Legoland Windsor Reopening: Our Experience

Like the majority of theme parks in the UK, Legoland Windsor reopened on July 4th. We visited the park on July 6th to check out their new safety measures and enjoy the attractions. Here are my thoughts on how the park is functioning during the coronavirus pandemic.

How busy was Legoland Windsor?

Legoland, like most other parks, is operating their park at a limited capacity. This means far less guests are able to visit. In order to visit, you must book online beforehand. Annual pass holders must also book a specific day to ensure they are able to enter the park. This costs £1. 

With so few guests allowed in the park, lines were relatively short. However, they didn’t always move fast. Every thirty minutes or so, each attraction is deep cleaned and then sent round empty. This only takes around 7 minutes, but can add a significant wait to what would normally be a short queue. Even so, with so few people in the park, no line reached anything exceptional in regards to what you would typically expect. The longest we waited was 45 minutes for The Dragon. Ninjango generally had a 25 minute wait and the new Duplo coaster had a 40 minute wait. The other rides open had wait times of 15 minutes or less. 

What safety measures are in place?

As already mentioned, attractions are deep cleaned very regularly. Staff use a disinfectant spray which comes out of a hose and looks reminiscent of one of the Ghostbusters Proton Packs. Comparing this to our experience at Alton Towers, where they hand wiped the carriages, this seems like a far more efficient method of cleaning. 

Temperature checks were taken at the park entrance. Guests with a temperature of 37.8 °C or above will not be allowed entry into the park. However, they can exchange their tickets for a later day this year or next.

Social Distancing was enforced throughout Legoland. Each queue line, for shops, attractions and dining locations, was spaced out with 2m distanced spots on the floor. Announcements were also played regularly to remind guests to maintain a 2m distance from other parties.

Hand sanitizer dispensers were located all around the park, particularly at the entrance and exit to rides.

According to Legoland’s website face masks must be worn on The Dragon, Mia’s Riding Adventure, Jolly Rocker, Spinning Spider,Deep Sea Adventure and Merlin’s Challenge. Deep Sea Adventure is not currently operating, although this makes it seems like there’s plans for it to return later in the season.

The Dragon and the Duplo Dino Coaster are only loading every other row to maintain social distancing. On all other attractions, it is limited to one party per vehicle.

With all these measures in place, we certainly felt more than safe. The staff were all really friendly and did a brilliant job at enforcing the rules.

What attractions are not operating under the current circumstances?

Legoland Windsor have confirmed that the following attractions will remain closed until 2021: S.Q.U.I.D Surfer, Dragon’s Apprentice and Haunted House Monster Party. 

Deep Sea Adventure, Pirate Goldwash, Apocalypseburg, The Lego Education Center, Lego Reef and the Lego Game Zone are also closed. The Model Making Studio, Sky Rider, Laser Raiders, Raft Racers, Splash Safari, Drench Towers and Scarab Bouncers are also currently closed. It is not confirmed when these attractions will be opening, however it is likely that they will return before 2021. They appear to be unable to operate under the current government guidelines due to the inability to socially distance and restrict contact with others whilst experiencing these attractions. Hopefully, if all goes well and restrictions are lessened, we will see them return before the 2020 season is over. 

Is it still worth visiting Legoland Windsor with the new restrictions?

We had an absolutely fantastic day at Legoland Windsor. The majority of the park’s major attractions are open and most of what is unavailable did not affect our day. However we can’t ignore that some of the park’s usual highlights, such as Deep Sea Adventure, S.Q.U.I.D Surfer and Haunted House Monster Party, were missed.

If you’re an annual pass holder considering whether to book a day or not, we definitely recommend that you go ahead and visit. However, if you’re not, it may be a better idea to wait until later in the year when hopefully some more attractions are open.

We can’t tell you whether to visit or not, but weigh up what you will be missing and what you can still do. As far as we are concerned, our favourite rides that were open such as Ninjago, The Dragon and Pirate Falls. This was more than enough for us to have a great day. However, if we didn’t have annual passes, we may wait it out in hopes that more attractions will open so we get a better value for our money.

Essentially, we just want you to be aware that Legoland Windsor is not operating all its attractions. This wasn’t enough to ruin our day, as there was more than enough open to fill our time there. However, we won’t be rushing back until more attractions return.