I didn’t think too much of it when I was contacted by Fiat’s PR people and told the company wanted to give me a Father’s Day present. I was even more underwhelmed when a little plastic box arrived in the mail containing a car-key shaped USB stick that featured Fiat branding.
On a whim I pulled apart the foam packaging. There, in all their glory, were four tickets to go to Legoland Windsor. This was exciting. I’d heard a lot about the place and knew of fully grown adults without children that had visited and so I was certainly keen to go. Luckily my wife and eldest daughter, Helen, were equally excited. I’m sure baby Elizabeth was also excited in her own, baby-like way but was unable to communicate this enthusiasm.
Entrance into the park was very easy. On a practical note, I was impressed by the children’s wristbands you can write your contact details on just in case they should they wander off and get lost.
My eldest has never shown any interest in Star Wars but she was enthralled by the impressive models on display. Next up was the Jolly Rocker pirate ship ride. Helen insisted she was wanted to go on this ride and as she met all the restrictions we both jumped on.
I won’t give you a detailed description as to what followed. Let’s just say she didn’t enjoy it and I suspect it will be some time before she goes on a fairground ride.
The Pirate Training Camp, which is basically a large adventure playground, faired much better, as did Miniland which my wife found particularly appealing. This was a collection of Lego models of landmarks and cities from across the world including London’s City Hall and 1 Canada Square plus Belgium’s Grande Place, Paris’s Moulin Rouge, Dutch windmills and a group of Highland Dancers doing a hilarious routine that clearly demonstrates the depths Scotland will sink to if it breaks away from the UK.
We made two visits to see the Legends of Chima at the 4D cinema (handy tip, sit in the middle). New for this year was Duplo Valley Splash and Play. As you may have gathered by the name, this is a collection of giant water features designed to get you wet. I can assure you it achieves this aim.
My wife sat this one out to look after the baby so I went in with Helen. We were visiting on a very hot day and this attraction was heaving. I was glad to be wearing quick-drying linen because getting was unavoidable. The parents were as saturated as the kids as everyone tried to dodge the various water jets and fountains. Beware of the crocodile, its shin-height water jets pack a surprisingly mighty punch.
We all had a great day. It is definitely great family entertainment and we would go back. On this occasion we were fortunate to be given tickets, but if we’d paid for them this wouldn’t have been a cheap day out. Consider all ticket options online before visiting, including an annual pass, as you may find this is more cost effective. Oh, and take a change of clothes in case you end up in the Splash and Play.
