Just six weeks after its official grand opening, LEGOLAND Florida released details of its first expansion – LEGOLAND Water Park. Scheduled to open in time for summer 2012, the water park will feature a wave pool, Build-A-Raft lazy river, tube slides, body slides and an interactive water-play structure – DUPLO® Safari.

The Water Park [...]]]>

Just six weeks after its official grand opening, LEGOLAND Florida released details of its first expansion – LEGOLAND Water Park. Scheduled to open in time for summer 2012, the water park will feature a wave pool, Build-A-Raft lazy river, tube slides, body slides and an interactive water-play structure – DUPLO® Safari.

The Water Park will capitalize on the existing water park infrastructure left over from the Cypress Gardens Days. But what hasn’t been announced is how they’ll handle parking. The general parking lot is on the complete opposite side of the theme park from the water park entrance. However they figure that out, it will be a great addition during the hot summer months.

“We’re very excited to share plans for this amazing new attraction,” said LEGOLAND Florida General Manager Adrian Jones. “True to our mission, the water park attraction has been designed for families with children ages 2 to 12 and will add hours of water play to an already full day and move LEGOLAND Florida into a multi-day experience for vacationers. The additional also adds another great value proposition for our Annual Pass members.”

Admission to the water park attraction is included with an all-new LEGOLAND Premium Pass, which offers 12 months admission to LEGOLAND Florida and seasonal access to the LEGOLAND Water Park. Single-day LEGOLAND Florida guests may upgrade to a water park attraction ticket for an additional $12 per person (children under 3 are $3). The Premium Pass is now available for purchase at www.LEGOLAND.com or select AAA Auto Club Group branches.

Key areas of LEGOLAND Water Park attraction include:

• LEGO Wave Pool – Families can catch a gentle wave or simply cool off in this perfectly sized wave pool where the waves are just big enough for all ages to enjoy
• Twin Chasers – Friends ride tubes 375 feet down an intertwining pair of enclosed water slides before plunging into a refreshing pool below
• Splash Out – The thrill seekers of the family can ascend to the tallest point of the water park attraction and choose from one of three unique slides, then speed down a 60-foot drop and “splash out” into the water below
• Joker Soaker – A fun, interactive playground with various lengths, heights and types of slides that offer something different for every member of the family. Guests can wade in the surrounding pool and be surprised with a torrential spill from a 300-gallon bucket
• Build-A-Raft River – Families can imagine, design and build a unique LEGO vessel and set afloat on a maiden voyage around the 1000-foot-long lazy river, set amongst playful LEGO Friends, flowering vegetation and palm trees
• DUPLO® Splash Safari – Toddlers will rule at this water play area with shorter slides and interactive, larger-than-life DUPLO creatures

“This newest attraction is just one of many ways we will continue to evolve LEGOLAND Florida over the next several years,” said Jones. “Creating a multi-visit proposition for families adds another dimension to the LEGOLAND Florida offering. Adding the water park attraction will fulfill this criteria as well as offering a unique attraction in Central Florida. ”

**Important: Please check operating schedule at www.LEGOLAND.com for park days and hours.

Disney is the primary destination [...]]]> The poor park hasn’t even officially opened yet and already the buzzards are circling. At least that’s the story of one Orlando Sentinel columnist. Beth Kassab lists a number of reasons that Legoland Florida is doomed to failure, but they all add up to three words – Walt Disney World.

Disney is the primary destination of most Orlando tourists; the new attraction must tap into Disney’s market of out-of-state travelers who stay a week or more.

If Legoland doesn’t make it with this crowd, it won’t make it beyond a look-see for locals and Florida day-trippers.

While Kassab makes some great points, I think she over looks the fact that Legoland managers haven’t placed that big of emphasis on stealing from Disney. In fact, they’re only running one shuttle a day from Orlando. Not a sign they’re depending on huge crowds of tourists.

Instead, I think you need to look at the geographic advantage Legoland has. It’s right in the middle of Tampa and Orlando and will draw from both groups of locals. Obviously, Legoland needs to draw from Orlando area tourists, but they’re just the frosting on the cake. The draw for local families with kids 2-12 will enjoy having a park they can enjoy together as a family, away from the masses of tourists. That will become a draw of its own.

