  Sometimes we compare to other things we know, and OUR parental expectations.  Kids have different thoughts (in fact, (A) and his friend were responsible for a lot of this review).  It’s smaller and definitely geared toward the younger crowd, I do wonder if there are plans for more.  The food is OK, they tried, it’s a theme park.  If your kid loves LEGO, go.  Its totally worth a day trip.