LEGOLAND Malaysia Review (Part 2)

(Daddy reviews)

See the Part 1 of our review HERE.

LEGO City was the next zone in LEGOLAND Malaysia the boys and I ventured to next, and this is the place where kids take control and have a hand in manoeuvring vehicles.

The LEGO City Airport was probably the baby-ish of the rides in that zone. Well, to the 2 boys that is. Younger kids, though would jump at the chance of lifting off in a LEGO plane countless of times I surmise.

LEGO City Airport ride requirements:

Minimum size: 120 cm (80-119 cm if accompanied by an adult)

Minimum age: 6 years (3 years if accompanied by an adult)

So it wasn't a surprise that the boys gave that ride a miss and went for the Rescue Academy instead.

A favorite among all LEGOLANDS around the world, this interactive ride pits families against one another as they race to move their rescue vehicles to the set of buildings some distance away. Once there, they would need to get off the vehicle and put out the fire by pumping a fire hydrant. The mission is only accomplished when the entire family moves the vehicle back to the starting line.

Rescue Academy ride requirements:

Minimum size: 110 cm (90-109 cm if accompanied by an adult)

Sounds easy enough huh? Let me tell you - IT IS NOT!

For one, you would have to keep pumping the handle in the rescue vehicle to keep it moving and it is extremely tiring!

Do not be fooled by the smiles of the boys in the photo above. Those expressions were swiftly replaced by fatigued looks after only one minute of pumping. And we had only inched forward 0.5m. So needless to say, my arms threatened to divorce me at the end of our session.

So here's a tip - make sure there are at least 2 adults in the vehicle. Okay okay, make that 4 adults, for the return leg can be excruciatingly tedious. In fact, the staff manning the ride had to help some families push back the vehicles to the starting line! Tough job.

 So for our next ride, the general consensus was to go for something more relaxing. Much like captaining our own boat at the Boating School.

Boating School ride requirements:

Minimum age: 8 years old (1-7 years old if accompanied by an adult)

It turned out that almost everyone had the same idea, because the queue was rather long! So we skipped that and the boys decided to captain their own cars instead.

There are 2 Driving Schools at LEGOLAND Malaysia, where kids will be able to mimic their parents and drive their own cars!

The Junior Driving School is for kids aged 3 to 5 years old, and the cars come with a simple single pedal which makes it easier for the smaller kids to manoeuvre. An uncomplicated driving circuit completes the driving experience for these aspiring speed demons.

For the older kids aged between 6 to 13 years old, there is the Driving School which offers them the chance to drive a true-to-life traffic circuit.

But before one can get started, first-timers can it through a short video clip where they learn all about the general traffic rules like stopping at traffic lights and at 'STOP' signs as well as giving way to traffic. Think they can go for the Highway Code test after this! Heh.

And once that was done, it was time to hit the roads proper!

I was glad that I didn't have the need to purchase motor insurance for them. The premiums would definitely have sky-rocketed especially since Ayd bumped the rear of another car in his first round of the circuit.

But they certainly handled the cars much better and more confidently when they went on it for a second time, and they were duly rewarded with a Driver's Licence for all their troubles.

The Driver Licence isn't free though - it's RM20 per person and it's issued on the spot. Yes, it's valid for life as well. The staff told me that there will be special privileges accorded to those with a Driver's Licence in future. But as of now, the only privilege of holding such a card entitles the child to bypass the instructional video at the start... erm, and bragging rights.

And so with heads swelling with pride, the boys trooped down to the most exciting zone yet. In my opinion that is.

The LEGO Technic zone is all about speed and action, and even the all-familiar spinning cups ride - known as the Technic Twister here - feels a tad faster compared to the other ones at other theme parks!

Technic Twister ride requirements:

Minimum size: 120 cm (110-119 cm if accompanied by an adult)

Minimum age: 6 years (4 years if accompanied by an adult)

The Aqua Wave Racers ride was next, and this was yet another ride that the boys had been looking forward to go on after hearing all about it from me.

