Talk:Legoland Windsor Resort/Archive 1

Corrections
Just added a few minor changes, as I'm new on Wikipedia and picking up the basics on a sheet like this before going the whole way!

Birdie100

Hey there, I've added a whole load of information, feel free to chop and change various pieces, thanks. GL3N

Guys if you want your name and date add ~ Kjhf 13:30, 1 November 2006 (UTC) Also, taken the clean up off. I think it's fine.

Majority stake sold off
Apparently, Lego has sold 70% of the parks operations. It would be great if someone "in the know" would update the article with information on the deal and what it means for the future of Legoland. --217.155.44.246 16:53, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

This is an Advertisment!!!
Reading this article, I feel as if I'm constantly being encouraged to visit the park. The wording just seems such that it's an advertisment, as opposed to an encyclopedia article. I can certainly see one reason for this - much of the text has been "borrowed" from other sites: I recognise it!

Also, take the "Most popular rides" section. As voted for by whom?

In my opinion, this article is in need of a total rewrite. Therefore, unless I hear any reasonable objections, I'll be rewriting this article.

TheIslander 09:14, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
 * No objections, for months, so I finally went ahead. I've re-written much of the information on the rides, as well as adding a section for 'Land of the Vikings'. I've re-ordered the areas to a much more natural order - top to bottom of park. I've removed facilities, shops and food outlets, as only a few were mentioned, and there are too many to make it a meaningful inclusion. I've also removed the 'most popular rides' and renamed it 'busiest rides', as this is more accurate, and have included it in the main section (information was just repeated as it was - there was no need for it). Comments? --TheIslander 17:24, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Closed Rides
As part of my rewrite, I decided to add rides that closed in the past, making it clear that they no longer exist. This is, after all, an article about Legoland as a whole, past, present and future, not just present. Anyone disagree? --TheIslander 19:58, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Retail
Above I wrote:

"I've removed facilities, shops and food outlets, as only a few were mentioned, and there are too many to make it a meaningful inclusion."

I've decided that it is a meaningful inclusion, but only if it is done thouroughly, hence I have written this new section detailing pretty much all retail within the park. TheIslander 21:20, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I went to legoland on 25 march 2008 and there were no lego exclusive sets (eg Green Grocer, Cafe Corner, Dwarves' mine) for sale. A cashier explained that because they are no longer owned by lego, they don't get any priority over other retailers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.10.79.148 (talk) 14:27, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

New Sections
Along with the new Retail section, I feel that some other sections should be added, and I will be writing them soon.

Firstly, none of the parks special events are mentioned so I have created a section on this topic (a slightly tricky topic - I hope I've made it sound neutral). I will also be added a section for Christmas opening, and possibly operating calendar. TheIslander 11:29, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Miniland
the length of cables and rail tracks used here, anyone know? T saston 23:50, 15 July 2007 (UTC)
 * That'd be 300,000 metres of underground cabling, leading to 14 computers which control the whole lot. Not sure on the length of track. Info from a souvenir guidebook, 1997 ;) TheIslander 19:56, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Updated Peer Review
This is the automated peer review suggestions, I'll keep updating them as the article improves.

The following suggestions were generated by a semi-automatic javascript program, and might not be applicable for the article in question. You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas. Thanks, AMK152(Talk • Contributions • Send message) 02:28, 2 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Please expand the lead to conform with guidelines at Lead. The article should have an appropriate number of paragraphs as is shown on WP:LEAD, and should adequately summarize the article.[?]
 * Per Wikipedia:Context and Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates), months and days of the week generally should not be linked. Years, decades, and centuries can be linked if they provide context for the article.[?]
 * Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style (numbers), there should be a non-breaking space -  between a number and the unit of measurement. For example, instead of 16 metres, use 16 metres, which when you are editing the page, should look like: 16&amp;nbsp;metres.[?]
 * Per WP:WIAFA, this article's table of contents (ToC) may be too long – consider shrinking it down by merging short sections or using a proper system of daughter pages as per Summary style.[?]
 * Watch for redundancies that make the article too wordy instead of being crisp and concise. (You may wish to try Tony1's redundancy exercises.)
 * Vague terms of size often are unnecessary and redundant - “some”, “a variety/number/majority of”, “several”, “a few”, “many”, “any”, and “all”. For example, “ All pigs are pink, so we thought of  a number of ways to turn them green.”
 * Please ensure that the article has gone through a thorough copyediting so that it exemplifies some of Wikipedia's best work. See also User:Tony1/How to satisfy Criterion 1a.[?]

