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MYSTERY SHOPPER


LEGOLAND FLORIDA W


hen Merlin acquired the Cypress Gardens in Florida a little over two years ago, CEO Nick Varney could barely contain his excite-


ment and it’s easy to see why. Apart from the excellent location, only 40


minutes from Orlando, it’s a beautiful site, on the edge of the mangroves on gently undulating land, which gives easy-to-navi- gate, but interesting changes of level. The original Cypress Gardens was built on the site of an old plantation house, which remains to this day, so there are many ancient trees to cast shade. Although I didn’t realise until well into my visit, a large chunk of the original Cypress Gardens remains at the back of the park. This is open to visitors without an extra charge, creating a place to wander and


enjoy the wildlife, vegetation and shade. It also has a spectacular mature Banyan tree. The previous owners spent $156m


(£100m, €114) on the park shortly before going bust, so it was a sweet acquisition for Merlin, which took only two years to create the new Legoland – a fraction of the time needed for a new-build. And they’ve done a great job – the park is delightful, very well done, colourful and with plenty to do. On the day of my visit it was pretty warm


– in the high 80s. Given Lego’s target demo- graphic of children up to 12-years-old, I was impressed when, by the end of the day, I hadn’t heard a single child either crying or sounding less than engaged and happy. Of course, being the US, a few of them could have been on Ritalin rather than just enrap- tured by the experience, but hopefully it was at least a combination of the two factors.


Merlin Entertainments has turned the former Cypress Gardens in Florida into a shiny new 150-acre Legoland – the biggest yet. Liz Terry pays a visit


PARK LAYOUT Because the park was built on top of exist- ing infrastructure, the majority of the rides were already in place and were simply re-themed, so this dictated the layout of the park to a great extent. Many existing features remain, including the observa- tion platform Island In the Sky, a beautiful carousel and the waterski show, which has re-emerged as a Lego Pirate Show. At the time of visiting, I felt the pirate


show was the only slightly weaker fea- ture in the park, and that it lacked impact because very little of the action takes place in the foreground. However, Merlin has assured me the show is getting good visitor feedback scores and has divulged there are plans to take the show up a gear with some modifi cations, so I’ll look forward to being more blown away on my next visit.


New York in Miniland and the ‘Bank of Piggy’. Lego set designers have had fun creating cityscapes with gentle wit and humour built in


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38 Read Attractions Management online attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2012 ©cybertrek 2012


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