I know the word on the street is Legoland is amazing and you can’t miss it. But I’m going to tell you my honest and true opinion. I need to start off with a disclaimer, I love Legos and I loved seeing all the creations out of Legos. Our family has tons of legos, BUT I didn’t love this amusement park. Let me share with you why I didn’t love Legoland in San Diego.

When we traveled to San Diego, we were totally overwhelmed by all the awesome things there are to do there. But everyone we talked to said you don’t want to miss Legoland in San Diego. So we carved a full day out of our vacation to make sure we could enjoy Legoland to its fullest.

At the time of our visit to Legoland, our kids were 9 years old, 5 years old, and 3 months old. I’ve heard that Legoland gets better as your kids get older, so maybe my opinion is biased since my kids were young at the time.

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San Diego Road Trip

Who doesn’t love a road trip?! Check out this epic road trip that starts in San Diego and winds north on the California coastline. You don’t want to miss these amazing views.

The right way to get tickets to Legoland

Alright, let’s start off with the first thorn in my side about Legoland in San Diego. The tickets lines! We arrived early before they opened the gates so that we could buy tickets. The whole family was super excited as we approached the ticket lines and saw there were only a couple of people in line to buy tickets.

I thought this was perfect, we’d be in the gates and on the rides right as the park opens! Here I was busy patting myself on the back when we hopped into line with just 2 people in front of us.

Well let me tell you, I was wrong! The line moved slower than molasses on a cold winter day. It took over 45 minutes to get our tickets. Needless to say, we were tired from standing in line before we even got into the park.

Alright, so what is the right way to get a ticket to Legoland in San Diego? Buy them online directly from Legoland (you can find them here). The second most important thing you need to do is either print your Legoland tickets or have it ready to go on your phone.

You can also buy a combo ticket for Legoland and their aquarium through Klook on their website here for a discount. If you are going to stay in San Diego and do a few activities, you will save money if you buy tickets in packages.

If you don’t do this, you will have to go to guest services before you can get in, which means you will waste more time! Don’t make the same mistake I did and buy your tickets before arriving.

Legoland San Diego Ticket prices

So here is another reason why I wouldn’t go back to Legoland in San Diego. The ticket prices are quite high in comparison to other attractions around San Diego.

A one day Legoland in San Diego ticket will cost around $95 per person. You can find discounts but make sure you have your tickets ready to go when you arrive at the gate, either print a paper copy or have a QR code ready to scan.

My feelings about Legoland ticket prices is that they are a bit high. The San Diego Zoo is world-famous and a must-see while you are in San Diego. Ticket prices for the San Diego Zoo are $58 per person. Almost half the cost of a Legoland ticket. I would recommend visiting the San Diego Zoo before Legoland in San Diego. Save yourself some money!

The main reason why I didn’t love Legoland in San Diego

So after what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it in the gates and the kids were ready to get on the rides. Another not smart decision on my part was not planning the day before we arrived.

When we go to Disneyland, I always plan which rides we are going to hit first. Then we run straight to that ride so we start the day off right. So naturally, I planned the same for Legoland. I had read about a few good rides online before we left, but nothing stuck out in my mind.

We grabbed a Legoland map while we were waiting in line (remember we had a long time). I was hoping the map would be more clear than what I had read online. However, I was sorely disappointed. I was so confused because it appeared that there were hardly any rides that the whole family could go on. Usually I like to start the day with a ride that we can all go on together.

The rides were honestly the biggest reason I didn’t love Legoland San Diego. Each ride has very specific height restrictions. So there was not a single ride that the whole family could go on at one time. Even my kids at times had to go on rides separately which was very odd and if you have a timid 5-year-old they may not want to ride alone.

The rides keep the family separated

At the beginning of the day, we all tried to stay together as a family. But after the first few hours of one kid riding a ride and the other just watching, we separated so that our kids could go on more rides.

This kinda sucked as a mom with an infant. My husband took our middle aged daughter who was 5 years old at the time, and I with a baby strapped to the front headed to the older kid rides with my 9 year old daughter. It was definitely not ideal. My older daughter had to ride the rides alone and got tired of this very quickly.

Our 5-year-old did have blast, in the beginning, she loved the Lego Friends area and rides. However, after a while, she too became quite bored riding the rides without her sister.

This is the biggest reason I didn’t love Legoland San Diego. I felt like it was more work to figure out who can go on what rides than it was worth. I guess the ideal situation for Legoland is to either have twins or have your kids bring a friend their same age to be able to ride the rides together.

Service in the park was horrible

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a very easy going person. I don’t usually let people get to me. But the service in Legoland San Diego was horrible. I should have known before we even bought our tickets that the service was not going to be great.

But once we were in the park, I was continued to be disappointed. The ride operators were so slow and rude! When I tried to ask if all my kids could go on the rides, I was always confronted with rudeness.

The horrible service continued on in the restaurants. I do not expect stellar service from amusement parks, but kindness always goes a long way and I didn’t find kindness from the staff at this park.

I haven’t heard this from other people, so it’s possible I caught them on a bad day. It was off season when we traveled (we visited in October) so maybe that had something to do with the staff’s attitudes.

