August 08, 2014

A Dream Realized and Hopefully a Lesson About #Bullying Learned- @LegoLandFlorida & El Dr.


To the good folks of the FTC- Legoland sent 2 park entrances to BB when the story of El Dr's school year was shared. 
That was the "monetary" compensation for this post;the actual emotional compensation is priceless.




HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!





Babushka and El Dr. all smiles at LegoLand Florida. A nice picture verdad? Pity the story behind it isn't.

 If you read the FTC disclosure, BB hinted about my grandson's school year. My dear, baby loving, self entertained, inquisitive grandson was being mocked for all the things we love about him, and this shook the very core of his being, questioning if perhaps his family had been untruthful to him and that tal vez his new environment was the truth.  As soon as his parents found out, they changed schools and are ever vigilant that it doesn't happen again, but that didn't erase his hurt or his doubts. Was Babushka going to let those bullies win, let them change my querido nieto? JU SO FONII!!! Y'all know BB takes situations and finds/sees the positive in them, and if a Twofer can be made - a definite ESO! Such was the case of this years summer vacation choice with El Dr.; we would combine the dream he had of visiting Legoland and the life lesson of " playing alone,"nerdiness" is really not a bad thing."

And so we went to Legloland Florida- let the learning & fun begin!


Vieron the size of the park?? Where to go, where to start? 
 Bueno, The Beginning is always a good place...


That was just the entrance! Ahora My Beautifuls, you know BB does not usually travel the typical straight path, but in the name of poetic license, and for the sake of your sanity, let's follow the left side of the map.


Por supuesto and But Of Course, the FIRST thing that caught El Dr.'s eyes??


Unfortunately, fortunately it wasn't open- closed for refurbishment. This brings me to several points. Check the daily printouts for closed rides and daily showtimes, they really do help keep the frustration levels down.  The second point, don't be surprised by the amount of Lego products and shops that carry them. BB let El Dr. look at all of them- Quee?? Soy Abuela, that's one of the perks. Besides, they had AC.  Continuing; he gets to look at all so he can see which one he truly wanted to take home.  Vieron? Grandma gets to look benevolent without having to lug souvenirs all over AND gets to cool off in the shops AC. This takes me to the last point here- TAKE SUNBLOCK, KEEP YOURSELF COOL.  If you need help on that you can watch Babushka's YouTube Video for tips. 

FUN TOWN had several neat places, but for BB Fun Town Slushies (see prior sentences for why this is a given) and the Fresh From Florida Greenhouse Exhibit were the favorites. Si yo se, Babushka's such a fan of the state- love learning about it; hope all the grands do the same. A bit of learnin' between the fun.


BB's Hometown Miami Dade County and BB's Home town Wakulla County
Really am an extremist huh?

Got such a kick out of seeing them- but wait, there's another "home" surprise in a bit...

Continuing.

El Dr.'s favorite spots in FUN TOWN were the Grand Carousel and the  Wells Fargo 4D Theater,
which he agreed with Babushka on the 4D movie .  BUENISIMO!!!

 He also enjoyed the characters around the park.


What can I say? El Dr. is BB's grandson; he likes bad jokes.



Bigger than Life.  Now let's go the opposite way.


MINILAND USA



Not too mini actually. Bueno, considering the cities they've recreated, they really can't be.



They have 8 major places represented. Naturally they had Florida; BB showed the wildlife- both natural and the ones tanning in Miami Beach. Do you remember when I wrote earlier about another "home" surprise?


OH SI THEY DID!!!


 AHORA SI- BB LEGOLAND!


And as if it couldn't get any better...


A COOL OFF MACHINE!!!!


And talking about cool...



BB's brush with the Dark Side-  Darth Vader
Y que me dicen, what says you about El Dr. & Arturito??

Yeah, as you can see, his eyes rolled too when I said that.







At this point the post should be titled- Back off Bullies, I'm in the Zone. And he truly was.

First, the WB Zone.


Where he got to play games and got to meet the stars of his latest favorite film.



But most entrancing to him of all-



Are you seeing that face of total contentment? 
 Just tell me if that isn't the stare of someone "in the zone".

It took a lot of convincing to get him away from there, pero 1.5 hours era suficiente,
there were more things to see and lands to visit.



The one school El Dr. didn't mind going to? Driving School!!
Si, Gracias to Ford, my grandson was going to get his license before the day was through.


Always said it- we're  Una Familia Pa' Ford!



LEGO KINGDOMS


El Dr. had seen the castle from the parking lot and it was one of the "must go to" points of Legoland. When he realized it housed a roller coaster he passed on it, but he loved the food, the joust, and the chance to win prizes.  FYI bring cash, 'cause you're gonna wanna play!! 


WORLD OF CHIMA


The LEGO World of Chima, presented by Cartoon Network, features an immersive family experience with an interactive water ride, The Quest for CHI, a super-charged SpeedorzTM Arena, Cragger’s Swamp water play area, a new 4D movie experience and character meet-n-greet sessions.


El Dr. had a great time playing with the water squirters and seeing the characters of a favorite cartoon series; Babushka was thankful for the cool water soaking the days heat away.



By this time we were getting a little tired, but there was one more section Babushka had to visit.


Legoland stock photo


DUPLO VALLEY
When we first entered the park BB had suggested visiting this and he said no, it was for little kids. After a day of being at Legoland he realized it was ok to like what he liked, that he wasn't the only one who could live in this type of world, and that being with those younger than himself was nothing to be ashamed of.  We had come full circle; he wanted to go in.


If the Imagination Zone was his Intellectual side, then Duplo Valley was his emotional side.
 Here too he felt at home.


So did Babushka really have to go all the way to Legoland to prove bullies wrong? 
A little extreme perhaps, but I'm a Cuban Grandma and that's just our way.
Y despues de ver, after seeing and sharing these moments



It's the only way to be.


BB2U




p.s.  There are 2 other sections BB didn't include here, but the pics will be on Google + and Feibu.

 p.p.s.Right now there's a BOGO deal for all Florida Residents that's definitely worth using.


Because Babushka doesn't want any disappointed fans, the VIP Points program is not honored at the park. You truly can get any and all types of Legos here, but the company that makes Legos NO es dueño, is NOT the owner of Legoland, so don't expect to use or get Lego points for any purchases.

What you CAN expect is a wonderful experience that needs at least 2 days for the park, 1 day for the waterpark, and once the hotel opens in 2015 at least 2 days more days there just to recover.

; )





Bohemian Babushka
Bohemian Babushka

Groovy Spanglish speaking Grandma of 6 who loves life and all its adventures. Motivational while still keeping it real, Babushka shows how all things looked at with gratitude are good, and how to say to la vida- JU SO FONII!!!

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Always remember- If someone doesn't see YOUR brilliance, just look at them, smile, and say- JU SO FONI!!!