Summer is the worst time to visit any theme park in America. But if that’s the only time you can go, then I’m going to share some tips.
Here’s why summer time is a bad time to visit theme parks like Disney and Universal Studios.
Schools are out all over the country, so crowds will be at their highest level. This means long, long lines in a season when temperatures are at their highest. During the summer you spend most of your time standing and waiting in the blistering sun and will get to ride just a few rides for your trouble.
Also, it’s more expensive during the summer because it’s prime time. Hotel’s charge their maximum rates and discounts are harder to find.
If your child’s school offers a Fall break, that’s an ideal time to go. Mid-February through the third week of March are also ideal. During these times many rides have no lines and are walk up.
But if you absolutely must go over the summer, here are five ways to get the most bang for your buck and for your vacation time!
#1 Make a strategic battle plan (and stick to it)
If you’re headed to Universal Studios or a Disney Park, buy this book: The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (or Land) by Bob Sehlinger. This is the bible to optimize your visit to these most-popular parks. Sehlinger has a team of theme park analysts and computer algorithms crunching numbers to tell you which parks have the lowest crowds each day and both the book and their app help you to set a plan for the day’s riding that will allow you to ride double what those without a plan can do.
If you’re doing another park, see if they have a ride time app and Google for advice. With a ride time app, you can constantly check to see which rides offer the shortest wait time and bounce around that way rather than moving through the park in order. For parks with no app or guide, arrive 20 minutes before opening and bee-line to the back of the park then work your way forward. This puts you in the least crowded area and working opposite of the biggest crowds – it’s a far more efficient plan.
#2 BYOF (Bring your own food)
Standing in line for food is one of the biggest time wasters on any theme park visit. Not only is theme park food usually mediocre, but service is slow and there’s little to recommend it. For those parks that allow you to bring in food, BYOF (and drinks). First, you don’t want to eat a big meal because you may throw it up on a spinny ride. Second, theme park food is ridiculously expensive (and blah). Pack sandwiches, chips, cookies and other non-melty stuff. Capri Suns are great as are bottles of water.
Then grab a sandwich and eat while you stand in line for a ride. Rather than losing an hour (or more) fighting a restaurant/take-out window line, you can use that hour to ride another coaster (or two). Save your money for a fun themed dinner outside of the park. For those parks that don’t allow outside food, send one adult to stand in line to get a meal to share (better to eat less then have a snack later) while the other does a ride with the family or saves your place in line.
#3 Skip the parades, fireworks and rethink shows
Parades, fireworks and shows are there to keep people out of the ride lines. That’s fine so long as you know it and don’t fall for it. If your kids really love parades, choose one and then say “pass” on the others. And fireworks can often be seen from other rides. Shows are tricky because they can be a good time to cool off and rest your feet, but they take away from ride times. If you’re at a park with an app, check and if all the rides are maxed out on wait times, that’s a good time to enjoy a show.
And consider splitting up the family if some of you are more interested in shows and others of you are more interested in the rides. This can allow everyone to enjoy more of what they want to do and not leave anyone with hard feelings. Shows are also a great place to wait out a napping baby or toddler because it lets the older kids get a rest and enjoy something fun so everyone leaves rejuvenated. However, if your kids are all eight and up, we recommend skipping shows and focusing on rides.
There’s one caveat, if there’s a rainy day during your planned vacation, don’t skip the theme park that day. Instead, go and just take in all the shows. That way you get a full day of theme park enjoyment and you’re there in case the rain breaks and you can hop on some rides. We never stay away from the parks on rainy days because you’ll be surprised at how many rides are open (water rides, indoor dark rides, etc.) and the lines will be much shorter because most visitors will stay away!
#4 Skip the character photo and autograph lines
Character photo and autograph lines are another tool to keep you out of ride lines and are one of the biggest wastes of your theme park time. To get your kids out of the mindset of wanting to wait for those photo ops, pick one meal to soak up all the character time you can handle. At most of the parks, there are multiple character breakfast, lunch and dinners. These are about the same price as eating in the park and the characters go table to table so you can get photos and autographs all at once.
#5 Consider an annual pass
Theme park prices are constantly on the rise and you may feel a lot of pressure to “get your money’s worth.” This can lead you to rush through the park at break neck speed and haul exhausted kids around far past their tolerance level. Over-cramming a visit can really strip the fun out of the trip. One thing to consider is comparison pricing an annual pass over the cost of tickets for one trip only. At Universal Studios, an annual pass can cost as little as $40 over the price of a four day pass.
If you invest in an annual pass instead, that takes the pressure off. If you live in the commuting area of that park or an associated park or the cost to travel there is reasonable, upgrade to an annual pass. Then you can spend the year visiting when you have days off of school, long weekends or when you want to take a day or two off school to create your own long weekend. This will allow you to see and do everything at the park so that it’s not a “once in a lifetime” visit. It’s much less stressful that way.
Final thoughts!
To get the most out of your theme park trip, research is your best friend. Measure your kids and then go through the ride listings so you know ahead of time which rides they’re ineligible for – bear in mind that some rides also have a maximum height. This will avoid tears when a child gets excited about a ride they’re not tall enough (or are too tall) to ride. If one child isn’t tall enough, decide whether one parent will take the taller (or shorter) child to a certain ride.
And don’t think of trying to sneak a too short child onto a ride. Those guidelines are there for your child’s safety and the equipment may not properly protect someone under a certain height! Also research eateries, whether or not food is allowed in, the cost of upgrading to an annual pass, best spot to park, etc. Also, in the days leading up to your trip, check the weather to see if you need to bring umbrellas and rain coats (because you still want to go – rainy days are perfectly fun park days)!