Legoland California's continuous expansion plans

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Legoland Set to Expand With Pirate-Themed Zone

By Misti Cain
Feb 01, 2006

LEGOLAND California guests are getting the chance to become buccaneers due to the park’s decision to construct a new pirate-themed play area.

The 128-acre theme park is working closely with the city’s Planning Commission to get the project underway. Jessica Galloway of the city’s Planning Department said LEGOLAND’s meeting with the Planning Commission the middle of January went well.

“This is an addendum plan,” said Galloway. “The park is adding new rides and structures and we met with them as part of the approval process.”

The pirate-theme sector has long been on the back burner for the six year-old premier Carlsbad amusement destination. The proposed expansion, or more aptly put redevelopment, would be constructed on a 3-acre parcel of land and would be named “Pirate Shores”

The pirate area would consist mostly of water rides. Rides for the “Pirate Shores” area include: “Splash Battle”, an attraction that is new to the North America region, where vessels on tracks can battle with Lego targets as well as guests on the sidelines by using spray guns and water cannons. There is also a boat ride called “Treasure Falls” where young children would be able to glide down flumes – man made channels of water – and learn what pirates do on vacation. Interactive water-based attractions “Swabbies Deck” for younger guests and a “Soak and Sail” for older children are also in the works.

A reported $10 million has gone into the expansion as quoted by LEGOLAND President, John Jacobsen.

“We’ve added eight new attractions to the park in the last two years alone,” said Jacobsen at a press conference held at LEGOLAND last month. “Our guest satisfaction score is at 97.5% and 2005 we saw revenue increases.” Jacobsen went on to say that he was pleased with the progression the park has made and looks forward to its continuing growth.

Merlin Entertainment Group’s Nick Varney also spoke at the press conference about LEGOLAND’s tremendous growth.

“I believe LEGOLAND can be a leader in theme parks. We offer high quality products with a focus on interactivity. Here, the child is the hero.”

Varney also mentioned future plans include the addition of a fifth LEGOLAND in North America within the next three to five years.

LEGO, which comes from the Danish phrase ‘leg godt’, meaning play well, was coined by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934. LEGOLAND California is one of only four in the world. The other three are located outside of the United States in Germany, London and Denmark.

Legoland Set to Expand With Pirate-Themed Zone - February 2006 Carlsbad Business Journal - Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Legoland announces $20-million expansion

Legoland announces $20-million expansion

The $20-million expansion will include an aquarium and rides.
By Kimi Yoshino, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 7, 2007

Sign Up

Legoland California, already the fastest-growing amusement park in North America, announced a $20-million expansion Tuesday, including a new themed area and a 36,000-square-foot aquarium.

A 350-room Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa -- with an entrance to the park -- is also in the works, fitting into the larger strategy to extend the length of time guests spend at the park.

Related
- The Daily Travel & Deal Blog: Legoland looks to lure overnight visitors
- The Daily Travel & Deal Blog: Legoland to add Land of Adventure

Although the 128-acre Legoland in Carlsbad is the least-visited among Southern California's amusement parks, last year its attendance increased 16% to more than 1.6 million visitors, a sharp rise at a time when most parks saw modest growth or a decline in attendance, according to InPark Magazine, which tracks industry statistics.

That growth rate, higher than that of any other theme park in North America, is the result of significant capital investment by park owners Merlin Entertainments Group, which in 2005 purchased the four Legoland parks in California, Germany, Denmark and Britain. In the last 3 ½ years, Legoland California has added 15 attractions. It opened the $10-million Pirate Shores in May and added Miniland Las Vegas.

"We are aiming to be one of the global players in the market for what we call location-based entertainment," said Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin. "We've got a very aggressive growth strategy."

The company, which also owns Madame Tussauds wax museums and 26 Sea Life aquariums in nine countries, was acquired by private equity firm Blackstone Group in 2005. Merlin is aiming for public listing by 2009.

In the next few years, the company plans to spend $500 million on capital projects, adding four or five attractions a year at Legoland California and, ultimately, a themed hotel. Several other projects are being developed in the U.S., including Madame Tussauds Hollywood and an indoor Legoland Discovery Center in the Midwest.

"They didn't have the capital; now they do," said Robert Niles, editor of website Theme Park Insider. "They seem to be spending it wisely."

