Merlin Entertainments CEO Nick Varney took an inaugural tour of LEGOLAND® Water Park June 15 following a VIP reception in honor of the world’s first LEGO® themed Water Park. Today’s festivities included rhythm water drummers, rafts customized with soft LEGO bricks modeled by Water Park lifeguards and 40 local children celebrating the start of summer.
The day’s special guests were among the first to see the newest features of LEGOLAND Water Park and many accompanied Varney on a tour led by LEGOLAND California Resort General Manager Peter Ronchetti. “For me, the Water Park has a lot of significance, a lot of meaning,” said Varney during the event where he started his presentation by describing how much he loved both LEGO and water as a child. “It is at base, a Water Park based on LEGO. From my perspective, to every child in the whole of California, that makes it the most exciting place to go this summer.”
Ronchetti also spoke during the event: “After all the discussions and brainstorming and creative thinking that went into the Water Park design, the magic ingredient was adding the children – it was when we added children that we could really see how they would behave and interact with the Water Park. I can tell you that we are really, really thrilled and excited with their reactions.”
VIP guests came from all over San Diego County and included 40 children from local schools. They were among the first to see Build-A-Raft, the LEGO inner tubes kids customize with soft LEGO bricks before floating down the lazy river; the Imagination Station, where kids can build bridges, dams and cities out of DUPLO® bricks and test them against the flow of water; Aqua Tune, a musical fountain where kids conduct their own water symphony with the touch of their hand and the Water Fall dumping water down from the 45-foot-tall LEGO themed tower. While many of these features were in the original design, several had not been revealed to the public yet as final touches needed to be made.
Key attractions at LEGOLAND Water Park include Orange Rush, a family tube slide where up to four people can ride together down a 312-foot-long curving track on an 11-foot in diameter half pipe; Twin Chasers, two side-by-side enclosed red tube slides that stretch nearly 130 feet; Splash Out, an open body slide that invites guests to slide 240 feet and “splash out” into the water below; Joker Soaker, a fun interactive platform in the wade pool where kids can aim water cannons at each other as a LEGO jester model tells jokes and pours 350 gallons of water down upon them; the Build-A-Raft River, an 850-foot-long lazy river where guests are splashed and sprayed by jumbo LEGO models; DUPLO® Splash Safari, a water play area designed especially for toddlers with three small slides and interactive DUPLO creatures including an alligator, polar bear and an elephant; and Kid Creek, a mini lazy river built with younger kids in mind.
LEGOLAND Water Park is located at the north end of LEGOLAND California adjacent to Fun Town with the entrance located between the Factory Tour and the Adventurer’s Club. LEGOLAND guests can upgrade their Park tickets to include LEGOLAND Water Park for just $10. Geared for families with children ages 2 to 12, the Water Park will be included in the price of Water Park Hopper tickets and Resort Hopper tickets which include SEA LIFE Aquarium as well. Water Park admission will also be included in Resort Memberships. To learn the latest Water Park news, see photos and video, visit www.LEGOLAND.com.
About Merlin Entertainments Group
The MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP is the leading name in location based, family entertainment, which has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years. Europe’s number one, and the world’s second largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin has 62 attractions and 6 hotels in 12 countries, across 3 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 38.5 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 14,000 employees. Merlin Entertainments operates the following attractions – SEA LIFE – the world’s No 1 aquarium brand, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE PARK, Chessington World of Adventures, Heide Park, Underwater Adventures, and Earth Explorer.
