6 Ways To Save Money On A Trip To An Amusement Park
It’s Summer, it’s warm, and people are flocking to amusement parks. A day’s admission into the park an hour’s drive my my home is about $50 a person, and I’m sure the large well known parks charge more. Add in parking and food and a family day at the amusement park can total a hefty sum. Finding ways to save money is a must.
I recently took my family on day of ride thrill seeking, and found a few ways to save big:
Employer Discounts
My employer offered a fantastic employee price of $30 for admission to the theme park. Including my son’s friend, we bought 4 tickets. At a savings of $20 each, we saved $80 on tickets alone, along with another $3 off the usual $15 parking pass price. In the past we had been able to get an ever deeper discount through my father-in-law’s employer.
Before paying full price, check if your employer offers discounts or if any of your family or friends can get discounts. If you can find an employer discount it can save you a significant amount of cash.
Unlimited Drink Refills
The theme park we visited offered an unlimited fountain drink pass for $9.99. We decided to buy the passes, but at the time I was skeptical it would save us anything. My fears were squashed when I found that inside the theme park a regular sized fountain drink cost $4.69. Over the course of the twelve hours we were at the park on a hot sticky day we definitely got our money’s worth.
Skip the Midway
As a rule, we don’t play carnival games. Ever. Not only are your chances of winning rather slim, but if you do win it’s always some stuffed animal that isn’t worth the price paid to play anyway. The other possibility is winning a giant stuffed animal or a basketball that is inconvenient to carry around with you at the park all day.
Sunset Admission
Many parks offer an admission pass for the evening only. The park we visited offers a ticket good for 4pm to close for half price. If you’re looking for a half day of fun, this option can give you the fun you’re looking for at a significant cost savings.
Check Online
You can save yourself cash, as well as time waiting in line by buying your tickets online. Amusement parks may offer food, drink, and admission combinations at a discount from their website.
Eat Off Site
Amusement parks normally allow exit and reentry. With astronomical food prices (a chicken strip and fries combo cost nearly $17 at the park we went to), the slight inconvenience of leaving the park to either eat a packed lunch at your car or even going to a restaurant outside the park is a much less expensive option.
If you’re planning a day at an amusement park, be prepared to drop some serious coin. But with a little checking around and planning you can make the cost manageable and enjoy a day at an amusement park without breaking your budget.
How about you, Clever Friends, do you have any other money saving tips to add to my list?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
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Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.
Great list! We’ve totally done sunset admission and employee free ticket days before. We need to plan ahead better so we’re not eating in the park, though!
Always hit google for discounts before you go; many offer discounts for certain soft drink cans. Even if you pour out the $1.00 soda, it is worth it for a $10 discount each on up to four tickets.
At some places, buying a season pass in advance garners a few free guest admissions! If you think you might go more than once in a year, that cost could be worth it!
AAA often has discounts too. I just used that at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania. I actually love midway games, but only at local fairs. You’re right about it being a pain to drag any of those prizes around the park. Besides, I think the fun is in the playing more than anything you win from those kiosks.