The LegoLand

Legoland

Legoland The parks are marketed to young families, and although they have a number of roller coasters, they are not as numerous or as extreme as those in other parks, and there is a greater emphasis on rides suitable for young children.

The parks are split into various areas, which are common between the parks, for example all the parks include a Lego miniland, a model village which includes models of landmarks and scenes from around the world made from millions of genuine Lego bricks. Other common features include a Lego Mindstorms centre (fun-based learning), Duplo Gardens (for smaller children), Driving area (including attractions such as Driving pools, Boating school, Ballooning school and Fire Academy), My Town, Wild Woods and Knight's Kingdom.

The parks' rides are all Lego themed; many are made to appear as if they are built out of Lego bricks. They tend to be based on one particular line of Lego: for example, a popular ride at all four parks is the Dragon Coaster, which is loosely based on the Knights' Kingdom Lego sets. Another popular ride is the Driving school, in which children can drive small electric cars made to look like Lego cars around a small road network, after which they gain a mock driving license. The exact set of rides varies between parks, although as with the Disney parks there is some overlap.

Legoland Billund

Legoland Billund Hotel Legoland - Billund, Denmark

Location. The Hotel Legoland is a modern, family friendly Lego themed property situated overlooking the Legoland Park in Billund, 35 kilometres from the town of Kolding. Billund Airport is three kilometres away with an approximate driving time to Hotel Legoland of five minutes. Hotel Features. This child centred hotel offers playrooms where kids can watch cartoons and play with thousands of Lego bricks. The hotel also organises fun activities including treasure hunts and building competitions. Parents can relax by the open fire in the lounge and play pool in the bar. The hotel also houses a fitness room and a sauna. Other amenities include a coffee shop, 24 hour room service and a business centre. Those arriving by car will find complimentary parking on site. The Panorama Restaurant offers plenty of choices for children in the kids buffet, including Lego French fries and Danish meatballs, as well as a healthy salad bar. Parents can choose from an ? la carte menu or an international buffet, and the restaurant hosts barbecues on summer evenings. Guestrooms. The Hotel Legoland offers 170 guestrooms located on three floors, all of which have bright, colourful, modern decor and come equipped with Bang & Olufsen televisions, telephones, wireless Internet access, minibars, tea and coffee making facilities and bathrooms. Expert Tip. Legoland Parks Miniland presents miniature versions of famous European monuments and cities, built from several million pieces of Lego. A miniature railway and Lego vehicles for children circulate in the park. Very young children will love Duploland, while older visitors will be fascinated by the computer assisted construction technique showcased at the Mindstorms Centre.

Sources

Legoland Windsor

Legoland Windsor is a child-oriented theme park in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego toy system. The park opened in 1996 on the site of what was the Windsor Safari Park, as the second the Lego group's second Legoland (the first was Legoland Billund in Denmark). In common with the other Legolands across the world, the park's attractions consist of a mixture of Lego-themed rides, Lego models and Lego building workshops. The park was acquired by the Blackstone Group in 2005, with the Lego Group retaining part ownership (30%), and is now operated by Merlin Entertainments. Around 1.5 million people visit the park each year, with the season running from March to November. The facilities are mainly targeted at children between two and twelve, although no age groups are specifically barred.

History

The Lego Group began research for the development of a second Legoland park, after Legoland Billund, in 1989; over 1000 sites were considered.

In January 1992, Windsor Safari Park went into receivership, and this 150 acre site was chosen as the first Legoland park outside Denmark. Throughout 1992 and 1993, planning, design, site preparation and the design and construction of models began, and new homes were secured for all the safari animals. 1994 saw the installation of services, foundations and infrastructures, and in 1995, one year prior to opening, Big Ben was installed in Miniland. By this time buildings and attractions were becoming established, and in September advanced bookings were opened for entrance tickets.

Final installations were completed by the beginning of 1996, and at this point the Legoland Windsor staff-base was recruited. The grand opening of Legoland Windsor occurred in March 1996. During its first season, the park attracted over 1.4 million guests.

The first major extension to the park was CastleLand, which opened on March 14, 1998. This was the first new area added since the park opened, and contained the Dragon, the park's first rollercoaster. Also included in the new development was the Lego Mindstorms Workshop, which opened on May 1 the same year.

1999 saw three major new additions to the parks attractions. First was the Dragon's Apprentice, which opened in time for the new season. The Balloon School was not so lucky, suffering delays in construction work, and opened in April. X-Treme Challenge, a large water flume ride, was constructed on the slope in front of St. Leonard's Mansion in time for the school Summer holidays in August. At the end of the 1999 season, the Imagination Theatre was refurbished, and fitted with a truss lighting grid, lighting booth, and blackout drapes, making it much more like a theatre in preparation for the Christmas production of Peter Pan. On November 20, 1999, Legoland Windsor opened for its first Christmas season, which ended on January 3, 2000.

