LEGOLAND Florida Pirate Island Hotel Review
If you’re considering staying at the LEGOLAND Florida Pirate Island Hotel, you’ve probably looked at how much it costs. Could it possibly be worth the money to stay on property?
You’re already planning to spend money on LEGOLAND Florida theme park tickets, and to splurge on a resort stay hardly seems worthwhile.
As a certified budget traveler, I’m here to tell you that we decided to splurge on the Pirate Island Hotel, and I was SO happy that we did.
I wanted to give my son the full LEGOLAND experience for his birthday, and I was shocked by how much we all enjoyed the hotel.
In fact, there were moments when we thought we would rather spend more time at the resort than at the LEGOLAND theme park.
This is truly a hotel created with kids in mind, but there’s plenty to enjoy for adults, too!
I’m going to share what made the LEGOLAND Pirate Hotel such an enjoyable experience for the whole family, and why I think it’s a worthwhile splurge on your LEGOLAND Florida vacation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hotel Location
One of the biggest reasons we chose the hotel was its convenient location. Our room was just over 100 “kid steps” away from the entrance to the LEGOLAND theme park.
There are no shuttles, buses, trains, or long car rides to get to and from the theme park. It’s so easy to go to and from the hotel and the park.
Transportation can be a sticking point for kids on vacation, where a lot of the whining happens. Not having to deal with that at all shows me how much thought LEGOLAND put into making the entire experience centered around kids.
The theme park itself is located in Winter Haven, Florida. It’s a small city about an hour away from both Orlando and Tampa.
>> Related: Family Travel Guide to Tampa Bay
If you’re not a Florida Resident, you can choose which airport to fly into, and you’ll likely have to rent a car to get there.
You’ll drive into the LEGOLAND theme park entrance and there will be a special lane for hotel guests. They will give you a parking pass and direct you to the hotel parking lot.
The Check-In Process
The Pirate Island Hotel shares a lobby and check-in area with the LEGOLAND Hotel. You go through the main entrance and you’ll see some self-check-in machines as well as a front desk.
Once you receive an email saying your room is ready, you can begin the check-in process yourself on one of the machines.
An employee will likely come over to help, hand you a map and a guide to the hotel, and answer any questions you may have.
It’s a pretty straightforward process.
We arrived early, and even though our room wasn’t ready yet, we were allowed to use the pool to keep the kids occupied while we waited.
Once we were checked in, it was time to head back to the Pirate-themed side of the hotel. That’s where the fun began!
The LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel Rooms
The pirate-themed rooms are a true LEGO fan’s dream! From the carpets to the wallpaper, the bedspreads to the decor, every aspect of the Pirate Island hotel room is perfectly on theme.
The standard room has a perfect setup for families. The rooms are divided in half, separated by the bathroom in the middle.
On one side is the adult area with a king-size bed, a desk, a tv, and nightstands.
On the other side is the kid area with bunk beds, a trundle bed, a LEGO play wall, and their own tv.
The standard rooms sleep 5 comfortably, which is a big change from most hotel rooms that only sleep 4. You can easily pull out the trundle bed to sleep a third child!
The bathroom has a stepstool for little ones and a toddler toilet seat that you can pull down for your smallest family members.
I went with one of my sons for his birthday, and we shared a room with my sister and her son. The 4 of us had plenty of space and loved relaxing and playing in the Pirate Island hotel room.
If we were visiting with all of our kids as a family of 6, we would stay in the Family Suite which sleeps up to 7 people with a king bed, a bunk bed, a trundle bed, and a pull-out sofa bed.
Fun LEGOLAND Pirate Touches that Make the Rooms Unique
A few things really stood out to us during our stay that made the rooms extra special for kids.
Welcome Treasure Hunt
First of all, each room has a safe, and kids need to solve a scavenger hunt to find the code to open the safe.
Inside they’ll find a new LEGO set and a few other special treats like apple juice and a pirate eye patch.
Each day the kids get a new LEGO set, which includes Minifigures! They can use those Minifigures to trade in the LEGOLAND park or take them home as souvenirs.
