A new ride at Legoland has closed after just one day due to “technical issues”, prompting outrage among parents and prospective visitors.
The Windsor theme park opened its Haunted House Monster Party ride, which took guests through a mansion-themed construction complete with “ghouls and gargoyles”, on Saturday 13 April.
But on Sunday 14 April, the park issued a statement on its social media channels explaining that it had been forced to close the ride.
“We’re experiencing technical issues with the Haunted House Monster Party, which means that we won’t be in a position to open the ride today,” it reads.
“We are working with the ride manufacturer to have the ride back in operation as soon as we can and we’ll keep you informed of any updates on our social channels. We apologise for any disappointment and hope you will enjoy the many other rides, shows and attractions across the Resort.”
News of the closure for the ride, which had been advertised on Legoland’s website since March, has prompted criticism, with hundreds visitors voicing their complaints on Facebook.
“Glad we didn’t book purely for the opening of this ride!” wrote one person. “Obviously it’s good that safety comes first but surely there was enough time for test runs – how can it be broken after one day?!”
“Very disappointed,” added another person, who said several other rides had closed on Saturday when they visited the theme park.
Many people took the opportunity to complain about previous visits to the theme park, explaining that their experiences were marred by long queues and other unexpected ride closures.
“I don’t know what has happened to Legoland but it’s not much good any more,” wrote one person. “I was so disappointed when we went a few weeks ago. At least one hour queues for toddler rides! I mean, who expects a toddler to queue for an hour or more? A ride was closed on us after queueing for 45 minutes due to a bit of wind. It was not a pleasant day.”
Another added that they visited on Thursday and “a lot” of the rides were closed, leading to a disappointing visit.
However, some people argued that in light of recent tragedies at theme parks, it’s reassuring to see safety being taken seriously.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” wrote one person. “You’ll all be screaming from the roof ops, god forbid anything should happen to your child whilst on the ride, should it break.”
When approached for comment, a spokesperson for Legoland reiterated to The Independent that the park is working to reopen the ride as soon as possible, adding: “We apologise for any disappointment this has caused for our guests.”