2009 Season
I have made some changes regarding the new land and restaurant opening in 2009 and also the removal of some aspects of Lego City (namely the Indoor attractions). I do not feel that I know the park well enough to do the major overhaul recommended above though. Turquoisefish (talk) 19:28, 29 March 2009 (UTC)

Biased
This article seems pretty biased. It even looks like Legoland staff/spokepersons wrote it, not saying that's bad, but this is an encyclopedia, not a review website. Tigernose (talk) 21:19, 31 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Totally agree. It's reads like a page from a commercial website telling you what to enjoy when you got there. It's sections are even headed in order that you arrive at the park. This article I suspect is edited by a commercial-interested body. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.156.28.30 (talk) 18:45, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Rewrite
I have rewritten Legoland Windsor on my sandbox at User:Adamiow/Sandbox. I would very much appreciate any feedback before I put it live, so if you have any comments, could you put them below? Thanks - much appreciated! Adamiow (talk) 21:29, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

Removal of unsourced content viewed as promotional
With a view to concerns expressed previously by others on this page, I'm removing the following, per WP:NOTPROMOTION, WP:OR, WP:UNDUE, WP:NOTGALLERY, WP:PRIMARY:


 * The Imagination Theatre was refurbished with a truss lighting grid, lighting booth, and blackout drapes for the Christmas production of Peter Pan at the end of the season.
 * Bum Shaker closed and became a picnic area at the end of the season.
 * The Technic Garage became a food outlet, Muscle Maker became the remote controlled model lorry attraction Truck Stop and Sky Rider was refurbished at the end of the season.
 * The I-Spy Express was renamed The Adventurer’s Express and re-themed around jungle animals during the season.
 * Sky Rider was refurbished for the season with new restraints added, a 'non-stop' loading system implemented and the direction of the cars around the track reversed.
 * The Mindstorms Workshop was moved from Knights’ Kingdom to the Imagination Centre to replace the Dacta Workshops, Robolabs opened and Lego Racers 4D was introduced in the Imagination Theatre at the start of the season.
 * The Big Restaurant was refurbished for the start of the season.
 * Rocket Racers closed after technical problems, low popularity and queuing problems and the Celtic maze of The Amazing Mazes was replaced with a path at the end of the season.
 * The Amazing Mazes closed with the nautical maze of The Amazing Mazes demolished and the Tudor maze renamed Loki’s Labyrinth at the end of the season.
 * Mole-in-One Golf opened in July.
 * After severe delays from the original April launch, the first attraction of the Land of the Vikings, river rapids ride Vikings' River Splash, opened on August 18 with a reduced capacity of six passengers per raft and incomplete theming, with Loki's Labyrinth opening after being within the construction site since its retheming in 2006.
 * The Q-Bot was introduced at the beginning of the season.
 * Cinderella in the Duplo Theatre and Revenge of the Aztec Queen, which replaced The Saphire Scorpion at the LEGO City Harbour, opened for the season.
 * Xbox Gaming Zone replaced the Magic Theatre in the centre of LEGO City.
 * The Big Restaurant was refurbished and renamed City Walk, taking Pasta Patch's menu, which was itself renamed as fish and chips restaurant Captain Barnacle's Boatshed, Cinnabon Bakery was replaced with Harbourside Coffee Co. Express and Bricks 'n' Bits was renamed Cuddles Corner, selling clothing.
 * The Jungle Coaster was removed to be relocated to Legoland Florida, with the space left for the development of a hotel.
 * The Lego City Harbour show was replaced with new Pirates of Skeleton Bay show and Lego City A Clutch Powers 4D Adventure was added to the 3 previous shows in The Imagination Theatre.
 * The Wild Woods was rethemed as Pirates Landing, with new Huss boat Jolly Rocker and existing attractions Rat Trap rethemed with additional equipment as Pirates Training Camp and Pirate Falls enhanced with water cannons and a new audio track and renamed 'Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench'.
 * A submarine-based Sealife attraction, Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sealife, opened on 20 May, using the site of the Dino Dipper, which was relocated to Knight's Kingdom and rethemed Knights' Quest.
 * Lego Star Wars Miniland Experience, featuring scenes from all the movies, replaced Rocket Racers on 16 March.
 * Legoland Windsor Resort Hotel, a 150-room themed hotel, opened on 16 March.
 * Wave Surfer rethemed as S.Q.U.I.D. Surfer and Pit Stop Café became The Original Sandwich Co. at the start of the season.

