Rollercoaster riders at Legoland were in for quite an unfortunate surprise when a ride recently got stuck in Windsor.
On August 25, The Dragon coaster broke down just as it reached the top of the track. Those stranded on the ride were left trapped 30 feet up in the sweltering heat for around 45 minutes.
With temperatures around 90 degrees Fahrenheit that day, one can imagine how miserable it must have been.
A family from Staffordshire, England shared their story of the disastrous day with their local news outlet, StokeonTrentLive.
For 48-year-old Danielle Hollins, her birthday was supposed to be a fun-filled family afternoon at the theme park. She was joined by her partner, 45-year-old Matthew Hall, and her two sons – 15-year-old Harrison Taylor and Marcus George, aged 26.
Marcus also brought along his family, including his partner Claire Downing and their four children. They included 16-year-old Ebony, 11-year-old George, nine-year-old Finley, and Zachary, their five-year-old.
And, yes, the entire family got stuck on the ride.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that they all got trapped on a roller coaster, that wasn’t the only issue they encountered. They’d also spent an hour and 45 minutes in line for another ride – the log flume. Just as they finally reached the front of the line, however, the ride was closed down.
Danielle also claims seven different rides broke down throughout the day, causing massive lines.
All this happened after they’d already spent a large portion of their day simply getting there in the first place.
“We got up really early and then it took four hours to get to Legoland,” Danielle explained. She said it took them another hour just to park and then another to finally reach the attraction.
Apparently, the family had left home around 7:30 in the morning. By 5 PM, they’d only gotten to ride a single ride, and that’s when they lined up for the log flume.
With that ride closing, they were given priority passes for The Dragon. Little did they know that after waiting 30 minutes to board the ride, they’d have to be escorted off once they reached the top.
“It wasn’t just us, there were lots of other small children,” Danielle told StokeonTrentLive. She said all the riders had to be escorted down in pairs and trios, “which was really scary.”
The staff, she explained, were equipped with safety harnesses – the riders, however, had nothing.
Danielle said she “kept asking what would happen if one of us slipped.” The crew, according to her, “just said ‘well catch you.’” She also noted that her partner is 6-foot-tall and over 250 pounds, adding “there’s no way they could catch him.”
For Claire, things were especially troubling, as she suffers from vertigo.
Considering the cost of tickets (around $78 each), we can only imagine how frustrating their day must have been. Several of the family members, however, had yearly passes.
At least those who paid for single-day tickets were eventually offered refunds, but the family says that’s “not really good enough.”
For a birthday out, it sure seemed to be a seriously subpar experience.
A Legoland spokesperson said they’d like to further speak with the family regarding their experience.
