As you might have noticed, I really enjoy visiting theme parks. However, they can be expensive. So, I’m sharing some of my tips and tricks to save money at theme parks.
How to Save on Theme Park Tickets
The first thing you probably want to know how to save money on is the theme park tickets themselves. Typically, the more days you purchase, the cheaper it is per day. However, lots of times it’s cheaper to just buy a seasonal or annual pass to the theme park. You need to do some math to calculate how many visits it will take you to break even or save money with the pass before purchasing one. However, an annual pass can also help save even more money at theme parks, as you will see.
Additionally, we are now heading into the time of the year (late fall/early winter) where you can sometimes purchase a season pass for the next year but get the rest of this year included. So, be on the lookout for those types of deals now if you are thinking about visiting a specific theme park a few times over the next year or so. Dollywood has done this in the past and I believe Cedar Fair parks may do it as well.
Save on Hotel Rooms
Another important and expensive aspect of a theme park trip can be the hotel stay. I recommend booking a room as soon as you know you are planning a trip and then look out for deals to come out. For instance, Universal Orlando will put out Annual Passholder hotel rates just a few months in advance. So, you can change your reservation to take advantage of the cheaper deal if one comes up or if they don’t, you at least have a room booked. If you aren’t a passholder at a theme park, look out for package deals with tickets included with a hotel stay.
Save on Theme Park Food
Again, I’m going to point out that lots of theme park seasonal passes give you discounts here. The percentage of discount often depends on your level of pass. For example, Universal Orlando gives food/merchandise discounts at just their hotels to the two lowest tiers of passes while higher tiers receive discounts in the parks as well. SeaWorld Orlando and Dollywood give their higher tiers free parking and bigger food/merchandise discounts.
If you don’t have a pass, you can save money at theme parks by being frugal with the food. For instance, you can sometimes split bigger meals with people from quick-service style restaurants. You can sometimes bring in outside food to the parks for a picnic in the park. Alternatively, you can leave a park and eat from a cooler in your car or even make a meal in your room. You can also plan to eat just one big meal in the park to cut costs. I know that some parks even offer an all-day dining package that you can purchase to enjoy a meal in the park every 90 minutes!
Save Money on Theme Park Merchandise
Some of the tips for saving money on merch is the same as the food. As you guessed it, lots of annual/season passholders get discounts on merch. So, be sure to use those discounts if you have them. Beyond that, be on the lookout for signage indicating sales and deals inside the park itself. For example, I have seen Dollywood markdown out of season shirts inside the park. If you don’t mind holding onto something until next year, that can save a good bit of money. Additionally, you can sometimes find deals on merch online. Amazon and ShopDisney are good sites for finding discounts on Disney merch. You can definitely find little trinkets at dollar stores and save them for trips with kids instead of paying big prices in the park too.
Theme parks tend to be expensive, but with some time and effort, you can save money at theme parks. If you don’t mind planning in advance or making your own food, then a theme park vacation can be affordable. Do you have any tips I didn’t mention?
