LEGOLAND New York is OPEN!
/Back in November 2019, this fam took a chance on a Black Friday deal for an annual pass to LEGOLAND New York, poised to arrive in Goshen, NY for Summer 2020. Alas, LEGOLAND did not open in Summer 2020. But now it’s Summer 2021 and LEGOLAND is finally open!
So far we have visited LEGOLAND once during its preview days and once (for just a few hours) during regular admission. Here are my initial thoughts! PS Both days were so cloudy! It’s been a cloudy summer.
WHAT IS LEGOLAND NY?
LEGOLAND New York is a small but colorful and clean amusement park in Goshen, NY about an hour and change from NYC. The rides and attractions here are meant for the younger crowd; and I’d venture to say that kids above the age of 10 might get bored quickly. The Park oddly sits on a hill, with portions set on top of the hill and other portions set below the hill (more on this later). Attractions are separated into themed areas not unlike Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
our preview visit vs a fully operational park
On our first visit during the preview days, there was most definitely something missing at LEGOLAND. The overall vibe felt a bit soulless and void of any real action: there was no piped in music, no roaming, friendly characters and not a ton of cohesion between the different themed areas. Also, as the Park warned guests visiting during those early days, several parts of LEGOLAND were still unopen and complete construction zones.
I’m happy to report that most of the surface level problems present during the preview days of LEGOLAND have been fixed. All themed areas are now open and very little construction areas remain. This helps give the Park its much needed boost of cohesion and spirit. To improve matters further, there is now music playing throughout the Park and carnival games, food kiosks and even playground type attractions now dot the Park, adding to the fun.
If you enter LEGOLAND with a leisurely disposition, just looking to stroll around and enjoy the bright lights, a few pretty attractions and some LEGO builds, you can now have a great day at LEGOLAND. However, if you’re a Type A, impatient New Yorker like I am, then sadly, you’ll find that some of the logistical issues from the LEGOLAND preview days are, alas, probably here to stay.
some legoland problems still persist
LEGOLAND’s persistent problems can be summed up in three words: Poor Time Management. Virtually all attractions at the Park have insanely long waits. And then, after you waited so long, the rides themselves are only a few minutes long. On our recent visit, we waited close to an hour for a ride called Rouge Riders in the newly opened LEGO Pirate area. Frustratingly, the line for this ride was not even all that long; staff shortages and a technical delay were mostly to blame for the excruciating wait.
Adding to the poor time management issue, as I mentioned above, the Park sits on a large hill, with attractions located both on the top and on the bottom of the hill. Getting up and down this hill requires walking along these incredibly windy circuitous paths that resemble residential streets. These paths take real time to walk through - so when you’re trying to maximize your day at the amusement park, they can be incredibly frustrating. (That there is no quick way to descend or ascend by stairs on the side of the hill near MINILAND is mind boggling).
To be fair, LEGOLAND seems to have expected these time management issues, as virtually each themed area of the Park now has some version of a walk on playground like attraction that kids can access easily without a wait. These were very cute.
some more legoland basics
The rides at LEGOLAND are generally cute but mostly simple carnival style rides geared toward younger kids. There are also a handful of true kiddie rides for the younger set and really only one rollercoaster that may appeal to the older kids.
On our visits so far, we’ve enjoyed the LEGO Factory Adventure Ride - an indoor motion simulator ride that takes advantage of modern technology and LEGO storytelling to create a unique, LEGO-specific ride that even my husband and I enjoyed. We all thought that, despite the frustrating wait, Rouge Riders was a really cute and different water ride set in the newly opened and quite adorable LEGO Pirate area. Our kids also liked the LEGO City Driving School, which allowed them to drive LEGO cars all through LEGO City. There are several other rides that look cute but we haven’t been able to try yet due to the long waits.
Besides rides, LEGOLAND also offers carnival games (for an additional fee payable only by credit card), LEGO build areas, the playground type attractions mentioned above, food and drink vendors and live shows.
If you’re a true fan of LEGO builds, MINILAND is a must stop themed area. Ten different US cities are on display here - all made from thousands of LEGO bricks.
As Annual Pass holders, we will be back. I am curious to see if LEGOLAND will be any different in the fall or on a weekday. It’s a nice little amusement park to have nearby. You just need to temper your expectations on the types and amounts of rides you’re going to tackle on your visit.
