First Look at the Grand Opening of LEGO® NINJAGO® World at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort

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By Karen Wain

On Thursday, January 12th, LegoLand Florida unveiled Lego Ninjago World which included the new 3D/4D interactive ride where you “become the ninja.”  Attendees included: members of the Victory Xtreme Team from Victory martial Arts in Orlando, FL, Internet celebrities such as the Eh Bee Family and EvanTubeHD from Canada, as well as Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner) and other members of the cast of the Netflix Original Series Fuller House.

The celebration began with a whole lot of confetti and the celebrities demonstrating the five special ninja hand moves to help fight the evil Lego villains on the ride.  These moves included: the Lightning Strike where you hold your arm at a slant and chop, the Chops of Fury where hold your arms in front of you, with your palms facing each other, and do a series of fast karate chops, the Cobra where you put one arm in a snake position and forwards and backwards, the Fireball Flinger where you clench your fist and at like you are throwing a fireball over and over, and the Shuriken Shuffle where you hold your arm in front of you, palm down, with your arm bent so it touches your chest and chop outwards.

Journalists and other VIPs anxiously waited to photograph and interview the celebrities while they tested out the new ride.  The feedback was nothing less than positive.  Jodie Sweetin, the grown-up Stephanie Tanner from the original ABC sitcom Full House that aired from 1987-1995 said, “I loved it. It was really fun and we had a really good time doing all of our ninja moves and competing against each other and the graphics were amazing. It was a lot of fun!”

Mckenna Grace of the ABC drama Designated Survivor said, “It was really great and a lot of fun! I liked it a lot!”

Elias Harger, who plays Max Fuller in the Fuller House series said his favorite part was “getting to kill the Great Devourer.”

“My favorite part of the ride was going through with all of my cast, saying you get that and I’ll get this, it was a team effort” said Soni Bringas, who plays Ramona Gibler in Fuller House.

“It was really fun.  It was really cool technology.  I’ve never seen anything like it where you shoot fireballs from your hands.  It’s pretty cool,” said Michael Campion, another Fuller House cast member.

After being completely star-struck, the journalists and VIPs also had the opportunity to test drive the new ride, based on the animated series, Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. 

It began with a hands-on training, which allowed us to practice our ninja skills, prior to testing them out on the actual ride itself.  We proceeded quickly through the queue, entered the car, pulled down the lap bar down, and placed 3D glasses over our eyes.  The animation and special effects were spectacular.  It really felt as if we were in the series, fighting villains.  The car turned and moved from room to room, presenting various scenarios.    I rode it with my 11 month-old and 3 year-old daughters and they also had a blast.  We scored points by using the above-mentioned ninja hand-movies and had a laugh at our photos at the conclusion of the ride. Somehow my 11 month-old even managed to rack up a few points.

This new ride really is fun for all ages because the CGI (computer-generated imagery) and state-of-the-art special effects make it so lifelike and the experience allows you to work as a team as well as compete against one another, using simple moves.  Once the ride is over, Ninjago still has more to do.  There’s a model of a mountaintop Ninjago monastery where kids (and adults) can grab Legos and add to the scenery and metal spinners that allow the children to twist and twirl on spiral platforms.  There’s also an outdoor rock climbing area and place to test the speed of your relexes.
The day did not end there, VIP guests had the opportunity of staying and enjoying the entire theme park for the rest of the day and were given vouchers to try out the brand-new quick-service restaurant, Pepper and Roni’s Pizza Stop (which serves pizza, salads, snacks, desserts, and drinks) as well as the Market Restaurant which served bbq dishes, sides, desserts, drinks, and milkshakes.  The menu included pulled pork, sausage, and wings for adults as well as hot dog sliders, chicken tenders, waffle fries, fruit cups, and apple juice for the kids.

Outside of Pepper and Roni’s stood a life-sized Pizza Chef and a pizza made out of Legos.  It was a to-go restaurant, which allowed guests to grab a pre-made, hot and fresh personal (cheese, pepperoni, or veggie) pizza along with sides and drinks, so as to not take away from their time at the park.  The pizza was delicious, not too greasy, nice and hot, fluffy crust, and well-seasoned.

The Market Restaurant was super busy, so the lines did not move very fast, and the food was decent.  It was nice to have a variety of options and the kids really enjoyed sharing a hot dog meal right after devouring the pizza from Pepper and Roni’s.

It was overall an amazing experience.  The new ride was loads of fun and the Red Carpet experience brought the adventure to a whole new level.  The staff was friendly. All rides were in working order.  All of the characters, cars, and villages made of Legos were very impressive.  The rides included roller coasters, a multi-level carousel, driving a car and a boat, flying a plane, water rides, putting out fires, and much more.  I would definitely recommend this park to families with small children.

 

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‘Fuller House,’ ‘Designated Survivor’ Stars Celebrate Grand Opening of LEGO® NINJAGO® World at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort

1/12/2017 10:00:00 AM

 Groundbreaking Interactive Ride Highlights Immersive Expansion Area at Multi-Day Vacation Destination #BuiltForKids

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (Jan. 12, 2017) — Stars of the Netflix Original Series “Fuller House,” including Jodie Sweetin, Michael Campion, Soni Nicole Bringas, Ashley Liao and Elias Harger, and Mckenna Grace, star of ABC’s “Designated Survivor,” visited LEGOLAND® Florida Resort Jan. 12, 2017 for the grand opening of LEGO® NINJAGO® World.

The all-new theme park land is filled with several hands-on, outdoor activities where kids can sharpen their ninja skills before the ultimate showdown on LEGO NINJAGO [NIN-JAH-GO] The Ride, a dazzling new attraction that blends 3D computer animation, “4D” effects and groundbreaking technology never seen outside a LEGOLAND theme park.

During a lavish grand opening ceremony attended by nearly 200 journalists and VIPs, the stars demonstrated several ninja hand moves kids can use to fight villains on the state-of-the-art “dark ride” where guests score points while blasting animated fireballs, lightning and more at waves of 3D villains. Joining the festivities were sibling ninja Kai and Nya [NEE-AH].

Kids can “become the ninja” in their very own LEGO NINJAGO adventure when they enter the martial arts kingdom inspired by the popular LEGO building sets and the “LEGO NINJAGO: Masters of Spinjitzu” TV show.

After the special effects-filled ceremony, the television stars joined social media celebrities stars Eh Bee Family and EvanTubeHD to greet media and excited fans along a red carpet within the lushly landscaped theme park land, including the kid hosts of LEGOLAND Florida Resort TV, an exclusive online video series.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort features more than 50 rides, shows and attractions inspired by the LEGO and DUPLO brands, including experiences based on “The LEGO Movie,” LEGO NINJAGO, LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS, LEGO City, LEGO Technic and LEGO Friends.

For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com/florida, or call (877) 350-5346.

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