Legoland Florida Opening Ninjago World, Dark Ride in January 2017

On the cusp of its five-year anniversary, Legoland Florida Resort announced this week that it will debut its new Ninjago World area — complete with an immersive 4D dark ride — in January 2017.

Ninjago (pronounced Nin-Jah-Go) World, inspired by the Lego “Ninjago” product line, will present guests with “several hands-on, outdoor activities where kids can sharpen their ninja skills” before riding the area’s flagship attraction: Lego Ninjago The Ride.

The interactive dark ride will blend 3D computer animation, 4D effects and “groundbreaking technology never seen outside a Legoland theme park.” Guests will score points by using “ninja hand moves” to blast animated fireballs, lightning and more at 3D villains.

Ninjago World Attractions

The Ninjago World area will feature a slew of attractions including:

Lego Ninjago The Ride: state-of-the-art interactive dark ride
Zane’s Temple Build: “a giant Lego building experience where kids can contribute to a model of a mountaintop Ninjago monastery”
Kai’s Spinners: “master the ancient art of Spinjitzu at these twirling, whirling, single-person platforms”
Cole’s Rock Climb: an outdoor climbing wall
Jay’s Lightning Drill: allows guests to “measure their reflexes with ‘lightning fast’ light-up targets”

The area will also include a themed retail shop and daily meet-and-greet opportunities with characters from the Ninjago TV series.

A similar Ninjago World opened at Legoland California Resort earlier this year.

Legoland Florida has experienced significant growth since opening in 2011 on the site of the former Cypress Gardens amusement park. Below are a few milestones from that five-year period:

2011: Legoland Florida opens
2012: Legoland Water Park; Star Wars Miniland
2013: Lego World of Chima; Duplo Valley
2014: Duplo Valley children’s area
2015: Legoland Hotel; Heartlake City

Not forgetting the Cypress Gardens heritage, Legoland Florida has also invested in phased restorations of the still-present Cypress Gardens, which celebrated its 80th anniversary earlier this year.

According to an economic impact analysis prepared earlier this year, Legoland Florida Resort has generated nearly $1 billion of total economic activity from 2010 through 2015 for the surrounding region.