We’re trying to get as much use out of these Merlin Annual Passes as humanly possible, so we thought we’d head back to the Trafford Centre for a double whammy of the Legoland Discovery Centre and Sea Life Centre.
Now I did say after our trip back in September that we wouldn’t rush back to the Discovery Centre as it’s always pretty samey, but when its technically free to us with the pass, we thought we might as well. Plus, you only get 3 hours in, so we thought we’d do Sea Life centre too. We’ve been before so there was no pressure to see everything in minute detail as we can always come back.
So, we found ourselves back at Trafford Palazzo in the Trafford Centre on a Sunday morning for a 10am entry slot – the first slot of the day – at the Discovery Centre. Worth mentioning, that even with an annual pass, you still have to book a timeslot online in advance.
Entry and Pricing
10am became 10:10am, followed by a little ceremony at the door, then the queue to get in meant our 10am slot was 10:15am. Pretty sure the timeslots are different prices too, so something to be aware of if 10:15am is slightly cheaper. FYI, prices for entry would have worked at about £115 for the four of us using the Legoland/Sea Life combo ticket, with individual tickets at around £16 for adults and £12.50 for children (2-17)
Anyway, with wristbands on we headed in, and skipped by the usual green screen photo op at the entrance. We’ve been here several times, so we never bother with the photos. We realised later that Merlin passholders get 50% off the photo packages – same at Sea Life Centre – so the next time we’re in, we might take advantage.
We had our usual ride on Knights Kingdom – the small, screen/target shooting dark ride – and took a quick lap of Miniland (nothing new in there) before heading in.
Build The Thrill
The current event at both Manchester and Birmingham’s Discovery Centre is ‘Build the Thrill’, an F1 themed event to coincide with Lego’s new Formula 1 and Speed Champions sets.
On entry, the kids were invited to spin a wheel to select their F1 team and were given a lanyard with their team stamp on. Then they could build a minifigure that would serve as their driver for the morning.
For the main part of the event, the kids had to build their own cars and test their speed and resilience on the Discovery Centre ramps.
They had fun building the cars and launching them along the ramps. Elliott built more of a dragster-looking car, while Evan’s was more of a Monster Truck.
At the end of their play, they had a ‘hall of fame’ stand for the kids to display their car and driver on for all to see. You couldn’t take the minifig home, but that didn’t stop some adults stealing them off the display. Some people are just… scumbags.
Other than the lanyards and the minifigs to build, they had some cut-out masks and backdrops for photo ops.
Discovery Centre Café
We usually take packed lunches to avoid spending, but today we were planning on eating elsewhere. The kids, however got hungry early so needed a feed and the Legoland Discovery Centre café has a good meal deal offer. And it’s an even better deal when you get 20% off with a merlin pass!
For £5.95, you could select:
- A cheese or ham sandwich or 6 chicken nuggets
- A packet of crisps (Wotsits or Pom-Bears)
- A snack (Fro-yo or jelly pouch)
- A piece of fruit (apple, pear, tangerine or banana)
- A drink (water or Capri-Sun)
- Plus, you could upgrade to a Lego block shaped lunchbox for £8.
Best of the Rest
Build the Thrill event aside, there was little different from previous visits. The kids played in the Ninjago soft play area, and we all had a go on Merlin’s apprentice – the spinning/flying bike ride. I think the Dreamzzz film in the 4D cinema may be new, but we didn’t make it to see it this time.
Is Legoland Discovery Centre Any Good?
All in all, it’s a fun morning out for the kids. There’s rarely anything new and the event itself was just a lot of banners and bunting. Yes, you were given a lanyard, but you can build and test cars on the ramps all year round at the Discovery Centre, so it wasn’t really a special event. But it’s always fun to get back on the rides and do a spot of Lego building.
We’ll have to see when the next event is before we come back. Might try one of the workshops too!
Onwards to the Sea Life Centre!
Full info and tickets can be found on the official Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester website.
