A New Era for Legoland
Legoland is expanding its horizons with the opening of Lego Galaxy, a 2.4-acre themed land that promises to bring a fresh and thrilling experience to visitors. The highlight of this new area is the Galacticoaster, an indoor, space-themed ride that marks a significant step toward more adult-focused attractions. This spinning coaster takes riders on a fast-paced journey through a darkened landscape, where they must save a Lego-infused galaxy from an “asteroid of probable destruction.”
The Galacticoaster is the fastest ride at Legoland, reaching speeds of 40 mph. However, its short duration of about 60 seconds and focus on banking and turning ensure it remains family-friendly. It’s designed as an introductory, big kid coaster, offering a mix of excitement and lighthearted humor. Floating farmers and barnyard animals cruise among the stars, adding a relaxed atmosphere to what could be a high-stakes adventure.
Tom Storer, North American project director for Merlin Magic Making, shares his favorite part of the ride: “My favorite is the surfing alien. She’s my favorite thing to see in there. It’s right after the blast. It will sneak up on you.”
Features of Lego Galaxy
Galacticoaster is just one of several attractions in Lego Galaxy, which also includes two smaller outdoor attractions, a vintage-style shoot-’em-up video game, and a play area for little ones. The $90-million investment in Legoland’s California and Florida parks aims to draw new audiences by incorporating slicker, more modern technology. This approach is meant to rival the more exciting rides found at Legoland’s Southern California competitors.
Storer acknowledges the inspiration behind the Galacticoaster, comparing it to Space Mountain, a classic attraction at the Disneyland Resort. While Space Mountain may have a higher speed and intensity, the Galacticoaster offers a welcoming adventure filled with stars, planets, and Lego brick creations.
Ride Experience and Technology
The Galacticoaster seats four per car, loading attendees parallel in a row via a moving platform. Once seated and locked in, the ride immediately takes off, jetting riders into a darkened hallway with white lights before launching them into a Lego galaxy. Lego enthusiasts or those who grew up with the sets will likely spot many allusions to past toys. In the ride’s queue, guests will walk past a wall featuring a timeline of many a Lego space set.
Action comes fast but is surrounded by twists and turns, drawing comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. However, the Galacticoaster offers a smooth and relatively unobtrusive twisting experience. Those prone to motion sickness can rest easy, as the ride is designed to be comfortable for all ages.
Animatronics and Interactive Elements
One of the most notable features of Lego Galaxy is the first animatronic figure in the park, Biff Dipper, an engineer found in the ride’s preshow. This character familiarizes guests with the story of the asteroid that spells impending doom. Biff Dipper has a digital face that can approximate more than 40 expressions, making him a key element in keeping guests engaged during what is sure to be one of the park’s longest lines.
Interactive elements are abundant throughout Lego Galaxy. In the Galacticoaster, riders will build a virtual approximation of a spaceship from a touchscreen, selecting options for wings, cannons, and more. There are 625 variations, and the creation will then appear at the start and finish of the attraction, injected into the ride’s projectors via a guest wristband. Legoland officials like to refer to Galacticoaster as a 10-minute experience, encompassing the preshow with the Dipper figure as well as the construction of the spacecraft.
Additional Attractions in Lego Galaxy
Elsewhere in Lego Galaxy, there’s a full video game-like experience called the Rocket Assembly Bay. Here, guests will first build their own spaceship, and then have it scanned into the game for a cooperative shoot-’em-up. This experience is good fun, rewarding even, to see a virtual scan of a hand-built ship injected into the game, despite being a modern update of old coin-op “Asteroids.”
Two other core attractions dot the land. The G-Force Test Facility is a spinner pitched as an astronaut training experience. Guests with a minimum height of 40″ will be elevated off the ground via vehicles situated on rotating arms. There’s plenty of swinging and rotating action in this more standard amusement park-like creation, although Storer notes that riders won’t experience any actual G-forces.
Lego Galaxy is rounded out with a play area and the preschool-focused ride Launch & Land. For those with a minimum height of 34 inches, this is a casual, patient experience, one in which seated guests will gently lift off into the air for a slightly elevated view of the land. Nominally designed as a spaceport, Lego aliens and spaceships populate the area. Press a button near one of the ships, and initiate, for instance, an engine test.
But don’t expect anything too serious. The Galacticoaster, after all, has a farting space cow.