January 2000 saw the start of construction on the Creation Centre and Rocket Racers. Due to open at the start of this season was Wave Surfer, however delays pushed the commissioning of the ride back to April, at which time only one of the two turntables was operational, with the other up and running a couple of weeks later. At the end of the season, Bum Shaker closed, and became a picnic area. November 18 saw the start of the park's second and final Christmas Season, which concluded on January 7, 2001. One of the highlights of this festive season was the opening of The Creation Centre and Rocket Racers in December.

During 2001 there were no new attractions, with the exception of The Creation Centre and Rocket Racers which had opened over Christmas. At the end of the season, however, The Technic Garage closed, and was refitted as a food outlet. Muscle Maker also closed, and became the Truck Stop, a set of remote-controlled model lorries that can be driven for an extra charge. Also during this time the Sky Rider is refurbished.

For the 2002 season, the I-Spy Express was renamed The Adventurers Express, and re-themed around jungle animals. At the end of this season, during Christmas closing, the lighting booth in the Imagination theatre was fitted out with two large projectors and a large quantity of control equipment, a 36-foot projection screen was rigged on stage, and a number of different theatrical effects machines (such as wind machines, snow machines, fog machines etc.) were installed in the truss rig, thus converting the Imagination Theatre to a 4D cinema.

At the beginning of the 2003 season, the Mindstorms workshop was moved from Knights Kingdom to the Imagination Centre, replacing the Dacta Workshops, Robolabs was opened, and Lego Racers 4D was introduced in the Imagination Theatre. On June 10 Queen Elizabeth II visited Legoland Windsor, as part of British Tourism Day.

2004 saw the installation of the first major new ride in four years, The Jungle Coaster, which opened in time for the new season. This and the Wave Surfer were designated as part of a new area, 'Adventure Land', and in line with this the bottom lake was renamed the Adventure Land Lake. Also in time for the new season was the completion of the Big Restaurant's refurbishment. At the end of the 2004 season Rocket Racers closed, having never been particularly popular yet always having technical problems and large, slow-moving queues. Also, the Celtic maze of The Amazing Mazes was gutted, and a path created straight through it.

Three new rides were built in time for the start of the 2005 season; The Fire Academy in 'Traffic', and Dino Dipper and Dino Safari in 'Adventure Land'. The Adventurers Express was again renamed, this time to The Orient Express. In April, Lego made the decision to sell the Legoland parks, due to rising losses across the whole company. On July 13, 2005, Legoland was acquired by the Blackstone Group, and control of the parks passed to Merlin Entertainments.

At the beginning of the 2006 season Digger Challenge opened, and Spellbreaker 4D was introduced alongside Lego Racers 4D in the Imagination Theatre. The park made the news on October 28 as a fire broke out in a storage barn on site during the end of season fireworks, though no one was injured. Over the Christmas closing period, both the Celtic maze and the nautical maze of The Amazing Mazes were demolished to make way for Vikings' River Splash. The Tudor maze was rename Lokis Labyrinth, but was kept closed until August 2007, as it was in the centre of the construction work for Land of the Vikings. As such, The Amazing Mazes ceased to be.

Whirly Birds is renamed Chopper Squadron for the start of the 2007 season, and the Mindstorms Workshop switched from using Lego Mindstorms to the NXT system. In July, Mole-in-One Golf opened, having been given absolutely no publicity, and on August 18, after severe delays, 'Land of the Vikings' opened. The new area (which was due to open in April 2007) increased the parks' capacity by 15%, and contained the new river rapids ride Vikings' River Splash, though the second advertised ride, Longboat Invader, was delayed until the 2008 season. Loki's Labyrinth also opened, though no theming was present. For the first couple of weeks after opening, Vikings' River Splash operated at a reduced capacity.

Areas

Like many theme parks, Legoland Windsor is split into several separately themed areas, many of which match some of the themes of the Lego products themselves.

Beginning

Annual Pass room and other facilities such as toilets and cash machines. This area is accessible before the park opens, during which time a barrier closes off the rest of the park.

The Creation Centre (opened in 2001) is a building where children can watch the Legoland model makers build their models in the Model Maker's Workshop, and this area includes Lego representations of the Crown Jewels and the cockpit of a Virgin Boeing 747. Originally the Creation Centre was sponsored by Boeing, though it is now unsponsored.

The Hill Train is the only attraction that was a part of Windsor Safari Park and survived through the conversion. A funicular railway, the train travels down a curved slope, connecting The Beginning with the Wild Woods area. The journey is just over 300 metres long, and the different in level between the top and bottom stations is approximately 27 metres. Refurbished from its Windsor Safari Park days, the carriages now contain stained glass windows made from translucent Lego bricks, with the designs having been created by local school children.

Imagination Centre

The Imagination centre lies just above Miniland, and is the site of the park's educational workshops, as well as a small number of rides.

The workshops consist of the Build & Test Workshops, areas filled with Duplo and Lego, the Lego Mindstorms Workshop, where visitors are taught how to use the Lego Mindstorms NXT line of robotics products, and the Robolab Workshop, which teaches different building techniques using the older Lego Mindstorms system. The workshops are sometimes closed off for school groups during term time.

