~mike~ Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Here is the story....I really like this idea... http://www.screamscape.com/html/legoland_2.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electerik Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I'm with Lance on this one: Love the idea of a Legoland in central Florida, not so sure it should be anywhere near Cypress Gardens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darksin Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Found this today in the Orlando Sentinal, I peeked around but didn't notice it posted anyplace else. If it's a re-post, please delete blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/07/legoland-opening-orlando-florida-cypress-gardens-survey.html " Lots of buzz about the possibility of Legoland coming to Central Florida. It all spins out of a survey of local folks' interest and reports of potential locations: First the old Florida Splendid China site, then talk of near Cypress Gardens down in Polk County or near Old Town in Kissimmee. I say "the more the merrier" without ever having been to Legoland California, the only other U.S. site. But you gotta wonder ... down by Cypress Gardens? Three words: Location, location, location. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I think not. How far would you drive for a Legoland? And how much would you pay? (The California admission is currently $63 general, $53 for kids ages 3-12.) Our results won't be scientific, but I'm interested in our interest level too. Also check out this photo gallery of the Legoland in California and its international sites." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I think it could do amazingly well in the old Splendid China Site or pretty much anywhere on 192. Don't put ANYTHING in the Cypress Gardens spot unless you want it to fail!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Not trying to contridict anyone here.... I think the Lego "brand" could work in the Cypress Gardens site. There are already a LOT of money-saving options where they already have the buildings, utilities, freeway access, supporting communities and the mature landscaping (and even some rides still) where it would cost them less to build within the park than build a whole new one. Cypress Gardens has lost it's "brand" years ago. Im sure half of the Floridians think it closed years ago. Legoland in it's place could be quite successful. What percentage of vacationers drive from Orlando to Tampa for Busch Gardens? If that number is high enough, say 15%, then the Lego Brand could very well work at Cypress if done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 What percentage of vacationers drive from Orlando to Tampa for Busch Gardens? If that number is high enough, say 15%, then the Lego Brand could very well work at Cypress if done right. My guess would be that not enough Orlando vacationeers visit Busch Gardens to fully sustain it. Busch Gardens needs the local support of the very large Tampa/St Pete metro area. The Cypress Gardens area does not have this massive base population, especially at the high admission prices for Legoland properties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterfan99 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Thing with Busch is it was an established park even before Universal moved in. It was the big scale thrill counterpart to Disney starting with Python. With Cypress Garden, the place has been dead for year. Even my first visit around 91 during spring break on a weekend (recently talked to my parents about this trip so it is fresh on my mind) the place was dead. Once Universal moved in, along with the already established Sea World and WDW, there was not much of a reason to travel outside that area. It is sad because even as a kid I enjoyed the place. The place just kept getting worse as we went in the 90's. With Legoland, they have the brand, but still have the huge issue of location. Not only would you have to advertise the place beyond belief, but also have to deal with hotels. You would have to convince the Disney area hotels to shuttle you there or strike a deal with a taxi company for cheap shuttle buses. Too many issues and would be best to just build in one of the other 2 locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikifire Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Bad idea putting it in Cypress Gardens... good idea putting it in Orlando. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewRnR Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 What percentage of vacationers drive from Orlando to Tampa for Busch Gardens? If that number is high enough, say 15%, then the Lego Brand could very well work at Cypress if done right. That figure doesn't really take into account Cypress Garden's situation. Busch Gardens is super easy to get to. It is right near a casino and the state fair grounds. It is literally 2-3 miles off the expressway. Cypress is way out in the middle of no where. Assuming people drive to Busch doesn't mean they will drive small roads to get to Cypress. I live in Orlando and I went to Busch more despite loving Starliner just because it was a pain to get to Cypress Gardens. Also remember busses run from Sea World/Universal/other attractions in Orlando to Busch Gardens (and its free for people with multi-park tickets and such) so I would say a decent amount of Orlando visitors who go to BGT take the bus and don't drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom1001 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I don't find getting to Cypress Gardens from the Disney area all that difficult,just take I-4 west to US 27 south to Cypress Gardens blvd and make a right.But I would agree that in that location it wouldn't get the same amount of visitors if they were to build it in the Kissimmee area.I only visited Cypress Gardens once like the year after they put in the rides and I liked a lot of the park and thought it had potential to improve,but I guess it just didn't get the visitors.It couldn't have been from lack of advertisements as they had billboards all over Central Fla and brochures at every stand.I think it's more than anything the Disney magic your way tickets keeping people at Disney.Why go and spend $140 for a family of four to visit Cypress Gardens when you can do an extra day at Disney for $30 or less for the whole family.The coaster people will leave Disney and go to Busch and Universal but Cypress Gardens just didn't get the people.A legoland would draw more but it would be smart of them to keep it within a 20 minute drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Cypress Gardens should stay the way it is, the niche gardens for the locals and not a massive amusement park. The Lego brand would help a little bit, but not too much. As for Legoland in Orlando, at first I'm skeptical that Orlando doesn't need yet another major theme park, but it could work. The old Splendid China site is practically perfect for a Legoland to be built on top of. I can't wait to see what develops of this rumor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I'd love to see a Legoland in Orlando and I think it could be a huge success because there are a lot of people who will travel to Florida, but not California. After seeing the amazing Legoland Billund recently, I don't think this company can do any wrongs as far as parks go. Legoland is absolutely world class! Though putting the park down in crappy Winter Haven would probably be a mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I see where all of you are coming from, but let me just say this: • The "middle of nowhere" claim just doesn't fly with me. I can name about a dozen "middle of nowhere" parks that have marketed themselves well and gone on to have cities and resorts build up around them. Its all