The penny pincher's guide to theme parks

By Liz Pulliam Weston

Attendance is up at most theme parks around the country, which is a mixed blessing for the frugal.

The good news is that "the owners are finally opening up the purse strings" and investing in new attractions, said Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider, a Web site that tracks amusement trends, so attendees get more bang for their bucks. The bad news is that many parks are also raising their prices and reducing discounts -- as if theme-park attendance wasn't already expensive enough.

Today's parks are so efficient at picking your pocket, in fact, that you can spend a small fortune before you realize what's happened. From inflated parking fees to overpriced food to rides that dump you directly into a gift shop, you might well feel that your wallet doesn't stand a chance.

Take heart. There may be no truly cheap way to visit an amusement park, but there are plenty of ways to save money and still have a good time. But first of all, you need to:

Do your research

Forget spontaneity.

Yes, it might be nice to "discover" the park as you go along. People who actually try that, though, are the ones who spend most of their visit standing in lines -- and most of their money on souvenirs and junk food to placate whiny kids.

Instead, do your research in advance so that you can plan a strategy for your visit and use your time wisely:

• Get maps and brochures from the park to identify which attractions you can and can't miss. Many offer elaborate "planning guides" for free; check their Web sites.

• Consult unofficial Web sites devoted to the park for tips and tricks. Some to try: MouseSavers.com, TheMouseForLess, AllEarsNet, amusementpark.com and Theme Park Insider.

• Consider investing in a guide, if one is available. I like Bob Sehlinger's books "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" and "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World." These books can stand in for the knowledgeable friend who knows how to whisk you to the park's best attractions while bypassing the chaff.

Get the best deals on tickets

There's no reason to pay full price -- you can always find some kind of discount if you look around a bit. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Don't buy at the gate. Most parks give you at least some discount for buying tickets online at their Web sites, and promotions have become common even during "high" seasons.

• Consult the Web sites for deals. Compare the parks' own deals with those touted on the unofficial sites listed above. Pay attention to expiration dates and other details that could limit the usefulness of the discounted offers; you don't want to get to the gate and find your ticket has expired.

• Consider waiting. If you're planning to attend a theme park during July or August, you might hold off on buying tickets until the latter part of June. Theme parks typically don't decide whether to roll out summer promotions, Niles said, until they see how much attendance they get during the first couple of weeks of summer. If you're willing to gamble a little by waiting, you could take advantage of a deal.

• Exploit your ZIP Code. If you're a local, you may be able to score significant discounts. Disneyland regularly offers cheaper tickets to Southern Californians, and some other parks sell annual passes for the price of a one-day ticket. Also, many corporations and government agencies located near theme parks offer discounted tickets to their employees; ask your human-resources department. If you attend college near a park, check with your student union for discounted tickets.

• Use your memberships. Your AAA, AARP or warehouse-club memberships could win you discounts. Also, you may be able to trade frequent-traveler points for tickets. Hilton and Marriott hotel chains, for example, allow you to trade points for 3-Day Park Hopper tickets at Disneyland. (The exchange rate for tickets isn't great, though; you'll typically get a better deal if you use the points for your hotel room instead.)

If you'll be in Southern California for a week or more, consider buying a CityPass, which gets you a 3-Day Park Hopper ticket for Disneyland Resort plus one-day admissions to three other parks. A recent price check showed a cost of $235 for adults, and $189 for kids ages 3-9 for the CityPass -- pretty good when you consider the Park Hopper alone retails for $179 for adults and $149 for kids when purchased at the gate (or $159 and $129 when purchased through Disney's Web site).

The Costco Web site revealed an even better deal on the CityPass: $209.99 for adults and $169.99 for kids.

Don't buy more ticket than you need

Disney, especially, likes to push multi-day tickets, but it's easy to go overboard. Unless you're an absolute Disney nut, for example, a five-day ticket for the two California parks is overkill. Likewise, families with preschoolers often discover that one day at any park is enough, as many of the rides will be off-limits to the youngest set.

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