Rides in the area consist of the Space Tower, where guests can 'pull' themselves to the top of the tower, and then gently descend, and the Sky Rider, an aerial track with powered cars, giving good views of the rest of the park. This ride was refurbished for the 2002 season, with new restraints added, a 'non-stop' loading system implemented, and the direction of the cars around the track reversed.

Also in this areas is the Imagination Theatre, a small cinema showing 4D films. The films have changed over the years, with the theatre currently showing Lego Racers 4D and Spellbreaker 4D.

Miniland

Miniland consists of a number of large Lego models and landscapes depicting towns and cities from around the world. Nearly 40 million Lego bricks were used to construct the models, which tend to be on a 1 to 20 scale. The models change frequently from year to year, and contain many animated and moving pieces.

A London section now includes many new buildings including the Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge, a rotating London Eye and Canary Wharf. Other famous London landmarks modelled in Lego include St Paul's Cathedral, Horseguards Parade (with the Queen) and Tower Bridge. A train system operated, modelled on the Docklands Light Railway.

An England section includes Brighton Pier, the Angel of the North, Smiths Arms Wiltshire (the smallest pub in Britain) and Stonehenge. A Scotland are includes Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Eilean Donan, Jedburgh Abbey, Blair Atholl and Loch Ness.

Numerous other countries feature including Sweden, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Part way through the 2001 season an audio tour was introduced to Miniland, but it was removed at the end of the season.

Miniland contains a large number of animated models, many of which interact with each other. Cars, lorries and buses all appear to move and steer on their own, never leaving their set paths, yet not using any rails. These operate using cables buried beneath the paths that emit a low-level radio wave specific to each vehicle. The vehicles pick up this signal, and use it to steer. When a vehicle reaches one of the charging points dotted around its track, it stops, and charges its battery for a set amount of time. Outside park opening hours, the vehicles stop on the charging points and recharge overnight.

The trains work in a similar fashion to the road vehicles, but follow tracks instead of radio signals. When a train approaches a station, the train passes over 'slow down bars', which tell an onboard microprocessor to slow the motor. When a train reaches a charging point, one of which is located at each station, it stops for a set period to recharge its battery. Unlike the road vehicles, the trains can go forwards, backwards, and vary their speed.

The boats use a simpler method of operation - they are attached to rubber loops, visible beneath the water, driven by motors. A piece of metal on the hull of the boat allow sensors along the boat's track to detect the boat, so that bridges can be raised and lowered, and locks opened and closed, at the appropriate points.

Controlling all these vehicles, along with sound and lighting effects, is a bank of 14 computers. These computers are connected to the various models, speakers and other effects using 300 kilometres of underground cabling.

Duplo Land

Originally named 'Duplo Gardens', this area is aimed at younger children.

Attractions include Fairy Tale Brook, where riders board a boat which drifts past tableaux from popular fairy tales and Chopper Squadron - (renamed from 'Whirly Birds' for the 2007 season), featuring twelve mock helicopters with the ability to rotate and move up and down at the riders control.

The Mole-in-One Golf attraction opened at the beginning of July 2007, and is one of only a few attractions incurring an additional charge. The attraction features two nine-hole minigolf courses, a yellow course and a more difficult red course.

Also in the area is Extreme Team Challenge (opened in 2006, originally named 'X-treme Challenge'), a pair of 100 m water slides which guests ride down in rubber dinghies reaching speeds of 35 mph.

Other child-friendly attractions in the area include the Duplo Playground play area, the Waterworks, containing fountains, water cannons, and other water play items guaranteed to get young children wet, and the Duplo Train, a short narrow-gauge railway. In addition, regular puppet shows are performed on the Willow Stage for young children (show times vary).

Traffic

This area is themed around transport, and features the popular and well-advertised Driving School, where children can drive a Lego car around an area of intersecting tracks complete with traffic lights and road signs. Before taking to the wheel, children watch an instructional video, and when their driving time is up, they are presented with a mock license. The attraction is only open to children aged between 6 and 13 years old, with older children and adults not admitted. A smaller version of the attraction called L-Drivers is open to children aged between 3 and 5, featuring smaller cars with a single pedal. Driving School is currently sponsored by Fiat, and has in the past been sponsored by Ford and Vauxhall.

In a similar vein to Driving School, Boating School lets guests take control of boats around a course of waterways. This attraction is open to all. Balloon School, opened since the 1999 season, lets visitors take a 40 ft ride into the sky in a mock hot air balloon, enjoying a good view of Legoland.

The newest attraction for the area, Fire Academy (opened in 2006), is a ride for groups of 2-4. Guests board a 'fire engine' vehicle, which they must power to a mock-up of a burning building, where they pump water cannons before returning to the start.

LEGO City

The area of 'LEGO City', previously called 'My Town', is a mock-up of a small Lego town.

One of the most visible attractions in the area is the LEGO City Harbour, a set where live stunt shows are performed at intervals throughout the day, including dives from the top of a lighthouse into the harbour below.

Also in this area is the boarding point for Orient Expedition, a train ride that takes you around Lego City, Traffic and Adventure Land, with safari animals constructed of Lego placed along the track. Originally named the I-Spy Express, the models around the track had consisted of a family of badgers having a picnic. For the 2002 season the ride was renamed 'The Adventurer's Express', and the models replaced with those on view now, and then for the 2005 season the ride was given its current name and a few new models added.

