A #MADDayOut at Legoland

A family day out on Father's day sounded perfect, so when I heard that helpers were required for the MAD Finalists trip to Legoland I put my name in the hat and was lucky enough to be selected!
 

 

Meeting bloggers for the first time was a little daunting but as soon as I stepped out of the car the lovely Victoria pulled up at the hotel and we had a natter on the way in - under the huge smoke breathing dragon. Inside I was greeted by Jen before heading upstairs to collect my amazing gold wristbands, that made us feel like royalty, and a selection of delicious animal cookies. Even the entrance to the hotel was incredible with whoopie cushion flooring and loads of Lego to play with. I said brief hellos to a few other bloggers including Bex and Jen before going to watch an exclusive viewing of the new LEGO Chima 4D movie, before the park even opened. I felt very privileged indeed!

 

 

 

The movie was a fantastic sensory overload with fire, wind and even snow! It was great to have a character meet and greet outside too despite the Mini Mes being shy at first. Next we headed to Duplo Valley for a few photos before spending the rest of the day queue jumping with our wonderful gold wristbands. It made the day even more enjoyable not having to wait in line and the Mini Mes were really impressed to get on certain rides several times throughout the day... we went on The Dragon 4 times!

 

 

We had a great day and really enjoyed looking at the underwater world on the Atlantis Submarine Voyage, getting wet on the Viking River Splash and going head to head against Emily's lovely family at Fire Academy. There is certainly lots to see and do and Jamster in particular liked strolling around the Star Wars Miniland and gallery as he is besotted by Yoda!

 

 

After a very long yet fun day we headed home...

Sign of a good day!


Many thanks to Tots100, MAD Blog awards and Legoland for the experience.

Crealy *Review and Giveaway*

Crealy Adventure Park situated in Devon is a fantastic day out for all of the family and with indoor and outdoor activities there is always something to enjoy - even if the weather isn't on your side!

Upon arrival we received our wristbands and entered the park, heading to the rides first while the sun shone. Queues were very small, we only waited about 5 minutes for each, and the rides were spaced out well so there was plenty of room for prams and wheelchairs to get around with ease.

 

 

At 12 metres high Vortex is the world's first triple tube water coaster and is great for little thrill seekers. We went on Vertigo and Viper out of the three slides for twists and turns in the dark and a

vertical drop experience!

New for 2013 the Safari Express is perfect for everyone with no minimum height restrictions. As the family ride goes around the track you can look out for all of the different animals... including a rather large Gorilla and Spider at the entrance to the ride.

Maximus, a Roman themed roller coaster, was our favourite ride which we rode several times during the day. It has a tunnel and a few twists that that had the Mini Mes giggling with excitement - we smiled for the camera too as it takes your picture during the two circuits.

The Aqua Blasters are really fun circular boats that you can steer around while squirting water at other riders and passers by. These were very entertaining and with a rather competitive Mr he was keen to get us all wet!

The Honey Swing is aimed at smaller children and in twos you fly around the giant hive like little bees. A gentle and relaxing ride which is located indoors.

There are many other rides including Meteorite, Tidal Wave and a Carousel, the majority of which are suitable for toddlers making Crealy ideal for young families.
 

We got to see meerkats, monkeys, cows and guinea pigs. With goat feeding and pony grooming there was plenty of interaction with the animals and the Mini Mes really liked Pets Corner in particular because of this. Friendly staff were on hand to answer questions and assist if required and the bags of food were low in cost. There was the opportunity to get up close to the goats outside where you can enter the field with them and the chance to ride a pony where you get a rosette once you dismount - a great souvenir to take home.
 

 

There is a HUGE indoor play area with slides, climbing apparatus and ball shooters including the new Jungle Wars enclosure. The arcade area has favourite soft toys like Moshi Monsters and Angry Birds to win and outside there are several areas for a run about. The Mini Mes really liked the Funambulist challenge where they had to get around a course without touching the floor and Wilderness with its tree houses and different methods of crossing the river.

I was really pleased by how much there was to do and the variety in activities. With a farm, rides and several play areas we were entertained from opening to closing. The cost for entry is £63.80 for a family of 4 at the gate but discounts are available online if you book in advance plus children under 92cm go free! We took a picnic but there are several places to eat. The Mama Mia's Italian Cuisine Restaurant has an all you can eat buffet style menu which includes salad, pizza and pastas and was really great value - we would eat there if we go again.

 

Jamster: "I loved the Maximus ride, it was awesome."

Minxy: "I liked taking care of all of the animals and the big slides with mats to sit on."

 

 

 

*** WIN ***

 

For your chance to win a family pass to Crealy for 4 people you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below.

 

The giveaway closes on 18th June 2013.

 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can purchase tickets here: https://bookings.crealy.co.uk/devon/shop-buy-day-tickets.aspx

*We received entry to Crealy for the purpose of this review. The opinions given are honest and our own.*

Woodlands Theme Park - Review and Giveaway!

Woodlands is the largest family theme park in the south west of England and is based in Totnes, South Devon. Open daily from 9.30am there is plenty to keep the kids entertained for an entire day, if not longer, come rain or shine.

The HUGE indoor play area consisting of 5 floors, 57 slides and 2 ball shooting arenas will put smiles on your childrens faces even if the weather is miserable outside. There is also bumper boats, a train, dune buggies, several water coasters and lots more to keep you busy including several cafes for a well needed pitstop. There are plenty of animals to see with a deer park, reptile house and big animal barn. You can pick up a schedule upon entry and watch ferret racing too!

Picture taken from the website as I forgot to take any inside

A family ticket (2 adults 2 children) costs £64 but there are other family tickets available too if you have more children coming along and if you book online you can save 20% ! There is also the option of a 7 day wristband if you are in the area for a while and kids under 92cm go FREE!

Our day at Woodlands
We arrived at opening time and after paying we decided to hit the rides before seeing the animals incase the queues got bigger throughout the day. Jamster wasn't in the mood for the Sea Dragon Swing Ship but Minxy was very eager indeed... despite covering her face when the ride was in action she really enjoyed it! Next up the Mr and Minxy went on the Bumper Boats which looked like great fun, similar to dodgems but on water. Safety jackets were provided and they appeared to have a great time while Jamster and I played on a nearby dolphin play area.

We worked through the mirror maze, dinosaur farm ride, the coasters (our favourite), a submarine ride and a few outdoor play areas before stopping for lunch at the Love's Grove cafe. Prices were reasonable and portions and taste were good. The cakes were really yummy!

After lunch it started to hail unfortunately but after taking shelter for a while Minxy went on the Polar Pilots and the Mr went on the Avalanche ride which looked quite scary in the Arctic Zone! We went to the falconry centre, fed lambs, completed the commando course and visited some other play areas too. It was a fantastic day out and to end it all off the gift shop is fab with loads of great value items to take home - there is the opportunity to paint your own ornaments too.

WIN

Woodlands have kindly agreed to provide a pair of tickets for a days entry to only lucky winner! All you need to do is use the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter before the competition close on 22nd July 2012. A perfect place to viist this summer!

GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*We purchased our own tickets to Woodlands and wrote the review through choice. Woodlands are providing the competition prize.*