LEGOLAND® FLORIDA EXTENDS SPECIAL PRICING Discounts on General Admission and Blackout-free Annual Passes Extended Through April

Due to popular [...]]]> Good news from LEGOLAND Florida from those who forgot to secure their discounted passes and tickets during the special offer they ran the last few months of 2010. See the following press release for the details:

LEGOLAND® FLORIDA EXTENDS SPECIAL PRICING
Discounts on General Admission and Blackout-free Annual Passes Extended Through April

Due to popular demand, LEGOLAND Florida has extended its discount on general admission tickets and Standard Annual Passes through April 2011. Central Florida’s newest full-day, family theme park, scheduled to open in October 2011, announced the extension after a hugely successful December sales period. Formerly expected to end on December 31, 2010 – guests will now be able to get the special rate through April 30, 2011.

“Our strong sales numbers have proved to us that people are excited about the opening of LEGOLAND Florida,” Director of Sales and Marketing, Kim Isemann stated. “By extending these special rates through the early spring, we want to allow our future guests the opportunity to lock in their tickets and annual passes before the Park opens.”

Available only at www.LEGOLAND.com, general admission tickets are $65 for adults and $55 for children and seniors. Standard Annual Passes are offered at the children’s prices of $99 with no Blackout Dates! Plus Annual Passes and Ambassador lifetime passes are also available at the non-discounted rates of $159/$129 and $2,500 respectively. These passes includes unlimited admission, discounts on preferred parking, special events, plus discounts on food and merchandise. (Prices do not include sales tax.)

LEGOLAND® Florida opens in October 2011 and will be a 150-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is geared towards family fun! There are currently four other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany and LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group, the second largest attractions operator in the world. For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLAND.com.

The MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP is the leading name in location based, family entertainment, which has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years. Europe’s number one, and the world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin has 62 attractions and 6 hotels in 12 countries, across 3 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 38.5 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 14,000 employees. Merlin Entertainments operates the following attractions – SEA LIFE – the world’s No 1 aquarium brand, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE PARK, Chessington World of Adventures, Heide Park, Underwater Adventures, and Earth Explorer.

Those interested in picking up subcontracting jobs send an email to legolandinfo@pcl.com

More at the Orlando Sentinel and The [...]]]> PCL Construction Services Inc has been selected to build out Legoland Florida by its slated Fall 2011 date. Denver based PCL will partner with Morris Architects. They have worked together on other projects in Central Florida.

Those interested in picking up subcontracting jobs send an email to legolandinfo@pcl.com

More at the Orlando Sentinel and The Ledger.

Fantastic news from LEGOLAND® Florida as it continues to build its team at a rapid pace in order to open in fall 2011. They have announced Adrian Jones as General Manager with his duties beginning immediately.

Jones has had a fantastic career within Merlin Entertainments. Most recently, Jones served as Divisional Director of Midway [...]]]>

Fantastic news from LEGOLAND® Florida as it continues to build its team at a rapid pace in order to open in fall 2011. They have announced Adrian Jones as General Manager with his duties beginning immediately.

Jones has had a fantastic career within Merlin Entertainments. Most recently, Jones served as Divisional Director of Midway Attractions in the Western United States, responsible for LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Schaumburg, Illinois, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas and Madame Tussauds Hollywood — which was the first Madame Tussauds attraction ever to be built from the ground up in 200 years. Jones has worked in leisure attractions for more than 20 years and has done everything from selling ice cream to being a General Manager that has driven attendance and visitor satisfaction in his attractions. His experience will prove to be a tremendous force in guiding LEGOLAND Florida into being one of the best theme parks in the world.

During the construction phase of LEGOLAND Florida, Jones will work closely with John Ussher, Merlin Entertainments’ General Manager of Development for LEGOLAND. “Adrian is a talented manager and we are thrilled that he has accepted the opportunity to run Florida’s newest full-day theme park,” said Ussher.

“Having worked for Merlin all over the world, I know the quality expected and I’m excited to bring a LEGOLAND park to Florida. I can’t wait to see the expressions on visitors’ faces when they see what we have in store for them,” said Jones. “Merlin is a major global attraction operator with proven expertise at running theme parks. It is a compelling brand with a huge emphasis on guest satisfaction that is unparalleled in this day and age.”

