Our Stay at LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel: July 2020
I have always been intrigued by LEGOLAND. Kye has enjoyed LEGOS from a young age and I felt like their theme park had a lot to offer but was always waiting for the “right time” to go.
If this crazy year of 2020 has taught me anything it’s to stop waiting for the “right time” and just GO! Enjoy life! Do all the things! We truly don’t know what tomorrow may bring and we have to embrace all the memory making when we can, while we can.
With so many unknowns surrounding Tess’s birthday trip I decided to reach out to LEGOLAND and see about possibly being able to partner with them. Not only did they end up replying and offering us tickets to their theme park but they also offered to host us in the brand new LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel!
We decided to add a couple days onto the end of our July trip and surprise the kids with the LEGOLAND visit!
I LOVE Kye’s reaction in the surprise video. He is 11 and I wasn’t sure if he’d be “too old” to be excited about LEGOLAND but I was wrong. He had THE best reaction and was SO pumped about it!!!
The video of their surprise should auto-play in this post 🙂
This was a first visit to LEGOLAND for everyone in our family and it was about a 40 minute drive from our rental house near Disney.
We were hosted for one night in the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel and gifted theme park tickets for the following day.
When planning out our trip we decided it’d be best to have Zach, Spear and Mrs Charlotte stay back at the vacation rental home for the night and just me and the big three kids stay in the resort. We weren’t sure what to expect when it came to the accommodations and space and wanted to allow everyone a good night’s rest before the big day the following day!
However, we did want to all check out the resort together and enjoy dinner together too! Mrs Charlotte, Kye, Britt, Tess and I all went earlier in the afternoon to get checked in and settled in then Zach and Spear met us after his nap!
When we pulled up we were blown away by how COOL the exterior is of the hotel as well as how CLOSE it’s located to LEGOLAND. Literally it’s right out the front door (only 130 steps away)! SO perfect!
We were also instantly impressed with LEGOLAND’S handling of all the health and safety measures. By that point in our trip we’d visited two other theme parks and could really compare them all. LEGOLAND took the time to make the health and safety measures FUN.
They incorporated the LEGO brand into all of their signage and were also the most practical of the theme parks we visited when it came to interpreting the rules and guidelines.
We were given a temperature check upon entering the hotel and were given a wristband to wear as well. Masks at the time were required for ages 8 and up throughout the resort property and were required for ages 8 and up on all attractions the following day at the theme park as well.
The also have masks on hand if needed!
Of course we were all so excited to see the HUGE pirate ship at the entrance to the hotel. Checking in was a smooth process and there were also tons of things to see and do right at the lobby area!
Spear was SO cute and SO excited for the pirates and Tess felt like this portion of the trip was an added Birthday surprise for HER so we just let her roll with that 😉
The love for all things LEGO is evident upon entering the hotel. We were greeted by lots of LEGO creations and areas to play and build and explore. Kye was ALL about it. I had to get the car parked and get us all squared away with the checking in process and he was so into adding to the lobby decor with his own creations.
I cannot say it enough – if you have a preteen boy, take him to LEGOLAND. Truly, it brought out the “kid” in Kye in a way that other theme parks haven’t. He was SO into it ALL and it really brought back that love he does have for LEGOS and has continued even in the months since we’ve been home.
LEGOLAND has two hotel properties and both are located within the same building area which makes it all super easy. Their restaurants are also located in the same lobby area and it makes for a super smooth experience.
I was instantly impressed with the fully immersive LEGO experience and ALL THE DETAILS. Everywhere you look, it’s LEGO.
We have never seen any of the LEGO movies and you truly don’t have to have any of the movie knowledge to appreciate the resort, theme park, or details.
The lobby area has plenty of LEGO places to play and even a castle playground to explore. There is also an additional room where LEGO Master Model Builder Workshops are hosted as well as games and activities!
We were able to play a game of Buccaneer Bingo which was really fun and engaging for us all. The LEGO Master Model Builder Workshops are by reservation only and they fill up FAST and no spots were left available during our stay. Something to do next time for sure!
For dinner we all were able to enjoy a FABULOUS meal at Shipwreck Restaurant located within Pirate Island Hotel.
OH. MY. WORD.
We have extremely low expectations when it comes to resort or theme park food. Let’s be real, it’s rarely all that good. It’s typically over priced and underwhelming.
But Shipwreck Restaurant BLEW US AWAY. Hands down our favorite meal we’ve EVER eaten at a theme park. Everything was GOOD.
Delicious bread with homemade butter, simply incredible salad, even the good ice for the drinks, and family style food options that were all delicious. We had SO much fun and couldn’t believe how awesome everything was. The service was great too and they went above and beyond creating a fun environment and meal and the dessert was an epic way to end an awesome meal!
The kids were given bandanas and coloring pages and also had the option to order kids meals above and beyond the family style platters. It was a lot of food and yall know it didn’t go to waste 🙂
We all headed up to explore the room and I immediately felt that “mama guilt” when I realized just how COOL the room was AND how much SPACE it had!!! Zach and Spear for SURE should have stayed with us, and truly G-Mama could have slept there too!
