The penny pincher's guide to theme parks

Some parks now also tout special, high-priced passes that sweep you past the crowds in line for popular rides. Thank goodness Disney's terrific FastPass system is still free (and essential for retaining your sanity), but many other parks charge a substantial fee. At Six Flags New England, for example, the "standard" 2010 Flash Pass will cost $31 and the "gold" level Flash Pass will be $60 -- on top of your admission fees.

At Universal Studios' theme park in Orlando, Express Plus Passes promise to reduce wait times to 15 minutes or less and are available starting from $20 per guest per day, depending on the date you attend the park.

These are big splurges for most families, and probably not necessary. Some ideas to cut the lines:

• Schedule your trip during the park's off season. For most theme parks, that's any time other than holidays and summer vacations. September is usually a great time, because most kids are back in school. The last official school day before the winter holiday break often has the shortest lines of the year.

• Get to the park right when it opens and ride the most popular attractions first. When in doubt, go left; the herd tends to move through parks counter-clockwise.

• At Disney parks, use the FastPass system.

• Use the "single rider" option if it's offered. Many parks scoot single riders to the front of the line at their most popular attractions. If you don't mind breaking up your party, you can cut a multi-hour wait to mere minutes.

• "Switch off" if you have a nonrider in tow. You don't have to stand in line twice if you're a couple with a child who's too young for certain rides. Take your party through the line as usual, then Dad (or whoever) stays on the loading platform with the child while Mom (or whoever) hops on the ride. When Mom returns, she takes charge of Baby while Dad takes his place on the ride. Just let the ride attendants know in advance that you want to "switch off."

Stay overnight without overspending

Staying right on park property gives you some perks: early entrance at the Disney resorts and "Universal Express" privileges that get you into shorter lines at Universal Studios Orlando, for example.

But on-site hotels are never cheap, and they're sometimes mind-blowingly expensive. A room at the Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim can approach $500 a night, while suites at Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando, Fla., can run over $1,900.

If you want deals, you usually have to come during the off season. You can call the resort hotels directly to ask about specials and prowl the park-related Web sites for early warning on hot discounts. You also might check travel sites such as Expedia or Travelocity.

In the post-Christmas lull, for example, you can often find steep discounts at the luxurious Grand Californian hotel at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim. I've booked rooms there for as little as $165 a night, when the normal rack rate in winter is $265 and up. (In the summer, rates generally run about 40% higher than in the off season.)

Many frugal travelers, though, opt for an off-site property. Booking a hotel with shuttle service can save you on parking fees, but you may find the cheapest hotels are a short drive away. (Kissimmee, Fla., for example, which is near the Orlando entertainment complexes, is filled with motels that offer rooms for less than $60 a night.)

Even if you don't stay at the park, there's nothing to keep you from enjoying the resort hotels' public areas when you need a break from the crowds. Even when we're not staying at the Grand Californian, I like to take a quiet breather in its impressive arts-and-crafts lobby.

Stretch your food dollars

Theme-park food is expensive and usually bad, or at least bad for you. But it's often copious, which can be good for travelers who don't mind sharing a plate. Other ideas:

• Bring your own food. Theme parks have different rules about bringing in "outside" food, but in more than two dozen visits to various parks, I've never had to forfeit my water bottle or cereal bars. The water bottle can be refilled from any tap, and it beats sugary, dehydrating sodas any day.

• Keep a cooler handy. Stash it in your car or in your hotel room and fill it with fruit, milk, cheese -- maybe even a bottle of wine for Mom and Dad. One poster in the Your Money message board retreats with her family to the parking lot for lunch. No lines, no waiting and a bargain to boot.

• Be alert for relative deals. The Disney parks sell fresh fruit for about $1, while turkey legs go for about $5. (This poultry treat is as filling as a burger and fries, but more portable.)

• Ask for "a la carte." Many parks offer meal combos, without making it clear you can save a buck or two if you order the meal without the fries or other sides.

Save on souvenirs

I'll confess: I'm not a big one for plastic mementos, and every picture of me taken on a roller coaster has been, well, frightening. So I'm pretty souvenir-immune.

I'm sure that will change as my daughter gets older, though, so I've relied on some more seasoned parents for expert advice. Such as:

• Give the kids an allowance. You set the limit, and they get to spend it on whatever they choose. When the money's gone, it's gone.

• Put off buying until the end. By the end of your day (or your trip), you'll have a good idea of what's available and can make better choices.

• Buy in advance. Check Overstock.com and GraveyardMall.com for discounted, theme-park related merchandise and tuck the goodies in your suitcase to spring on the wee ones when you get there. If you're headed to a Disney park, check out DisneyOutlet.com for deep discounts on kiddy merchandise.

• Check the outlets. Some of the big theme parks have factory outlet stores not far from their front gates. A store called Disney's Character Premiere has two locations at outlet malls in Orlando, including one a short drive from the park. In California, Disney's Character Warehouse is about a five-minute drive from Disneyland in Fullerton at the Orangefair Mall. There are several others; check the unofficial Web sites for more tips on finding off-site stores.

Liz Pulliam Weston is the Web's most-read personal-finance writer. She is the author of several books, most recently "Your Credit Score: Your Money & What's at Stake." Weston's award-winning columns appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. She also answers reader questions on the Your Money message board and helps middle-class families cope at Building a Brighter Future.

Updated Nov. 12, 2009

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