The last couple of years, we have celebrated Westley’s birthday with a trip versus a party. I went pretty crazy the first four birthdays with parties, but decided that making memories as a family is way more fun, way less stressful and costs about the same.
So for his 6th birthday, we decided to surprise him with a weekend trip to Legoland and a stay at the new Lego Pirate Island Hotel. We picked Westley up from school early on the Friday of his birthday weekend and drove down to Orlando.
The property is brand new and so awesome. Everything is Lego Pirate themed with spacious rooms that have a bunk bed nook for the kiddos complete with building station and TV (with all the lego movies available). There’s also a king size bed for the parents, ample storage and there’s even an in-room Alexa enabled treasure hunt.
My mom surprised W with a visit the first day, so that was a very special moment. We spent the afternoon with them exploring the resort, playing a few rounds of mini golf and then taking a cruise on the lake. Westley even got to drive the boat back to the dock.
We ended day one with dinner at Shipwreck, the on-property restaurant. The food was delicious and served family style on a large cast iron skillet. It’s AYCE and includes salad, fresh baked bread and choice of one of two meat combos — surf n turf or BBQ with sides and dessert. I was very impressed by the quality and flavors of the food. It definitely did not feel like wee were dining at a kids hotel.
Day 2 started with AYCE breakfast at Shipwreck. Once again it’s family style and served on a large skillet with all the breakfast faves – eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits with gravy, potatoes, fruit, OJ and coffee.
We were then off to the park. The beauty of staying on property is the fact that you are 12 steps from the Legoland entrance. This was by far the easiest and most convenient park amusement experience. The team at Legoland did a great job of making everything safe with temp checks and masks, social distancing on all the rides and constant cleaning. We felt very comfortable and safe.
I would say Legoland is perfect for 6-9 year olds. Westley was able to ride almost every rollercoaster and they were the perfect amount of thrill for little kids, but also fun for adults. Since we had the baby we did the baby swap, and each of us got to ride every ride with W. So he was able to ride each ride twice off the bat.
The park was not full at all and the longest wait was maybe 10 minutes. Mostly we were able to walk right up the rides and enjoy! So much so that we did the math and W rode the rollercoasters 27 times!!!
The park experience was amazing and we ended up being there from open to close. There is so much to do and see, but it’s definitely manageable in one day. We did not do the water park since it was cold, but I’m sure that would’ve been equally fun.
If you’re comfortable traveling these days and looking for a family friendly and fun option, I would highly recommend Legoland. If you’re able to stay on property, it’s definitely worth it. The brand experience is so cool, fully immersed in all things Lego and the food is absolutely delicious. Adult and kid approved.
Happy travels,
Ivette
Ivette Faulkner 