Indoor attractions in this area include the Explorer's Institute, featuring Lego models themed around the jungle, ancient Egypt and the Arctic, and the Magic Theatre, which contains a number of optical illusions.

A small area themed as Brickadilly's Fairground Rides contains a Carousel, Chairoplane, a small Ferris Wheel, and the Brickadilly's Circus Tent, which used to be used for circus shows such as The Toy Box, but is now used only for special events.

The area's newest ride, introduced in 2006, is Digger Challenge, which offers guests the chance to operate a mock hydraulic digger. The attraction is sponsored by digger company JCB.

Land of the Vikings

The newest area of the park, Land of the Vikings opened in 2007, increasing the park's capacity by 15%. Situated behind the Hill Train, the main attraction is the Viking's River Splash, a river rapids ride. Built by ABC Rides, the ride is a traditional rapids ride with nine-seat rafts, interactive water features, and the 'Troll Wash', where buckets of water are emptied from the top of a four metre high bridge across the water channel.

Other rides now considered part of the area are Loki's Labyrinth, which was previously the Tudor themed hedge maze of the Amazing Mazes, now re-branded with a Viking theme, and Spinning Spider, a spinning teacups style ride with a spider theme, previously considered part of the Wild Woods.

Due to open in the area for the 2008 season is Longboat Invader, a swinging, spinning boat ride.

Wild Woods

This area is aimed at an older age group, and has a Pirate theme.

Attractions: Pirate Falls - A log flume, starting with a fast boat ride through woodlands and ending with a large descent. The Rat Trap - A three-storey labyrinth of walkways, scramble nets and chutes, containing interactive elements, and clues to follow with a mystery to solve. Panning For Gold - Guests can pan for gold in troughs containing sand and fools gold, which can then be exchanged for a medallion. Incurs an extra charge. Enchanted Forest - An area of woodland with model animals. Truck Stop - A chance to operate remote controlled models of lorries, and try and attach them to trailers. Taking the former site of the 'Muscle Maker', this attraction inccurs an extra charge. Muscle Maker - This consisted of a very short low-gauge railway and a set of single-person self-driven trains. Riders would sit in these trains and use a lever to power themselves around the track. The ride closed at the end of 2001, and became 'Truck Stop'. Bum Shaker - This consisted of a short stretch of track varying between tarmac and pebbles. Riders would ride tricycles around the track. The ride closed at the end of 2000, and became a picnic area. The Amazing Mazes - This consisted of three mazes: a wattle and reed Celtic maze, a Tudor themed hedge maze, and a nautical themed maze. At the end of 2004 the Celtic maze was gutted, and a path made straight through it, and at the end of 2006 both the Celtic maze and the nautical maze were demolished to make space for the new Viking's River Splash. The Tudor maze was kept, renamed 'Loki's Labyrinth' and given a Viking theme.

Knights' Kingdom

Previously known as 'CastleLand', this area was the first extension to the park after it opened, opening in 1998. It consists of a Castle-shaped building at the bottom of the park.

Attractions: The Dragon - A roller coaster constructed by WGH Transportation. The ride starts as in indoor ride, as the trains glide past tableaux of castle life made from Lego, and then a Lego dragon. The trains then speed up and leave the building, from which point on the ride is a roller coaster, travelling at around 30 mph. The Dragon's Apprentice - Opened in 1999, this is a smaller version of the Dragon for younger children. Lego Mindstorms Workshop - A workshop in which visitors were taught how to use the Lego Mindstorms kit. This was often closed to the public during term-time, as it was reserved for school use. At the end of the 2002 season, the workshop moved to the Imagination Centre, and the rooms were re-assigned as 'staff only'.

Adventure Land

The second newest area of the park (after 'Land of the Vikings'), Adventure Land is situated at the bottom of the park behind the newly named 'Adventure Land Lake'.

Attractions: Wave Surfer - Riders enter a gondola on water attached to a fast turntable by a long arm, enabling the riders to 'swing out'. Visitors who are not on the ride press buttons around it to activate jets of water to soak the riders. Wave Surfer opened in 2000. Jungle Coaster - Built in 2004, this is a Mack Wild Mouse coaster with 400 metres of track, a highest point of 16 metres, and a top speed of 60 km/h. The cars have a Lego Technic theme. Dino Safari - Powered cars travel around a preset track through woodland, with Lego models of dinosaurs. Opened in 2005 Dino Dipper - A loop of cars travelling at high speeds over bumps. Opened in 2005 Climbing Wall - A seven metre climbing wall that incurs an extra charge.

Retail

Retail within the park can be split into two distinct categories: food and drink, and souvenirs.

