LEGOLAND New York Resort Full Guide for a Memorable DAYcation or VACATION!

Now you can play and STAY at the brand new LEGOLAND New York Resort.

LEGOLAND New York Hotel guests are just steps away from the action from the LEGOLAND theme park. Scroll down for some tips and tricks that we discovered when we went for the day in July.

Here are the details about the newly opened hotel with some great deals for park and hotel guests!

• LEGOLAND New York Hotel features 250 themed guestrooms (including Pirate, Kingdom, LEGO® Friends and LEGO® NINJAGO® themes) with separate sleeping areas for kids with bunk beds and a trundle 
• Guestrooms start as low as $279 a night; reservations available year-round on the Booking Portal
• A smoke breathing LEGO dragon greets guests at the hotel entrance, with 2,000+ LEGO models inside
• New contactless programming includes a Google Nest named Alice that can place room service orders, tell children an immersive bedtime story or send them on an in-room scavenger hunt 
• LEGOLAND New York Resort is located in New York’s Hudson Valley – just 60 miles from NYC – with seven themed lands: Brick Street, Bricktopia, LEGO® NINJAGO^® World, LEGO^® Castle, LEGO^® City, MINILAND and now, LEGO® Pirates! 
• Park attractions include the world premiere of LEGO® Factory Adventure Ride (where riders see themselves transformed into LEGO Minifigures), The Dragon Coaster in LEGO^® Castle and LEGO® NINJAGO^® World’s LEGO® NINJAGO® The Ride.
• Annual Pass ($229) and Single Day ticket holders ($79.99 for adults) can now book a hotel stay for a more immersive way to experience LEGOLAND New York Resort. Daytime tickets still available HERE. 
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Courtesy of Merlin Entertainment/LEGOLAND New York Resort

There are so many perks to staying on-site! You are just moments away from the fun at LEGOLAND New Resort! Enjoy free breakfast each morning, and a LEGO Scavenger Hunt inside your room every day. With choices of four themed hotel rooms, LEGO enthusiasts will have fun from the moment they arrive! 

The hotel is seriously truly so interactive! From the moment you step inside the lobby, you may see a few LEGO Minifigures walking around! The elevator is always a party, and don't be afraid to fart in the hallways as there is a real whoopie cushion that you can step on! From top to bottom, this hotel is ultra kid-friendly and family friendly. LEGO brick fans will appreciate the nod to their favorite toys as well. 

Give your kids the chance to drive their own LEGO car! 

Planning a trip or day trip at LEGOLAND New York? Consider these tips and tricks from our recent visit! 

LEGOLAND New York Resort is great for day trips and getaways! We had a great experience at LEGOLAND New York Resort in July. We only went for a day and did not really experience everything LEGOLAND had to offer; however, we are already planning to go back to experience all of the rides. We live in NYC, so LEGOLAND is just an hour from us. We would love to stay at the hotel one day, but it is not in our budget at the moment. You can plan a great day trip at the park, and head home at closing, if you're in the same situation as us. Otherwise, take advantage of the convenience and overall experience of staying on-site. 

Check the weather. I can't stress this enough. If the weather calls for any kind of rain and lightning strikes, then I would change the date you're going. We couldn't go on the outdoor rides while there were lightning strikes in the area. We were lucky to ride on the big coaster before they shut it down again for the rest of the day.

Ooey Gooey Grilled Cheese!

Plenty of food options! LEGOLAND New York has so many food options that are allergen free, which is a huge bonus! This gives parents so much peace of mind, and even though we do not have any food allergies, it is nice to see how easy it is to find a good meal! I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to read ever ingredient, and LEGOLAND just makes it easy to see what has nuts or dairy (I was dairy free for a long time). 

As for food quality, the food is typical theme park food but there are more elegant options. We ate at Brickbeard's for lunch and the food lines are separated by the menu. It was confusing at first and hard to navigate with children, but we separated and ordered. This would be hard for adults alone with kids, so I would suggest heading to Brickolini's instead. Brickolini's is budget friendly and has a lot of choices! If you're on a budget it is perfect as it serves the food buffet style. Throughout the park there are snack stands and even beverage refill stations with fountain drinks to refill your souvenir cup! We didn't try the legendary Apple Fries, which is my biggest regret! I hear that they are a must try. 

