How to Visit Any Theme Park for Cheap

Theme park tickets are expensive, as well as the gas it takes to drive there. I can tell you how to cut costs on everything else, from food to water to souvenirs. Think you can't afford a day at a theme park this summer? Think again...

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A cooler
• A local dollar store
• A day off of work

1. Seek out discount tickets. There's no reason to ever pay full price for theme park tickets. Never buy them at the door, where they will be most expensive. Look for retail outlets that sell them at a discounted price, coupons, or AAA discounts. (For example Meijer and Kroger often sell discounted Kings Island tickets.)

2. Pack all your food for the day in a cooler. Eat breakfast on the drive to the park, or leave it in a hotel if you are staying on park property. Leave the park for lunch and dinner, just make sure to get your return hand-stamp and keep your ticket handy. Not eating park food will save you huge amounts of cash.

3. Bring a water bottle into the park. Refill it at water fountains. Every park, even Disney parks, will let you bring in a water bottle. Don't pay for drinks, especially not sugary drinks that will dehydrate you. This will save you money and calories. It's good for you and cheap!

4. You know those ever-popular glow sticks and necklaces? They charge an arm and a leg for those. Well guess what? You can get them at almost EVERY dollar store everywhere. A dollar a glow stick. Buy them in advance, pack them in your purse for the day, and give them to the kiddos when it starts to get dark. They'll never know the difference.

5. That goes double for rain ponchos. The extra bonus to bringing your own rain poncho is that yours will likely be different from the rest of the crowds. So you'll be able to keep better track of your family when it rains!

6. Bring a digital camera with a case. We have one that hooks onto my husband's belt. This will prevent you from having to buy those photos they take of you as you enter the park. But you can still have plenty of memories and not worry about losing or breaking your expensive camera!

7. Consider making matching t-shirts for your family before you go. You can make them yourself, they'll help everyone stick together, and you can make a different shirt for each vacation. That way, you don't have to buy any commemorative clothing, and making them is a fun activity for the kids.

8. Wear a bathing suit under your clothing if you are going to a water park, this decreases the amount of stuff you have to carry around, and you can get the whole family's outer clothing into one locker. As we all know, lockers at theme parks aren't cheap. So this one can really save you some major cash. Not to mention the fact that if you get soaked on a water ride, you'll dry off a lot more quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to buy souvenirs, limit each family member to one a piece.
• Consider taking advantage of park deals. For example, the longer you stay at a Disney park, the cheaper the ticket prices. This means long stays, such as a week vacation, are actually far more affordable than you may realize.

[Panda229]

on 7/10/2009 Added to favs! 5*

[lezsays]

on 5/28/2009 Great tips for a good trip to theme parks.

[starlet67]

on 5/23/2009 Great savvy tips!5*