Food and drink

Unlike other UK theme parks, all food and drink outlets within Legoland Windsor are currently owned and operated by the park, with the exception of the recently added Cinnabon. The main outlets are as follows: Pit Stop Caf? - Located in The Beginning, the Pit Stop Caf? serves main meals. Previously named the 'Hill Top Caf?', it was rebranded in 2001 and themed around racing, as it is situated next to the now closed Rocket Racers attraction. Pasta Patch Restaurant - Situated in Duplo Land, Pasta Patch serves pasta and pizza. Fish & Chips Takeaway - Located next to the Pasta Patch Restaurant. Baguette Bar - Situated in Traffic, the Baguette Bar has had numerous different themes since the park opened, including Lego ranges such as Bionicle. The Big Restaurant - The Big Restaurant is the parks main Restaurant, as is located next to the Lego City Harbour. Completely refurbished for the 2004 season, the Big Restaurant now has a nautical theme, and as such is used to promote Sea Life Centres, another chain of attractions owned by Merlin Entertainments. Burger Ranch - Opposite the Wave Surfer in Adventure Land, the Burger Ranch offers fast-food such as burgers and chips. Crossed Ribs BBQ - Located in the Wild Woods, Crossed Ribs BBQ serves main meals, and has a large seating area with good views of the dropdown of Pirate Falls. Knights' Table Rotisserie - Situated in Knights' Kingdom, the Knights' Table Rotisserie serves main meals. Papa Mole's Ice Cream and Coffee Shop - Serving ice cream, mini doughnuts and coffee, Papa Mole's is situated in the Imagination Centre. Ice Cream and Doughnuts - Occupying what was previously the Technic Garage in Lego City, this outlet too serves ice cream, mini doughnuts and coffee. Cadbury Caf? - Sited behind the Adventure Land Lake, the Cadbury Caf? is sponsored by Cadbury's and sells ice cream, chocolates and hot and cold beverages. Sweet Stop - Located next to the top station of the Hill Train, this is a 'pick and mix' sweet shop. Castle Candy - Situated in Knights' Kingdom, this second 'pick and mix' sweet shop opened for the 2007 season. Cinnabon Bakery - Located just outside the ticket gates, this outlet sells Cinnabon produce. Carts and Stands - Located around the park are many carts and stands, selling goods ranging from chocolate waffle sticks and ice cream to coffee and candyfloss. During the summer months barbecues are set up next to the top and bottom stations of the Hill Train and next to the Big Restaurant, to sell burgers and hot dogs.

Souvenirs

There are a number of outlets within the park selling both Legoland-specific souvenirs and general Lego products. The main outlets are as follows: The Big Shop - The park's main store, The Big Shop sells the widest selection of Lego products anywhere in the UK, as well as a large number of Legoland souvenirs. The Big Shop is located in The Beginning, and is open for a large proportion of the time when Legoland is closed during winter. Rocket Racers Shop - The exit of Rocket Racers, which closed at the end of 2004, led straight into a small shop selling a variety of Lego Racers related products, as well as general Legoland souvenirs. This closed at the same time as the attraction, and is now used for storage. Kids Wear - Situated opposite The Big Shop, Kids Wear sells a large range of Lego children's clothing. Bricks 'n' Bits - Located in Duplo Land, Bricks 'n' Bits has a large amount of Lego sold by weight in 'pick and mix' containers. Brick Brothers Souvenir Co - Situated in Lego City, Brick Brothers is the parks main souvenir store. Turret Shop - Located in Knights' Kingdom, the Turret Shop sells a large range of Lego products with medieval themes. On-ride Photography - On-ride Photography is available for Driving School, L-Drivers, Pirate Falls, The Dragon, The Dragon's Apprentice and the Jungle Coaster. Carts and Stands - Various carts and stands are located around the park selling souvenirs and other small products. During special events such as the fireworks or after-dark event, there are often extra carts selling glowsticks and other appropriate items.

Special events

Each year Legoland Windsor hosts a number of special events. Most are annual, and take place year on year, but occasionally one-off events are held. Regular events are as follows:

After Dark

Held during the Easter School Holidays, the After Dark event spans three days, during which the parks opening hours are extended to 9pm.

As the name suggests, most of the event takes place after sunset, when a laser show can be observed over the Lego City Harbour, or, in more recent years, over the Adventure Land Lake. This is often accompanied by small pyrotechnics, and in recent years water displays.

To celebrate Legolands 10th Anniversary in 2006, a large water projection screen was created over the Adventure Land Lake, and was used to project various images onto, including the 10th Anniversary logo.

These events are also given themes, for example the 2007 event was given a Batman theme.

Most rides within the park usually stay open until the park closes at 9pm. This excludes certain rides such as Boating School and Fairy Tale Brook, which close at dusk as they do not have sufficient lighting; a large safety issue as they are water rides. Rides such as the Dragon Coaster become very popular after dark, as without trackside lighting they take on the feel of an indoor dark ride.

Legoland Live!

A recent addition to the parks special events, Legoland Live is a concert aimed at young children, which takes place in July at the start of school summer holidays.

Various activities are held around the park, such as circus skills workshops within Brickadillys Circus Tent. Entertainers in costume also walk around the park.

The highlight is a concert-style performance, showcasing performers for young children. For example, the 2007 Legoland Live! concert featured Barney & Friends, Bob the Builder and Pingu.

Amazing Machines

Another recent addition to the special events calendar is Amazing Machines, which is held over a weekend in September.

