The "Legoland" Effect

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Has anyone here been to Legoland California? I have! Several times over the past decade. :wave: It's about 60 minutes south of Disneyland, on the way to San Diego.

In my opinion, Legoland has done absolutely nothing to impact Disneyland. Much of the year they are only open five days a week. Legoland has been built up quite a bit in the last five years with new rides and park expansion, even an adjacent aquarium now, but it's still nowhere near a Disney level of experience, showmanship or quality. It has some nice landscaping in the hills above the Pacific Ocean, and the Minitown is cute to look at for 20 or 30 minutes. But the rest of the park is hokey, tired, run down, and rather cheesy. Some of the most neglected rides border on the depressing and/or dangerous.

The Legoland employees are the weakest link at the park. They generally appear extremely bored and disinterested in doing anything that might resemble "customer service". No one smiles, no one interacts with you, and there are apparently no dress codes or appearance rules. Guys have long hair and piercings, girls have streaks of pink hair and long purple nails, and the basic uniform is dingy khaki shorts and a very baggy and sad looking polo shirt. It's not a glamorous, profesional or themed look at all.

On my last visit in '09 we were eating lunch overlooking the Volvo Driving School, where kiddies drive little electric cars around a simulated streetscape. The young punky employee in charge of directing traffic on a microphone started barking orders at the 5 year old kids trying to learn to drive, and when one youngster rolled through a red light the employee bellowed into the PA system, "Hey, Car 14, you ran that red light, are you drunk?!" Legoland is definitely not Disneyland. :rolleyes:
 

Duckberg

Active Member
Lego & potter

Maybe it is just me, but being a local I dont see Legoland really being direct competition to Disney because of its location. I am real estate appraiser and my office is located about 3 miles from the Legoland site and the location is not great when compared to the Orlando locations. The location limits the access from Interstate 4 and people are going to have to have a real reason to want to commute from Orlando to Winter Haven during their vacations.

I am excited about Legoland and hope that it will stimulate growth in the area. The growth would be fantastic for my business, but its location is suitable for more of a local community family park and it is really going to have to offer something different to get people to leave Orlando for it.

!. Cypress Gardens was re-branded twice before the Legoland purchase. I agree driving an hour on substandard roads in Polk County is NO Big deal threat to the Mouse at this time. :snore::snore::snore:

2. Regarding Potter @ Universal my question is this still as hot as it used to be :veryconfu:veryconfu:veryconfu

Duckberg :cool:
 

disnyfan89

Well-Known Member
Yes Cypress Gardens has been rebranded, opened/closed several times over the past few years. However, we are no longer talking about Cypress Gardens. Cypress Gardens for all intensive purposes is no more.

Cypress Gardens is approximately 60-70 acres with the botanical gardens making up about 30-40 acres of the property. Legoland California is approximately 128 acres and isn’t even their largest location (that title goes to the first Legoland; Legoland Billund.) Merlin Entertainment already announced they plan on making Legoland Florida the world’s largest legoland so we can estimate that they are planning to expand the current park with about 100 more acres. That’s a major change from the small family owned Cypress Gardens.

Legoland is going to be a major new park and people are going to want to see it. It is even rumored that the government is pouring in tax dollars to the project that include road improvements. I don’t get why everyone is just shrugging this announcement off like it’s nothing.
 

raiden

Member
I'll be there. I'm always down to explore a new theme park. Will it hurt the mouse? Maybe a tad if any. Should we all be excited that a new theme park is opening(whether to make Disney step up their game or an overhaul of an old park)? Yes.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Yes Cypress Gardens has been rebranded, opened/closed several times over the past few years. However, we are no longer talking about Cypress Gardens. Cypress Gardens for all intensive purposes is no more.

Cypress Gardens is approximately 60-70 acres with the botanical gardens making up about 30-40 acres of the property. Legoland California is approximately 128 acres and isn’t even their largest location (that title goes to the first Legoland; Legoland Billund.) Merlin Entertainment already announced they plan on making Legoland Florida the world’s largest legoland so we can estimate that they are planning to expand the current park with about 100 more acres. That’s a major change from the small family owned Cypress Gardens.

Legoland is going to be a major new park and people are going to want to see it. It is even rumored that the government is pouring in tax dollars to the project that include road improvements. I don’t get why everyone is just shrugging this announcement off like it’s nothing.

They are just Disney apologists. :lookaroun

Trust me, Legoland is almost as much a threat as TWWoHP and with locals it is probably more of a threat. Most are dismissing it for the same reason as they dismissed the Fantasyland expansion. It doesn't have much of anything they want to do so they are not impressed. Empathy and the like has been cast aside in this day and age.

By the way, everyone keeps talking about bussing people. No, people will rent cars more than ever. And word will spread that there is an amazing variety of options available to tourists who bother to find them. Florida was a great tourist destination before Disney. And tourists will rediscover that.

The entire game is about to change. Legoland is a tipping point. IMO.
 
