Legoland!

When we first heard that Legoland was being built in JB, we were excited and even went to one of their roadshows in Expo. And then we thought it's better to wait until the water park was open, so as to kill two birds with one stone. Months later, the water park was open, and we thought we might as well wait for the hotel so we could maximise our stay.

When finally the hotel was open to public, our excitement was gone :p

Our travel kakis were not exactly rushing to go there either. So when an old friend of mine said she was going to visit Legoland with her family, we decided to join her. On a working day during school holiday period, no less.

We underestimated the queues in checkpoints, therefore we only reached after a long 2 hours drive -_-" Should have left home much earlier. At 11.30pm, the sun was scorching hot! Ice cream and cold drinks were the best things to sell here.

We chose only to focus on theme park this time round. Upon customary poses at the entrance, we passed through the turnstiles and were greeted by, what else.. more lego! :)

It's cute how everything in the park revolves around lego. From the big hotel building down to the smallest accessories. It's dream come true for lego-loving children.

There were a number of areas in the park, each with different rides, restaurants, shops and facilities. These were what we covered:

1. Miniland
It's the centrepiece of every Legoland park. This park has detailed miniatures of 17 Asian countries, built from more than 30 million Lego pieces in 3 years. It's impressive!

2. Lego Kingdoms
- Dragon's Apprentice
It's a roller coaster designed for children. I tried it and while it might be scary enough for smaller kids, it lacks the oomph for adults.
- The Dragon
I suppose, after you 'graduate' from Dragon's Apprentice, you can try the real deal in this ride. It's quite good, but it was a bit too short. Every time the ride was complete, the crowds in the queue (plus the staff) would clap. I didn't get it.
- Merlin's Challenge
A child's ride. Simulating a train ride, it's a circular train that went around in circles while going up and down at the same time. It made me dizzy. Give me roller coaster anytime.

3. Imagination
- Kid Power Towers
People came in pairs and seated 2-by-2 in seats that surrounded 3 towers. They would then pull the big rope in the middle of the seats to bring their seats up. Whenever the rope is let go, the seats would go down. It's interesting but some physical strength was needed.
- Build & Test
Children could build race cars and tested them in the provided race tracks.
- Observation Tower
A tall tower that went up and went on circular motion to let guests enjoy views of the surrounding area.
- Duplo Playtown
A playground suitable for toddlers.

4. Land of Adventure
- Lost Kingdom Adventure
In moving cars we were supposed to shoot objects with green lights on the way. Scores were accumulated. I got 15500!
- Pharaoh's Revenge
A playground suitable for older kids, as it's equipped with ball shooting game

5. Lego City:
- Lego Rescue Academy
It's a racing game where families pumped the vehicles (police cars and fire trucks) to put off fires on the buildings.
- Lego City Airport
Airplane ride that went around in circle
- Junior Driving School
Single pedal car ride for 3-5 years old.
- The Shipyard
A playground
- Legoland Express
A train ride around the Miniland area.

The queues on the rides were very manageable during our visit. In the afternoon it was less crowded, we could even ask for second round on the rides without bothering to go down.

Food was quite good, considering it's a theme park. Price-wise, it's about the same as normal price in Singapore (not Singapore theme park). Plenty of choices, plenty of restaurants and snack bars. However it would be better if water dispensers were provided, especially considering the weather.

In general the theme park was great, clean and well maintained. Baby room was very comfortable and well equipped with pantry facilities.

Almost in all rides, a table with lego bricks were provided. It's a nice touch. I guess we'll be back, maybe next time with water park and Legoland hotel in the itinerary :)

Some useful tips you might need if you plan to pay Legoland a visit:
- Go early. You'll never know how long the queue will be at the checkpoint.
- Park at Mall of Medini. It only takes 5 mins to walk to Legoland entrance. Car park rate is RM 1 / entry on weekdays. Other days it's capped at RM 7.
- Put on sunblock. It's really, really, really hot.
- Drink lots of water.

Before calling it a day, we had dinner at Absolute Thai, one of the many restaurants in Mall of Medini. It served good Thai food with reasonable prices. Courteous service, nice ambience. Too bad they ran out of mango with sticky rice when we were there, the picture looked so tempting!