Monster Trucks and motorbikes perform various stunts in the arena. Classical vehicles are also brought into the park and are showcased in various different areas.

Fireworks

By far the most popular special event is the end of season fireworks, and this is the only event to have occurred every year since the park opened in 1996. Usually spanning two weekends, the end of season fireworks often bring the park to capacity.

Activities take place around the park all day, and have included such things as treasure hunts and dance workshops. Rides usually close one hour before the show commences, and some reopen after the show to alleviate congestion on the exit roads.

The fireworks are usually fired from Adventure Land, with the whole area being cordoned off and used as a firing area and fall-out zone. The exit road also constitutes part of the fall-out zone, and so during the show it is not possible to leave the park. The show is regularly described as one of the largest firework displays in the south of England.

The main viewing areas are the Lego City Harbour, and the bottom of Miniland. At these locations, large public address systems are set up which play the music for the show. There is also a pre-display show, with special lighting effects and sometimes video, which ties in with the theme of the event. As the park is on a moderately steep hill, and the fireworks are detonated from the bottom, it is possible to have a good view from most of the park, though it is not possible to hear the music or see the pre-show from many areas.

The event is always themed, usually around a range of Lego products. Previous themes have included Rock Raiders, Lego Insectoids and Bionicle.

Christmas openings

During the Christmases of 1999 and 2000, Legoland Windsor opened for special "Christmas Seasons". During these seasons, the park operated as normal (i.e. all rides were open), but with special shows, events and attractions relevant to the season.

For the 1999 Christmas season (November 20, 1999 January 3, 2000), the following attractions were present: Santas Toy Factory Located in Brickadillys Circus Tent, this consisted of a walkthrough attraction depicting Santas post room, with actors playing the part of elves, and a show in the main arena, centred around the toy workshop, where Santa makes Christmas presents. Peter Pans Christmas Adventure Performed in the Imagination Theatre, this was an adaptation of the story of Peter Pan, in which Captain Hook and his side kick Smee try to prevent Peter and Wendy from reaching the North Pole to meet Father Christmas. The show included a number of musical pieces, a lot of wire work, and a number of theatrical effects including snow. Cinderellas Puppet Pantomime Performed on the Willow Stage, this was a puppet version of Cinderella, with a comic twist. Snowball Express For the duration of the season, the Orient Expedition (then the I-Spy Express) was renamed the Snowball Express. The engine was decorated with fake snow and other Christmas related items, as were the various models around the track, and a snow machine was installed on the platform. Treasure Trail Located in the Pavilions (a marquee in the area behind what is now the Digger Challenge) was a set of Christmas related Lego models. Miniland Illuminations Many Christmas lights were installed across Miniland, and each evening an illumination ceremony was held to switch them on. Twelve Days of Christmas A model was made for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and these were scattered across the park. Millennium Celebrations To mark the new Millennium, a show was performed on the staging across the My Town Harbour on December 31, 1999, including music, audience participation and pyrotechnics. It was performed three times during the day, each time on the hour, and recognising that the new Millennium had begun in a particular country.

For the 2000 Christmas season (November 18, 2000 January 7, 2001), the same attractions were put in place, with the following exceptions: The Lego Creation Centre and Rocket Racers were completed in December 2000, and were highlighted as key new attractions for the Christmas season. Santas Toy Factory was replaced with Santas Christmas Grotto, which incurred an extra charge. The I-Spy Express kept its name for the season, and played showcase to the Twelve Days of Christmas models, which were placed around the track as opposed to around the whole park. The Millennium celebrations were clearly not held, but neither were they replaced with any kind of New Year celebrations.

In the years following these two festive seasons, the park has opened the Big Shop during the time between seasons, as well as the rest of the Beginning (much like the beginning of a standard day, with the exception being that the main path to the rest of the park is boarded off as opposed to roped off). During these periods the Big Shop has had large sales, and one year a KUKA Robocoaster was installed.

Awards

Since opening in 1996 the Park has won a number of awards: Voted UK's Number One Family Attraction by Group Leisure Magazine, 1999 Best UK Attraction for Children, issued by Yandell Publishing in 2002 Best Family Visitor Attraction in the 2007 Tommy's Parent Friendly Awards

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Below, you will find information about the LEGOLAND Group's Online Privacy Policy. Our privacy policy will tell you how and when we collect information through our Web site, and how this information will be used. To learn specifically about our online information practices concerning children who are younger than 13 years of age, please scroll down to the section entitled "Children Under the Age of 13".

The LEGOLAND Group encourages families to visit LEGOLAND.com and LEGOLANDSHOP.de together as a shared activity.

We take online privacy and security concerns seriously. At the same time, we are continually working to make your personal experience when visiting or using our site as exciting and pleasant as possible. To help us accomplish that goal, we will need to collect and use some information from you when you use our site.

All of the Web sites under the LEGOLAND.com domain may collect information from you - personal as well as non-personal - for internal use within the LEGOLAND Group businesses. Any information collected may be shared among companies that are part of the LEGOLAND Group.

