legoland new york just opened in late
may of 2021
as the ninth and newest legoland theme
park
it's rare to see new parks open nowadays
especially in the northeast
legoland new york was the first new
amusement park to open in the northeast
in almost four decades
this park's opening was delayed a year
due to the coven 19 pandemic
but now it's open for families and
children to enjoy
in this review i plan to provide an
overview of what legoland new york has
to offer
in terms of rides entertainment shops
and food touching on what the park does
well and what they can improve upon
and spoiler alert i think this now may
be the best children's park in the
northeast
the lego land chain is owned by merlin
an english-based entertainment company
their portfolio includes aquariums wax
museums and for the sake of this review
theme parks merlin now owns 14 amusement
parks
worldwide nine of which are legolands
and they also have several more
legolands underway it's arguably their
most successful
and profitable brand legoland new york
is the third lego land park in the
united states
the first was legoland california in
1999
and the second was legoland florida in
2012
which was actually a transformation of
the old cypress gardens amusement park
before legoland new york opened the only
way to get a taste of lego land in the
northeast
without hopping aboard a plane was to
visit one of the many legoland discovery
centers
which were small family entertainment
centers with a few rides and exhibits
these discovery centers are great for a
few hours of fun
but the legoland parks are full-fledged
resorts with enough to keep kids busy
for an entire day
if not longer and if you're a fan of
themed experiences
adults can enjoy themselves as well here
legoland new york soft opened in may of
2021
after several years of development and
construction
the project faced much opposition from
local residents
goshen new york is a quiet semi-rural
town
and many residents felt this theme park
was out of character for their town
residents also expressed concern the
park would have increased traffic
and cause environmental damage however
legoland worked through these issues
because goshen was an ideal location for
them
it was roughly 70 miles from new york
city and also accessible to most
residents in new england
in the mid-atlantic states this park
could pull from a huge population base
the park was originally supposed to open
on the 4th of july weekend
of 2020 but the park was delayed nearly
a year due to covet 19.
when the park finally opened in may of
2021
not every area was open but as of my
visit in mid-july of 2021
every single one of the parks seven
themed areas was open
i've had the opportunity to visit for
the other lego lands as well
i visited the two other american
locations plus legoland japan
and legoland dubai so i was really
interested to see how the newest
legoland compared
and i honestly think it's the best of
the lego land parks that have visited
this park has the chain's best dark
rides and the same great atmosphere i've
come to expect from legoland
the park looks like something out of a
kid's dream the unique and colorful
architecture gives the park a distinct
feel
the way the park integrates the lego
bricks into the buildings
is seamless and you also have countless
figures along the midways
as you make your way through the park
some of these are interactive too
every few feet there's surely something
worthy of a photo
and you could say that everything looks
awesome the rides
have a similar appearance ride vehicles
look like they're constructed of legos
take the trains in the dragon roller
coaster for example
integrating legos into the appearance of
all aspects of the park
give the resort a cohesive feel it's
similar what you find at the other lego
land parks in that regard
the park staff is also super friendly it
can sometimes take a park a few years to
build a welcome atmosphere like this
but legoland new york seems to have
nailed this from day one
and this is a critical part of a family
park in my opinion
it not only makes the experience more
magical for kids
but it can help prevent any frustrations
that can lead to meltdowns
however there is one major achilles heel
at this part
currently the lack of shade there is no
sugar coating this
legoland new york can be miserable on a
hot day
if you're not prepared there is zero
shade anywhere on the midway
you are destined to be baked under the
sun so make sure to bring plenty of
sunscreen
fortunately the park does have a lot of
indoor attractions with refreshing air
conditioning
to help cool you down and the part does
realize the lack of shade is an issue
as they have planted quite a few trees
they just need time to grow in
the lack of shade is exasperated by the
fact that the park is 150 acres in size
and located on a giant hillside so it
can be absolutely grueling to get around
this park on a hot humid summer day
there is no train or sky ride to help
you get around if you want to see every
section of this park
you're going to have to hike up and down
this hill make sure to stay hydrated
but that can be costly if you're not
careful
all of the water fountains are currently
disabled due to covet
and unlike 99 of us parks that offer
free water at food stands
legoland new york does not do this
in fact you can't even purchase a single
fountain drink
the only way to get any drinks at this
park from a fountain
is to buy the 18 souvenir cup you can
purchase individual
bottles of soda and water at select
stands but that can pile up quickly
the best way to stay hydrated is to