Aqua Wave Racers ride requirements:

Minimum size: 120 cm (100-119 cm if accompanied by an adult)

Minimum age: 8 years (6 years if accompanied by an adult)

Be prepared to get wet though, as bystanders will be able to trigger water bombs and fire water guns at the wave surfers!

Luckily for us, we didn't get soaking wet. Heh.

An interesting area in the LEGO Technic zone is the Mindstorms Lab, where kids will be able to enrol in robotics workshops to bring their own robots to life.

For younger kids, there is the LEGO Academy housed in the same building where they are given a free range of educational LEGO models to conjure up creative projects.

The next project, however, had us screaming our heads off.

Wild, crazy, thrilling. That is what Project X the rollercoaster is all about.

Oh, and did I mention that it has a 18-metre plunge?

Project X ride requirements:

Minimum size: 120 cm (110-119 cm if accompanied by an adult)

Minimum age: 6 years (4 years if accompanied by an adult)

Pay no attention to the monkie faces of the boys as they were the ones who dragged me to the ride! And this is what happened.

Absolutely exhilarating! The photo above was taken during our first experience on the rollercoaster, which explains the hilarious expression on Ayd's face. And with such a priceless shot, it would be criminal if I didn't purchase it as a keepsake.

And as much as Ayd's expression showed otherwise, he thoroughly loved it! Ditto for Ash. In fact, they loved it so much that we went on it FIVE times. Yes, we were that insane.

So since I can be considered qualified to dispense some Project X advice after 5 attempts, here's a tip - sit in the front to up your thrill factor a few notches higher. It really makes the ride much more thrilling!

That ride was our final ride in LEGOLAND Malaysia and it probably summed up all the fun that we had there. Seeing that most of rides in the park requires at least a minimum height of 110cm, I guess the park would be most suited for kids aged 4 to 12 years old.

But for kids aged 3 and below, there are also plenty of play options too. One thing that I like in LEGOLAND Malaysia is the numerous playgrounds scattered around the theme park.

Besides the huge sheltered play area at DUPLO Playtown, there is The Shipyard at LEGO City, where it is a paradise for crawlers and climbers.

The Pharaoh's Revenge at the Land of Adventure zone is another place where kids can engage a gun battle by firing away foam balls.

The Forestmen's Hideout at LEGO Kingdom provides ample climbing and sliding time while the parents keep sane with some personal time.

As our day at LEGOLAND Malaysia approached its end, the boys took a stroll through LEGO Miniland where famous scenes from 17 Asian countries are recreated with more than 30 million LEGO bricks.

The whole of Miniland is animated, and guests – big and small – can bring the models to life at the touch of a button.

I asked the boys to rank their top fave rides of LEGOLAND Malaysia on our way home and this is their Top Five list:

1. Project X

2. The Dragon

3. Driving School

4. Aqua Wave Racers

5. Lost Kingdom Adventure

So there you have it, our review of LEGOLAND Malaysia. Do let us know what you think of it when you have paid it a visit! Oh, and one last tip - the sun is merciless so bring caps, sunglasses and slap on generous amounts of sunblock!

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LEGOLAND Malaysia opens on 15 September 2012. For details on its opening hours, click HERE. For more information on ticket prices, click HERE.

How to get there:

From Johor Bahru / CIQ / Singapore via the Coastal Highway

- From Danga Bay, proceed straight via the Coastal Highway > Proceed all the way to Nusajaya > LEGOLAND Malaysia will be seen before reaching Kota Iskandar.

From Singapore via the Tuas Second Link

- Proceed until you see the Nusajaya EXIT 312 > You will see LEGOLAND Malaysia signage.

GPS: 1º 26’ 14" N 103º 37’ 2" E

There are BUS services plying from Singapore Flyer and Tuas Second Link as well. For more details, please click HERE.