In some instances, we may need to disclose personal information about you to companies that we hire so that we may provide you with the best possible service - for example this might be a company that we have employed to ship products that you have purchased through LEGOLAND Shop or a reputable research company hired by us to conduct a survey of our consumers. However, such companies will be under an obligation to keep your personal information confidential.

We may disclose personal information collected from you as required by law, for example in response to a court order or subpoena. We also may disclose such information in response to a specific request from a law enforcement agency.

Except as set out above, we will not sell, rent or otherwise disclose any personal information to any company or person outside the LEGOLAND Group, without obtaining appropriate permission prior to such disclosure. We may collect information about you through active as well as passive means.

We may collect personal information directly from you through our sites when: 1) you sign up to receive newsletters and other information; 2) in some instances, when you enter contests and participate in various activities featured on LEGOLAND.com and other LEGO Web sites; and 3) when you purchase products online through LEGOLAND Shop. We also use passive means to collect some information, such as tracking what pages you go to on the site. This information is then provided to our consumer data department in order for them to determine how to make your experience at our sites more enjoyable.

We will not use personal information we collect from you for purposes other than those for which the information was collected, without asking for appropriate permission prior to such use.

We may use your name and address information to send you catalogs and other product and service information that we believe you may find of interest if, permitted by law. You may opt out of receiving such catalogs and other product and service information (including, but not limited to, marketing research and/or being contacted by a researcher) at any time by sending an email.

Upon request, you have the right to review any personal information we may have concerning you or your children; see Guests Under the Age of 13 below, and How to Change or Review the Information in Your Online Account or Club Membership below.

Children Under the Age of 13

When a child under the age of 13 contacts the LEGOLAND Group online, for example to participate in a contest or to ask a question we will collect that child's email address and the e-mail address of the child's parent or guardian. We will use the child's e-mail address only for the purpose for which it was collected, and we will use the e-mail address of the parents or guardians only to provide notification about the child's contact with us, and to provide notification of the types and uses of information collected as required under the law. We will also provide information as to how the parent or guardian of the child can review and request deletion of the child's personal information, and how to prevent further collection and use of personal information concerning the child.

As a parent or guardian of a child under the age of 13 from whom we have collected personal information, you have the right to review and have deleted such personal information, and to refuse to permit further collection or use of such information. To do so, you should contact us by using the contact information set forth at the end of this privacy policy. Parents and guardians who wish to review personal information concerning their children will be required to specify the usernames and passwords of the children concerned, and to provide their own e-mail address for verification and contact purposes.

No personal information collected from children under 13 will be sold, rented or otherwise disclosed to any company outside the LEGOLAND Group, except for disclosure to companies acting as our agents to help us provide services requested by the child, or pursuant to court order, subpoena or a specific request from a law enforcement agency.

We cannot and will not establish conditions that will require or encourage children to disclose personal information over and above what is reasonably necessary to participate in any activity features on our web sites.

Children under 13 years of age are allowed to participate in contests. However, if such a child wins, notification will be sent to the parent or guardian's e-mail address (provided by the child when he/she enters the contest). Also, we will not ask the child for any personal information beyond e-mail addresses without obtaining prior parental consent. Any personal information obtained from children and parents during contests will be kept until the contest ends and prizes are delivered, and then it will be deleted.

If any activity featured on LEGOLANDSHOP.com will allow children under the age of 13 to reveal personal information publicly (for example, via un-moderated chat rooms or bulletin boards), we will obtain parental consent before allowing the child to participate. Currently, all such activities are moderated, monitored and screened.

Purchasing from LEGOLAND Shop Online

When you make a purchase from LEGOLAND Shop online, we will need to obtain personal information from you. We will need your real name and address (billing as well as shipping address) along with your credit card information or other payment method, in order to complete your transaction and ship your products.

If you are age 18 or over, you can choose to set up an online account with us to use for purchasing products from Shop At Home, in which account we will keep all information relating to your purchases, even after your transaction is completed. This will make it even easier for you to shop with us again, because you don't need to submit such information each time. You can review and update your online account information at any time. If you decide to set up an account with us, we will ask you to create a username and password, which will ensure that you are the only one that can access your account. Setting up an account with us will also give you the opportunity to receive e-mail newsletters and other information. If you don't set up an account with us, we will keep your order history in an offline database.

Does LEGOLANDSHOP.de Use Cookies?

Yes. When you log in or register for the LEGOLAND online or LEGOLAND Shop, we add a cookie to your computer (unless your system is set up not to receive cookies), in order to let us keep track of what games you play and what products you may buy. We also add the cookie in order to remember your browser settings, such as the type of browser you use and what plug-ins you have installed. This keeps us from bothering you every time you enter the site in order to make sure that you have the necessary equipment to play a game or download information from our sites. It also allows us to know how many people are using certain types of software, so that we can adjust our site to provide the best browsing experience for every visitor. Basically, when we add a cookie, we are not collecting personal information, but the non-personal information that we do get helps us make sure that our products and our communications to our guests are responsive to their interests. We hope to be able to continue to make the LEGO World Wide Web sites interesting and entertaining for users of all ages, and to ensure that we continue to make the kind of products that children love and parents trust.

