PRO TIPS FROM ONE PARENT TO ANOTHER:

CASTLE HOTEL:

• Save 15% by selecting "season pass holder" when booking (no verification required).
• Drive up to valet and unload your bags regardless of whether you're parking in valet. They'll hold the bags at any time, even if you're checking in later that night.
• Check-in starts at 4 PM, but expect a short wait for your key on weekends. Some Gen Z staff member will inform you that at 4, you can start the check-in process, but they'll text you when the key is actually ready.
• Get free lanyards and "pops" for kids at the front desk, even if you're not checked in.
• Enjoy two playgrounds and the pool (no key needed) with life vests for all ages. You don't have to be a hotel guest to access these amenities, and unlimited towels are available. The hot tub requires a hotel key.
• Take advantage of the complimentary breakfast buffet with unlimited drinks, automatically included with every hotel reservation.
• Make early dinner reservations, especially after the park closes at 6 PM. While reservations may sound formal, every guest must have one. When you first enter the elevator to take bags to your room, stop by the restaurant entrance and give them your room number and preferred dining time (e.g., 6:15). This will help you avoid the post-park closing rush. After securing your table, one parent can take the belongings upstairs. Outdoor seating is available, offering a view of a comedy skit or theatrical show, and kids can play on the playground while waiting for food. -A $100 hold will be placed on debit or credit cards at check-in, even if your reservation is paid in full.
• Use your room number to unlock the safe in your hotel room for Lego prizes if you don't want to do the scavenger hunt version.

PARKING:

• Let the attendant know you're a hotel guest for free parking (valet not required). When you arrive at Legoland, inform the attendant that you're a hotel guest checking in later to waive the general parking cost.

THEME PARK:

• Ask for the online ticket price ($99) at guest services to save $20-25 if buying tickets that day. If you decide to visit again the next day, simply pay the difference between a one-day and two-day pass at the ticket booth. So if two day pass is $130 that second day you decided to do last minute, your walking up and only paying $30, just show your ticket from the day before.
• Find chicken nuggets, fries, salad bar, pizza, and shaded seating in the park's center for a family-friendly meal break. Chicken nuggets aren’t everywhere they are at one spot. In the dead center. So that hamburger and fries line is 9 different hamburger and fries, not hamburger, nuggets, etc. nuggets are next to the entrance of the water park, on the left side.
• Trade minifigures with employees or get one free at indoor build stations.
• Ride reservations mainly benefit new dinosaur rides; most lines are manageable.
• Buy a $2 tote in any size for wet clothes, towels, or extra items.
• Play the milk carton knockdown game next to the water shooter race game for an easy jumbo Pokémon plush win ($20 for 8 balls, one prize per play). My 4-year-old has never lost, and he's not especially athletic. Every win is the jumbo prize. The staff running it will tell you that you can only win one prize per person because it's that easy. My kids look forward to that game every trip, and we're always shocked it's still there. They get the jumbo Pikachu, Charizard, or Squirtle prize, which are also offered at the hardest games in the park that most families pass by, not realizing the super jumbo Pokémon plush are the easiest to win.
• Avoid upsell attempts at other games with tiered prizes.