On-ride Photography is available for Driving School, L-Drivers, Pirate Falls, The Dragon, The Dragon's Apprentice, Fairy Tale Brook, Laser Raiders and Viking's River Splash, and from May 2008, there have been roaming photographers, with prints purchased from a hut in The Beginning.

The area contains the ticket booths and gates, height chart, guest service, Annual Pass and Q-Bot facilities, as well as toilet and cash machines. LEGO Star Wars Miniland Experience and the model makers in the Model Maker's Workshop is found in the former Creation Centre, which previously housed virtual car build and drive ride Rocket Racers, the LEGO Crown Jewels, various LEGO celebrity busts and pictures, a LEGO Virgin Boeing 747 cockpit and a motorbike. The building was originally sponsored by Boeing. From this, Windsor Castle is visible at a distance

Food establishments include Beginning Bites, Pit Stop Diner and Sweet Shop, with shops being flagship The Big Shop, which includes Pick-a-Brick, Kids Wear and a Stars Wars and Last Chance marketplace".

, all of which are open to schools during term time. Rides include wire climbing Space Tower and aerial powered car track Sky Rider, both original rides opened in 1996. Finally, the Imagination Theatre is a small cinema showing 4D films, currently showing LEGO Racers 4D (2003),Spellbreaker 4D (2006), Lego City A Clutch Powers 4D Adventure (2010), and LEGO Star Wars Padwan Menace 2D (2012). Bob the Builder 4-D: Bob and the Rollercoaster (2009) is no longer shown.

Food is available at Papa Moles.

London includes the Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge, a rotating London Eye, Canary Wharf, St Paul's Cathedral, Horseguards Parade with the Queen, Tower Bridge and a train system modelled on the Docklands Light Railway and the London Underground. England includes Brighton Pier, the Angel of the North, Smiths Arms Wiltshire (the smallest pub in Britain) and Stonehenge, with Scotland including Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Eilean Donan, Jedburgh Abbey, Blair Atholl and Loch Ness and Wales featuring a rugby pitch and a typical Welsh village street while the National Anthem is played. Other countries featured include Sweden, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

During 2001, an audio tour was introduced, but removed at the end of the season. In 2009, Lego versions of the Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and The Stig were introduced near the racetrack in Miniland, standing around a Caterham model. Since 2009, The Doctor from Doctor Who, along with his relevant current assistant, K9, the Tardis and enemies including Davros and the Daleks, have been added. Others featured include Yoda, Andy and Lou characters from Little Britain, Boris Johnson, Gordon Brown and H.M. The Queen.

, with attractions including boat-based fairy tale ride Fairy Tale Brook, controllable mock helicopters Chopper Squadron, Duplo Playground play area, children's water play area Waterworks, short narrow-gauge railway Duplo Train, a play area called Duplo Playtown and regular puppet shows in the Duplo Theatre, previously 'Willow Stage'.

