LEGO Ninjago Airjitzu at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Review
LEGO Ninjago Airjitzu
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Manchester
1-31 August 2015
www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk
Reviewed by Kayleigh Jones
On the 1st of August 2015 I was invited along to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Manchester where I experienced the new LEGO Ninjago Airjitzu features they have opened.
On arrival the staff were extremely helpful and friendly chatting away to my inquisitive four year old niece who was very excited to get started. They explained clearly where we needed to go and what was in store for us throughout the day and explained if we needed anything we was more than welcome to just ask a member of staff. Once kitted with our VIP lanyard and goodie bags for my niece and 9 month old son we were ready to go.
At the entrance we had our photo taken and was informed that as we were there early the superhero (Buzz Lightyear) wasn’t available until later and that we were more than welcome to come back later for another photo with him if we wished which I thought was extremely nice of them to offer as we wouldn’t have known different otherwise. Before going up to the main part of LEGOLAND we were asked if we would like to stow our pram in their buggy bay area which was a huge help as I had my son in his carrier so had no need for the pram at this time; I know this would be a big help to parents with older children who may still use a buggy when traveling as it allows you to concentrate on having fun with your children rather than minding the pram constantly.
We then went up to the factory workshop where the LEGO professor met us and explains in a fun, interactive way how LEGO is made involving the children at all times which my niece greatly enjoyed especially as she was picked as his little helper once or twice and given a LEGO brick at the end that she believes she helped make.
The next stop was a small ride which was and interactive shooting game also; both my niece of four years and my son on nine months enjoyed this as it had videos on throughout and you had a gun to shoot the targets to save the princess. This was enjoyable for all parties as me and my partner also got quite competitive trying to rack up the highest score. Once through this area we could walk through Miniland which had lots of LEGO built buildings with interactive features such as a mini football pitch with a ball you could try and score with; my partner got a little carried away with this and he is 22!
Now we were in the main part of the centre and even at first sight it looked good there were lots of sections we were all excited to explore. We enjoyed the racing section a lot, this is where using LEGO you could build and race your own cars and there was also a speed ramp to test out if your car could make the jump! I especially liked this section as my car was the only one out of all of ours that could master the slope and ramp. My niece was in love with the giant soft play area they had within the centre especially the big twirly slide. They also had a smaller play area suitable for my son which he absolutely loved and cried when I had to eventually bring him out of it. We also enjoyed the Merlin ride where the faster you cycled the higher you flew and me and my niece were determined to fly the highest. I liked the fact that there was no hidden costs also as once you have paid entrance besides food/drink and any photographs there are no additional costs even though there is the ride, LEGO car track and 4D cinema all available that I know lots of places would sometimes charge extra for.
The café was good with a variety of foods for adults and children including Costa coffee which I was thankful for; the only thing I found tricky was after eating we decided to nip down for the pram as my son was awake and we was going in to the 4D cinema and I knew he’d like it and it was a little difficult navigating it around all the tables and benches as it was slightly crammed and my pram is a little wide; other than that it was fine everywhere else.
The 4D cinema was a great hit and played regularly which is convenient. We spent ten minutes playing in the large LEGO pits whilst waiting for the next showing, my niece loved the cinema and was trying to grab the objects that were in 3D and was squealing and getting excited at the 4D effects that added to the experience (I won’t tell you what effects as I daren’t give away too much). I liked the cinema experience even more so as babies were allowed in to watch the short film which was nice and he really enjoyed the experience.
The Ninjago Airjitzu features were very busy but running smoothly. Here we learnt to fly our Ninjas and could also build LEGO Ninja masks which was a fun task. Also when exiting there is the ninja laser maze which was fun ranging from rookie to master and was a race against the clock to get through the laser maze without touching them; again this was fun for both adults and children or so I thought anyway.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to take advantage of any of the LEGO building sessions in the workshop as my son is still too young and I knew he wouldn’t have sat still long enough for any of us to have learnt/built anything but from what I could see it looked to be fun and was busy throughout the day.
One thing that did disappoint slightly was that the stamp stations in each area were all empty besides one, this of course is easily rectified and I’m sure it was probably a one off; it was slightly disappointing though as my niece kept trying at each station to only find it didn’t work.
The venue was kept to a high standard which I was happy to see especially as I was allowing my 9 month old son on the floor to play in the young children/babies play area and he’s sure to put everything in his mouth. I also noticed throughout our visit there was numerous employees constantly walking around each stations cleaning any messes and wiping down surfaces including the café team constantly clearing tables and wiping as well as brushing up food and mess. This got a big thumbs up from me in this area as with two young children in tow it is important to me that the area in which we are visiting and especially eating are kept clean and tidy for both safety and hygiene reasons. As mentioned previously the staff were very friendly and informative and the service they provided were to the best of their ability in my opinion which is all I can ask for the café was extremely busy by midday but was still running in a smooth manner which I found convenient and the food and drink we consumed there was all to a good quality.
Overall I would 100% go again and look forward to taking my son in the future when he is old enough to explore and use the facilities provided there as we had a very welcoming, fun experience from start to finish. I think it is great value for money as it was a very fun and enjoyable day. I already have and will carry on to recommend that parents with children aged around 3 years up to 10 years would definitely benefit from taking their children to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre as it filled our day with lots of family fun and memories and was very entertaining and interactive for children as well as us adults as both me and my partner has a lovely day too.
As an extension to our invite we was also offered the chance to visit SEA LIFE World, Manchester.
Again here we were welcomed in a friendly, professional manner and the staff were all very willing and helpful. When first entering you have a little while to wait as the entrance starts with turtle beach which can only fit a certain amount of guests in; I think this could be made slightly more efficient by having the option to skip that section if you wish to. Also with SEA LIFE centre it would have been nice if they had the facilities for a buggy bay to put them pram in as it had quite narrow pathways which were sometime quite difficult especially with other children etc… walking around.
Other than these points we had a very nice time exploring the tanks and trying to find the LEGO features in each dive with my niece so she could fill in her booklet and win a prize at the end of our tour. I think that it’s nice that they have crawl spaces through certain tanks so you can go under and see the fish from below and up close. I really enjoyed the section where the tank is all above you as you walk through a tunnel and you can see all the fish, sharks and the turtle swimming above and around you.
The turtle section was a nice area and had a fun interactive, educational game and talking turtle; my son also loved watching all the turtles together in their tank. I think the educational touch screen boards are a very good idea especially for older children and even adults so we can learn more about the fishes within the tanks that we can see.
Again my niece loved that there was a soft play area in the venue here and we enjoyed a short sit down whilst she was off playing. I think the facilities could be slightly better as the toilets are quite near the end of the walk through and as soon as we got in my niece was all of a sudden in need of the toilet so we had to quickly walk right through all the exhibitions to use the toilet then walk all the way back to the beginning to actually see the fish.
I did like the lighting used throughout the venue as it gave it a relaxed, underwater vibe which was very gentle and relaxing. We really enjoyed the big Green sea Turtle Ernie and the all the different fish together.
Overall we enjoyed the exhibitions but believe that it could have been set out slightly better as mentioned above. We were happy with the service provided and the cleanliness of the tanks and venue were up to standard as well which was nice as lots of places we’ve been in the past haven’t kept up such standards. I would take my son when he was older as it does have educational aspects throughout the Centre.
Rating: 4.5/5
Prices start from £9.95 (in booked online in advance) with children under going free.
Ninjago Airjitzu is at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre until 31 August 2015. For more information visit www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk.
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Barton Square, The Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8AS
