The Gimbel Way of Life: LEGOLAND!

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

LEGOLAND!

Even in the best times, Martin is not a fan of crowds and I knew getting him to an amusement park would take some convincing. So to say I was surprised when Martin agreed to a trip to LEGOLAND in the midst of the pandemic would be more than an understatement. But I wasn’t going to question it. Before he had a chance to change his mind, I booked two nights at the LEGOLAND Hotel and the 2 Day Hopper Pass. We were going to do this and it was going to be a surprise for the kids.

Easter Sunday morning the kids woke up in Yucca Valley to find Easter eggs hidden, their baskets full of new clothes and, buried under it all, two “tickets” to LEGOLAND. It took Oskar a few minutes to register what it actually meant, but once it clicked, he became as focused on LEGOLAND as Alva was on reaching the hot tub in Joshua Tree. Thank goodness we didn’t tell him earlier… we only had one final night in town before we headed to the coast and the mecca for LEGO lovers.

There are no words to describe seeing the kids so excited and happy. The two days were perfection.

We arrived Monday afternoon and, after dropping off our luggage (they would text me when the room was ready), we headed into the Park for a few hours before they closed at 6pm. Side note: thank you for closing at 6PM LEGOLAND. It allowed our kids to get to bed at a reasonable hour without feeling like they were missing out on anything cool.

The hotel itself was completely geared towards kids. Our room had bunk beds in a separate alcove to allow them a place to sleep and the parents a chance to keep the lights on a little later. Each elevator ride turned into a disco dance party as soon as the doors closed, complete with disco balls, colorful lights and fun music. The breakfast buffet was designed for kids and parents willing to turn a blind eye to nutrition while on vacation. And the access to the park was unbeatable, including early access for us Tuesday morning.

The park seemed to be designed for younger families and was perfectly manageable for our two kids, with enough to see and do to keep them excited but not too much to overwhelm or exhaust them. We did all of the rides, checked out all of the various “lands” or areas of the park and each kid found their moments of joy. Oskar loved his Technic Roller Coaster while Alva loved the Beetle Bounce. Alva ran around silly in the water fountains while Oskar soaked people with a water gun on the nearby ride. And throughout it all, Martin held it together.

The highlight for both kids was probably the LEGO driving school. Thanks to our early access, we were first in line Tuesday morning. And with limited crowds, Oskar and Alva were able to continue driving over and over again until Martin and I said no. I am pretty sure they drove those cars from 10am to 10:30am uninterrupted other than to run back around and through the empty line between turns.