Just can't let go of Legoland

Some people say you can't put a price on fun. But I'm guessing many of those people are billionaires and mortgage defaulters.

It seems to me that being a parent, especially now, is all about putting a price on fun. And being the parent of a 4-year-old, I am learning, means facing up to an epic collision of price and fun: the amusement park. What it offers, what it costs, what weaponry and waiting it will entail.

In my household, we've just confronted this dragon for the first time, at a place that actually has a talking red dragon.

Fun begins

No, not Disneyland. We thought we would aim for less commotion and smaller crowds.

But we did like the idea of an overnight stay and had heard that the people at Legoland had been up to a few things lately, including the opening of a Sheraton next door.

So we dodged Disneyland and its sibling California Adventure, we also sidestepped Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld, and headed to Carlsbad for Legoland.

With our 10 per cent auto club discount, admission cost $44.96 (or Dh165 for the little person and $53.96 or Dh198 each for the larger ones (prices have since increased $2 or Dh8).

First we caught a break: That Sheraton, which opened in February, is roomy, with helpful staffers, a big, kid-friendly pool area, a sliver view of the Pacific (best from the third-floor rooms) and its own Legoland entrance.

Things were slow when we arrived — just before noon on a Friday — so the hotel let us check in early, stash our stuff, then march down the path, hand over the greenbacks and grab ahold of five full hours of interlocking rectangular plastic fun.

Grace Li Qi, our 4-year-old, went all clingy as we neared the gates. But the first thing you see, entering from the Sheraton, is a playground of slides and ropes.

So if the lines are too long or the rides are too scary, or not scary enough, you have that fallback.

Minimalistic appeal

Approaching the core of the place, you hit Miniland, where most of the models are. Minimal motion, minimal lights, minimal noises — this looked like a scaled-down slice of paradise to me.

We browsed past faux San Francisco, artificial Los Angeles, pseudo New Orleans, and fake Las Vegas Strip, all constructed of Lego pieces.

Las Vegas was added last year, giving visitors a chance to compare a fake Manhattan skyline with a double-fake Manhattan skyline.

Once Grace's confidence was up, we headed into the Land of Adventure, which opened in March.

Loosely based on Egypt, this zone features the Lost Kingdom Adventure (the park's first indoor “dark'' ride); Cargo Ace (low-flying “airplanes''); Beetle Bounce (which holds kids snugly as they climb and plunge about 15 feet); and Pharaoh's Revenge (foam-ball mayhem in a sort of bouncy house).

Other big-fun moments: Grace loved jumping back and forth over a red plastic chain between poles in front of a closed attraction.

And in the minutes before the 5pm park closure, Grace and a couple of other ragamuffins kept at the playground ropes and slides like little Cinderellas. But here is the math:

For the five hours of Legoland (including $35 or Dh129 lunch and $2 or Dh8 to steer a toy tugboat), we paid about $190 (Dh698). Add the $200 (Dh734) hotel room, the parking and dinner and breakfast, and our 24 hours in Carlsbad cost about $600 (Dh2,204).

Grace turns 5 in about six months. There's been talk of a theme-park birthday.

But we'll take a lesson from Legoland. Does anybody know where I can buy a plastic chain and poles for my backyard?

Go there ... Legoland ... From the UAE

San Diego is the closest airport.

From Dubai

Delta Airlines flies daily via Atlanta.
Fare from Dh5.180

— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4298576

Park history

Legoland, which covers 128 acres, opened in 1999. The Lego mother ship in Denmark sold the park in 2005 to Merlin Entertainments Group, which spent $20 million (Dh73.4 million) on upgrades here in 2008.

Although its target audience is children 2 to 12, its gentle nature appeals most to younger kids but not too young.

So much to see

It's a big park and we missed plenty, including “Journey to the Lost Temple'', a 25-minute musical comedy that premiered in May; and the 36,000-square-foot Sea Life Aquarium, which opened next to Legoland in August.

(The aquarium closed “for modifications'' is scheduled to reopen December 26. Its separate admission fee is about $10 (Dh37) if you add on to a regular Legoland ticket, $11.95 to $18.95 or Dh44 to Dh70 for the aquarium alone.)

We loved the off-season weekday pace. On the other hand, even though the cost of admission is the same as on weekends, some features shut down on slower days.

Pizza Mania was closed at lunchtime. The 4-D racers show was dark. Princess Lily of Castle Hill, who greets weekend visitors in person, apparently sneaks off on Fridays to get her tiara buffed.