I don't think car rentals will increase. That's an extra expense that many people don't want. Only if there will be bussing from somewhere near Dis are they going to steal people from on property. Seems like too much trouble unless this is the coolest little kids park ever. Time will tell.

We are planning a trip to Disneyland next year and Legoland is 1 hr. from there, we like the idea of visiting but the mode of transportation is daunting. Do we take the bus service offered from our hotel? They don't have long hours so after a long day at Dis do we have to get up at 6 am? When do we get back? Seems really inconvenient to me, and it is probably the deciding factor.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
I don't think car rentals will increase. That's an extra expense that many people don't want. Only if there will be bussing from somewhere near Dis are they going to steal people from on property. Seems like too much trouble unless this is the coolest little kids park ever. Time will tell.

We are planning a trip to Disneyland next year and Legoland is 1 hr. from there, we like the idea of visiting but the mode of transportation is daunting. Do we take the bus service offered from our hotel? They don't have long hours so after a long day at Dis do we have to get up at 6 am? When do we get back? Seems really inconvenient to me, and it is probably the deciding factor.

It's cheaper to rent a car and stay at the dicount hotels that are just about everywhere now. If you use priceline or the like, a Florida vacation can be had relatively cheaply.
 

Testtrack321

Well-Known Member
Fact:

Potter might get me off property to see it (if not this visit another one maybe.) Leggoland WILL get me off property to see it.

And I'm 23.
 

Pluto22

New Member
It's cheaper to rent a car and stay at the diScount hotels that are just about everywhere now. If you use priceline or the like, a Florida vacation can be had relatively cheaply.


When I go on vacation its something that I don't get to do that often so I'd hate having to cheap out on everything. Squeezing your into a Cobalt after driving to McDonalds for breakfast because your $30/night Masters Inn room on 192 doesn't have breakfast sounds like a crappy vacation to me. As long as Disney can continue to wrap everything into one complete package, with tickets, magical express, and dining plan it would be hard to get people to leave to go all the way to Winter Haven.

While I hope Legoland does get Disney to quit resting on their laurels I don't see it taking away enough business to seriously matter.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
The entire game is about to change. Legoland is a tipping point. IMO.

I think you should first visit Legoland California before declaring it's going to be a "tipping point". I've been to Legoland California several times over the past decade, most recently in summer '08. See my previous post on how that park is poorly operated, although it does have its positives....

Legoland California is a custom built park on a gorgeous plot of lushly landscaped land in the hills just above the Carlsbad beaches in northern San Diego County.

1-carlsbad-beach1.jpg


It's a 50 or 60 minute (depending how legally you drive) easy freeway shot straight down Interstate 5 from Disneyland. It's in a master-planned development with easy access to 12 lanes of modern freeway. It's been there for 10 years, and has had steady investment development and plenty of additions since opening. It's a fully fleshed out theme park with 30+ attractions big and small, with a new SeaLife Aquarium that just opened attached to the main park. An attached water park is under construction there now, not yet reflected on the park map.

park_map_newest.gif

http://www.legoland.com/NR/rdonlyres/5A571D27-106A-4305-B597-9A9492FB633B/0/park_map_newest.gif

There are lots of new mid-range and upscale hotels and time share condos directly adjacent or very close to the park, with plenty of stylish restaurants and an upscale mall at the bottom of the hill along the beach. Heck, there's even an In N' Out Burger nearby too. :cool:

And even with all that going for it, it hasn't done a thing to the Disneyland Resort in the last decade. It's very rarely mentioned in theme park circles in SoCal or on Disneyland boards. It's pretty much just a regional theme park for San Diego County and South Orange County, plus a few tourists who have a child heavy into a Lego phase take a day out of their week in SoCal to visit.

I would imagine that Legoland Florida, only after a full decade of development and additions, would slot into that same position. When Legoland Florida is more established and expanded a few years after it opens, I would think it might pick off some folks with a rental car who would otherwise go to Sea World or Islands of Adventure for one day of their Orlando visit.

Considering all that, and the performance of the California park, I can't imagine Legoland Florida is going to impact Walt Disney World in any meaningful or noticeable way.

.
 

misterID

Well-Known Member
I think the thing people are missing here isn't if Legoland will hurt Disney. It will not. It is the addition of Legoland to a UNI, Seaworld, deal that will hurt.

WDW makes its money off tourists, especially foreign tourists. That's why they don't feel the need to do much in upgrading the park and don't really care about catering to locals like Disneyland does. They have the number #1 tourist destination in the world. The problem is Disney has been branching out in these countries creating Disneylands in these toutrists own backyards that are far, far supperior than WDW. Tokyo Disney/DisneySea is actually closing the gap attendance wise between itself and WDW. WDW isn't the once in a lifetime vacation it used to be.

A ticket of several theme parks on one pass and uni resorts will not only take days away spent at WDW from tourists vacations, but guests will start making vacations that don't involve WDW at all.