about marketing and branding. • You need to look at the car rental vs shuttling vacationers. How many people that visit Orlando rent cars? How many of those people who have those cars drive to Tampa or Co Co Beach or even have a hotel outside of Orlando or Kissemme? Cypress is only about 25 miles from The Disney area, which is a little far in comparison to the other Orlando parks, but not unbearable. - The one thing I can see against Cypress becoming a Legoland is not as many Hotel Shuttles may be offered. • Cypress obviously worked at one time, I just didn't think their product would generate a lot of repeat business. Legoland in California, for instance has an expansion every couple of years, so it's always got a new product to offer. Cypress just doesn't look like it will fly on it's own much longer. • Splendid China, though it sounds like a great location, has been shuttered for 6 years, and may be too expensive to reopen and retheme. You could probably build something entirely new for that... but if they can do it, then go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 The "middle of nowhere" claim just doesn't fly with me. I can name about a dozen "middle of nowhere" parks that have marketed themselves well and gone on to have cities and resorts build up around them. Its all about marketing and branding. Very different situation with Orlando though. If they build down by Cypress Gardens, they'll have the problem of getting people to leave the Disney/Universal/Sea World area. Kind of like how HRP has the problem of getting people to leave the beach. It's an uphill climb, even for a first class outfit like Legoland. It makes far more sense to just build near everybody else, even if it costs a fortune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterEricHP Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I agree with just about everyone.. I think Legoland would bring in more people than Cypress Gardens just because its Legoland. But, if you build it around 192 or somewhere close to I-4 towards Tampa (prob before Lakeland though) a TON of people would go because it'd be a straight shot. So even though it would be more expensive to build initially the payoff would come a lot quicker. Legoland in FL would be.. AWESOME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moinab Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I'm in the midst of debating whether or not to add on a visit to Legoland, when we fly to CA for a DL/DCA/Mexican riviera cruise trip, next year. With three young kids under the age of 10, including a 9 year old who is obsessed with Legos, I would really love to go to this park. I'm just having trouble making the logistics work. BTW, if you sign up for a Lego Brickmaster subscription ($40,) you get a free admission ticket for Legoland CA. I would LOVE it, if they opened up a Legoland in the Orlando area! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 ^ The wife and I did a Mexican Riviera trip back in November 08 on the Carnival Spirit porting out of San Diego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpengeist04 Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I agree with most in saying that Legoland should stay far away from the Cypress Gardens/Winter Haven area. ...The old Boardwalk and Baseball area would have been good. ...Right by I-4 and only 10 minutes from the Disney exits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_K. Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 The big shocking news of the day is that Merlin Entertainment may actually have purchased Cypress Gardens. Check out the Polk County website and do a search for “land south adventures” and you’ll find three documents at the bottom dated 1/12/2010. The first two detailing how property ownership is being transferred from Land South Adventures to “Merlin Entertainments Group Florida” while the third involves the matter of unpaid tax Land South owed, but has now suddenly been laid and the lein from the Florida Department of Revenue has been released. Does this mean that Legoland IS a possibility once again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imhotep Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Every park that is worth anything in Orlando is easily accessible and seen -with the exception of Disney of course- from the I-4 corridor. Even Holy Land got this right, and who goes there? Probably more people go there than CG (if you don't count the concert series). Maybe we are all wrong and the park will do fine, but I personally think its a colossal mistake to put LegoLand in CG territory. I think they would do way better in Orlando , even if they setup shop directly next to one of the existing parks. The novelty alone will attract people. In the CG plot, the novelty may bring the locals in once or twice, but because of the location that will probably be all they get... And good luck pulling tourists away from the Orlando Theme Park hub. And about Splendid China. I agree, that would be a good site for it. It may be expensive to retheme and reopen, but I think they would have a better chance at remaining open in the long run which could make it a better investment. Plus, it would be cheaper than building an offramp that goes directly from I-4 to CG, which I think is the only way this park will remain open in CG territory . They just need to turn Cypress Gardens into a state park and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10ryansmith Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I haven't been to a Legoland but I have been to CG and I would say that it was nice but far from good. The area that it was in was a nice town and a legoland in there would help but not that much. About the "middle of nowhere thing" - the park that jumps to mind that is popular and in the middle of "freaking" nowhere would have to be Holiday World. It's in the middle of Indiana and I'm in IN and I still have issues getting people to go because they say that the drive is killer. The Legoland would work there but they would have to work really hard to get it too. Orlando is way to crowded to begin with and adding a Legoland to that jumble of other things to do and I would reason to say that it would be better off in the CG location. Orlando is too busy and too crowded and I generally avoid the area whenever possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imhotep Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 ^I wish some of the tourists felt the same way you do sometimes. Driving would be less frustrating. If there was nothing even remotely close to where Legoland is going, I would be saying good for them. If thats all we had to go visit for miles, then the drive wouldn't be so much of an issue.. Since this isn't CG's case unfortunately, I can't imagine people picking it over any of the other bigger parks that are not much further away... And so far, they haven't.. People didn't visit when it was boring, they didn't again when they added boring rides. Maybe the addition of Legoland will up the excitment ante, but if its not easy to get to, you lose the chance to grab tourists and attract repeat business from locals out side of Winter Haven. I don't really see any trouble with Legoland mixing in with the other big parks. they won't do amazing, but they would do much better, especially with the locals. I have 3 kids, and I'm sure they would want to go to this place all the time. It just gives people another choice since its right there and you don't have to go out of your way to get to the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I'm going to Lock this one up since we're discussing it in the Cypress Gardens thread now. You can talk about it here: Cypress Gardens to be Legoland? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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