The family-style suite features a master bedroom with a king bed, a living room area with a fold-out couch, a large bathroom with two sinks, and a kids room with THREE twin beds!
Every inch of the room was covered in well thought details. It was so much to look at and see that it took us a MINUTE to realize that there was a TREASURE HUNT IN OUR ROOM.
Omg yall it was SO cool. And it wasn’t just an easy little quick thing, it took us a bit to work through it all and made the adventure even more FUN. Kye and Britt were especially into it, which again just shows how well LEGOLAND has done in appealing to little ones and older kids alike.
We were able to reveal our treasures and received LEGO minifigurines, juice boxes, and candy! We were also welcomed with some “Welcome Swag” including buttons for the kids and an adorable treasure chest with chocolate coins. So thoughtful!
Not only was there a fun treasure surprise but the room also featured multiple Alexa devices which I think excited Kye more than the treasure did 😉
The bathroom was also super well thought out and geared towards families with two sinks, a step stool, a toilet lid with pull down toddler seat, large shower and separate bathtub! Literally we could have easily fit Spear’s pack and play in the bathroom area if we’d needed to!
Of course the kids’ favorite spot though was the pirate ship bedroom. Y’all it is every kid’s DREAM ROOM.
A pirate ship shaped bunk bed with a pull out trundle under it. A tv (which we never turned on) and LEGO play table! It was AWESOME.
I was equally blown away by the master bedroom space. I loved that the theming continued even into the adult bedroom and that it included a king bed. Usually we’re used to be cramped in a queen and I had major regret of not having Zach with me! The room was well distanced from the kids room too so I truly had privacy and some nice kid-free chill time while they played 😉
Kye even discovered a super cool feature – the treasure map headboard lights up!
Zach, Spear and G-Mama visited for a bit and checked out the room and then headed back to the house to get Spear in the bed for our big day the next day.
And then the party got started 😉 I’m usually hardcore about my kids getting as much solid sleep as possible when we have a day at theme parks ahead of us…but with only one night to enjoy this EPIC room I wanted to let them LIVE IT UP.
They had SUCH a blast. It was so fun hearing them giggle and play and just be silly kids. I tried to let them have their space to enjoy each other and soak in all the FUN. Sometimes parents can be a bit of a buzz kill right? So I tried to “read the room” and saw that they were all three getting along well and having such a good time together that I didn’t want to intrude.
We even did a late night black out dance party. We shut off all the lights except the glowing map in my room and turned that Alexa on to some JAMS.
It was one of those nights where you know while living it that you’ll never forget it and neither will everyone else with you. Tess said it was the best night of her life. She has claimed the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel as her most favorite trip EVER and has said her #lifelongdream is to be able to go back. She loved LEGOLAND the next day too, but the hotel itself is what made a HUGE impression on her specifically. SHE LOVED IT.
We all did! From the detailed theming, fun interactive well-thought out elements, to the fantastic food we were simply blown away.
I went into the experience with very low expectations and left not understanding why more people don’t talk about LEGOLAND? I feel like it’s so underrated and like it’s a “best kept secret” of Orlando.
We woke up the next morning with an adorable Legoland Times paper at the door. Breakfast is included as part of the stay so Zach, G-Mama and Spear met us back at the resort to enjoy our meal before hitting LEGOLAND for the day!
Spear fell in LOVE with the playground in the lobby and kept talking about the “Princess Castle” and didn’t want to stop playing. While we waited for our reservation time the kids all enjoyed playing more LEGOS and watching bits from the LEGO movies in the play area.
I love LEGO because it truly brings families together and is a way for even my oldest child to connect with my youngest. Not many toys span a decade the way LEGO does. In fact, LEGO doesn’t just connect siblings…it connects generations. Zach LOVES building LEGO sets with our kids and it’s such a great hands on way for Daddy to bond too.
I love everything that LEGO is about and thought those values of family bonding and imaginative play were intertwined beautifully in LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel Resort.
Breakfast was at the same location as dinner the night prior. It was also served family style and everything, again, was AMAZINGLY delicious.
Dinner was our favorite but breakfast was still super yummy and a great way to kick off our big day and fill our bellies full!
Once we finished up eating and loaded the car at check-out we walked the short distance over to the LEGOLAND theme park entrance to begin phase 2 of our little bonus vacation!
We had SUCH an incredible stay and are so thankful for LEGOLAND for hosting us. Sometimes things just work out so perfectly and it couldn’t have all gone any better. These are memories we’ll forever cherish and Tess is saving her money to be able to come back again to her favorite vacation spot 😉
LEGOLAND is frequently updating guests on any changes to the health and safety guidelines and frequently have special offers and discounts for visiting their parks and resorts. Learn more about LEGOLAND Florida and the Pirate Island Hotel here!
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