Other attractions include two nine-hole minigolf courses operate as Mole-in-One Golf for an additional charge and two 100m water slides for Extreme Team Challenge originally named X-treme Challenge. The shop in this area is Cuddles Corner, which sells stuffed toys and clothing, and food is available from Duplo Family Restaurant and Fried Chicken Co.

Driving School is for children 6 to 13 years old and sponsored by Fiat, and L-Drivers is for children aged 3 to 5 years old, both of which are where children can drive a Lego car around a track complete with traffic lights and road signs to gain a mock license. Boating School lets guests of all ages take control of boats around a course of waterways, Balloon School lets visitors take a 40 ft ride into the sky in a mock hot air balloon and Fire Academy lets groups of 2-4 board a 'fire engine' vehicle, which they must power to a mock-up of a burning building to pump water cannons before returning to the start. Food is available in Sub Station.

The town includes LEGO City Harbour, where live stunt shows are performed at intervals throughout the day, currently showing Pirates Of Skeleton Bay. The city also includes Orient Expedition, which is a train ride around Lego City, Traffic and Adventure Land, with Lego safari animals along the track, Digger Challenge, sponsored by JCB, which offers guests the chance to operate a mock hydraulic digger, and also console gaming area Xbox Gaming Zone.

The shop in this area is Brick Brothers Souvenir Co, which sells a range of Lego souvenirs, and food is available from City Walk, Harbourside Cafe and Ice Factory

The main attraction is the Viking's River Splash, a river rapids ride with nine-seat rafts, interactive water features, the 'Troll Wash', where buckets of water are emptied from the top of a four metre high bridge across the water channel and two Lego dragons, blue representing ice and red representing fire. Longboat Invader is a swinging, spinning 'Rocking Tug' boat ride. Finally, there is Loki's Labyrinth, a Viking themed hedge maze and Spinning Spider, a spinning teacups style ride with a spider theme previously part of Wild Woods.

, with characters based on the Johnny Thunder series (which previously featured in the stunt show). The ride is similar to Lost Kingdom Adventure in Legoland California and is located in the former circus tent, which was re-themed to a desert façade with a 6m high pharaoh made of 200,000 Lego bricks. There is also Scarab Bouncers, a Jumping Star ride that has two drop towers of around 15 ft, similar to Beetle Bounce at Legoland California. From the former Brickadilly's Fairground, three rides were re-themed as part of the land, with The Ferris Wheel renamed Aero Nomad, wave swinger Chair-O-Plane renamed Thunder Blazer and the Carousel renamed Desert Chase.

The shop in this area is The Bazaar in the tent, which sells souvenirs and Lego products with an Egyptian theme, as well as 3D crystal.

Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench ride appropriately Pirate-themed with Lego brick models and includes an on-ride photography opportunity.Pirates Training Camp is a three-storey labyrinth of walkways, scramble nets and chutes, with interactive elements and clues to follow with a mystery to solve. The final attraction is Jolly Rocker, a giant pirate ship that swings 18 meters high, relocated from Heide Park. Visitors can also do Panning For Gold for an extra charge, with gold exchanged for a medal, and the area also includes restaurants, Crossed Ribs BBQ and Pirates BBQ.

As a complement to The Dragon, The Dragon's Apprentice is a smaller rollercoaster for younger children.Enchanted Forest is a walk-through nature trail surrounded with many naturalistic Lego Creations. 'Knight's Quest is an 'Old Train' ride, featuring a loop of cars travelling at high speeds over bumps (it was relocated to the area from Adventure Land and renamed from 'Dino Dipper).

The shop in this area is Turret Shop, which sells a large range of Lego products with medieval themes, and food is available from Knights Delight and Knights Table Rotisserie.

1 million litre tank to view marine exhibits and a Lego recreation of the lost city of Atlantis, which is guarded by live sharks, as well as touch pools and other interactive areas located after the main ride element of the 1,230m2 indoor attraction. The area also includes Wave Surfer, where riders swing round on a gondola suspended over water to avoid water jets activated by spectators and Dino Safari,which is a car ride featuring Lego model dinosaurs. For an extra charge, visitors can go on the seven metre Climbing Wall.

