Having assiduously saved up Tesco Club Card vouchers over the course of more than a year, I have managed to get Legoland annual passes for all the family. As a result, I seem to be spending rather a lot of weekends swooping and squealing in Windsor. Thanks to the pass, and the fact we bring a picnic when we go, going to Legoland feels like a cheap day out, in particular as the weather has been so bad we have been able to avoid the siren call of ice creams.
But I have been struck how it would be easy to pay a lot of money for a day out at the resort. I did some quick calculations, and assuming we would want to make the most of our time there and so paid for all the different extras to avoid wasting time, the total could reach a staggering £500! The tickets would set you back £150, a tenner to be able to park the car close to the entrance, an additional £240 for the whizzy little QBot devices which means that none of the family has to wait to go on a ride (though admittedly this only covers about half of the rides). Then there is lunch, as well as some ice creams and hot dogs as they are so hard to resist with the kiosks dotted close to most rides and in the space where you queue. And then there is the dryer after getting soaked on Pirate Slash.
This scenario is perhaps a bit extreme and, to be fair, there are attempts to balance the payment opportunities with pleasure – some rides have screens installed in the areas where you wait, or there are Duplo bricks to play with. And then there are shows which you don’t need to queue for.
However, a day out at Legoland is likely to be pretty pricey, and it makes me think that most people must find a way of reducing the cost as we have done. For example, advance booking online drops the ticket price by up to 40%, it’s not hard to find other discounts or vouchers online and bringing one’s own food reduces further possible outlay.
Consumers have been living in ‘austerity’ for several years now and have become wise to these little tricks. According to research from The Futures Company 58% of UK consumers agree that ‘Since the recession I feel a greater need to be as self-sufficient as possible’.
My final word – to beat the queues, the biggest help has been the rubbish weather. My best Legoland experience was when we didn’t get there till 3pm and it was rainy and cold. By 5pm, not only were the queues very short, for some rides, we were the only customers, and they were put into operation for us alone, which to me, is the height of theme park decadence!