What is a cookie?

Cookies are small data files that your browser may place on your computer when you visit different web sites to mark that you have been there.

How do I know when a cookie has been added?

Check your settings... many browsers allow you to choose your preference. If you have set your browser setting to refuse cookies, then we cannot put a cookie on your computer.

What if I don't accept the cookie?

You can still participate a few of our online activities. However, if a LEGOLAND Cookie is not present, it will limit our ability to customize our site for you, deliver a better online experience and improve the features of our site. Some cookies save us from having to check for compatibility of your system with various parts of the site every time you visit, making the site faster and easier for you to use. When you use the shopping cart, a cookie helps us to keep track of where you are in the site so that you can come back to the same place in a game that you are playing or you don't lose your basket, etc. and makes sure that only you have access to that information. If you don't accept our cookies, you won't be able to save some games, add items to your wish list or shopping cart, and the site will be a little slower as we check your browser's compatibility with our site as you click through.

How to Change or Review the Information in Your Online Account

In the LEGOLAND Group, we're committed to providing high quality products and services and we're equally committed to building long-lasting relationships with our consumers. Relationships like this are built on mutual trust, so whenever you question what data has been collected or you want to change personal information or personal options regarding your online account. We encourage you to do so as outlined below.

Personal information collected online from you may be reviewed by accessing your online account. Members and customers who have registered to set up an online account with us may update their account information and change personal options at anytime.

If you have not set up an online account with us, or if you have any questions about our online privacy policies or information we may have stored about you or your child, please contact our Chief Privacy Officer, or write or call:

LEGOLAND Deutschland Freizeitpark GmbH LEGOLAND Allee 2 89312 G?nzburg Tel.: +49 (0) 8221 700-630 Mail: martin.neumeister@legoland.de Attn.: Chief Privacy Officer Martin Neumeister

The LEGOLAND Group may need to change its online privacy policy from time to time to keep up with the ever-changing virtual reality. However, if policy changes are implemented which would materially and adversely affect the online privacy or security of our guests, the new policy will be e-mailed to all registered guests at their e-mail address.

Legoland California

Legoland California L egoland California is a family theme park located between Los Angeles and San Diego. The park is divided into six themed areas and features over 50 rides, shows and attractions. The most impressive themed areas are Castle Hill, and Miniland USA; with Castle Hill having a medieval theme, and Miniland USA featuring recreations of several famous American landmarks all built from 20 million LEGO bricks.

The theming and landscaping in the park are quite pleasant, and what makes it different from every other park is that the majority of the theming either comprises of LEGO, or designed to look like it is made from LEGO. The park has a good layout, and is extremely clean, and as the park only opened in 1999, everything still looks brand new.

The park features some very unique rides, and several imaginative interactive attractions. While I am sure these are great for kids, there is very little in the park for adults, let alone thrill seekers. I know the park is supposed to be a family park, but it is more like a kiddie park. My definition of a family park is one that contains attractions that all members of the family can enjoy together, and attractions like that here are few and far between!

Legoland has three coasters, two of which I consider junior coasters (Dragon and Spellbreaker), and the other one is a wild mouse, which has so many brakes it might as well be a junior coaster. The parks only saviour for me, were the remarkable LEGO recreations of San Francisco and New York, as well as the pleasant park environment, but are these really worth the whopping $43.95 admission price? Most certainly not, fortunately, I got in for half price!

I think for me the main problem with the park is the aforementioned entrance fee. $40 plus is a lot of money for an adult to pay to ride family attractions, or just to watch their kids enjoy themselves. For just a few dollars more you could go to Disneyland or Sea World, which would make a much better family day out.

The ultimate monument to the world's most famous plastic building blocks, LEGOLAND is the third such theme park, following branches in Denmark and Britain that have proven enormously successful. Located 40 minutes north of downtown San Diego, the Carlsbad park offers a full day of entertainment for families. In addition to 5,000 LEGO models, the park is beautifully landscaped with 1,360 bonsai trees and other plants from around the world, and features more than 50 rides, shows, and attractions.

Attractions include hands-on interactive displays; a life-size menagerie of tigers, giraffes, and other animals; and scale models of international landmarks (the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, and so on), all constructed of LEGO bricks. "MiniLand" is a 1:20 scale representation of American achievement, from a New England pilgrim village to Mount Rushmore and a new replica of Washington, D.C. There's a DUPLO building area to keep smaller children occupied, and a high-tech ride where older kids can compete in LEGO TECHNIC car races. To give the park a little more appeal for older kids, there are three relatively gentle but fun roller coasters. Dino Island features the Coastersaurus, a roller coaster that climbs and dives through a menagerie of life-size LEGO brick dinos. The newest attraction, Knights' Tournament, is a "robo-coaster" that allows you to choose the intensity of your ride experience.

The park is geared toward children ages 2 to 12, and there's just enough of a thrill-ride component that preteens will be amused, while most teenagers will find LEGOLAND a bit of a snooze. A touring tip: When the park opens, many visitors hop in line for the first rides encountered (neither of which are special); it's better to head to the back side of the park where lines are shorter for the first hour or so.