Thrilling time at Legoland

Members of the Johor media on the junior roller coaster at Legoland Malaysia.

JOHOR BARU: Members of the Johor Media were among the first to test some of the 40 rides and attractions at the Legoland Malaysia theme park in Nusajaya, prior to its Sept 15 opening. Among the rides tested were the Aquazone Wave Rider, which is a wave surf.

Besides being on a water-based, single-seater battleship, the rider has to dodge water bombs that are launched by spectators from the ring side. The ride is open to those aged 8 and above, while 6-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult.

A must-try is the Technic Twister -- a spinning cup which seats four people at a time. The cup will spin crazily for two minutes. The minimum age requirement is 6, while 4-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult. The Dragon Apprentice, the junior version of the park's roller coaster, left most of the journalists screaming their lungs out. The roller coaster took a slow crawl uphill before speeding downhill while negotiating sharp corners, leaving adventure seekers among the entourage wanting more.

Legoland Malaysia general manager Siegfried Boerst said the roller coaster was designed, especially for children aged 6 and above. Young daredevils aged 4 will be allowed on the roller coaster if they are accompanied by an adult. Boerst, who gave the entourage a tour around the 30.76ha park, that includes seven themed areas and a miniature world of Miniland recreation of famous Asia landmarks using more than 30 million Lego bricks.

Miniland also includes some of Johor's attractions such as the previous state government administration centre and Jalan Wong Ah Fook, that is famous for its food, entertainment and old buildings. Boerst later treated the journalists to a buka puasa dinner at the Market Restaurant. The restaurant is one of the three signature restaurants at the park.

"Legoland Malaysia is expected to be the perfect destination for families with children aged between 2 and 12 years. "The over 40 attractions that are mostly interactive, are designed to stimulate the imagination. For children, this is a crucial aspect in their development. We believe play is an essential element to learning and when kids are having fun this process happens naturally," Boerst said.

Joining the media preview session was 6-year-old, Muizuddin Marzuki or Muiz as he is fondly known. Muizuddin was invited to the park preview after his father wrote a letter to the management about his son being a huge fan of Lego. As part of the trip, Muizuddin was also given a tour of the model shop and a building session with some of the model builders earlier in the day.

"This park is built for kids, so we want to make a dream come true for this child. We will be undertaking more comprehensive corporate social responsibility programmes in the near future and we want to give as many children as we can an opportunity to experience the park," Boerst added. The park is almost complete with just a couple of projects to finalise. These include landscaping the park, testing and progressive handing over of rides and attractions.

Employee training is also in full force and to date the park has hired 560 staff members. When completed, the overall talent force is expected to reach 1,000 people including the Water Park next year. Once fully operational the park will also feature a wide variety of food and beverage outlets. Three restaurants, three food-stands, and 10 food-carts serving freshly prepared food will be available to visitors. Sample delicious local and fusion delicacies such as the roti canai wrap which is a cheesy burrito with chicken filings.

All three restaurants have an average seating capacity of between 150 and 500 people. A meal for an adult can cost between RM10.50 and RM23 while a kid's set meal deal, which include main and side dishes as well as a drink, is just RM15.

Legoland Malaysia is the sixth Legoland to be built in the world and the first in Asia.
-nst online.