Navigating LEGOLAND New York is tricky, but there are two ways you can do it under different circumstances. LEGOLAND New York is built on a mountain. I would suggest starting at Miniland and working your way down to LEGO Pirates. That path is a little too steep to travel up. We ran up that path to escape the torrential down pour. We loved it though! It didn't damper the end of our day at all! We took refuge in The BIG Shop, which is totally okay--we got some great deals on LEGO sets we normally cannot find!

There are hills, so keep that in mind for older park guests. If you're going with kids, start out on Brick Street and head over to ride LEGO Ninjago The Ride (located in LEGO Ninjago). Along the way you will encounter a cool fountain that kids (and adults!) can use - just step on musical spots to create a musical water show! 

Then head to LEGOLAND Castle to get in line for The Dragon, which is a really fun thrill ride perfect for kids and adults! If you have little ones with you, then The Dragon's Apprentice is for you! 

After LEGO Castle is LEGO CITY where toddlers and kids can become certified LEGO CITY drivers and earn their driver's license! 

Along the way we encountered live entertainment hosted by LEGOLAND Model Citizens! We even met the Police Officer Minifigure, which was such a thrill!

A day at LEGOLAND New York is expensive for a family of four. Overall we spent -with our discounted tickets, tolls, gas, food, and souvenirs- a grand total of $355! That was literally one day at LEGOLAND New York. 

Okay, so we didn't need to play the $40 in carnival style games, nor did we have to buy those hard to find LEGO sets in The Big Shop. However, those were the perks of being at the park. I think the day was well worth the money since we packed so much in just six hours of park time (our day was cut short due to weather!). 

There are plenty of ways to save money for a trip to LEGOLAND New York. Here's how!

• Check LEGOLAND New York Resort's website directly for deals for day visits and even resort overnight stays. An easy way to do this is to sign up for their newsletter. 
• Staying hydrated is important, so I brought along a very small cooler (it was old Medela cooler bag for my breast milk! Hah!) to keep a few bottles of water inside. You can also splurge on the souvenir cup to refill throughout the park. If you love fountain soda, then definitely go for it!
• Spend the money on the food - it's good! Save some money by eating at Brickolini's in LEGO City as it is buffet style! 
• Bring snacks for the kids. I brought little bags of Goldfish, mini muffins, and anything that would be melt-free during our romp through the park. 
• Staying overnight? Stay on-site, you get a free continental breakfast to help jumpstart your day! Plus you get the perks of not paying for park parking, and you're just steps away from the fun!
• Do you love ride photos? We do too! Buy them! Buy your first set of ride photos at regular price, and save your receipt to show to kiosks there after to get the remainder of your park photos for only $5 each! Try this: If your family is a car ahead of you in a ride photo, ask the Model Citizen (nicely!) to move the photo over to align with both cars in one photo. We actually were able to do this a couple of times! 
• Stay away from the carnival games. They are right in front of The Dragon's Apprentice Rollercoaster - what a great spot! We dropped $40 in a matter of moments for a duck picking game. The prizes were actually high-quality, but still not worth it. Skip it! Next time I would rather spend that money in The Big Shop. 
• Not really park related, but a great tip! If you're a hardcore LEGO collector - save your cash from buying third party for hard to find LEGO sets, and scour LEGOLAND New York's The Big Shop - we found so many LEGO sets and Brickheadz that are on the brink of extinction that we went buck wild in that shop! 
• Save time in the park by going during the week and be sure to arrive before park opening. We visited on a Friday, and the park was pretty sparse with people. 
• FYI - Due to current New York State guidelines, masks are not required while walking the park, nor indoors if fully vaccinated.

There are plenty of shopping options -- feel free to browse!

There are interactive kiosks at The Big Shop, along with loads of LEGO sets, merch and models!

There are so many LEGO statues and models outside and inside the park. Make sure you stop and smell the brick roses, and take some fun shots!

When I think of more tips, I will add them to here! Make sure you follow me here on my blog, and more of my social media sites to stay in tune with the latest in New York family things to do, and cool product unboxing videos and reviews!