Theme parks! A place of magic, happiness, wonder, and incredibly excessive costs. I mean really excessive. I'm sure some of you have noticed that the majority of families are in fact NOT rich. My family included. I think lower middle-class would be a good category to fit us in. So how the hell do people afford to flock to these massive theme parks year after year, or even just one year. So that's what this post is about. How to do this trip cheap-er and cheerfully. Mostly.
This past month my family made the excursion to Visit Universal Orlando. The main reason, and the reason for thousands of others, was to visit the Harry Potter theme park. Having grown up with the books and the movies it was a personal dream to get to see Diagon Alley and Hogwarts in real life. A dream I've held since the opening of these parks. A sentiment that I'm sure many of you could also empathize with. After spending a good year or so watching YouTube videos of Universal "experts" such as the Pugh Two (my personal favorite) showing the in's and outs of the park I started taking notes and planning. Which brings me to the first "suggestion." Disclaimer: everything I say is just a suggestion based off my experience and how not deep my pockets are. You perhaps are different and are free to do whatever the heck you please.
Suggestion #1. PLAN. Which is quite obvious right? But when I say plan I mean spending a least a year doing so. Look at the park, the rides, timeframes, hotels, specials that the park is hosting and continuously crunching numbers. The idea is to save as much much money as humanly possible. This kind of leg work takes time. The park is huge. It consists of 3 separate parks combined under one umbrella. If you have a bigger family take the time to figure out what each person wants to do. Once you know what you want to do in the parks, you've picked the cheapest tickets etc then you book.
Suggestion #2 Book Ahead. I mean like way ahead. Typically you can book up to 9 months in advance. If you do a package deal like we did (3 day park-to-park with 2 days free, hotel, and air included) you will pay a portion up front. The rest can be made in increments up until 30 days of your arrival date which then the whole balance will need to be paid in full. Basically it's like a layaway program for your trip. Know your up-front costs and then budget the next couple of months to slowly pay for your trip until the whole thing is paid for. Unless you can pay it all up front, which if so good for you!
Let's pause the suggesting and backtrack a moment. When you book a package deal where do you stay? Do you get the Express Pass? Do you get a Photo package? When do you go?
There are times of the year when going to the parks is way less crowded then others. Obviously anytime when school in NOT in session will be far busier. So holidays, and summer would not be your best bet. We choose the end of September for several reasons. One, it was still in the timeframe when not as many people would be there. Mind you when I say less that doesn't mean empty. It just means less. I can't imagine what peak season looks like nor do I personally want to. If weather is a concern stick with the winter months. End of September leaving our home state it was cold and rainy. Arriving in Florida was sunny, hot, and stupidly humid every day. Even in the fall.
Then there's the option of where to stay. If you book a package deal with Universal you have the option to stay at 3 different level of hotels. If you want the Express Passes then staying at the pricier options might be for you. There's two Lowe's options, and the Hard Rock. Each are more money but honestly you save money by not having to purchase the Express Passes which alone can be more than $1,000n per family. It depends on how big your party is. If having the Express Pass isn't something you want then skip the pricy hotels all together.
We stayed at the Lowe's Pacific Royal Resort. It had a decent pool, was close to the park (but honestly they all were) and we were able to take a water taxi to get to the park. The room we got was a double queen bed room with a water view. The ugly truth is that this hotel was really not worth the extra money and neither were the Express Passes. I choose this hotel because it was the cheaper of the 3rd tier hotel options and it came with the Express Passes. I kept having this vision of my kids loosing their shit while waiting in a really long line. Turns out neither were worth it. The only amenity that was worth it was the pool and it's beach area. The game room didn't work along with half the games inside.
As I mentioned the best time to go is during the "off" season. Or when school is in session. Many of the rides we wanted to ride either didn't allow the use of the Express Pass, or the line for the Express Pass was longer than the regular line. For example we got on the Hogwarts Express, used the Express Pass, but the two lines converge at one point. The stairs leading up to the platform merge into one line and your pass is rendered useless because you're stuck waiting just like everyone else. There's no express about it. Or while in Dr. Suess Land waiting for the train both lines were long and Express didn't really seem to matter that much. I think if you're going during peak season the passes might be more effective, but in my opinion the off season they weren't worth it. Quick note: Be sure to ride the Hogwarts Express both ways.
