Money Saving Tips at Theme Parks/Water Parks

[jujubee]

Do you have any ways to save money when you visit theme parks or water parks? Share your tips!

[jujubee]

We have season passes Six Flags, and we do a few things to help up keep to a set budget when we go:

~We use our refillable cup that we bought last year. This year the cups cost $8.99, and refills are $1. They don't tell you, but you can use the cups from previous years. So save that cup!

~We take snacks in for DD. If we're spending a good part of the day at the water park, we make sure to pack enough so that the over-inflated prices at the food stands aren't tempting.

~We each received a coupon book when we renewed our passes good for b1g1 games, discounts at giftshops, etc. We use them!

~Everytime there is a special event for kids, we go. We get the most out our passes that we can. Last week, they were having a Kids Fest, with jugglers, plate spinners, balloon makers, bands, etc. In October, they have an October Fest every weekend where kids can trick-or-treat, decorate pumkins, etc at no extra charge.

[ch1701]

We've done the same at SeaWorld. We use a refillable cup that we bought in the past and keep refilling it. Water and ice are usually free.

[enginerd]

We always pack a lunch and go out to the car and have a picnic mid-day. Everyone usually needs a rest by then anyway - for parks that have a water park included, we go to the water park after lunch. You can get those little tubes with lemonade, punch, etc. to add to water - this is what we did for 9 days a Disney - never bought a soft drink. We also avoid the stuff that you have to pay extra for - trampoline with bungee cords, boats you race (takes quarters), etc. We paid $45 each for our Six Flags season passes last year because we bought them during a special and we bought the season parking pass also - for vacation we traveled across the U.S. and went to parks in Georgia, 2 in Texas, Colorado, and Los Angeles - alot of people don't know that they are good at all Six Flags parks and many of them also have water parks included. My son is roller coaster fanatic so we figured we might was well make a vacation out of it - I just remember being a child and driving all over the country to look at mountains, national parks, etc. and all I really wanted to do was go to a theme park.

[faeryedark]

We go to Hersheypark quite frequently and also bring our refillable cups and bottled water. The park guards haven't ever said anything about our bring our own bottled water...anything else I'm sure they would. If we don't feel like bringing a packed lunch and eating in a stuffy car...we'll drive a mile down the road to Wendy's and order from the Value menu...still way cheaper than park prices.

[shaubold]

Last year we went to Busch Gardens, VA last summer. Through another website I found some information that is not very well published. The person called and said they were planning their trip and wanted to know the absolute best offer she could get. To her surprise, the operartor offered "if you bring a valid library card and mention the summer reading program, you can purchase up to six (6) adult single-day passes to the park for only $37.95/ea (about 33% off the regular tix price)"! We used our SC library card to get this discount in VA for 4 adults and one child!!!!! This was for the summer of 2007. So if you have a particular destination in mind, call and ask what they can do for you (military family, AARP, AAA membership, local retailers with discount coupons, etc.)

[#1RobThomasfan]

Each year even though I live in Florida, I travel thru Texas. I stop in San Antonio I love that city! I love the website SanAntonioSave.com
You can go to six flags fiesta texas with BOGO admission for Monday-Friday. Our family of five gets in for 100.00.
We use the Military Salute to get four free admissions to Seaworld and a 7.00 of child admission q for youngest DS leaving us paying roughly 40.00 for 5 admissions to Seaworld.

Seaworld in SA is the CLEANEST park I've ever been to. Amazingly nice folks there.
I do pack the crystal light packets but they can set off metal detectors, as can juice boxes so I'm trying to figure out a way to get it in without it being a big mess.

[SailCrew]

Originally Posted by #1RobThomasfan Seaworld in SA is the CLEANEST park I've ever been to. Amazingly nice folks there. I do pack the crystal light packets but they can set off metal detectors, as can juice boxes so I'm trying to figure out a way to get it in without it being a big mess.

I've noticed all the Anheuser-Busch parks to be very clean and well kept. That's one of the bonuses about visiting them. Their new waterpark Aquatica is the same way and that's a MUST for waterparks. A good way to save at their parks is to buy a multi-park pass - you choose which parks you want to visit and then get unlimited admission for up to a week. One of the best deals is the combo for Aquatica and SeaWorld - only $79.95/Adult.

[Cheapomom]

I always check Ebay before buying any theme park tickets. Just today I bought a 3 ticket lot of discount coupons for Cedar Point. My kids are going there with some friends next weekend. The discount is $8.00 off each ticket. It's not much, but every little bit helps.

Also, every year we go to King's Island in Cincinnati, OH. Someone on Ebay is always listing coupons for low price tickets. This year we can take up to 18 people for $19.99 or less each.

Tip for famlies looking for a place to spend the night in Cincy while going to King's Island:

Finding family suites is tough and expensive, so is booking two separate rooms. We found a great campground in the city limits that has camping cabins for only $34.95/night. The website says they only sleep 5, but with an air mattress, 6 people are allowed in the cabin. If you don't mind taking your own sheets, this is a great deal. Here's a link to the Winton Woods campground.

Nikki

[dedenjohn]

We go to Disney every year. The best we have saved money is by booking it ourselves directly through Disney. AAA booking saves us nothing however booking our room first and using our AAA discount saves anywhere from $120-$500 depending where you stay. The good thing about Disney is you only have to pay one nights stay to reserve and hold theroom. Then you can pay on it right up till you get there and then ofcourse it would be due then. As for tickets we buy them through disney seperatly and have them link them to our room reservation. It won't save you any money on the tickets though. We then buy tickets when we have the money maybe we will buy one every 2 weeks. It's a great way if you plan ahead and don't have the money to dish out all at once. When we go to eat I order the kids menu items alot the size is the same and it's cheaper. Allearsnet.com has tips as well and all the menus for all the places to eat and prices in Disney