LEGO Table and Bricks to Play With
Across from the bunk beds in the kid’s area, you’ll see a TV with a small LEGO table full of LEGO bricks to play with during your stay.
Once we got in the room, we didn’t hear a word out of our boys because they were having so much fun playing LEGOS!
The other day my 5-year-old asked me why hotels never have toys for kids to play with. Well, at least I could tell him that one amazing hotel does!
LEGO Movie Channel
My son really wanted to watch the LEGO movie during the plane ride, but as luck would have it we forgot his tablet at home. We had to entertain ourselves the old-fashioned way with Tic Tac Toe and reading.
However, once we arrived at the LEGOLAND Pirate Hotel, we found out that they have a whole channel dedicated to LEGO movies. Of course!
I turned on the movie for the boys but found myself hovering nearby watching the entire movie because it’s actually really funny.
Interactive Amazon Alexa
Each room has an interactive Alexa device so you can ask questions about the weather, request hotel services, participate in a treasure hunt, or hear a pirate joke or bedtime story. Such a cute idea!
Best Amenities at the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel
Guests do pay a daily resort fee at the pirate hotel, but that covers many wonderful amenities like Wifi, free breakfast, free parking, and more.
Complimentary Breakfast at Shipwreck Restaurant
Whenever I find out that a hotel has a complimentary breakfast, I’m much more likely to book it no matter how expensive the hotel is.
That’s because with young children, it’s not only the cost of buying an additional meal that’s frustrating, but it’s the stress of finding food as soon as you wake up for your hungry kids.
You don’t have to worry about that at LEGOLAND!
Complimentary breakfast is served family-style at the Shipwreck Restaurant which was just steps away from our room.
You get a platter of breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, pancakes or French Toast, and fruit. You can request more of the items you know your kids will eat, or less of the items you know they won’t.
There’s coffee and creamer, orange juice, and more.
Just make sure you head over fairly early if you’re hoping to make it to LEGOLAND theme park by the time it opens. There’s often a short wait the closer it gets to opening time, so the earlier the better!
Free Parking
One of the perks of staying at the hotel is having a free parking spot for the duration of your stay.
Standard parking for park guests not staying at the hotel starts at $23 and is a bit of a walk. It’s much further than walking from your hotel room, anyway!
And if you do need to drive somewhere during your stay (we drove across the street to Publix for sunscreen, snacks, and fruit), your parking spot is much closer than everyone else’s, and there are a lot of options in the shade.
Heated Pool
One of the best amenities at the resort is the spacious heated pool with floating LEGO bricks.
When we weren’t inside the LEGOLAND theme park, this is where we spent the majority of our time. While the Pirate Island pool was closed for maintenance, we were still able to use the LEGOLAND Hotel pool.
There are complimentary warm towels, life jackets in multiple sizes available for kids, and even a giant water slide!
The pool is zero-entry on one end which is perfect for families with babies and toddlers,
We spent most of our time on the other end of the pool which is shallow, but not zero-entry.
My sister and I had so much fun going down the water slide with our kids. It’s so nice to have that extra feature!
There were plenty of lounge chairs around the pool to use, and overall it was just a really relaxing place to spend our time.
Entertainment
Another way you can tell LEGOLAND Pirate Island caters to families is the sheer amount of entertainment they offer around the hotel.
There are plenty of free options that are included with your stay, and a few things to do that cost a bit of extra money.
Pirate Island Play Area
Across from Smuggler’s Bar, there’s a Pirate Island play area with a small stage and LEGO bricks to play with.
Families can show up here for the scheduled entertainment options which are free for hotel guests.
Options include a Pirate Pajama Dance Party, Pirate Trivia, storytime, and LEGO building challenges.
Check the schedules posted around the hotel or the resort guide you receive when you check in for scheduled entertainment!
Creative Workshop
Guests of the hotel can sign up for the free daily Creative Workshop led by a Model Master Builder.
Kids can keep their build, and there is a different build every day! On the day we attended, our kids made a little LEGO porcupine!
What I loved about this workshop is that it was short and sweet, it was easy for kids to do, but parents were welcome and encouraged to help.
