The Good
The “good” category is for things that, depending on your viewpoint, are either “great” or “well…” (i.e. not so great). Riley often says, “Well…” just before confessing to peeing on the bathroom floor or smacking Dylan in the face.
Behavior modification via wine. On our first night in Winter Haven, we tried to have a leisurely dinner at the Outback Steakhouse, but the kids had other plans. I told them I’d take them back to the hotel if they let me finish one glass of wine. Then I told them if they were good, I’d finish my wine quickly, but if they misbehaved I would drink it very slowly. (Judge me if you must, but it worked.)
Froot Loops. I don’t serve Froot Loops in my house, but I follow a “When in Rome…” food policy when we’re traveling. On our last morning, the boys found the Froot Loops at the hotel’s breakfast buffet. Six mini Froot Loop cereal boxes later, they transformed into actual Froot Loops.
“Close but no cigar” Crocs. Riley insisted on wearing these mismatched Crocs the whole trip. The boy beats to his own drum! Or, he’s a stubborn pain in the butt! I’ll let you decide.
The Great (in no special order)
Televisions with Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network at every table at the hotel restaurant.
Warm and friendly service. Everyone we met at Legoland was wonderful, including the woman who gave the boys ponchos (for free) when it started pouring just as we were walking to the car.
Amazing Lego figures and models, like this wolf:
New York City:
And the White House:
Hello Obamas and Bo!
Clean bathrooms. Nuff said.
Cool playgrounds:
Complimentary coffee in the lobby of our hotel starting at 6am. (This is a must when your children are roosters and/or Froot Loops.)
Taking pictures of your napping child with signs written on napkins.
When your kid hugs Lego Dude and says to Lego Dude, “I love you.”
Lego play zones in restaurants. Parents can sit and eat in peace and kids can play, except for when the mean little boy took Legos from Riley and then told his mom he didn’t and then called Riley a liar! [Insert dramatic music.] More on this in a future post.
Finding an owl for sale at Legoland…
…and exhibiting amazing impulse control by not buying it. But then buying these Lego coasters a few minutes later:
No lines! Hint: Go during the week. We heard weekends are a lot busier.
The boys’ travel journals! Crafty Mama success!
Lego Driving School. The kids got to drive real Lego cars on a real raceway. Fun! (Dylan is actually a good driver. Riley…not so much.)
And for $14.99 each, the kids got driver’s licenses. Pricey – like the teeny-tiny bucket of popcorn that cost $4 but included unlimited $1.50 refills! – but adorable.
The “Well…”
The food. Maintaining a low-carb/high-kale diet in the middle of nowhere (sorry Central Florida) at an amusement park isn’t easy. For comparison sake, I found eating healthy far easier at Disney World. Suffice it to say, a kale salad is on the menu for dinner tonight.
The Super Star Destroyer. 3152 pieces. $399.99. This should be illegal. Even Dylan knew I would never allow that in my house. It would be me or the destroyer. (I wonder which he’d choose?)
The rides had age and height restrictions, which was mostly a good thing because the roller coasters were no joke. Still, some height/age restrictions were confusing. One ride said you had to be 36 inches tall and 4-12 years old. Riley is easily 36 inches tall (and perfectly capable of sitting on a Lego horse with a seatbelt), but they wouldn’t let him ride because he was three. Boo. Thankfully, the carousel was for everyone.
Legoland has a water park attached to the amusement park. There are water slides for all ages, a wave pool, and a lazy river. It’s fun and the kids had a great time, but it required a lot of packing and schlepping to go from dry to wet and back to dry clothes.
THE VERDICT: Thumbs up from the whole family.
If you can get there by car (our drive was about 3 ½ hours), go for it. Go during the week if you can and bring plenty of sunscreen. The Holiday Inn Winter Haven was lovely (there are no resort style hotels nearby…yet). There’s not much to do in Winter Haven besides Legoland, so if your trip requires air travel, I recommend adding Legoland as a side trip to an Orlando or Tampa vacation. The park is about 45 minutes from both cities. With small kids, two days was a perfect amount of time to spend there (considering weather, naps, meltdowns, etc.). With older kids, you might be able to do it all in one day.
p.s. Legoland is an alcohol-free property (for now). For this reason, Mike wanted to give it a “thumbs down” on principle, but I convinced him to turn his thumb around.
Next stop…San Francisco!
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 