Niles said Legoland played well to its core audience: parents who want an active experience for their young children.

As part of the expansion, Legoland will add a Land of Adventure, to open in March. It will include four attractions: Lost Kingdom Adventure dark ride, Beetle Bounce drop ride, Cargo Ace plane ride and Pharaoh's Revenge foam ball pit.

The aquarium will be two stories and will charge a separate admission fee of less than $20.

Sea Life, which first opened in Scotland in 1979, now has a combined attendance of more than 6 million visitors. These aquariums focus on child-friendly exhibits and are heavily involved in conservation efforts, with campaigns such as seal pup rescue efforts and sea horse breeding.

"What Legoland California has brought to theme parks in the United States, Sea Life Legoland . . . will bring to aquariums in that it is 100% aimed at inspiring and captivating children on a level that can't be found anywhere else," said John Jakobsen, the park's president and general manager.

The aquarium faces stiff competition, Niles said, noting its location between Sea World in San Diego and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Still, he said Carlsbad was an attractive destination with nearby beaches and an outlet mall.

"What makes it especially compelling is you package that with a day at Sea World or the Wild Animal Park. It becomes part of the whole San Diego County vacation experience," Niles said.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Exclusive: Inside Legoland California’s first dark ride - sneak peeks

Exclusive: Inside Legoland California’s first dark ride - Travel - LATimes.com

Sneak peek: Legoland’s first dark ride - Travel - LATimes.com



A series of conceptual drawings reveals the story line of Legoland California’s first dark ride, set to open at the Carlsbad kiddie park in March 2008. (Follow the link to see a slide show of the concept art.)

Riders on the interactive Lost Kingdom of Adventure dark ride will travel on a jeep journey through ancient temple ruins and shoot at animated targets with laser blasters.

In the spider’s lair scene, an animatronic Pippin Reed struggles to escape a giant web. Riders shoot at the web with lasers to free the rebellious journalist adventurer (aren’t we all) and rack up points.

Keep reading after the jump for more details and artwork.

In Dr. Kilroy’s laboratory, a tilting tower of wooden crates tips toward visitors, mice pop out of clay jars, hieroglyphics illuminate on a cartouche and spooky eyes peer from dark voids.

In a series of lighter scenes, skulls bob to the music of a skeleton band while an unwrapped mummy in a sarcophagus stands naked save for his boxer shorts.

In the gantlet room, a spike-laden wall moves toward the jeep until riders hit all six targets with laser blasts. Elsewhere, scarabs pop out of vases, a pharaoh’s bust falls toward riders and air “darts” fire from hidden holes.

In the perilous climactic scene, the villain Sam Sinister threatens a tied-up Pippin Reed with a burning stick of dynamite. In the explosive next room, a wounded Sam stands amid the smoking ruins as a wily Pippin manages to escape the blast.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

LEGOLAND announces expansion plans

By Angela Holman | Editor
Dec 01, 2007


Making the largest investment in the history of LEGOLAND California, Merlin Entertainments last month announced plans for a $20 million expansion that includes a two-story aquarium and a 1920s Egypt-themed adventure area.

Sea Life LEGOLAND, a 36,000-square-foot aquarium near the Carlsbad amusement park’s ticket booths, will be a separate attraction with its own admission price when it opens in the summer. It will be the 29th to open in the world and is the first ever to open in North America.

Merlin Entertainments, a United Kingdom-based company that purchased LEGOLAND in 2005, has Sea Life centers in nine European countries.

Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments Group, said LEGOLAND has formed a partnership with two neighboring hotels, the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort & Hotel and the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa opening in February, to market the theme park and aquarium as a resort destination worth visiting for two or more days. He said LEGOLAND also has plans to build its own hotel in coming years.

More than a standard aquarium, Sea Life provides an educational and interactive dynamic unlike any other. Featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails, the attraction is designed to be a child’s guide to the life of the sea.

It will feature creatures commonly found in local waters. The voyage begins in the freshwaters of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and ends with a journey to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, families will discover a lost ancient city and sunken shipwreck that is explored by miniature submarines and scuba divers made of Lego bricks.

The aquarium also will include a seahorse kingdom, a bay of rays and a shoaling ring where children are surrounded 360 degrees by schools of fish. An interactive discovery zone will give youngsters the opportunity to talk with marine experts, touch sea creatures in a tide pool and build their own coral reef out of Lego bricks.

