Mr Siegfried Boerst and Mr Philip Skitch with Ollie the Dragon. Image courtesy of Legoland Malaysia, used with permission.
With the unveiling of a 10,000-brick Lego dragon called "Ollie", Siegfried Boerst of Legoland Malaysia and Philip Skitch, GM of the Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel (compare rates) brought the new Lego-themed park - already scheduled to open at the end of this year - one step closer to reality.
Guests of the nearby Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel may enjoy preferential rates to the park, says Mr. Skitch - "Our hotel is very excited with the possibility of partnering with Legoland Malaysia," he announced earlier today. To mark the partnership, Ollie the dragon will be hanging out at the reception of the Thistle Johor Bahru - "until the end of the year when he will be relocated to the park," confided Mr. Skitch.
The Thistle Johor Bahru won't be the only hotel to sign up for a partnership with Legoland Malaysia - "This is a great start and we look forward to collaborating with more hotels in the months to come," said Mr. Boerst.
(Of course, with Johor Bahru only being a short ride from Singapore, guests can choose to stay at one of many Singapore hotel options if they choose to do so.)
Sales of annual passes to Legoland Malaysia began late December, with pre-opening annual passes being sold at a special discounted rate for a limited period. The discounted passes cost MYR 195/about $62 for adults, MYR 150/about $48 for kids (a big drop from the normal annual pass rates of MYR 275/about $88 for adults, MYR 210/about $67 for kids). These passes will be valid till the very end of 2013.
Gate prices will cost MYR 140/about $45 for adults, MYR 110/about $35 for kids.
The new Legoland Malaysia is set to open at the end of 2012, with over 70 acres of family-friendly activities built (literally) around the humble Lego brick. The park will be divided up into seven themed areas, each with their own experiment centers, roller coasters, water attractions and shows.
"Legoland fans and enthusiasts will be glad to know that Ollie won't be the only Dragon in Johor once the park opens," explained Mr. Boerst. "They can discover the Dragon Coaster in the LEGO Kingdom, which is one of our seven zones at the park!"
The uniquely Asian part of this Legoland may be found at Miniland, where a number of famous Asian towns and landscapes will be recreated at a scale of 1:20 with over 25 million Lego bricks.
This version of Legoland will be the sixth to be opened, following similar parks in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany and the USA (Florida and California). Located in Iskandar, Malaysia, the new Legoland is being produced by IDR Resorts and Merlin Entertainment (www.merlinentertainments.biz), the world's second largest visitor attraction operator.
Tickets are available online through AirAsia RedTix website at www.AirAsiaRedTix.com. More info on ticketing and the park itself are available on the Legoland Malaysia website at www.LEGOLAND.com.my.