10 Things You Must Do Before Visiting Legoland California
Planning a visit to Legoland California this year?
Before you plan your dates and buy your tickets, you’ll want to make sure you’ve reviewed these 10 things to do before visiting Legoland California!
These important things to know about Legoland will help you plan the best Legoland vacation possible!
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Check Days and Hours of Operation
You may think Legoland is open most days of the year, but during the winter Legoland California is often closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It makes sense because when kids are in school there is less traffic to the park, but if you are planning to take your Legoland vacation during off-peak times, make sure you check the days and hours of operation!
The hours that Legoland is open also changes during different times of the year. During the summer they may be open until 8:00 pm on the weekends, but in the winter they only stay open until 5:00 or 6:00 pm depending on the day.
If you are planning to visit Sea Life or the CHIMA Water Park, be sure to check their operating hours as well because they are often different from Legoland’s hours. The water park is also closed during the winter, and while it opens in late March, it’s only open on weekends until late May.
Make Reservations
Reservations are still required at Legoland in 2022!
Legoland is still limiting the amount of people it lets in to the park each day, so you still need to make reservations in order to guarantee entry. Certain days do sell out during the busier times of year.
You can make your reservations for Legoland California here.
Check for Ride Closures
There’s nothing like arriving at the Legoland Park and finding out that your kid’s absolute favorite ride is closed during your visit. What a bummer!
Rides at Legoland temporarily close throughout the year for maintenance and water rides and attractions are seasonal. While most of the ride maintenance occurs during the winter months when attendance is lighter, some rides may still have closures during the summer months. So don’t forget to check the Legoland ride closures here!
Check the Weather
California is sunny and mild almost all the time. But during the winter months it can be chilly and it rains a lot more often. While it’s usually not necessary to carry around ponchos and extra coats, if you know it’s going to be rainy and cold then it’s definitely worth having that added layer of protection to keep you and the kids happy!
Legoland doesn’t often close completely just because of rain. Some rides may close for a little while but they will open back up again when the rain stops. There are still a ton of things to do when it rains in Legoland too!
Plus if you put on that poncho and stick out the rain, you’ll be rewarded with short lines when the rides do open back up. Because all those people who weren’t prepared for rain have left the park!
Mornings in Carlsbad are often overcast due to the “marine layer” coming off the ocean. The clouds disappear once the sun comes out, but until then it can be a little chilly, especially in the winter. A light jacket or sweatshirt is nice to have on those mornings, and can be easily put away in a backpack during the afternoon. (Legoland also rents storage lockers for your extra stuff.)
Bring Minifigures for Trading
What are minifigures you ask? If you or your kids have any Lego sets you know the answer. For those without much LEGO experience, minifigures are those little men or women that come with a Lego set.
You want to bring minifigures to Legoland because minifigure trading is a fun activity for kids at Legoland.
Minifigures can be traded with MC’s (Legoland employees) who are wearing minifigures on their badges, and they can be traded at various locations around the park. Ask at the Big Shop, at Mindstorms, inside the Lego Life building, at the Everything is Awesome Shop, at King’s Market, and of course at the Minifigure Market.
If you forget to bring your own minifigures, you can always stop at the Minifigure Market and build your own 3 pack for $9.99. They also sell individual minifigure blind bags for $4.99 throughout the park.
Know Your Child’s Height
Legoland is great for kids of all ages, but there are some rides with height requirements. Knowing how tall your kids are before you get to the front of the line will help avoid disappointment.
You can check height and age requirements for all of the rides at Legoland here.
Check Local School Schedules
If you are trying to avoid crowds, you should check the local school schedules to see if locals are on any type of school break. While almost everyone has the same summer and winter breaks, spring break and fall break differ between school districts.
Locals make up a big chunk of visitors to Legoland, so if you can visit while local kids are in school it will be a lot less crowded! Here’s a list of local school districts with a link to their calendars:
- Carlsbad school calendar
- San Diego schools calendar
- Escondido schools calendar
- Oceanside schools calendar
Buy Shirts
One of my favorite Legoland money-saving tips is to buy shirts before your trip. Shirts at Legoland are pretty pricey, and lately their selection has been limited.
Lucky for I’ve scoured the internet for the best Lego shirts for your whole family!
Amazon has nice Lego shirts for boys and cute Lego shirts for girls and even a few complete outfits/costumes like this Ninjago set.
Let Dad live out his dream of being a Master Builder with this t-shirt, and you could even get this cute Lego shirt for Mom!
Oh, and these socks would just be the icing on the cake for your Legoland outfit!
I also recommend checking Zulily for their current selection of Lego shirts and accessories, although they only have kids sizes.
For a great variety and both kid and adult sizes, check out TeePublic. This site allows artists to upload their own designs so there are a lot of unique shirts here. The same designs can also be printed on sweatshirts, tanks, mugs, stickers, and more. I’ve curated our own shop with the best Lego designs so you don’t have to scour the whole site!
Another great option for family Legoland shirts is Etsy. Shirts here can be even be customized with names for every family member!
Buy Prepaid Credit Cards
If you usually pay cash for everything, you need to know that Legoland is a cashless resort. Even if you’re just buying a coffee you’ll need to have a credit card to pay for it!
Bring your credit/debit cards or purchase a prepaid card before you arrive. If you do forget, Legoland does have a prepaid card machine near the entrance.
Download the Legoland California App
The Legoland California App is a must-have for your visit! Here are all the things you can do with the app!
- Find wait times for rides
- See show times and set reminders for them
- View the interactive Legoland map
- Store your digital tickets or passes and reservations
- Create a personalized plan for the day with rides and attractions
- See height and/or age restrictions for rides
- See which Legoland restaurants are open, what they serve, and their hours
- Find menus for hotel restaurants
- Book reservations at hotel restaurants
- Find detailed information about guest services at Legoland Hotel and the Castle Hotel
- Make hotel reservations
- Purchase tickets to Legoland
- Purchase Reserve ‘N’ Ride
- Purchase VIP experiences
Once you’ve checked everything off this list then you are ready to go and enjoy your Legoland Resort vacation!
Don’t forget to also check out my posts on Legoland Insider Tips and Money-Saving Tips. Have an awesome vacation!
