sarasue7272 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I am thinking about going to Legoland for spring break. My kids are 6 & 9 (9 year old is not into roller coasters) and I feel like if I wait much longer they won't enjoy it that much. We have never taken a family vacation - we've gone to the beach with my parents every summer and my in-laws take my kids of big fancy trips, but we have never done something for just the 4 of us. The lego hotel looks awesome, but basically it will cost $1000 for one night and 2 days at the park with gas and food. That seems ridiculous, but I don't really know how much family trips cost. We haven't had any extra money so I have never really looked into it. Since that's a lot of money for two days of fun, and we would need to stay at least one more night somewhere (it's about 8 hrs from home) I thought about the beach. Maybe camping at the beach? Fort De Soto in Clearwater looks pretty nice. Also, we have only camped a couple times with scouts. Any advice? Is the legoland hotel really fun? Park tickets alone would be at least $300. Now that I am typing this all out, it seems like not too bad a deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Legoland regularly has free tickets for kids in the Lego club magazine or in sets, so check there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in FL Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Found an online source for free kids tickets. Free Kid Ticket With Adult Purchase: http://hip2save.com/2016/06/16/legoland-free-child-ticket-84-value-with-adult-ticket-purchase/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarasue7272 Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 A night at the hotel includes a 2day ticket to legoland. So, we could go the the park for 1 day fairly cheaply - $200 or so - but still need a hotel for two nights. And the hotel looks really neat! I don't really want to drive 8 hours for one day of lego. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 We got our tickets cheap for homeschool days, but we stayed in the hotel it seemed like a lot of guests were given complimentary tickets for staying at the hotel. Maybe ask about that? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarasue7272 Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 I guess what I really want to know is if the hotel is worth an extra $300-$400? If we do one day at the park, plus 2 nights at a hotel, that would be at least $400. One night at LL hotel and 2day park tickets is $775. So cool hotel and one extra day at the park for $375. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Ft. DeSoto is really nice, but it would probably take you close to 3 hours each way to & from Legoland from there, because you'd be fighting some really awful rush hour traffic. If you want to stay offsite, choose a hotel near I-4 & Highway 27, or something in Winter Haven closer to the park. Since we are relatively local (Tampa), we've never stayed in a hotel (and the last time we were there the Legoland hotel wasn't finished), but we've never once paid full price for Legoland tickets. Definitely look into free tickets with hotel stay, or check out Legoland's homeschool discounts - adult tickets are $25 and student tickets are $13.50. Details are at https://www.legoland.com/florida/planning-your-visit/groups-parties/school-group-programs/home-school-days/ Your kids are the perfect ages for Legoland. They will enjoy the rides there even if they don't like traditional roller coasters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarasue7272 Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 I was considering going to fort desoto for a few days, before going to legoland for a night, to make the trip a bit longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christusg01 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 We haven't stayed in the Lego hotel because it's very expensive. We've been to Legoland twice. We stay in Orlando and drive the 45 - 55 minutes to Legoland. Go on a homeschool day! Tickets are $25 for adults and I think $10 for kids. You just have to bring proof of homeschooling. We brought our letter of intent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) It's not how we're staying (we're using the military resort at Disney), but there are houses in Orlando that you can just rent for the week. You could also look for a hotel that comes with breakfast. That just seems rough to spend $200 a night on a hotel if it eats up all your budget. I'd rather have less swank and more fun. Nuts, you could actually stay at a Disney resort for sub-$100 a night. Go see. And they do deals like 25% off or free dining or this or that. Have you read reviews to see if Legoland needs two days or if one day is adequate? If you're going to be in the area and only need a day at Legoland, you might like to do an airboat right, wrestle alligators, go see the manatees, go fish, etc. You can drive out to the coast (about 1 hour!) and fish right from the pier with a rented rod. In Cocoa there's something called Gator lane or alley or something, and you drive it and get your creeps of gators. I'm told by the locals it's THE thing to do. :D You might even be able to snag a day or two at Disney. :) Have you looked into flying in? If you were to fly in, the Disney Magical Express could drive you to the Disney hotel. Then do like a day or two at Disney, at day at Legoland, do the airboat, fly out. Just use Uber and never even rent a car. No gas, no tolls, nothing. Or price out renting a house for the week and see if it would save you money. PS. If you like to camp, you can camp at Disney!! SaveSave Edited January 18, 2017 by OhElizabeth 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm not sure how to answer. We went to lego land, Disney world, and sea world last year (we used military discounts at most places). Lego land hotel was a splurge for us, but the kids absolutely loved it. I don't know if it is worth the money, but it is the thing my kids talk about most from the trip. One reason we ended up staying there is because I couldn't really find a good alternative near there. It is a good 45 minutes to Orlando (I think). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 You can handle the hotel issue the way I did when I took my kids to Universal. We stayed at a cheap motel ($50) about 2 hours away before arriving. The way my driving was going to work out, I was going to arrive in Orlando late after 12 hours of driving. I saw no point in paying extra for a hotel that had great amenities for a day I wasn't going to enjoy. So, we stayed cheap and arrived in Orlando ready to do stuff. The resort hotel let us check in even though it was early. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 My neighbors stayed in the hotel and loved it. They said it was tough to get their son out of it to go to the park. I've never been, though. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 It's not how we're staying (we're using the military resort at Disney), but there are houses in Orlando that you can just rent for the week. You could also look for a hotel that comes with breakfast. That just seems rough to spend $200 a night on a hotel if it eats up all your budget. I'd rather have less swank and more fun. Nuts, you could actually stay at a Disney resort for sub-$100 a night. Go see. And they do deals like 25% off or free dining or this or that. Have you read reviews to see if Legoland needs two days or if one day is adequate? If you're going to be in the area and only need a day at Legoland, you might like to do an airboat right, wrestle alligators, go see the manatees, go fish, etc. You can drive out to the coast (about 1 hour!) and fish right from the pier with a rented rod. In Cocoa there's something called Gator lane or alley or something, and you drive it and get your creeps of gators. I'm told by the locals it's THE thing to do. :D You might even be able to snag a day or two at Disney. :) Have you looked into flying in? If you were to fly in, the Disney Magical Express could drive you to the Disney hotel. Then do like a day or two at Disney, at day at Legoland, do the airboat, fly out. Just use Uber and never even rent a car. No gas, no tolls, nothing. Or price out renting a house for the week and see if it would save you money. PS. If you like to camp, you can camp at Disney!! SaveSave Where can you wrestle alligators? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 THE site for checking out properties is TripAdvisor.com This is the URL for Reviews of that property in FL: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34746-d2322446-Reviews-LEGOLAND_Florida_Resort-Winter_Haven_Florida.html#REVIEWS It has 4 out of 5 among the Reviews, so that is IMO excellent. I would suggest that you read the most recent Reviews. With a "Package" you really really really need to run all the Math on it. Sometimes, you will save money buying a package, usually, you will pay more, for them packaging things into the package and them doing the work. However, sometimes, especially if the same company owns the property and the attraction, then you might save some excellent money. I would read the FINE PRINT very carefully. With a package, there is going to be a lot more fine print, regarding what happens if you cancel. Normally in that area, I think one can cancel a normal reservation in a property, 1 to 3 days in advance of the scheduled arrival, and not lose any money. With a package, one might lose 50% or one might lose everything. Be very aware of what the FINE PRINT says. READ THE CANCELLATION PENALTY INFORMATION At the end of April 2016, we rented a Timeshare from this company, on eBay, for 7 nights. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a Fully Equipped Kitchen and 3 TV sets. Including taxes, service charges, WiFi, Free Parking, etc., we paid USD $400 total for the 7 nights. The cost varies, depending upon the time of the year. We would be *extremely* happy to stay there again and to arrange it with that company on eBay. . This link is for March 2017, and as I said, the rate varies during the year. I suspect that with your family, you would be happier in a Timeshare like that than you would be in a regular hotel room. There is no comparison. Enjoy your trip! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Villas-at-Summer-Bay-Orlando-Florida-2BR-Sleeps-6-7Nts-MARCH-19-26-2017-/192084107165?category=0&buyerid=RiQT1QfV9O1tS3OopNWsyg==&emailtemplateid=124026893&sellerid=F5es2wfojR9O%20G48/taBJQ==&refid=store&ssPageName=ADME:B:SEMK:US:SHOWI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarasue7272 Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 I'm not really interested in going to Disney. My inlaws took the kids there twice and they have an unlimited budget. I can't compete. Also, I don't think I'm up for a trip that requires that much planning. My 9 year old did just mention wanting to go to Universal again (first time was with inlaws) so I may consider that. I would LOVE to see harry potter world. A night at the Lego hotel includes two days at the park for all of us. My kids have seen the commercials, and I think they would love the hotel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I'm not really interested in going to Disney. My inlaws took the kids there twice and they have an unlimited budget. I can't compete. Also, I don't think I'm up for a trip that requires that much planning. My 9 year old did just mention wanting to go to Universal again (first time was with inlaws) so I may consider that. I would LOVE to see harry potter world. A night at the Lego hotel includes two days at the park for all of us. My kids have seen the commercials, and I think they would love the hotel. We went up to Orlando the last week of April 2016. Our first stop was Universal Orlando. There are 2 parks there and you should/must buy the tickets that permit going from one park to another park, so you can ride the Harry Potter train. For us, Universal Orlando was way above the 4 parks we visited in Walt Disney World. I just began buying Lottery tickets here in Colombia. In the unlikely event we win, we will go back up to Orlando and we will be in Universal Orlando the first 2 days we are there. That's number one for our family. Enjoy your trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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