Theme parks top tips on how to survive with your family
The sheer size and scale of attractions and things to see and do in theme parks make it a fantastic destination for families offering activities for children and adults of all shapes and sizes. You can have a look at our guide Disney in Paris here and watch this space for our other theme park guides which we are working on.
Here are our top tips to make your family holiday to theme parks as enjoyable as possible.
Book in advance and online
Generally you will make the best savings if you book your theme park tickets online and in advance and you should check out the savings which can be made through our theme park partners here. Typically offerings of 10% are available and tickets are cheaper if booked at least 48 hours in advance. The advantage of booking online is you can also plan where to go and investigate the least crowded times. You can also find information on season tickets, money-saving passes and membership schemes.
Pricing systems can be complicated so make sure you plan your time and so you will get the maximum benefit. If you are only going to be able to use the pass once there is no point in getting a multi visit or three day pass. Family tickets can also save a large amount of money and you should look out for options such as combining two or three families who are travelling together as groups can qualify for large savings. If you are a single parent, consider travelling with another adult who has kids of similar age to yours as the children can be happier with other kids and an adult companion’s helping hands can be helpful.
If you are in an area such as Orlando where there are 12 major theme parks, it may be possible to group attractions with the same parent or holding company at a combined reduced rate by buying the Orlando flexticket.
Attractiontix are one of the biggest sellers of online themepark tickets and they say that their prices are gauranteed to be the lowest with no credit card or booking fees. They sell tickest for pretty much every themepark you can think of including Alton Towers, Disneyland California, Disneyland Paris, the Orlando Flexticket, Discovery Cove,Thorpe Park, the Universal Orlando Resort, PortAventura and the Walt Disney World Resort.
Do your research
Before you go, you need to know that the secret to the best enjoyment of theme park is to plan ahead. Know which attractions are going to suit your kids’ ages and then give enough time to prioritise those attractions and minimise waiting times. Plan your top five rides by age for your family bearing in mind that your family may be different of ages. This might mean that you have to split up with one parent taking the younger children and the other having fun on the thrill seeking rides and swapping later on.
Get a good guidebook and do not leave home without it. Before you leave check the park entry times and be aware that some attractions run on limited schedules. You can also get a park map at your hotel or accommodation to review the schedule beforehand.
Always factor in lots of time for resting, meeting your favourite characters where appropriate and just taking in the wonder and enchantment of many of the family theme parks.
Go for free
In 2009 go to a Disney Park on your Birthday and get in free!.Everyone who visits a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park on their birthday in 2009 can get in free, as Disney Parks embraces a newly identified family-travel trend called "celebration vacations."
First in and last out
Arrive as early as possible and stay as late as possible. Getting there at opening time and for the first hour or so, you certainly will find the most popular rides quieter. Sometimes staying on site will give you the benefit of early entry and this can mean that you avoid the first round of queuing but this can have serious cost implications so weigh this up.
Sunday evenings are generally quieter as weekend visitors are on the way back to get ready for work. If possible, you should eat at different times to the hordes. Between twelve and two and six and seven queues are much shorter as people will traditionally eat lunch and dinner at these times. Pack snacks for the children to eat in the queues as this may mean you are less likely to need to stop for snacks at peak times.
Do make sure you take regular breaks and maybe break up the day to prevent meltdowns. With younger children be realistic and bear in mind the age of your children when doing your scheduling.
Go right and towards the back at the park where possible
Generally people will gravitate to the left when they enter a theme park or say an exhibition. By going right and taking in the attractions in an anticlockwise direction you will be going against the crowds and should beat many of the queues particularly if you go early.
Choose your time
Where possible try to travel out of school holidays and summer holiday season particularly if you have pre-school-age children. Hotels and theme parks use promotions and significant family friendly discounts to boost low season capacity. Not only will you save money but you will also experience shorter queues. Look at your children’s unusual school discretion days or school in-service days as a long weekend in some of the European theme parks might just fit nicely with one of these. If you are going to the US theme parks remember that school holidays are different to ours so check if any apply.Crowds tend to be thinnest in January, October, early November and December.
High summer can be very harsh and if you're planning a summer trip bring lots of water, sunshades, hats and sun lotion and try to spend some time inside watching the shows are at the water parks.
Watching parades
The parades are a great attraction however they are an ideal time to try some of the most popular rides as the queues are much shorter so make a beeline to most popular rides once the floats have passed you by or skip the parades together.
Family holiday theme park money savers
Food at theme parks can be exorbitant and quite unhealthy sometimes so eat well before you set out. Buy refillable drinking mugs for unlimited refreshments and bring your own bottled water and fruit for snacks in queues.Restrict access to arcade games and remind your children that they are there for the rides rather than the amusements.
Get a fast pass
Fast pass where possible. This will enable you to join in the shorter queue for the rides. You can sometimes get a pre-booked one hour time slot and this can drastically reduce your waiting time. Fast passes can be free or sometimes at a premium so check this out.
Check out good value tickets with
Attractiontix for individual theme parks or here for
Disney Paris.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
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