Is it going to put WDW out of business? No. That's not what I'm saying. But it will affect Disney and they will feel it. Universal has been looking to do this partnering up for a very long, long time. Don't think shuttle transportation hasn't already been figured out.
 

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
I think you should first visit Legoland California before declaring it's going to be a "tipping point". I've been to Legoland California several times over the past decade, most recently in summer '08. See my previous post on how that park is poorly operated, although it does have its positives....

Legoland California is a custom built park on a gorgeous plot of lushly landscaped land in the hills just above the Carlsbad beaches in northern San Diego County.

1-carlsbad-beach1.jpg


It's a 50 or 60 minute (depending how legally you drive) easy freeway shot straight down Interstate 5 from Disneyland. It's in a master-planned development with easy access to 12 lanes of modern freeway. It's been there for 10 years, and has had steady investment development and plenty of additions since opening. It's a fully fleshed out theme park with 30+ attractions big and small, with a new SeaLife Aquarium that just opened attached to the main park. An attached water park is under construction there now, not yet reflected on the park map.

park_map_newest.gif

http://www.legoland.com/NR/rdonlyres/5A571D27-106A-4305-B597-9A9492FB633B/0/park_map_newest.gif

There are lots of new mid-range and upscale hotels and time share condos directly adjacent or very close to the park, with plenty of stylish restaurants and an upscale mall at the bottom of the hill along the beach. Heck, there's even an In N' Out Burger nearby too. :cool:

And even with all that going for it, it hasn't done a thing to the Disneyland Resort in the last decade. It's very rarely mentioned in theme park circles in SoCal or on Disneyland boards. It's pretty much just a regional theme park for San Diego County and South Orange County, plus a few tourists who have a child heavy into a Lego phase take a day out of their week in SoCal to visit.

I would imagine that Legoland Florida, only after a full decade of development and additions, would slot into that same position. When Legoland Florida is more established and expanded a few years after it opens, I would think it might pick off some folks with a rental car who would otherwise go to Sea World or Islands of Adventure for one day of their Orlando visit.

Considering all that, and the performance of the California park, I can't imagine Legoland Florida is going to impact Walt Disney World in any meaningful or noticeable way.

.

On it's own? No.


With SW, BG, and the other parks? Maybe. :lol:


Frankly, I'm hoping for competition. ;)
 

wm49rs

A naughty bit o' crumpet
Premium Member
On it's own? No.


With SW, BG, and the other parks? Maybe. :lol:


Frankly, I'm hoping for competition. ;)

I agree; the only way improvements and new attractions come with more regularity and certainty is if WDW feels a distinct threat from a combination of parks. Legoland on its own, regadless of the size and depth of the investment, is still 45 minutes away, and therefore not a great threat to WDW. But if they partner with the other parks, and if they develop the necessary transport system, and if they build and/or partner with more hotels, then yes, it would be a worthy competitor and Disney will have to address it. But that's a whole lotta ifs in this current economic environment.
 
It's cheaper to rent a car and stay at the dicount hotels that are just about everywhere now. If you use priceline or the like, a Florida vacation can be had relatively cheaply.

As has been discussed many times before but always seems to be overlooked, the Disney dining plan, ease of transportation to the parks and downtown gets many people hooked. I don't see the off site hotels increasing business due to this.
 

wm49rs

A naughty bit o' crumpet
Premium Member
I can see where those who regulary stay offsite, with a rental car and not on a dining plan could be enticed to make the drive down to Winter Haven. I go (on average) twice a year down to WDW, and have taken the time out to hit the water parks, play putt-putt, and go to Sea World. And I'll probably take a trip to Universal when the HP world opens up. But after X number of hours in the car, I just don't see a mass exodus down to Legoland in what would be an hour-and-a-half round trip from the Orlando area.
 

lebeau

Well-Known Member
Pretty free about spending someone else's money, aren't you?

Sorry, but if someone is already spending thousands on a WDW vacation, using ME and staying on the grounds with the DDP, they're not going to take time out to spend even more on a rental car and admission for a Lego park 45 minutes away. Especially if their kids are above the age of 8. He!!, my son is 6 and he's already outgrown the Lego phase....

You're right that if someone has already decided to spend all their time and money at Disney, Legoland won't be much of a factor. But, if someone is considering spending some time off Disney property, Legoland provides another reason for them to do so.

Staying off site, renting a car and buying a Flexpass, I have more entertainment options available to me for less money than if I spend my whole vacation at Disney.

Legoland doesn't change the game. But it makes Disney's competitors just a little more enticing. Throw in Harry Potter, Manta, Aquatica, Wet'n'Wild, Busch Gardens, etc and WDW starts to look a lot less competitive. Especially for repeat visits.
 

Figment632

New Member
I think they should refurb every single classic, and they should open a few new rides here and there. And I hope they continue to announce new things, WDW needs a wake up call. So keep the competition coming!

No this is the problem they should't do this as an answer to compitition they should just do it to keep the rides looking good.
 

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