Our Model Master Builder also talked about what it was like to design LEGO structures around LEGOLAND, and now that’s one of my son’s career ambitions!
Even my sister and I learned so much about what the different LEGO bricks are called along with some fun LEGO lingo we’d never heard before.
I would highly recommend doing the Creative Workshop with your kids. Just make sure to sign up ahead of time!
Stroll the Boardwalk
LEGOLAND and Pirate Island Hotel are located on beautiful Lake Eloise, and there’s a lovely boardwalk surrounded by live oak trees dripping in Spanish Moss.
It’s a free activity and a great day to wind down from the fun activities of the day.
Just make sure to use bug spray so you don’t get eaten alive by those Florida mosquitoes!
Play some Mini Golf
There’s a 9-hole mini golf course on the property called Florida’s Wild Side Mini Golf.
It’s only $8 per person to play, so if you’ve planned extra days at the hotel where you’re not going to LEGOLAND theme park, this would be a perfect activity to help fill your day.
Make S’mores
Guests can purchase a s’mores kit at the front desk and head out to the on-site fire pit!
Staff is waiting with marshmallow roasting sticks, so head outside and make some memories as a family while enjoying a yummy treat - that is, if you’re not too tired from riding rides and swimming all day!
Pontoon Boat Rides
For $15 per person, you can reserve a pontoon boat ride around Lake Eloise to check out the Florida wildlife!
I can’t think of a more peaceful way to wind down from the excitement of a day at LEGOLAND than by spending time in nature.
Where to Eat
There are plenty of restaurants on the property to choose from (which I’ll detail below), but you can also head over to Publix or a nearby Walmart to pick up some snacks and fruits and vegetables for in-between meals.
I know our family sometimes needs some healthy food to help break up the delicious restaurant and theme park food!
Shipwreck Restaurant
Yes, this is the same restaurant where you’ll go to eat your free breakfast, but it’s also open for dinner!
Just like the breakfast service, dinner is served family-style, and you can choose from several different types of platters - including a plant-based option!
Remember, you can ask for more or less of any part of the platter, which is really handy if you have picky eaters in your family.
Smuggler’s
This bar in the lobby of the Pirate Island Hotel is just beverages, but I did notice that they had a spread of cereal, fruit, and coffee around breakfast time for families that needed to grab something on the go.
The location of Smuggler’s is also perfect for parents who want to enjoy an adult beverage while the kids participate in the evening’s entertainment.
Skyline Lounge
This is the indoor restaurant located near the LEGOLAND Hotel pool. It feels a little bit classier than the Shipwreck Restaurant, but don’t worry! It’s still catered toward families.
I enjoyed a light, crisp salad here, which was perfect after a few days of eating comfort food.
They also have a stocked bar for adults and fun mocktails for kids!
My 7-year-old son was so interested in the LEGO skyline on the back wall. There are so many intricate details that even our server mentioned that she still loves to find new details she’s never noticed before!
How Much does it Cost?
Our standard room cost $540 per night. It was peak season in mid-July, AND we only booked about a month ahead of time.
If you’re able to book earlier or visit during slower seasons, you’ll likely be able to find lower rates for the rooms.
We also found in our search that the LEGOLAND Hotel had slightly cheaper rates, but none of the standard rooms were available by the time we booked, so we went with Pirate Island.
Finally, if you’re really looking to save money on your LEGOLAND Resort visit, try looking into the Beach Retreat cottages, which not only offer lower rates but offer more space, too! The only drawback is that they’re not quite as close to the LEGOLAND theme park.
LEGOLAND Florida’s Pirate Island Hotel is perfect for the entire family, and a kid’s dream come true.
I would highly recommend staying here if you’re planning to visit LEGOLAND Florida, as it will really enhance your experience and make it feel much more like a vacation and an immersive experience.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll walk away secretly obsessed with the LEGO movie franchise, how child-centered LEGOLAND is, and really just LEGO bricks in general.
If you want a truly kid-centered vacation, LEGOLAND and Pirate Island Hotel are the place to go!
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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