bring in water which the park does allow
you to bring in
or bring an empty non-metal water bottle
while the water fountains are
turned off the bottle refilling stations
are active and scattered throughout the
park
saving money on drinks is wise because
the park as a whole
is a pricey one to visit day tickets
currently cost 70
for kids and eighty dollars for adults
without any discounts
so keep an eye out for discounts as the
change sometimes does promotions
where kids can visit for free with a
paid adult
and if you plan a visit multiple times
or multiple different lego lands in the
same year
i'd strongly consider purchasing a
season pass
that's especially true because it
includes parking
when i approached legoland i figured i
have to pay for parking
like most chain parks but i was
astounded there was no
toll booth when i arrived i just drove
straight into the parking lot
was parking actually free ah no
most parks in europe have a system where
you buy a parking ticket at the
admission booth
and then you have to show it on the way
out this is exactly what legoland new
york did
which makes sense given merlin's
european roots i strongly recommend
buying your parking in advance
online because you save a few dollars in
person
parking costs roughly 27 dollars with
taxes and fees
i visited on a hot summer friday despite
the healthy crowds in the midways
the ride lines weren't too bad not at
all
if you arrived right at opening
everything was a walk-on
by the mid-afternoon the larger rides
had just 15-20 minute waits from what i
saw
i suspect the park's attendance will
pick up as more people realize
legoland new york has finally opened my
recommended plan for touring the park is
to arrive at opening and go clockwise
you should hit the lego factory
adventure in the ninjago dark rides
first
and then the two roller coasters you
should be able to walk onto all of those
rods
you should then be able to get to the
lower capacity lego city rods before
they have built up significant weights
with this plan the only bride you're
probably gonna have to wait in line for
is rogue riders
if long lines are a major issue during
your visit the park
does offer a paid skip the line system
known as the reserve and ride
i have never used this at a lego land
park since i can avoid the majority of
the lines by arriving at opening
at some of the other legoland parks i
noticed that the key lines had play
areas for the kids while the adults held
their spots in line
but these were not present at the new
york location and i don't think this was
related to the pandemic either because i
just didn't know it's a spot for them
in general the rides are all family
friendly are designed such that they can
accommodate small children
and adults comfortably being able to
experience a ride together
is a really important aspect of a family
park in my opinion
just know the park doesn't really have
any major thrill rides
at this point i'm going to break down
the park's offerings land by land
starting with the park's main street
which is known as brick street
this is the smallest area of the park
but it features the park's largest gift
shop
the appropriate name big shop this
stores lego models galore
including several exclusive to the theme
parks a lot of the major rides also dump
you out into gift shops so there are
plenty of ways to spend more money in
the park
the lone riding brick street is a unique
lego themed carousel
known as brick party moving clockwise to
the park
you then come to bricktopia this land is
the park's signature attraction
the lego factory adventure this is a
trackless dark ride exclusive
to the new york park the ride story is
that guests are shrunken down to the
size of a lego figure
and then get a playfully educational
tour of how lego bricks are made
and later enjoyed the indoor queue line
had a lot to look at and i honestly
didn't mind getting stuck in a bit of a
line on my final ride to take in all the
details
the ride itself utilizes the trackless
technology to perfection
cars are dispatched in groups of three
and they dance around the rooms
i absolutely love how the first room
blended physical sets
and projection mapping the subsequent
rooms are a lot more reliant on screens
but they were cleverly integrated now
there were two slight criticisms i had
one the ride did feel a bit short and
two i thought the screen in the second
room
was out of focus at points but the
attraction is still visually stunning
and this was easily my favorite ride in
the park just one note
on my visit this ride opened late and i
know a friend who went there who also
saw that it opened late
so this might be a trend if you see this
ride running i'd get on it
just in case it has some issues because
the trackless ride technology
is pretty complex the land also features
a small train ride known as the duplo
express
a dizzying teacup ride known as dj's
dizzy disco spin
and an indoor hands-on exhibit known as
build and test
the latter was a big hit amongst
creative kids
the next area is lego ninjago world
which features the best ride the
california
and florida parks ninjago the rod
this is a unique take on the interactive
shooting darkrod
guests use their hands to fire
projectiles at 3d targets
the ride's visuals are cartoony and it
can be a bit tiring
but the ride system is downright cool it
feels like you have super powers
and this one also seemed to be more
forgiving than the prior iterations when
it comes to aiming
the other ride in the ninjago area was a
small himalaya known as jay's gravity
force trainer
the next area is accessed by walking
