What to Look For
Choosing a Park
Finding the right park to suit everyone in your family can be a challenge. For the very young, tamer rides and character attractions can be the highlight but for the older kids and grown up kids the more extreme rides may be the focus. So do some research beforehand to try and pick the park that has the most to offer for everyone in your group.
- Fans of Disney with rides? Then you can’t go wrong at Florida’s Disneyworld or California’s Disneyland.
- Animal fans can’t miss Seaworld.
- Movie buffs will be in their element at Universal Studios.
- Seeing famous landmarks rebuilt from Lego is a thrill for many people at Legoland.
When To Go?
Most parks have the smallest crowds in late August through mid-December and again in January and February. Going then allows you to ride without as many line ups.
Admission
The price of admission is almost enough to turn your stomach before you even get on a roller coaster! But if we could give you only one tip: don’t wait until you’re at the gate to buy your tickets – you should purchase your park tickets before you even get there. Whether it’s part of your travel package, a website offer, through your credit card company or some other special offer, you can save a ton by purchasing them in advance.
Are You a Local?
If you happen to be a neighbour of one of these theme parks you’ll probably be eligible for a special discount as part of the community.
Early Birds
Waiting till midday to hit the park will guarantee you one thing: line ups! Get there for gate opening and you’ll be able to enjoy the park before it reaches capacity crowds.
Fast Pass
To try and speed up wait times many parks have utilizied the “fast pass” program. Getting a fast pass for available attractions gives you a separate ticket that specifies the time you should return to ride. Then during that time frame you come back and join the fast pass line as opposed to the general line up. This can decrease your wait time significantly. Most of these fast pass programs are a feature available to all park guests at no charge but some parks do charge an additional fee to take advantage of the smaller lines.
Food
You’ll pay grossly inflated prices for food and beverages once inside the park and after a meal, some snacks and a couple of treats you’ll easily be down several hundred dollars. If you’re so inclined you can pack picnic, drinks and snacks and leave them in a locker just outside the gates (most big them parks do not allow outside food within the park) and then refuel outside the park before heading back in for more fun.
Variety
Once you’ve had enough walking and riding don’t forget the other theatrical attractions there are to enjoy. The bonus being you can sit and relax while you continued to be entertained.
Fun for All Sizes
Since there’s many height restrictions for safety reasons most parks have special privileges for families with kids in different height categories. The whole family can line up and then one parent can ride with the kid(s) who are big enough andt the other can wait in a holding area with anyone not tall enough. Then when the parent riding is finished they can switch so both grown ups get to enjoy the attractions without having to line up twice.
What's Out There
There are several theme parks that are vying for the dollars of the more than 80 million North Americans who visit them every year.
Amusement parks feature fast rides, tame rides, popular characters, and theatre which are the center point of the park experience, but many will also be themed to some part of our pop-culture such as Disney or Universal Studios.
Nothing brings a smile to a child’s face (and many grown ups too) than a trip to an amusement or theme park. But before you book and start your wild adventure there are some key tips to help you survive one of these super parks without breaking the bank.