The hotel I choose also wasn't the best option, and honestly it wasn't my first option. Again, the only reason I choose to stay there was to offset the cost of the Express Passes and to save money while getting the most bang for my buck. While this is true and I stand by staying at these hotels if you want the Express Pass it will save money. But in the off season neither were worth it. Our hotel room was comparable to any Holiday Inn I've stayed at. The only thing that really blew me away was the staff. Every single person who worked there was incredibly nice and helpful. They honestly made the stay. Otherwise it was just meh. If I were to go back I'd chose Cabana Bay. Maybe they can create an upscale hotel that's more kid friendly.
While deciding a time to go be sure to look at the ticket prices. Although going in the winter months to see all the Christmas decor sounds ideal the ticket prices to enter the park increase substantially. Our random week in September wasn't so random, it was based off tickets prices and that week had the cheapest prices. Again, research. Get on the website and create multiple packages to see where you can save money.
The last piece of a package puzzle is to purchase the shuttle to and from the airport. It was $30 per person, but it was round trip and they get you to where you need to go. My opinion is that this is worth every penny. If you don't know, and I didn't, when you arrive at the airport you will go to the ground floor by following the ground transportation signs. Beside the Hertz desk is a desk for Star Shuttle that is where you will check in. They tell you where your bus is parked and they give you a free lanyard(this is an important detail for later) and a few coupons for the park. They also go by your flight information and schedule your pick-up from your hotel. We arrived in plenty of time prior to our flight leaving. This although an extra cost was well worth the money. I got a text reminder and it was very easy especially since our return flight left at 6am. I bet getting an Uber that late/early would have been rough.
Suggestion #3; Get the express shuttle ticket. For all the reasons I noted above.
Getting Into the Park:
Staying on site in a park hotel allows you to get into ONE of the parks one hour prior to it opening to general public. Our first day we got up early and went. Check times because each day is different. For us Island of Adventure (home to Hogsmead) opened for us at 8. Although we arrived 30-40 minutes prior to opening and were pretty close to the front of the line there was easily 200 people waiting on the right side. I'm not an expert but I thought the people on the right were non hotel guests, but when the gate opened they were all allowed in. Since it was super early and so many people were there (I'm not exaggerating) everyone started sprinting to the back of the park. To Hogsmeade. Why? To get in another line to ride Hagrid's ride. Yet another example of a ride that doesn't accept Express Pass. But this actually turned out to be in our favor. By the time we took the 10. minute walk to Hogsmeade the line for this ride extended out of the park. Which allowed us to stroll into the park and be one of the first few families to see it. It was basically empty. We visited the Owlery first due to my youngest wanting an owl and the other to send a post card to family. At least that's what I thought.
The owler boasts that you can send a post card, and you can....but there's a catch. You purchase a blank card, not a post card, and then you proceed outside to send it. You can purchase stamps, but you have to purchase an entire sleeve of stamps for almost $15. No thank you. But they stamp the envelope for you to give it that Potter flair. So yes you can purchase a blank card for $6 each and either bring your own stamps or purchase their's for $15 spending over $20 to send mail to family. We happily carried ours home.
While the rest of park goers waited for Hagrid's magical ride we proceeded further into the park. Now I won't lie seeing Hogwarts for the first time as a Potter fan is absolutely breathtaking. It truly is magical. It's worth the early admission and skipping that first ride. The Flight of the Hippogriff was amazing, we rode it 4 times. The first time there was zero waiting. We then went into Hogwarts which again, no line because everyone else was at Hagrid's. The line to ride was minimal and again Express Pass useless. Also, if you get motion sick seriously skip it or medicate yourself.