Atlantis Sub Store is a shop in the area, with Burger Ranch and Mexican Cantina offering food.

Legoland Windsor Resort Hotel was opened on 16 March 2012. The hotel was built on the site of former ride Jungle Coaster, a MACK Wild Mouse style rollercoaster, themed to Lego Technic over 400 metres of track to a height of 16 metres at a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). After issues with noise, the ride was relocated to Legoland Florida. The 150-room hotel is LEGO themed and includes a restaurant, bar, pool, children's play area and conference facilities.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays in May, September and October. The park's opening time varies between 9.30am and 10am and closing time varies between 5pm and 8pm, with 9pm for special events. All times vary in accordance with the UK school and public holidays, with longer hours during the summer months and weekends.

Legoland Windsor runs a variety of special events throughout the year. A number now run annually, with several additional one-off events. Regular events are as follows:


 * After Dark, held at Easter, is a three-day late-night event, with a laser, pyrotechnics and water show over Lego City Harbour or lately, Adventure Land Lake, with access to a number of rides during the evenings. The shows are often themed, such as the 10th anniversary in 2006, Batman in 2007 and Star Wars in 2011.
 * Legoland Live! is a family-based concert in July, with singing, dancing and interactive attractions, featuring well-known stars and characters.
 * Amazing Machines is monster truck, motorbike and vehicle stunt show in September.
 * Fireworks occurs at the end of the season for several weekends, with fireworks over Adventure Land viewed from Lego City Harbour and Miniland, activities and rides open late. Due to the fall out zone, the access road is closed during the display. The event is usually themed around Lego related products, such as Rock Raiders, Lego Insectoids, Bionicle, Star Wars and Lego Indiana Jones.

• Aero Nomad

• Balloon School

• Chopper Squadron

• Desert Chase

• Dino Safari

• Dragon's Apprentice

• Driving School

• Extreme Team Challenge

• Fairy Tale Brook

• Fire Academy

• Jolly Rocker

• Knight's Quest

• Laser Raiders

• Orient Expedition

• Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench

• Sky Rider

• Spinning Spider

• The Dragon

• Thunder Blazer

• Vikings' River Splash

Additionally, a number of other attractions and shows can be booked, with some attracting an additional fee. These include:
 * Atlantis Submarine Voyage
 * Boating School
 * Bob the Builder in 4D (Free of charge)
 * Clutch Powers 4D (Free of charge)
 * Lego Racers 4D (Free of charge)
 * Spellbreaker 4D (Free of charge)

By road, Legoland Windsor can be reached by M25, signed from the M3 at junction 3 and M4 at junction 4 and located on the B3022 (Winkfield Road). By coach, Green Line Coaches operate the 702 coach service from London's Victoria Coach Station and Golden Tours operate daily. A shuttle bus, service 200 and 191 from First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, runs from Windsor's town centre. Also, Windsor itself is served by rail at Windsor and Eton Riverside and Windsor and Eton Central, which are a short walk from the connecting shuttle service.


 * Best UK Attraction for Children, issued by Yandell Publishing in 2002.
 * Best Family Visitor Attraction in the 2007 Tommy's Parent Friendly Awards.
 * Best UK theme Park, from the British Travel Awards.