Things I did love about Legoland San Diego

At the end of the day, we still had a lot of fun at Legoland. There were a lot of things we really did enjoy. One of the things I liked the most about Legoland was seeing all of the Lego creations throughout the park. It was amazing to me to see what they built out of Legos.

My kids did love a few of the rides. The family favorite was definitely the Aquazone Wave Racer. This is a really fun ride that gets you a little wet, which is a great way to cool off in the middle of the day.

Our kids loved the build and test, where you can build your own boats with Legos and then test them on the water. We spent a long time building the perfect boats and playing with Legos. The kids had a blast at this spot.

We also loved walking through the mini-cities that were built out of Legos. Our 9-year-old is the biggest Lego fan and she could have spent hours looking at all the details in these amazingly small towns.

Nursing Room at Legoland San Diego

I did love the nursing room at Legoland San Diego. It is located right by the driving school, which worked out well for our family. My older kids enjoyed the driving school, so it was nice for me to be able to nurse the baby close while they drove the cars at the driving school.

There are a few rocking chairs to nurse or feed your baby in, there are microwaves and fridges for baby food. There are also highchairs to feed your older baby or toddler.

The best part about the nursing room at Legoland San Diego is that it is air-conditioned. So it’s the perfect place to cool off with your baby. My baby took a great nap in the cool room which gave her plenty of energy for the afternoon 🙂

Tips for Legoland San Diego

Even though I didn’t love Legoland, it’s still a fun place and if you are going to visit there, here are a few tips to make your trip better than mine.

Plan your day before you go

My first tip is to plan your day before you get to the park. Find out how tall each of your kids is and plan how you are going to navigate the park since all the kids can’t go on all the same rides. The park does have nice play areas in each “land” so you could have your kids play in those areas while the others go on rides.

Use the parent swap

Legoland does do a parent swap, so you don’t have to wait in line twice. To do this, everyone stands in line together. Then one parent stays back with the kids who can’t ride. Then when the first group gets off the ride, you swap and go straight onto the next ride.

Bring your own stroller

I would recommend bringing your own stroller. I say this for a few reasons. The first reason I suggest bringing your own stroller is that the Legoland stroller rental is on a first come first serve basis. So if you go on a busy day, you may not even get a stroller, which would be awful. I also recommend this because you will be able to find it easier and pack the basket better 🙂

Pack your own snacks

One of my best tips that I can offer parents when traveling with kids is to always buy souvenirs for your kids before you go on your trip. Another of my other greatest tips is to pack your own snacks. You can combine these two tips with a few great products from Amazon. These end up saving you time and money on your vacations.

Whenever I go anywhere with kids, I have learned to pack my own snacks and water. You will spend a fortune on water and snacks in the park if you don’t go prepared. One fun way to get your kids to drink more water while traveling is to buy them a fun water bottle before you go (check out this super fun Lego water bottle). You can also buy these fun Lego snack holders from Amazon to make their packed snacks fun too.

Wrap up on why I didn’t love Legoland in San Diego

After all of this being said, Legoland in San Deigo will always have its place in the best things to see and do in San Diego. If you are trying to decide if you should visit Legoland in San Diego, here are my final thoughts.

Do you have kids who love Legos? Then definitely, yes, add this to your list, they will love seeing the creations and it will spark their creativity.

Are you ok with all of your kids going on different rides? If you have older kids who can go on their own, or if you are going with family and cousins the same age and friends then Legoland is awesome.

My last final thought is if you have little kids (5 years old or younger) than I would wait to go to Legoland. I truly think if all of my kids were older than 5 years, we would have had a ton of fun. I’ve also heard that once your kids are over 14 or 15 Legoland also becomes boring for them. The sweet spot for kids is about 8 years old to 14 years old. My little kids enjoyed time at the beach just as much and I didn’t have to pay $100 per person.

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FAQs about Legoland San Diego

How do I get tickets to Legoland San Diego?

The best way to get tickets to Legoland in San Diego is online before you arrive at the gates. Always search for discount tickets online as well. Also, make sure to have your tickets either printed or the QR code ready to go on your phone. Do not trust that you can print your tickets at the gate.

Does Legoland in San Diego have a nursing room?

Yes, Legoland San Diego does have a nursing and mothers room. It is located right by the driving school in Fun Town. The room has rocking chairs for you to feed your baby. It also has a bottle warmer, toys for toddlers to play with, a changing table, and best of all its air conditioned.

Can you rent a stroller at Legoland San Diego?

Yes, you can rent a stroller at Legoland San Diego. However, I would definitely suggest bringing your own stroller because the Legoland strollers are on a first come first serve basis and you do not want to be stranded without a stroller for the day.

Does Legoland have a parent swap for rides?

Yes Legoland San Diego does have a parent swap system for all of their rides. The entire family stands in line together. When it’s your turn, the first part of the family gets on the ride while the other part waits. When the first group is finished, you then swap and the second part of the family goes on the ride.

How far from San Diego is Legoland?

Legoland San Diego is located about 40 minutes north in Carlsbad. The easiest way to get to Legoland from San Diego is north on I-5.

What is the best age for Legoland San Diego?

Legoland San Diego states that it is approbate for ages 2 to 12 years old. I would suggest taking kids that are all around the same age because most of the rides are age or height restricted. So if you have a 2 year old and a 12 year old, they won’t be able to go on the same rides.