If you are visiting LEGOLAND Windsor and are looking to make the most of your day our ultimate LEGOLAND Windsor tips and tricks have you covered. From ride strategy to the best time of year to visit LEGOLAND Windsor this guide will maximise your time in the park.
Ultimate LEGOLAND Windsor Tips and Tricks
Before Visiting Legoland Windsor
What is the best time to visit LEGOLAND Windsor
No matter the attraction, the answer to this question is always to visit off peak i.e. not the weekends and not the school holidays. By visiting off-peak you can save money on ticket prices as they can be more expensive say in August than September and the queues will be less. However if you are travelling with kids this may not be possible. The last time we visited the park we had no choice but to visit during the school summer holidays – the peak season for the park and still had a really good time. So if you can go off peak but don’t let the school holidays put you off if it is the only time you can travel – just expect slightly larger queues and to pay slightly more.
Buy your tickets in advance
A visit to LEGOLAND Windsor can be expensive so it is best to buy your tickets in advance as there is a discount for not buying them at the gate on the day. It will also save you time when arriving at the park. You can book your tickets online up to 24 hours in advance of your visit so this even works if you are planning a somewhat last minute trip.
Watch out for LEGOLAND Windsor Discounts and Deals
If you are visiting LEGOLAND Windsor on a budget then be sure to keep looking for discounts and deals before you visit. We’ve always found a good place to look for LEGOLAND Windsor deals is on the side of Kellogg’s cereal boxes as they usually have a buy one get one free ticket deal but be sure to look around to see if you can find the best deal to suit your family.
Consider buying a Merlin Annual Pass
LEGOLAND Windsor is part of the Merlin Group of attractions which on top Legoland also include, Sea Life centre, Alton Towers and Warwick Castle to name but a few. Our biggest regret this year has not been buying an annual pass as we have ended up visiting more Merlin attractions than we had initially planned this year and I’m sure it would have been a cost saver if we had purchased one.
How many days do I need at LEGOLAND Windsor?
Whenever I am visiting a themepark, whether Legoland or Disneyland Paris, I always check how many days we are going to need to do the park justice. With the amount of rides, character meet and greets, lego village and shows along with potential long queues then there is enough to keep you at the park for two days. If you are visiting off peak then you could probably achieve most of the parks big ticket items in a day however if you are visiting at a weekend or in a school holiday it might be worth visiting for two days so you can cover everything. In our visit in August we definitely needed two days to do most of the rides and shows.
Consider staying at one of the LEGOLAND Hotels
Staying at a Legoland hotel will not come cheap but it certainly will add to your experience. There are two hotels on site Legoland Castle Hotel and Legoland Resort Windsor. This can help maximise your time in the park and littles will love the experience.
Buy your parking in advance
If you decide not to stay at the on-hotel then parking will not be included in your ticket price. As with your park tickets, it will be saving to book your parking in advance. If you are worried about having a long walk to the park from your car then be sure to book priority parking, but this definitely isn’t necessary if you don’t mind walking a bit further to the entrance
Buy a Reserve and Ride
This is perhaps one of the more costly things tand Windsor but buying a reserve and ride ticket can save you a lot of time and kiddy moaning in the queue. The reserve and ride system has several options from returning at dedicated time slots to immediate access to a ride but it is costly – it can cost up to nearly 100 ponds per ticket. We didn’t feel this was great value for money but if you are short on time or patience you may want to consider it.
Download the LEGOLAND Windsor app
Whether you are visiting LEGOLAND Windsor on or off peak, one sure fire way to maximise your time in the park is by downloading the LEGOLAND Windsor app. The app is free to download and is available for all iOS and android phones. This is really useful as it has live queue times and helps you plan your day. I had a rough idea of what our LEGOLAND Windsor itinerary would look like before we went but having the app meant we could tweek things depending on queue lengths and ride break downs.
Measure your child before you go
Though the LEGOLAND Windsor theme park is aimed at children there are a lot of ride height restrictions throughout the park. There are only about 2 rides that we went on (Carousel and Laser Raiders) that didn’t have height restrictions and our baby could go on. The rest of the rides tended to have a 1metre minimum height restriction. If you are only travelling with one child and they don’t meet this requirement it might be worth postponing until they are tall enough.
What to pack for LEGOLAND Windsor
Should I bring a buggy to LEGOLAND Windsor?
LEGOLAND Windsor is a pretty large site and hillier than I expected so If you are travelling with babies or toddlers to LEGOLAND Windsor or a child that has only recently stopped using a buggy then you should bring the buggy with you. However if you forget there are options to rent both single and double buggies on site.
Whenever I recommend bringing a buggy to a theme park I also recommend bringing three other things
A buggy lock
You can’t take buggies in queues with you and often will have to leave the buggy outside the ride. Unfortunately it isn’t unheard of round the world to have buggies stolen in parks so putting a buggy lock on greatly lowers this risk.
Rain cover
This is great to keep your little dry around the park but it is also worth putting over as you queue for a ride. If there is a large downpour while you are in a queue you don’t want to come out to a soaking wet pushchair
A Carrier
While you will use the buggy to get from ride to ride having a carrier for use in the queue will save your arms from getting too tired. We made this mistake on one ride and we have never made it again.
Bring snacks or a picnic
If you are travelling with littles or just an adult who gets hangry be sure to have a backpack full of snacks should hunger strike when you are in line for a ride.
And if you are on a budget then bringing a picnic with plenty of drinks will save you a lot of £’s in the park.
What to wear to LEGOLAND Windsor
Bring swimwear, towels and a change of clothes
There are lots of water rides in the park – in fact some of my favourites involve getting pretty soaked. While there are some dryers next to the rides the best thing to do is to ensure you have a fresh set of clothes for after you’ve ridden to change into.
And don’t forget there is a large water park / splash zone for your littles to run around in so be sure to bring swimwear and a towel.
Legoland Windsor tips and tricks for in the park
Arrive early
Whatever themepark you are at in the world we always recommend getting their early. Legoland Windsor is no exception. As we were staying in the hotel we arrived at the gates at 9:30 and this meant we could quickly dash for rides that we knew would be busier later in the day. For us that meant rushing to Flight of the Sky Lion the newest attraction, and in our opinion the best ride in the park.
Do the BIG Rides first
And by BIG rides I mean the rides that are known to have the longest queue. While we were there this was definitely the Flight of the Sky Lion so be sure to head there first.
Don’t leave the water rides until the end of the day
Most people will leave these rides until the end of the day because they won’t want to get wet. However, so long as you have spare clothes or waterproofs with you it is worth doing them first as the queues are much smaller at the start of the day.
Utilise parent swap
If you are heading to LEGOLAND Windsor with a baby or toddler in tow you will find yourself waiting around a fair bit as most rides have 90cm or 1m height restriction. So if you find yourself in that situation be sure to ask whether the ride you are heading to has rider swap. If it does it means that once one parent has ridden the other parent can quickly join near the front of the queue so they don’t miss out.
Don’t miss the shows and non-ride attractions
While most think about the rides when they travel to LEGOLAND Windsor there are plenty of other attractions that you should add to your Legoland Windsor for instance the shows, character meet and greets and the digital experiences. If have a picnic then maximise your time by eating and watching at the same time.
Have you been to Legoland Windsor? What are your top tips for visiting Legoland Windsor