down a long windy path down the hillside
you then reach lego castle which
features two flat rides
and the park's only two roller coasters
dragon is the park's largest roller
coaster
dragon starts off as a dark ride through
a medieval town and passed an
imposing dragon when you emerge outdoors
you are treated to a really nice family
coaster unlike the fukoma models at the
california and florida parks
the new york dragon is a zir creation
specifically a force 5 model
this one is a bit wilder it doesn't have
crazy heights
but some of the turns and helixes on
this ride pull some pretty good positive
g's
add in the fact that this ride is glass
smooth and you have a coaster that's
sure to be a crowd pleaser
i have a separate review going into more
detail but this is a strong family
coaster
dragon's apprentice is the zamperla
kitty coaster next door
which is the perfect starter coaster
with its modest heights
and speed then the two flats really make
the guests work
merlin's flying machines is a
pedal-powered roundabout
and tower climb tournament is a small
drop tower
where riders manually pull themselves to
the top of the ride
you then come to lego city which has
some of the lower capacity rides in the
park
kids will love the coast guard academy
and driving academy rides
the former lets kids captain a boat
while the ladder allows kids to earn
their driver's license
and drive around a small neighborhood i
would have loved these rides as a kid
because they are more creative than your
standard antique cars rod
the coolest ride in this section is
undoubtedly the fire academy
this is a legoland staple where teams
board a fire engine
power their vehicle and extinguish a
fire
it is a really neat ride where teams
need to work together
and it's also a race to see who can
finish first
one of the best ways to escape the heat
in the park is palace 40 cinema
while i personally skipped this on my
visit i heard it was a really refreshing
film
between the air conditioning and a ton
of water effects
the final area with rides is lego
pirates
this area has aquatic focus anchors away
is a small rockin tug that'll keep you
dry
but the other two rides are likely gonna
get you wet if not
soaked splash battle is a boat ride
where riders and spectators are given
water guns
if i've learned anything over the years
if you give a kid a water gun
you are gonna get soaked they are
relentless
rogue riders is a relatively rare water
whip type rod
where you pilot a boat over the water
this ride gives a little bit of laterals
as you skim outwards over the water
but this one has a high potential to
soak you if guests nearby trigger water
bombs
and because most people visiting this
park are kids they will not be able to
resist hitting that big red button
and seeing that geyser go off the final
section of the park has no rods
but that doesn't make it any less
impressive and of course i'm talking
about miniland
a legoland staple this land is some of
the most impressive lego models you can
find
anywhere designed all by master builders
you get a neat tour of the united states
extra focus is placed on the new york
area
both the city itself and goshen but all
the models are breathtaking
and some have interactive or motorized
bits my favorite was the coney island
section
and i found it funny the rides that
legoland chose to feature
in the brooklyn flyer starflyer and the
zenobia skyscraper ride
over something like the iconic cyclone i
already touched on the drink situation
but as for food i didn't actually get
any at legoland new york
but the offerings did look very similar
to the other legoland parks where i have
gotten food
i would recommend the apple fries now i
personally find them too sweet for my
liking
but everyone else seems to love them and
then my favorite place to eat at the
legoland parks
is the pizza and pasta buffet the food
is pretty good
and i can stuff my face last but not
least the park is opening a hotel next
month
adjacent to the main entrance based on
the other lego hotels
this property will probably cost more in
the other hotels nearby
but it does offer some nice theming and
it's very convenient for those who want
the full resort experience
so do i recommend legoland new york if
you're in the northeast and have kids
absolutely this is probably the best
children's park in the area now
and it's my favorite of the american
legoland parks by a slim margin over
california
the way the park blends theming
interactive exhibits
and family-friendly rides is incredible
many of the rides are
friendly while also being able to
comfortably fit adults
and several are just as fun for adults
too i
absolutely love the dark rods and dragon
coaster is a pretty cool coaster
the biggest issue with this park
currently is the lack of shade so make
sure you come prepared with a plan to
stay cool
and i think this is something that will
improve over time as the park adds more
shade structures
and the trees growing now if you only
care about thrill rides and coaster
credits
you're probably going to be disappointed
with legoland kids and those who love
themed experiences though
are really going to like this park so
those are my thoughts on the newly
opened legoland new york
what are your thoughts on this park how
do you think it compares to the other
legoland parks
i would love to hear your thoughts about
this park down the comments
if you enjoyed this review i'd
appreciate if you gave this video a like
and you considered subscribing because
there'll be a lot more roller coaster
and music park videos
here at canopy coaster thanks for
watching