We thought it would be fun to visit the new Legoland Discover Center in Kansas City.  When we arrived there was a short line and since it was about the same length as the one we stood in for Sea Life a few days ago, we thought it too, would be about a 20 minute wait.  There was nothing to indicate otherwise!!! HORRORS, TWO (yes 2) hours later we finally got in the door.  Unlike Disney, the benchmark in crowd control, where you always know exactly how long a wait when standing in line for a Disney ride, we had no indication of how long it would actually take to get in the door and we never dreamed it would be two hours.  They were letting in about one family every five minutes.   (You can buy tickets on-line but they are for a specific time, which can be hard when you are trying to manage a whole group of people.  And especially hard when some of the people are very little people that need naps etc, etc.  Timing can be a difficult thing to control.)  With a two year old and a three year old, we really would not have persevered if we had been given any warning that the wait would be so long with so short a line!!!

Perhaps some interesting displays or Lego Stations along the wait line would have made the wait not seem so endless.

Once we got in the door, we then had to wait again,  in line to get in the elevators (Legoland is on the second floor above Sea Life).

And then if that is not bad enough, there was yet another line and another  sizable wait for the ride, which everyone had to go on.  Our two year old and three year old would have been happy going directly to the large room with all the pits full of building items of legos.

And then add insult to injury, just hope no one in your party needs to go to the bathroom. (Fat chance with a three year old after more than two hours of waiting.)  To get to a bathroom, you have to be escorted by an “official” Legoland person to a bathroom, which is not located anywhere convenient.  (Easy bathrooms, and plentiful bathrooms are a must for a family oriented destination!! Not sure what they were thinking here.)

AND finally one more warning, if your children are not wearing socks they are not allowed into the play area, no shoes or bare feet allowed (no bare feet allowed are a Missouri law).  You can, of course, purchase socks in the gift shop.  Maybe some slip on disposable socks, like the ones in shoe stores would have been a nice option???? (Or at least a warning on the web site to bring socks if you want to play in the play area.)

The display of Kansas City landmarks was very remarkable, for adults, and did not interest our kids (definitely too young).

Legoland Discovery Center is not for younger children.  Becca (3 years old)  had to leave the movie, too intense when she was sprayed with water and Henry scraped his leg on a lego display that was not especially kid friendly even though it was in the room for children to play.

We invited friends, Ellen and Clay, to go with us.  I am sorry we did not pick a more kid friendly place to go, so it would have been more enjoyable for everyone in the party.  And since my grandkids are here for such a short time, I really wish we had been informed about Legoland Discovery Center.  Spending most your time in lines is not fun for anyone.  So, I decided that is why I would write about it here.

Becca (age three) and Henry (age two) did enjoy the pits of legos in the large room after lines and lines and more lines.  But frankly, they could have played with legos at home.  Legoland Discovery Center is not for young children.