Suggestion #4; Don't Rush. The common theme we realized after this first day is that there's no reason to run to any one attraction. The parks offer so very many things that I feel are often overlooked due to people rushing to get ahead of lines. Plus, everyone is trying to get to the same place you are. Why waste time waiting for something that lasts less than 3 minutes when you've paid good money to experience everything not just the que.
Day 2 we took our time. We skipped the early admission and just went into Universal (home of Diagon Alley). We were able to meet all 3 Transformers with no line which my youngest loved! We rode the Hogwarts Express into Hogsmeade again Express Pass was useless. Went into Jurrasic Park which is hands down the best area for kids. We met Blue the Raptor, again no Express Pass, played on a massive playground and rode a pterodactyl flyer rider, again no Express Pass. Jurassic honestly was way more fun than either Harry Potter parks and we spent more time in them.
The superhero world was fun and we met Storm, Rouge, and Wolverine. All three were really nice and took the time to converse with us.
Getting to everything in the park can be accomplished in 3 days. The last day there was catching up and the few things we didn't do. Mainly the Minion rides which are both my kids favorite rides. Since everyone was running for the Potter parks the lines were short. Also if you love horror movies and special fx make-up be sure to venture into the Hollywood area and watch the Horror Make-up show. It's 30 minutes and a great time.
The last things the we did was spent time in Diagon Alley. The first day was overwhelming. There is a lot to see. On day 3 we watched two shows and the best was the puppet show of the Tales of Beetle the Bard. We got ice cream, which is good but damn, share is my advice. Sit down and look at all the little things around you. If you find the Daily Prophet you can hear the sounds of typing and people talking about the news. Which brings me to items to purchase in park.
The first is the wands. Do you need it? No. Do you want it? Yes. There is the option to get a plain old wand. But if you get the interactive wand note that there is a line for every single interactive area. The wand aims at a small lens within the window or whatever you're trying to cast a spell on and not every one works. If you have a smaller child like I do they are probably too short to aim at most of them and this will cause disappointment and sadness. I secretly stood behind him and aimed my wand to try and offset some of this. Having the wand alone is really cool. I looked at many wands and not once did I see the same wand twice, unless it was a character wand. But to purchase the interactive wands not really worth the hassle. A plain wand would have been just as fun and cheaper. Secondly, I'm gonna say this and I'm sure people will just freak a bit. Butterbeer is highly overrated. Try it for yourself of course. But it's not amazing. I tried it frozen and just cold. Neither tasted the same which is odd since it's supposed to be the same, but it's not. The Butterbeer I made for my kids party tasted better than what we had in the park. For $9 a cup it needs to be better. Also, the cream on top is literally melted whipped cream.
Same with the Pumpkin Juice. This one is a just skip it for me. It doesn't taste like pumpkin at all and is a combination of other juices.
Suggestion #4; Know thy Purchases. Meaning while doing research ahead of your trip plan out what you plan to buy at the park (such as wands). Our kiddos spent months working and saving money to purchase the few things they wanted. We agreed to buy them their wands and that was all. Obviously we will feed them. They each got a chocolate frog and one item with their money. That's all. We ate in the park one time at the Three Broomsticks and we all shared one breakfast. Doing anything in the park is stupidly expensive. So everything was shared.
Suggestion #5; Skip All the Bullshit. Meaning you will see "little" things that everyone seems to be buying at the park. Just don't do it. For instance. In order to hold you passes and tickets it's encouraged to purchase a lanyard when you get there. You will see all sorts of them ranging from kids characters to horror movie characters. These will run you between $13-$18, but please note the pouch to hold said items is NOT included. That pouch will be an extra $8. You could end up spending up to $30 per person in your group for a lanyard you'll be using a few days and then dumping somewhere in your house. It's not a necessity and not worth the money. Just carry you cards in a pocket like lower-class individuals do. The other is food and drinks. As I mentioned eating and drinking in the parks is way expensive and everything is a price gouge. Don't hemorrhage money.
Rather than purchasing each meal in your hotel or the park find a local grocery story (I used Publix) and have groceries delivered to you. