Legoland Windsor Resort

Legoland Windsor Resort, also known as Legoland Windsor, is a child-orientated theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego toy system. The park opened on 17 March 1996 on the former Windsor Safari Park site as the second Legoland after Legoland Billund in Denmark. In common with the other Legoland Resorts across the world, the park's attractions consist of a mixture of Lego-themed rides, models, and building workshops. The park was acquired by Merlin Entertainments in 2005, which now operates the park, with the Lego Group retaining part ownership (30%).[2][3] The facilities are mainly targeted at children between three and twelve.

LEGOLAND Windsor Resort
Entrance to Legoland Windsor
LocationWinkfield Road, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Coordinates51.46351°N 0.65114°W / 51.46351; -0.65114
SloganAwesome Awaits[1]
OwnerMerlin Entertainments
General managerHelen Bull
(Divisional Director)
Opened17 March 1996 (17 March 1996)
Operating seasonMarch to November
Visitors per annum 2.43 million (2019)
Area150 acres (61 ha; 0.61 km2)
Attractions
Total55
Roller coasters3
Water rides6
Websitewww.legoland.co.uk
StatusClosed
Map of Berkshire, UK, showing the location of Legoland Windsor at 51.46351°N, 0.65114°W (grid reference SU938747)

The park had 2.43 million visitors in 2019, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom behind Alton Towers. Alton Towers used to be the UK's most visited theme park with 2.575 million visitors in 2014, however due to the smiler crash In 2015 the parks attendance has fallen and LEGOLAND overtook, however Alton Towers’ attendance continues to increase year up on year. As of 2019 there is there a 280,000 visitor difference between LEGOLAND and Alton Towers. LEGOLAND is the 9th-most visited theme park in Europe and continues to get higher on the list as more attractions are invested into the park.[4]

History

From 1969 to 1992, the site of today's Legoland Windsor belonged to Windsor Safari Park, which had been founded by the Billy Smart's Circus.

The Lego Group began research for the development of a second Legoland park after Legoland Billund in 1987, with over 1000 sites considered.[2] In January 1992, Windsor Safari Park went into receivership and the 150-acre (0.61 km2) site was chosen.[2] Throughout 1992 and 1993, planning, design, site preparation and the design and construction of models began,[2] and new homes were secured for all the safari animals.[5] 1994 saw the installation of services, foundations and infrastructures,[2] and in 1995, one year prior to opening, Big Ben was installed in Miniland. By this time, buildings and attractions were becoming established[2] and in September, advance bookings were opened for entrance tickets.[6] Final installations were completed by the beginning of 1996 and at this point, the Legoland Windsor staff-base was recruited.[5] Legoland Windsor opened on 17 March 1996. During its first season, the park attracted over 1.4 million guests.[5]

In April 2005, Lego decided to sell the Legoland parks, owing to rising losses across the company.[7][8] On 13 July 2005, Legoland was acquired by the Blackstone Group and control of the parks passed to Merlin Entertainments.[2][3]

Areas
Themed areas and key locations within Legoland Windsor Resort

The park is split into 12 themed lands, incorporating various attractions, restaurants and shops: The Beginning, Imagination Centre, DUPLO Valley, Miniland, Adventure Land, LEGO City, Pirate Shores, Heartlake City, Knight´s Kingdom, Land of the Vikings, Kingdom of the Pharaohs and Lego Ninjago World.[9]

The Beginning

The Beginning is the entrance area to the park.[10] It is composed of a plaza area containing entrance turnstiles, ticket sales, guest services and toilets and stretches to contain a small part of the resort at the bottom of the funicular railway. It is notable for having a view of the area surrounding the resort including the nearby town of Windsor, Heathrow Airport & parts of London.

The main resort shop, The BIG Shop, can be found here which sells a number of Lego products as well as souvenirs. It holds the dubious distinction of being the largest Lego store in the UK. Also in the area is the Photo Shop which is where guests can collect photos taken on rides with cameras operated by Picsolve, a company contracted by a number of Merlin Entertainments resorts.[11]

There are a number of food and beverage outlets here with the main site down cafe is the Hill Top Cafe.[12] It is complemented by a smaller coffee outlet in the entrance plaza and the Sweet Stop which sells sweets and other treats.[10]

The only ride located in The Beginning is the Hill Train, a funicular, 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway down a curved slope.[13] The main purpose of the Hill Train is to transport guests from The Beginning to the lower parts of the resort leading to an area between LEGO City & LEGO NINJAGO World, which is still considered to be part of The Beginning. It is the only ride or attraction to be retained from Windsor Safari Park, being refurbished when the park opened with stained glass windows made from translucent Lego bricks by local school children.[5] It travels 300 metres between two stations, with a height difference between the top and bottom stations of approximately 27 metres.[14]

Creation Centre, 2007.

Previously located in The Beginning was the Creation Centre which opened in 2000.[15] This building has housed a number of attractions since it has opened. The first main attraction it contained was LEGO Racers which opened with the Creation Centre.[15] Here, guests could create their own virtual LEGO racer through an innovative system and went through a process which culminated in them being able to race their character against other guests.[16] The original LEGO Racers attraction suffered from reliability issues and closed at the end of 2004.[16] However, it was revived in 2009 by members of the original team and was able to reopen under the new name of Rocket Racers.[16] However, reliability issues remained and it saw its final guests over the weekend of the 8–9 October 2011.[16] The attraction space was repurposed for Star Wars Miniland which was based on the Star Wars franchise depicting a number of scenes in LEGO and opened in 2012. Unlike LEGO Racers & Rocket Racers it was classed as a walkthrough attraction with no queue. Instead, guests walked round much like the main Miniland land. In 2016, a large model of the Death Star was installed as the centrepiece of the attraction. However, the attraction closed on December 31, 2019 echoing other Legoland Resorts which all closed their Star Wars Miniland if they had them, rumoured due to a licensing deal between Lucasfilm and Merlin Entertainments ending.[17] Currently the space is empty and Legoland Windsor have announced no plans for its future.

The Creation Centre is also home to Legoland Windsor's model makers who display busts of famous figures as well as a view of their studio in a space on the second floor of the centre.[18] On the ground floor of the centre is Apocalypseburg which is part of the The Lego Movie 2 set used and shares space with a Movie Store.[19] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Creation Centre is currently closed.

Imagination Centre

The Imagination Centre is an area themed around education through LEGO. The centre piece being the LEGO Education Centre which is where a dedicated Education team offers National Curriculum workshops. The Education team has been recognised nationally by the School Travel Awards as the 'Best Venue for STEM Learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)' in 2019.[20]

The only Ride in this land is Sky Rider, which is an elevated track ride opened in March 1996 and refurbished between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.[21] The attraction of this ride is the views that can be seen of Miniland as it cruises over Imagination and also allows views of the surrounding area.

Two attractions complete Imagination, LEGO Studios 4D & LEGO Reef. LEGO Studios 4D was previously known as the Imagination Theatre and now shows a number of Lego-themed films throughout the day.[22] In the 2020 season, these were: LEGO City 4D - Officer in Pursuit; LEGO Ninjago - Master of the 4th Dimension & LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure.[23] The LEGO Reef is an interactive experience opened in 2018 which allows guests to create a digital LEGO fish which will then swim in front of them on a screen.[24]

Miniland

Miniland is a miniature park in Lego form, depicting towns and cities from around the world, using nearly 40 million Lego bricks, in models.[25] The area features a number of animated models, interacting with each other. Motor vehicles use cables under the paths emitting radio wave signals to steer and allow charging when required and overnight. The train system runs on tracks, slowing for stations using slow down bars and also charging, and the boats use rubber loops under the water driven by motors, with sensors to detect the boats for operating bridges and locks. The system, with lights and sounds, is run by 14 computers using 300 kilometres of underground cabling.[5]

The land is divided into different areas as they are depicted, these include: London, the Rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Europe (composed of the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Denmark & France). In 2018, Miniland saw an expansion called 'Explore the World' which added more LEGO models of global sites including the Sydney Opera House, Forbidden Palace & Saint Basil's Cathedral.[26] Also added in 2018 was Miniland USA, another expansion with detailed LEGO models and scenes depicting famous American sites.[27]

DUPLO Valley

DUPLO Valley is a land aimed at smaller children, with the majority of Rides being 'family rides'. Since the resort's opening the land has rotated through a number of different names including Explore Land, Duplo Gardens and Duplo Land.

At the beginning of the 2020 season, DUPLO Valley was reopened following a refurbishment and the construction of a new ride, the DUPLO Dino Coaster.[28] The DUPLO Dino Coaster, originally planned to be called the DUPLO Dream Coaster became the resort's third rollercoaster (after The Dragon & Dragon's Apprentice).[29] Aimed to be a 'My First Coaster' it saw a soft opening before the park's temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[28][29] It was designed by Mack Rides but manufactured by ART Engineeing GmbH. Alongside the opening of the new ride was the re-theming of three rides and attractions: DUPLO Express (previously Duplo Train), DUPLO Airport (previously Duplo Valley Airport and before that, Chopper Squadron and Whirly Birds) and DUPLO Playtown (previously Brickville but it has gone by this name before.[28][30][31][32] Also located in DUPLO Valley is Fairy Tale Brook, a boat ride which takes guests round a course which contains LEGO models of fairy tale characters.[33]

DUPLO Valley is home to the resort's waterpark which consists of three separate rides and attractions: Raft Racers, Drench Towers and Splash Safari. Raft Racers (previously Extreme Team Challenge) begins outside of DUPLO Valley on a pathway starting in Imagination which bypasses Miniland and is a fast water chute ride consisting of two slides guests ride down in rafts.[34] Raft Racers ends in DUPLO Valley next to Drench Towers. Drench Towers is a water splash area with multiple slides which was placed on land previously occupied by Mole-in-One Mini Golf.[35] Splash Safari is a smaller splash area for toddlers which consists of water features made of DUPLO models and is located below Drench Towers.[36]

Also in DUPLO Valley is the DUPLO Valley Theatre which is a puppet theatre which shows classic fairy tales.[37] It is located adjacent to Fairy Tale Brook. One of the resort's family restaurants, Farmer's Joe Chicken Company, is found opposite the theatre.[38]

Lego City

Lego City, formerly known as Traffic, is themed around transport. Balloon School: a simulated hot air balloon ride. Coastguard HQ: a boat school ride for children Fire Academy: L-Drivers: drive school for 3–5 children City Driving School: drive school here children can drive their own car. In 2019, a Vekoma 'mad-house' attraction called Haunted House Monster Party was added to the area and in 2020, Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sealife, which features "submarine" vehicles used to travel through the tank, was rethemed to become Deep Sea Adventure. Part of the refurbishment involved a change of land from Adventure Land to Lego City.

Heartlake City

Heartlake City (formerly Lego City until redecoration in 2015), based on the LEGO Friends produce range, includes two rides: The LEGOLAND Express, a railway ride round Kingdom of the Pharaohs, and a Disk'O coaster called Mia's Riding Adventure. Also in the area is the "Return to Skeleton Bay" pirate stunt show, and "LEGO Friends to the Rescue", a live music concert around the harbour performed by the LEGO Friends.

Land of the Vikings

Land of the Vikings is situated behind the Hill Train; this was opened in 2007, and is based on the plunderings of Nordic Vikings. This land is home to two attractions, Vikings’ River Splash: An attraction manufactured by ABC Rides and features Lego models, water sprays and cannons along its course. The other attraction is Spinning Spider located at the bottom of the area, this ride is a spinning teacups style ride where guests ride in log-style gondolas as an animatronic LEGO spider gnashes its jaws and breathes smoke on a web above.

Kingdom of the Pharaohs
Lego brick animals

The Kingdom of the Pharaohs contains "Laser Raiders", an interactive dark ride through an Egyptian tomb where visitors shoot targets to gain points. Also in this area is Scarab Bouncers, Aero Nomad, Desert Chase and Thunder Blazer. The latter three rides are fairground based attractions such as a carousel and a Ferris wheel ride.

Pirate Shores

Pirate Shores features a log flume, Pirate Falls, a play area and a pirate ship ride named the Jolly Rocker. From 1996 to 2010, this area was known as Wild Woods.

Knights' Kingdom
Knights' Kingdom

Knights' Kingdom (originally Castleland and NEXO Knights' Kingdom) features The Dragon roller coaster,[5] which starts inside the castle themed station, passing Lego tableaux, before travelling outside reaching a speed of around 30 mph (48 km/h).

Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures

Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures is situated around a lake at the bottom of the park. Formerly known as Adventure Land, Mythica will open with 3 new attractions.

Annual attendance at Legoland Windsor
YearAttendanceRef
2005 1,400,000[39]
2006 1,480,000[40]
2007 1,650,000[41]
2008 1,815,000[42]
2009 1,900,000[43]
2010 1,900,000[44]
2011 1,900,000[45]
2012 2,000,000[46]
2013 2,050,000[47]
2014 2,200,000[48]
2015 2,250,000[39]
2016 2,183,000[49]
2017 2,200,000[4]
2018 2,315,000 [50]
2019 2,430,000 [51]

Park operation

Legoland Windsor typically opens from March to November, with closures on some days.

Attendance

Attendance has steadily risen since 2005. Legoland Windsor regularly draws more attendees than the original Legoland Billund Resort in Denmark; in 2011, it became the tenth-most popular theme park in Europe, a position it has held every year since.[45]

Resort hotels

Legoland Windsor Resort currently has two hotels.[52]

Legoland Hotel

The Legoland Hotel opened its doors in March 2012. The hotel is located at the back of the park, in the Adventure land section, on the old site of the Jungle Coaster. Guests enter the hotel on the ground floor but enter the park on the 2nd floor. The hotel is home to the Bricks Restaurant ( a buffet) and the Skyline Bar,[53] both on the 2nd floor. The resort featured 6 different types of themed rooms, they were Pirate, Kingdom, Adventure, Premium Pirate, Premium Kingdom and Premium Adventure.[54] Over the year's these room themes have changed, the hotel no longer offers Premium Kingdom rooms but now offers Ninjago and Lego friends rooms.[54] Guests staying at both Hotels get access to the pirate-themed indoor pool and fitness facility (located at the Legoland Hotel) as well as a treasure hunt in each room and access to select attraction before the general public in the park.[52] The second floor is not only home to the restaurants previously mentioned, but a loft where LEGO video games can be played on PlayStation 4 consoles. The ground floor features a Lego store and bins of bricks that can be built with. There is a castle themed baggage check area by the double doors.

Castle Hotel

The Legoland Castle Hotel opened its doors on 1 July 2017. The hotel was opened by competition winner James Waine who designed a model that was built by professional model makers and put outside the hotel.[55] The hotel offers two different themes of rooms, Wizard and Knights.[56] The hotel is only accessible from the park, guests must check-in at the Legoland Hotel and travel through the hotel and the park to reach the Castle Hotel. The Castle Hotel is located next to the Legoland Hotel. The hotel is home to the Tournament Tavern[53] restaurant, which offers table service meals. Guests staying at both Hotels get access to the pirate-themed indoor pool and fitness facility (located at the Legoland Hotel) as well as a treasure hunt in each room and access to select attraction before the general public in the park.[52]

Holiday Village

In Legoland Windsor's ten-year plan, the park have expressed interest in building a holiday village that would consist of 450 Lodges that would be built in two phases. These lodges would range from barrel-style glamping to large family lodges. The majority of phase one (120 out of 150) would consist of Lodges that could sleep up to a family of five.[57] The new Holiday Village is planned to be located near the front of the park.

Rides and attractions

Operating rides
Name Park Area Opened Manufacturer Image Description
Aero Nomad Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 Zamperla A small ferris wheel ride offering views over Kingdom of the Pharaohs and the centre of the park. Originally named Brickadilly's Ferris Wheel when opened in 1996; rebranded Aero Nomad in 2009.[58]
Balloon School LEGO City 1999 WGH Transportation A ride containing six balloon gondolas (4 guests each), attached to arms linked to a central turning arm. Balloons can be raised or lowered at the riders command.
Brickville DUPLO Valley 2013 Unknown A playground for children based upon a town created from LEGO Duplo bricks.
Castaway Camp Pirate Shores 1996 Unknown A large adventure playground for children based upon a Pirate ship and features towers, slides and climbing nets. Formerly named Pirates Training Camp / The Rat Trap.
Coastguard HQ LEGO City 1996 LEGOLAND (track/course)
Garmendale[59] (boats)		 Guests can drive electric LEGO-style boats through a course, accompanied by a mixture of LEGO and plastic 3D models. Originally named Boating School at the park's opening in 1996, renamed Coastguard HQ in 2015.
Desert Chase Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 Bertazzon A carousel located within the Kingdom of the Pharaohs area at LEGOLAND Windsor. Originally named Brickadilly's Carousel at the park's opening in 1996, renamed Desert Chase in 2009.[58]
Destiny's Bounty Ninjago World 2008 Zamperla A Rockin' Tug ride originally located in Land of the Vikings as Longboat Invaders, which opened in 2008. Renamed to Destiny's Bounty in 2017.
Discovery Zone featuring MINDSTORMS Imagination Centre Unknown LEGOLAND Home to the park's National Curriculum relevant Educational Workshops. In this attraction guests can construct LEGO models and program robots in various workshops.
The Dragon Knight's Kingdom 1998 WGH Transportation Guests travel in a dragon rollercoaster train through a dark-ride section in a castle featuring scenes of animated LEGO models before accelerating up a lift hill and completing two figure-of-eight circuits before returning to the station.
Dragon's Apprentice Knight's Kingdom 1999 WGH Transportation A smaller companion to the park's larger coaster - The Dragon.
Drench Towers DUPLO Valley 2013 Unknown A water play structure themed to LEGO Duplo featuring a tipping water 'brick' and various coloured slides. Only open during summer months.
DUPLO Dino Coaster DUPLO Valley 2020 ART Engineering A DUPLO themed roller coaster for younger guests.[60]
DUPLO Valley Airport DUPLO Valley 1996 Unknown A ride where guests can control a LEGO-style helicopter, by using a lever to guide it up or down. 2 guests per helicopter. Originally named Whirly Birds at the park's opening in 1996; renamed to Chopper Squadron (2006) and then DUPLO Valley Airport (2013).
DUPLO Train DUPLO Valley 1996 Unknown A small train completing a small circuit.
Fairy Tale Brook DUPLO Valley 1996 WGH Transportation A gentle boat ride where guests pass through LEGO depictions of fairytale scenes (such as Aladdin, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) in a leaf-shaped boat. Revised in 2013.
Fire Academy LEGO City 2005 Metallbau Emmeln Groups of 4 can enter a fire engine to compete against other guests to extinguish the 'fire' in a building. Guests must use levers to power the truck down a track to the building, exit the truck and use water pumps to aim at 'fire' in the windows of said building. Guests must then power the truck back to the starting line, the first team back wins.
Haunted House: Monster Party LEGO City 2019 Vekoma A madhouse attraction. There is no gift shop for this ride.

The ride is similar to Hex at Alton Towers (another Merlin Entertainments operated park) and The Haunting at Drayton Manor.

LEGOLAND Express Heartlake City 1996 Severn Lamb train ride that seats 150 that begins in Heartlake City and travels past Kingdom of the Pharaohs (through the queue line of Laser Raiders), Miniland and travels through LEGO City before returning to Heartlake City, and features LEGO constructions of various animals (originally to represent LEGO character Johnny Thunder's expeditions), and Johnny Thunder himself. It also features areas where watching guests can push buttons to activate water sprays from the mouths of models, such as a tiger. Originally named I-Spy Express at the park's opening in 1996; subsequently renamed Adventurers' Express (2002), Orient Expedition (2005), and Heartlake Express (2015).
Hill Train The Beginning
Land of the Vikings/Kingdom of the Pharaohs		 Before 1996 (opened as part of Windsor Safari Park) Unknown A funicular railway shuttling guests between the top and centre of the park down a hill (hence the name). There are two trains, each feature three carriages (one red, one blue, one yellow) which pass each other on the journey. This feature was carried over from Windsor Safari Park.
Jolly Rocker Pirate Shores 2010 Huss Originally situated at another park, Jolly Rocker is a rocking pirate ship that seats 35 people and opened in 2010.
Laser Raiders Kingdom of the Pharaohs 2009 Sally Corporation Guests travel in a cart through interactive scenes and user laser guns to shoot targets and earn points.
L-Drivers LEGO City 1996 Garmendale A smaller version of Driving School for younger guests (aged 3 to 5).
LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure LEGO City 2011 Mack Rides An underwater submarine ride that takes riders on a journey through an aquarium. The ride was refurbished and renamed from Atlantis Submarine Voyage to LEGO City Deep Sea Adventure in 2020.
LEGO City Driving School LEGO City 1996 Garmendale Guests aged 6 to 13 can drive LEGO-style miniature electric cars through a series of roads featuring a range of LEGO models and 3D scenes.
Merlin's Challenge Knight's Kingdom 2005 Mack Rides A Mack Old Train ride, originally located in Adventure Land (opened in 2005 as Dino Dipper) but moved to allow for construction of Atlantis Submarine Voyage. Renamed to Knight's Quest in 2011. Renamed to Merlin's Challenge in 2020. Riders spin quickly in a circle over bumps in a LEGO train.
Mia's Riding Adventure Heartlake City 2015 Zamperla A Zamperla Disko ride where guests can board LEGO horses and spin in to the air.
Miniland Miniland 1996 (often updated with new models) LEGOLAND Model Makers A showcase of LEGO recreations of world landmarks, made of over 40 million LEGO bricks. Scenes feature the Elizabeth Tower/Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Notre Dame and many more.
Model Making Studio The Beginning N/A LEGOLAND Watch the LEGOLAND model makers complete LEGO creations.
NINJAGO The Ride Ninjago World 2017 Triotech A dark ride where riders use their hands to shoot. Themed around the popular kids TV show, Lego Ninjago Masters of spinjitzu.
Pirate Falls Treasure Quest Pirate Shores 1996 Zamperla A traditional log flume ride featuring various LEGO depictions of pirates based upon a story of a rivalry between two crews. Originally named Pirate Falls at the park's opening in 1996; renamed to Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench (2010) and then Pirate Falls Treasure Quest (2014).
Pirate Goldwash Pirate Shores 1996 (assumed) N/A At an additional cost, guests can pan for 'gold', which can be traded for a souvenir medal.
Raft Racers DUPLO Valley 1999 WhiteWater West Guests can ride a rubber dinghy along one of two coloured slides down a bank. Originally named Extreme Team Challenge when the ride opened in 1999; subsequently renamed to Raft Racers in 2013.
S.Q.U.I.D Surfer Adventure Land 2000 Zierer Dual water carousel
Scarab Bouncers Kingdom of the Pharaohs 2009 S&S Worldwide Two small frog-hopper style drop towers that can each sit 6 children and 1 adult.
Sky Rider Imagination Centre 1996 Premier Rides Originally opened in 1996, guests could pedal a LEGO-style cart around a track overlooking Miniland and the park, as well as travelling above Imagination Centre. Between the 2001 and 2002 seasons, the pedals were removed, a lap bar introduced and the ride was refurbished to be electronically powered.
Splash Safari DUPLO Valley 2013 Unknown A small water playground featuring DUPLO characters, replacing the Waterworks attraction which occupied the area prior to 2012.
Spinning Spider Land of the Vikings 1996 Intamin A spinning teacups style ride where guests ride in log-style gondolas as an animatronic LEGO spider gnashes its jaws and breathes smoke on a web above.
Thunder Blazer Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 Unknown A small chairswing ride. Originally named Brickadilly's Chair-O-Plane in 1996 when the park opened; renamed to Thunder Blazer in 2009.[58]
Vikings River Splash Land of the Vikings 2007 ABC Rides A river rapids ride. Guests travel through scenes featuring LEGO models of Vikings and dragons and pass a viewing point where riders can squirt using pump water guns. The ride concludes with bucketfuls of water being tipped and a climb back to the station.
4D Cinema/Imagination Theatre Imagination 2003 (as a 4D cinema) Unknown A cinema hosted in a large tent featuring 4D effects. New shows are introduced and old shows removed every few park seasons. Since 2016, the cinema has been showing "The LEGO Movie: A 4D Adventure".

Former rides and attractions
Name Park Area Years Manufacturer Image Description
Bum Shaker Wild Woods (Pirates Landing) 1996–2000 Two hand-pump on-track cart ride circuits near the Rat Trap. Removed and replaced by The Truck Stop which was later replaced in 2009 to make room for Jolly Rocker.[61]
Muscle Maker 1996–2003
Explorer's Institute LEGO City 1996–2008 A walk-through attraction themed around a rainforest, ancient Egypt and the Arctic.[62]
Jungle Coaster Adventure Land 2004–09 Mack A large Wild Mouse roller coaster, now located in Legoland Florida as Great Lego Race.[63] Removed to clear land for Legoland Hotel.
Magic Theatre LEGO City 1996–2007 Showcasing illusions using LEGO models.[64]
Mole-in-One Mini Golf DUPLO Valley 2007–13 Known as Wild Woods Golf during construction; replaced with Drench Tower.[65]
Rocket Racers The Beginning 2000–11 A computer game themed around the Lego Racers product line, housed in the Creation Centre, where eight drivers select vehicle components on a touchscreen computer before racing against each other using arcade-style seated controls.[66]
Dino Safari Adventure Land 2005-2015 Unknown A Vintage cars style ride with LEGO dinosaurs and other models to look at. Riders sit in a LEGO jeep car which is on a guide rail. The attraction closed at the end of the 2015 season to make way for the LEGO castle hotel. A similar version of this ride can be found at Legoland Florida where there it is known as safari trek and is still operating.

Reserve & Ride (formerly Q-Bot)

For the 2008 season, the Q-Bot queuing system (now called Reserve & Ride) was introduced.[67] For a per-person fee, guests are provided with a small pager-like device to "reserve" places in queues virtually, allowing guests to use their queuing time elsewhere in the park. The initial contract between Q-Bot developers Lo-Q was for 1 year from 8 April 2008.[67] This contract was extended for 2009 before a new 3-year contract was signed on 26 March 2010. Three tiers of the device are available at different prices which reduce the queue time by different proportions.

Incidents
  • In 2006, a fire broke out in a storage barn onsite during the end of season fireworks on 28 October, with no injuries.[68]
  • In October 2007, a fire broke out in a shed being used to store chemicals.[69]
  • In 2008, after noise complaints, Jungle Coaster plastic housing was placed over the cars, leading to reduced capacity to two adults per car, due to weight restrictions. However, at the end of the 2009 season, the ride was removed [70] and the site used for hotel construction.
  • In May 2009, a nine-year-old girl got her hand trapped in The Log Flume in Pirate Falls. The police, ambulance and fire brigade were all called. The ride remained closed the next day as health and safety checks were done and the ride has since been altered.
  • In September 2010, the park's large number of wasps during the season was discussed on Watchdog, with general manager Sue Kemp appearing with host Anne Robinson and confirming new signage, actions and details on the website.[71][72]
  • In February 2014, the park cancelled a private event organised by Islamic cleric Haitham al-Haddad due to safety reasons following a backlash and threats by nationalist groups.[73]
  • In August 2016, two six-year-old girls were sexually assaulted while at the resort, leading to a police investigation over the incident.[74]

Awards

Since opening in 1996, the park has won a number of awards:

  • Voted UK's Number One Family Attraction by Group Leisure Magazine, 1999.[75]

See also

References
  1. LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort (10 June 2015). "Awesome Awaits at the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort" – via YouTube.
  2. "The History of the Legoland Parks" (PDF). Windsor: Legoland. 2006.
  3. "Troubled Lego Sells Theme Parks". News. BBC. 13 July 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  4. TEA/AECOM (2018). 2017 Theme Index: The Global Attractions Attendance Report (PDF) (Report). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  5. Souvenir Guidebook, Windsor: Legoland, 1997.
  6. Where the Fun is Building (brochure) |format= requires |url= (help), Windsor: Legoland, 1995.
  7. "Lego to Sell Parks as Losses Rise". News. BBC. 6 April 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  8. "Ailing Lego nears Theme-park Sale". News. BBC. 1 June 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
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  10. "The Beginning". LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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  14. Google Earth
  15. "Completely LEGOLAND Windsor - The Beginning - Creation Centre". www.cllw.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  16. "Completely LEGOLAND Windsor - The Beginning - Rocket Racers". www.cllw.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  17. Graham (17 December 2019). "LEGO Star Wars Miniland begins to close at LEGOLAND parks". Brick Fanatics. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  18. "Model Making Studio". LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  19. "The LEGO® MOVIE™ 2 Experience at LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort". LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  20. 2019-11-14T16:06:00+00:00. "School Travel Awards: announcing your 2019 winners". School Travel Organiser. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
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