Opening in fall 2011, LEGOLAND Florida will be a 145-acre family theme park geared specifically for children ages 2 to 12. There will be more than 50 interactive rides, shows and attractions including amazing LEGO® models making it unlike any other attraction in Florida.

Jones is a graduate of Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom and is moving to Polk County with his wife Sarah who is a certified nurse and midwife. Everyone please make sure to give a warm welcome to the latest Brit and his family to move to Central Florida.

LEGOLAND Florida opens in fall 2011 and will be a 145-acre interactive theme park dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, LEGOLAND is geared towards family fun! There are currently four other LEGOLAND Parks in the world – LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND Deutschland near Günzburg, Germany and LEGOLAND Windsor outside of London. The LEGOLAND theme parks are a part of Merlin Entertainments Group, the second largest attractions operator in the world. For the most current information, log on to www.LEGOLANDFloridaResort.com.

Today Legoland Florida hosted a community preview and the community came out. An estimated 6 to 7 thousand members of the public came to the Orange Dome in Winter Haven throughout the course of the evening. Everyone was happily surprised. There was also [...]]]>
Managing Director of Legoland Parks John Jakobsen spoke to the crowd

Today Legoland Florida hosted a community preview and the community came out. An estimated 6 to 7 thousand members of the public came to the Orange Dome in Winter Haven throughout the course of the evening. Everyone was happily surprised. There was also a gaggle of media and many members of the local business community there to welcome the folks from Legoland. At times it seemed like one big networking event.

Attendees were able to pick up some information on jobs that Legoland Florida will bring in the future (and estimated 1,000 once it opens and about half that during construction), look at concept art for new attractions and remodeled buildings, see some of the LEGO sculpture Legoland is so famous for, and play with some LEGOs, even helping to build a giant mural out of LEGOs.

The mural took about an hour to finish. They had expected it would take 3 hours.

Executives on scene included Managing Director of Legoland Parks John Jakobsen and General Manager of Legoland Development John Ussher. About every hour the two Johns gave a little pep talk to the assembled crowd and answered some popular questions.

First, the world famous and historic Botanical Gardens will return, and much the same way they were enjoyed before. One section, the less historic Topiary Garden will be expanded to include the miniland LEGO sculpture elements. Many Topiary will remain in that section. No word on if they’ll fix the Florida pool.

With three minutes until the event wrapped up, there was still a sizable crowd.

Second, the Water Skiing show will be a part of the new park. It will be LEGO themed, which might just actually work. They’re actually considering ideas for the new show this week.

Third, the first bit of sad news was that the Starliner Wooden Roller Coaster will be removed from the park and placed into preservation storage until such time as a buyer can be found. The other wooden coaster will remain a part of the park. The Starliner would make a great headliner for any amusement attraction in Florida. Heck, even SeaWorld could use it.

Fourth, the Water Park will not open until some point after the main LEGOLAND park opens (which is late fall 2011). They want a water park, but want to concentrate on making the 145 acre theme park everything it can be first. There was some speculation that previous owners may have neglected the water park, but I think it just has to do with a lack of parking near the water park. After all, Splash Island was one of the few profitable areas of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park.

Fifth, Helena road will be realigned so that residents have a separate entrance to their neighborhood and won’t have to share the road with tourist traffic. Not coincidentally this will also allow Legoland Florida to join the paved and dirt parking lots into one giant lot. They’re going to need it if the 3-4 million visitors a year they’re projecting appear.

The White House is the first sculpture completed for Legoland Florida.

Lastly, design for the park is finished and demolition has already begun at the property. Coaster parts litter the parking lot and the Starliner has already started to come down. In a couple of weeks they should have the contractor hired and serious work of getting ready for opening day can begin.

President Obama and his family are depicted on the White House steps.

I ended my trip with a visit to Hardee’s restaurant on Highway 27 (a treat for me since I miss Carl’s Jr from when I lived out west). All the roads leading to LEGOLAND Florida from the I-4 are getting an upgrade to handle the expected new traffic. I’m sure the businesses will appreciate the return of visitors too.

Lots more to discuss, so I hope you’ll return over the next few days as we dig into everything that was revealed. I’ll have an interview with John Ussher and a lot more pictures coming up.

On Thursday, July 8, 2010 Legoland Florida is hosting a community open house to meet with area residents about Central Florida’s newest theme park. This open house-style event is intended to acquaint local residents with Legoland Florida and how it will impact Central [...]]]> Legoland sent some updated information regarding tomorrow night’s community preview event.

On Thursday, July 8, 2010 Legoland Florida is hosting a community open house to meet with area residents about Central Florida’s newest theme park. This open house-style event is intended to acquaint local residents with Legoland Florida and how it will impact Central Florida. Attendees will come face to face with amazing LEGO® models, view Park concepts, ask questions and hear about job opportunities. Managing Director of Legoland Parks John Jakobsen, General Manager of Legoland Development John Ussher, Sales & Marketing Director Kim Isemann and Human Resources Director Kim Clark will be on hand to answer questions.

During the event, guests will have the unique opportunity to help build a giant LEGO mural depicting the front entrance of Legoland Florida. When complete, the mural will be 9 feet wide and 5 feet tall created out of 35,000 LEGO bricks.

The event runs from 4pm to 7pm at:

Winter Haven Orange Dome
150 Cypress Gardens Blvd.
Winter Haven, FL 33880

Barring last minute problems at the day job, I should see you there.

Let’s all welcome the first three members of [...]]]> While having a kick-ass marketing team is no doubt going to be an important part of the success of Legoland Florida, I find it a bit funny that the first press release I receive from Legoland is one announcing the team that brings you press releases.

Let’s all welcome the first three members of the marketing team. Director of Sales and Marketing Kim Isemann, Manager of Sales Todd Andrus and Public Relations Representative Jackie Wallace are bringing their expertise from Central Florida attraction destinations to promote the family theme park opening fall 2011.

Isemann brings considerable expertise in theme park and attractions marketing and will lead the estimated 20-person marketing team as Director of Sales & Marketing for Legoland Florida. Isemann joins the team of Model Citizens (Legoland Park’s affectionate term for employees) from her role as General Manager of the Daytona 500 Experience Attraction at the Daytona International Speedway. Prior to the Speedway, Isemann was with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in escalating roles over a 12-year period, culminating in her position as the Florida Parks Director of Promotions. Isemann is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and will soon be relocating to Polk County.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of Merlin Entertainments Group on this exciting new venture,” Isemann said. “Legoland has such a tradition of quality entertainment, and I know this will be a successful Park when we open next year.”

Joining Isemann as the Manager of Sales is Andrus, a 13-year sales veteran from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment where he was most recently the Senior Manager of National Sales. Andrus’ knowledge and contacts in the sales arena will prove invaluable to the first new theme park to be built in Central Florida in more than 10 years. Andrus graduated from Kent State University with a degree in Communications.

Wallace will be heading the communications efforts for the new park as Public Relations Representative. With more than 10 years of theme park experience, Wallace comes to Legoland Florida directly from the promotions team at SeaWorld & Busch Gardens. Previously, she was a member of the SeaWorld Orlando media relations team that opened Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark and several headlining shows. Wallace graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations.

Legoland Florida will offer more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, including thousands of spectacular LEGO® models. The Florida development will be Merlin Entertainments’ second Legoland Park in North America and will play an important role in the group’s continued growth in the U.S. Providing a full-day, year round theme park experience geared towards families with children between the ages of 2 and 12, Legoland Florida will mirror the successful concept of the four existing Legoland Parks in Denmark, Germany, U.K. and California. However, as with the other four, it will also have its own unique “twist” reflecting its stunning location and adding a Florida flavor.

Coaster preservationists, don’t get your hopes up. It’s [...]]]> The Orlando Fun Spot locations don’t get a lot of respect even though they’re the area’s fourth largest attraction (when you add all the locations attendance together). That might change when the Kissimmee location adds a new coaster they just purchased from the former Cypress Gardens park.

Coaster preservationists, don’t get your hopes up. It’s just the Galaxy Spin, a Zamperla spinning Wild Mouse coaster. This was actually one of the coasters that it looked like Legoland might want to keep. Here’s hoping they still might keep one of the classic wooden coasters.

(via)

One of the first jobs they posted was for a Landscape Manager, now they’re hiring additional landscapers. If [...]]]> It’s not exactly the floodgates opening, but Legoland Florida has posted three new jobs to their website recently. Two will play a large behind the scenes role in shaping the park, and the other a literal role.

One of the first jobs they posted was for a Landscape Manager, now they’re hiring additional landscapers. If you live nearby this is your chance to work on some world famous gardens.

The other two jobs are management level and its crucial that Legoland gets the right people for these positions.  The general manager and design manager are the people who will lead the design, construction, and operation of the park.

Obviously, they’re looking for people with experience. But they’re also going to want people with a plan for getting visitors to make the trip down from the Orlando area. Someone with experience at SeaWorld or Universal Orlando would be perfect, I think. As some sort of partnership with those parks will be important.

Any suggestions? Or are you planning to send in your resume yourself.

There was some concern that the state would be concerned with preserving the historic Cypress Gardens botanical gardens. But I believe their concerns were assuaged with the Legoland President’s promise and the County’s [...]]]> Legoland Florida has been given the official OK from the Florida Governor’s office. Work can now begin on the 150 acre property.

There was some concern that the state would be concerned with preserving the historic Cypress Gardens botanical gardens. But I believe their concerns were assuaged with the Legoland President’s promise and the County’s existing protection of the historic section.

(via)

Things are moving swiftly behind the scenes to get all the ducks in a row needed to start construction on LegoLand Florida. The Polk County Commissioners have already approved the land swamp that will re-align Helena Road away from the middle of the paved and remote parking lots and and closer to Cypress Gardens [...]]]>

Things are moving swiftly behind the scenes to get all the ducks in a row needed to start construction on LegoLand Florida. The Polk County Commissioners have already approved the land swamp that will re-align Helena Road away from the middle of the paved and remote parking lots and and closer to Cypress Gardens Blvd. A good move that’s going to make handling the crowds that everyone hopes will come so much easier.

More at the News Chief.

is a two-story 36,000 square foot aquarium also features a Kingdom of Seahorses, a shoaling ring where guests are surrounded 360-degrees by schools of fish, and the Lost City [...]]]> The Zoo and Aquarium Visitor examines the possibility that an aquarium will be coming to Legoland Florida. The Sea Life Aquarium at the Carlsbad park location:

is a two-story 36,000 square foot aquarium also features a Kingdom of Seahorses, a shoaling ring where guests are surrounded 360-degrees by schools of fish, and the Lost City of Atlantis. The Aquarium features more than 200 species of animals including Grey Reef Sharks, Black Tip Reef Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, Zebra Sharks, Cownose Rays, Southern Sting Rays, Giant Pacific Octopus and dozens of species of tropical fish and tidepool creatures.

Sounds like this would be a great addition to the east coast version too.

(Link)

Right now the site consists of some press info, a link to a list of jobs they’re hiring for [...]]]> It’s fairly basic right now, but the official website for Legoland Florida (http://www.legolandfloridaresort.com/) has launched. The ‘resort’ on the end of it signals the companies eventual plans to build a hotel on the Cypress Gardens property.

Right now the site consists of some press info, a link to a list of jobs they’re hiring for (just three right now), and a link to Legoland California.

The park will be open in Fall of 2011. I can’t wait.

John at Super Punch, one of my favorite blogs, just visited [...]]]> To be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Legoland California. It was definitely before I had a kid, so at least 7 years ago. But the park continues to make converts. I expect Legoland Florida to have the same ability.

John at Super Punch, one of my favorite blogs, just visited Legoland California for the first time and was smitten:

Disneyland has better brands for its rides, but in almost every other way, Legoland is superior.

I’d say that’s a pretty big compliment. For John, the way the park is structured to encourage competition between guests and exercise is a good thing. In otherwords, it’s not just a vacation, it’s a work out.

Should be an interesting idea for the more generally sedate central Florida visitor and local. I wonder if they may try to change the focus of the rides just a bit to take that into account.