-- Trevj (talk) 08:51, 26 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Additionally, I believe that the numerous photos may not qualify under FoP-UK, because the sculptures are not accessible to the public without paying the entrance fee. After further investigation, I expect to take this up separately at Wikimedia Commons. -- Trevj (talk) 08:55, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I am slightly concerned with the removal of such a large amount of content from the article and the condition the article is now in. The concerns you refer to are from a number of years ago and rewrites have been completed since the comments. I can support a trim and clean up of the article, but not a removal of content without any discussion. Perhaps you could copy over to a sandbox and do a rewrite before implementing a new version of the article? Adamiow (talk) 10:11, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Hi. I don't think use of a sandbox is necessary. The reason for listing the removed content above was for others to evaluate its worth and possibly seek out sources and reinclude some content. The current rating of B-class doesn't look accurate to me, and the article's overly promotional tone (the combined result of individual good faith edits, resulting in an accumulation of such material) led me to remove the content in accordance with policies. The current shape of the article is partly due to the undue inclusion of too many photos. The remaining prose could be tweaked, and this is something that I'm prepared to spend a small amount of time doing - but I thought it best to see the reaction here first. I see you've made good attempts yourself to clean this up in the past, and I apologise for being so ruthless; but Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a publisher of advertising material. -- Trevj (talk) 15:47, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I can appreciate what you are trying to do, but personally, I always try and get some views before doing a mass removal/rewrite and if possible, do it in a sandbox first to allow tweaks before putting the article in place - which also helps to avoid reactions such as mine. I am happy to do a new rewrite of the article in my sandbox again so that the content is reintroduced, but could you perhaps provide an example of a similar article which is in good condition to act as inspiration? If you have a look back to my last rewrite, I removed a heck of a lot and changed the format to reflect other articles, which I felt made it a lot more condensed. On the photos and class, I will have to pass on these, as I don't know enough on these areas. Adamiow (talk) 19:02, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I see what you mean but it's hard to tell how rewrites will be seen by others, and being bold can achieve speedier results than drawn-out discussions.
 * As long as a consensus agreement (in accordance with policy) is arrived at regarding improvements, then the mechanism isn't really important: so bold edits or agreement via discussion both work.
 * If you find it justified to restore the content to article space (rather than just referring to it here on the talk page) then please go ahead. (I'm not familiar with these articles, and only came here because I'm in the process of planning a trip to the place in a couple of months.)
 * I know that GA is a lofty goal, but it looks as if Cedar Point could offer a useful comparison.
 * I may be mistaken regarding the photo licensing - the current discussion is at commons:Commons:Village pump/Copyright.
 * Regarding the class, a reassessment could be requested when the article has stabilised.
 * Thanks. -- Trevj (talk) 20:34, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I ought to add that I'm interested in improving this article too - we're perhaps just approaching from different starting points. -- Trevj (talk) 20:35, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * I'll give a rewrite ago and utilise Cedar Point as a guide - the timeline on that article is a good way to do it. I will do on my sandbox and let you know when it is done, so that you can have a look. On your upcoming holiday, if you have any questions, do feel free to drop me an email on my talk and I would be happy to help. Adamiow (talk) 21:51, 26 February 2013 (UTC)
 * It's looking good so far in your sandbox. I think that duplication can be addressed by including notable developments within the main prose and the detail within the timeline. After my visit (late April) I expect to be better informed about the subject and to be able to contribute more constructively. Thanks. -- Trevj (talk) 22:17, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
 * I saw your sandbox work and have compared the article a little more closely with Cedar Point. I'm still concerned that material such as Xbox Gaming Zone replaces Magic Theatre, The Big Restaurant refurbished and renamed City Walk with Pasta Patch's menu, which was renamed as fish and chips restaurant Captain Barnacle's Boatshed, Cinnabon Bakery replaced with Harbourside Coffee Co. Express and Bricks 'n' Bits renamed Cuddles Corner, selling clothing is of limited encyclopedic value. Such unsourced content could be considered not notable and the sheer quantity of such content (which I originally removed) does seem to give undue weight compared to the park's history and operation. I also think that the inclusion of ride manufacturers in the Cedar Point article (and list of former Cedar Point attractions) is something worth considering here, especially if a lot of it is reported in reliable sources. Maybe we could do with some comments from others here. -- Trevj (talk) 00:14, 7 March 2013 (UTC)
 * The format looks fine when compared with Cedar Point. I think it may be helpful to have comments from others - or just update the article space page when complete and see if it gets consensus. -- Trevj (talk) 05:40, 14 March 2013 (UTC)