"(Sea Life) is 100 percent aimed at inspiring and captivating children on a level that can’t be found anywhere else," said John Jakobsen, president and general manager of Legoland California.

He added that with the additions of Sea Life and the Land of Adventure, 17 new attractions will have been added to the 128-acre theme park over the last four years. Land of Adventure, the eighth major themed area in the amusement park, is slated to open in March.

It will feature four attractions, including the Lost Kingdom Adventure, which will be guarded by a Lego pharaoh standing more than 16 feet tall. During Lost Kingdom, guests ride inside desert jeeps and are taken on a journey through ancient temple ruins to recover stolen treasure by blasting targets with laser guns.

Cargo Ace will help imaginations soar as children become airplane pilots, Beetle Bounce will boost kids to new heights and at Pharaoh’s Revenge youngsters can fire thousands of foam balls at targets and each other.

"We believe our components here at LEGOLAND, combined with our North County location in Carlsbad … makes for a perfect family vacation," Jakobsen said.

For more information, call (760) 918-LEGO or visit LEGOLAND.


LEGOLAND announces expansion plans - December 2007 Carlsbad Business Journal - Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

SEA LIFE Aquarium

CARLSBAD, Calif. – The world’s largest aquarium brand is coming for the first time to North America…it was announced at a news conference today that
SEA LIFE LEGOLAND® California Resort is opening its doors in Carlsbad adjacent to LEGOLAND® California in July 2008.



More than a standard aquarium, SEA LIFE provides an educational and interactive dynamic unlike any other. The SEA LIFE experience focuses on a child’s voyage to the depths of the oceans, presenting the wonders of the underwater world to them in a way specially designed for their understanding. Featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails, SEA LIFE is designed to be a child’s guide to the life of the sea. Adults and kids alike will marvel at the majesty and creativity of the unique atmosphere.


“What LEGOLAND California has brought to theme parks in the United States, SEA LIFE LEGOLAND California Resort will bring to aquariums,” says John Jakobsen, president and general manager. “SEA LIFE is 100 percent aimed at inspiring and captivating children on an intimate level that can’t be found anywhere else.”


The SEA LIFE voyage begins high in the fresh waters of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, continuing on to the San Francisco Bay and finally journeying to the depths of the Pacific Ocean. On the way, families discover a lost ancient city and a sunken shipwreck. In line with the SEA LIFE philosophy, SEA LIFE LEGOLAND California Resort focuses on the creatures commonly found in local waters.


SEA LIFE features a seahorse kingdom where children get their first look at the mythical creatures, a bay of rays where they experience marine life up-close and a shoaling ring where they are surrounded 360 degrees by schools of shimmering fish. An interactive discovery zone offers young visitors the opportunity to interact with SEA LIFE experts, touch interesting creatures of the ocean in a tide pool and participate in building their own coral reef out of LEGO® brick.


“A SEA LIFE encounter is unique in the aquarium world. The immersive experience and close proximity to the marine animals allows children to see and even touch some of the animals that normally live out of sight beneath the waves of the world’s oceans,” says Rob Hicks, SEA LIFE senior marine biologist. “I believe that generating a fully themed experience in which the visitors can observe and interact with these animals is important to ensure a truly inspirational visit that will kick start a children’s desire to embrace and protect the marine environment.”

A passionate conservationist and campaigner, SEA LIFE works to increase awareness of the importance of safeguarding the seas and their inhabitants. Children can learn about the SEA LIFE “Save Our Seas” (SOS) campaign which educates them on problems facing the world’s oceans and empowers them to do something to solve them. The SOS campaign is a growing force in marine conservation, research and rescue that has achieved great success across Europe.


SEA LIFE LEGOLAND California Resort will be the 29th SEA LIFE Center to open in the world. As of its opening in July 2008, SEA LIFE Centers around the world operate in nine countries on two continents, bringing visitors nose-to-nose with a wide range of sea creatures.


PRESS RELEASES:

Land of Adventure and America’s First SEA LIFE Aquarium Coming to LEGOLAND® California Resort .doc .pdf

A New Star Washes Ashore in Carlsbad .doc .pdf


SEA LIFE Aquarium - LEGOLAND California