Legoland Family Adventures

Legoland Florida Resort Movie Premiere of the LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure
Photo courtesy of Legoland

My girls, Randi and Graci, ages 11 and 10, were so excited to go to the premiere of The LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure at the Legoland Florida Resort in Winter Haven. Our family was invited to attend this red carpet premiere, and the girls could hardly wait. When I told them we were going, they couldn't stop jumping up and down with excitement.

Jack Griffo, star of Nickelodean's
"The Thundermans"
Photo courtesy of Legoland

Several celebrities from the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon were
going to be there along with social media sensations, the Eh Bee family, who my daughters watch on YouTube. They told me, this was going to be the best night of their lives. The girls had never been to a movie premiere event, so this was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time because they didn't know what to expect.

Eh Bee Family
Social Media YouTube
photo courtesy of Legoland

Let's fast forward to the day of the event. It was a weeknight, and we were leaving right after school got out. The weather was bad. It had been raining all day and was still raining when we left. Usually a drive to Legoland from our house takes about an hour and a half.

We left in plenty of time, so I thought. We were stuck in traffic for hours. I had never seen it so bad. It took us two hours to travel what usually takes 45 minutes. It was frustrating, to say the least, and it looked like we were never going to make it for the event.

The girls were sad and heartbroken. I felt terrible because I knew how disappointed they were and knew how they had been looking forward to this event.

My husband was the only one in the van with his head on straight and thinking logically, telling us we weren't going to make it there on time, and the weather was too bad for us to continue. Someone almost smashed into our van early on in the drive, so I knew he was probably right.

We decided to head back home and visit the park on Sunday. Little did I know that decision would turn into a wonderful family adventure. The weather was beautiful! We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous Florida day. We drove to Legoland and got there within an hour and a half. It was like night and day from our drive earlier in the week.

Watching the girls faces and reaction of seeing the huge Legoland sign for the first time was priceless. They were so excited to arrive at the park.

Once inside the park, we saw huge Lego models in Miniland, which were breathtaking. It was amazing to see how many hours of time and how many Lego bricks were used in each one. The park is huge and, if you didn't know, was built on the old Cypress Gardens. The botanical gardens were preserved and are part of Legoland.

Not only are there tons of Legos to see, there also are rides and shows. Of course, we went on almost every ride. The girls enjoyed the roller coasters the most. There are several roller coasters, each one little different than the other. The girls favorite was the Coastersaurus. We were able to go three times in a row on that one!

Even though the fairly new Legoland Resort hotel was booked, the crowds weren't bad. We had a five-minute wait or less at most rides. Not having to wait in line for rides was something I wasn't expecting, especially in season and on the weekend. We really lucked out!

My husband and I went on almost all the rides with the girls. Parents, especially moms, if you can, don't miss out on going on the rides with your kids. Sometimes as moms, we think, “I'll sit back and hold all the belongings while dad goes on the rides.” No moms, you go too! You'll be glad you did and your kids will remember it.

After the rides, we were able to watch the LEGO Move 4D A New Adventure. The red carpet was still there leading up to the theater. Several of the characters from the movie were there too, and you could take pictures with them.

Photo courtesy of Legoland

The movie was about 12 minutes long. I had been to 3D movies before, but never a 4D. If you are
wondering what happens as part of the 4D, there's wind, water, fog and strobe lighting during the movie.

Our day couldn't have been any better. We stayed until the park closed. We'll never know why we didn't make it to Legoland on our first try, but our second time around was something we'll all cherish forever as a family!

TIPS and SAVINGS for parents & kids

1- The earlier you book your tickets the more money you can save. Florida Residents can get a pass for $99 per year. Parking is $17 but you can pre-purchase for $15 online
Free child ticket with purchase of adult ticket special offer click here. Good until 2/28/16

2- Great park for family. Kids 2-12 will enjoy it. There are special things for kids age 2 with low or no height requirements. Some of the rides have height requirements.

3- Don't forget to bring your Legos as part of the minifigure trading with Model Citizens or Legoland employees. It's free to do.

4- If you are interested in all your photos from the day in the park....especially the photos from the roller coasters, make sure you have a model employee write you photo number from each photo you have on a piece of paper. At the end of the day when you go to look at your photos, if you have all the numbers you can get all your photos on a disc for a special price.

5- My souvenir from the day was a Lego toy frame with our family photo on it. It's a real Lego that comes apart! I love it!

***Your kids can join the LEGO club for free and receive a magazine 6 times a year sent to your home. It's easy to do go to www.LEGO.com/Club