(Credit: Legoland)
Legoland’s first new rollercoaster in 20 years is an indoor, launch-style ride with several tech-infused tricks up its sleeve that should have visitors lining up for repeat adventures. The Galacticoaster is coming to the Winter Haven, Florida, park on Feb. 27 and the Carlsbad, California, location on March 6, and I was invited to check it out on the West Coast inside the park's new space-theme Galaxy Land. Here's what you can expect.
The Ride Is an Experiment in Forced Collaboration
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)The most notable thing about the Galacticoaster is that you design your own spaceship. It may sound improbable that each group of people cycling through the ride would get a unique cart, but park owner Merlin Entertainments says its virtual system houses 625+ spacecraft combinations, so you'd have to ride the Galacticoaster once a day for nearly two years to unlock them all.
Once you enter the 30,000-square-foot Galacticoaster building, and after your group orientation with the animatronic Lego figure Biff Dipper, you're put into a group of four. If you aren’t with four people, then you’ll be paired up with other park goers to create a complete group. I confirmed that a group of four is mandatory; no solo rides unless there are no other people in line.
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)The team of four people will need to work together at a touch-screen terminal to build a virtual Lego ship that you'll ride in to save the galaxy. To start, the basic outline of the ship you’re riding in shows up on the screen. You’re shown five different options for the ship’s nose. Then you pick a set of wings, and so on, down the list of customization points. Some are practical for a flying craft, like jet engines on the back, while others are just for fun. I chose a hamburger as wings and added floating balloons, for example.
Of course, when one virtual ship is being built between four people, there’s an opportunity for conflict. During the media tour, staff were insistent that the Galacticoaster is meant to be a collaborative experience. People will need to figure out how to work together and decide on a ship’s look within the allotted 20 seconds for each section.
Encouraging Repeat Rides With New Customizations
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)The on-screen choices for Lego pieces are fixed for now, but they could change over time. Don’t be surprised to see limited-time selections during holidays or to celebrate characters in the Lego universe. One little Easter egg: When the ride opens, there will be at least two secret choices that are only accessible when no user input happens; only the system has access to them.
Another tidbit I learned during the media tour is that all the creations shown on the Galacticoaster touch screens use publicly accessible parts. Even if a formal set isn't available, you could hunt down the individual pieces to recreate it in real life.
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)Once the ship is complete, one of the group members scans an RFID wristband at the terminal. In each group of four, two will get these wristbands. This is to limit frequency interference and add some redundancy if a wristband malfunctions or its wearer is not up to the task. The basic seating cart that you see on the screen will be waiting for you in the loading area. Then, during the ride, you’ll be able to see yourself in the ship you designed.
Biff Dipper and the Other Parts of Lego Galaxy
The Galacticoaster was still under construction when I visited, so while I was able to design a ship, I didn’t have a chance to see it in action. However, the virtual spaceship customization is the highlight of the Galacticoaster. Having hundreds of combinations is a fun way to keep the experience fresh, even after several trips through the line.
But the design process isn’t the only new piece. Riders filing into the 80-person command center at the beginning of the queuing process will be greeted by Biff Dipper, the park's first fully animatronic robot, and the first to move his whole body. The face is a screen so Biff can display any emotion as he lets guests know that they are Plan C to save the galaxy.
Outside the Galacticoaster, in Galaxy Land, is a new eatery called the U.F.O., or Ultimate Food Outlet. This will be a cashless area like everywhere else in the park. Even though the technology isn’t as prevalent in the food areas, guests will order at a terminal, and names and numbers for orders will be displayed on big screens around the restaurant when they're ready.
As the central new attraction, the Galacticoaster is an interesting blend of digital and physical creativity, letting people build and achieve what isn’t possible in the real world. Even more fascinating, however, is the decision by park designers to turn the ride into a real-life collaborative playroom. Hopefully, Lego is enough of a unifying piece to make this experiment work.