Legoland is a RIP OFF - Or is it?

I’m going to be honest here - I live near Legoland and when they said they were going to build a theme park back in 1999 in an area more known for flower fields and strawberries I was highly skeptical. Now I will date myself here and say that as a kid we didn’t have Legos. In fact, my own kids who are now grown also didn’t have Legos. I was thinking that perhaps they just weren’t popular yet but I just read that in 1971 they were one of the best selling toys in the US and today Lego is one of the largest and most profitable toy companies in the world.

So damn, I guess I just wasn’t in the loop. I guess they have been very, very popular for a very, very long time and I’m the idiot who didn’t know. But can a theme park based on Legos really be any good? Is it a rip off, or an alternative to Disneyland?

Entrance to Legoland

Is Legoland a Rip Off?

If you go to the official Legoland site there are currently tickets for $84. I’m writing this in January 2024 so if you’re coming in Summer it might be different, but that’s what it is right now. If you go to the official Disneyland site the tickets for ages 3 to 10 are $160 and $169 for 10+, nearly double the price. If you put yourself into your kid’s head they don’t see Legoland versus Disney the way you do as an adult. At the end of the day they just want to have fun and either park does that so if you have kids 10 and under it’s a no brainer, go to Legoland. Not a rip off!

Lots of kiddie friendly rides for sure, but some pretty decent roller coasters as well. The Ninjago ride is also super fun for older kids, so if you have a 12 year old you don’t have to worry too much about them being too old. By 13, hmmm, they might want Disneyland so start saving up.

Legoland is also adult friendly with a parking lot that isn’t so huge you need a shuttle bus to get you to the entrance and GPS to find your car later. And when it’s time to go there are lots of good restaurants and breweries and bars close by so you can take your mind off plastic blocks and come back to adultland if only for a while.

For more info on Legoland prices and events go here!

Jewel & Melissa Etheridge at The Rady Shell, San Diego, July 23, 2024 - Show and Ticket Info Here!

Photo Courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine

JUST ANNOUNCED – On July 23, 2024 the San Diego Symphony will present Jewel & Melissa Etheridge at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park™ as part of their co-headlining 19-city tour.

Jewel went from a girl who grew up with no running water on an Alaskan homestead, to a homeless teenager in San Diego, to an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist who released one of the best-selling debuts of all time. Throughout her three-decade-long career Jewel has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and has earned 26 nominations for such awards as the GRAMMY® Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards. Jewel has been featured on the covers of Time and Rolling Stone, and has performed on Saturday Night Live, at the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, for the Pope and the President of the United States. 

Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, which led to an appearance on the 1989 GRAMMY® Awards show. Her popularity grew around such memorable originals as "Bring Me Some Water," "No Souvenirs" and "Ain't It Heavy," for which she won a GRAMMY® in 1992. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am (1993). The collection featured the hits, "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window," a searing song of longing that brought Etheridge her second GRAMMY® Award for Best Female Rock Performance. In 1995, Etheridge issued her highest charting album, Your Little Secret, including the hit single, "I Want to Come Over." Her success that year led to Etheridge receiving the Songwriter of the Year honor at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 1996.

Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program. 

Tickets for the concert go on sale on Friday, January 19th, 2024 at 10AM, at www.TheShell.org

WHAT: Jewel & Melissa Etheridge

WHEN: Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | 7:30PM 

WHERE: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

A Grandpa Goes to Legoland - What to Expect and top Tips

GET DISCOUNT TIX FOR LEGOLAND HERE!

If you have a child or grandchild under the age of 12 and you’re anywhere near San Diego or Carlsbad or even Orange County just know you’re going to have to go to Legoland. My childhood had no Legos - we had trees and bikes and dull stuff like that. Today’s kids have seemingly unlimited amount of Legos, a never ending supply of them, and a full theme park that’s a bit like winning a golden ticket to the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

But before I go too far here’s a handy link to get Legoland tickets and to see the specials. You’re going to want to pay attention here as Legoland can get pretty pricey so check the link and see if there are any deals. And yes, I theoretically get paid if you buy tickets through me (though it’s not happened yet!) so support my website if you can.

I took my 5 year old grandson to Legoland and I think he would live there if they let him. Legoland is filled with rides including three decent roller coasters (not too scary but pretty good for adults), a bunch of kid friendly rides like a submarine or miniature cars that kids can drive by themselves, an aquarium, and plenty of places to build Legos.

Ninjago is the big ride, an immersive experience where your car is taken through a ride filled with interactive giant screens of Ninjas that you get to “fight” by waving your hands in front of the car. I took my grandson to this last year and it was so intense that I doubt he will ever go on it again.

And that leads me to GRANDPA TAKEAWAY #1: No matter how much fun you think your grandchild will have on the rides there is no way they will like it better than going to one of the zones where you build Legos or going to one of the giant play areas with slides were they can run around. Here’s how my day went:

Grandpa: Let’s go on this cool ride!

Grandson: No thanks, I’m building a boat made of Legos to send down the river.

Grandpa: Look, you can shoot snakes and villains on this ride that looks like Indiana Jones!

Grandson: No thanks, I’m busy digging in sand looking for dinosaur bones.

Basically, this is their day and if you thought you were going to be going on all the cool rides it’s not going to happen unless they want to do it, and chances are they are just as happy building a race car as you might be riding the big coaster.

When it came time for food there weren’t a ton of options - decent but pricey BBQ, overpriced hot dogs and burgers, pizza and pasta, and ramen that might make adults happy but guaranteed to be ignored my my grand kids (even if they begged for it, I know how this works!). This leads us to GRANDPA TAKEAWAY #2: So Legoland is not like Disneyland where there are plentiful food options so I suggest you bring in your own snacks and some Jersey Mikes. Here is their official policy:

Food or beverages (water, small snacks and items required for medical, religious or specific dietary purposes are permitted) Coolers larger than 6-pack size (coolers no larger than 12” x 10” are permitted) Coolers of any size with wheels. No glass containers (baby food containers are permitted)

I know, that doesn’t seem to be complete sentences but basically just put your food into a tote bag.

You will never be able to leave this areas once your grandchild finds it.

In the end a trip to Legoland is a dream come true for the small ones. It’s not going to be like Disneyland but if you have fun watching your little one or grandchild has the time of their lives then is there really a better way to spend the day?

It doesn’t take much to keep the little ones happy at Legoland

Every child’s dream is to someday grow up and work at Legoland to show off your minifigure collection.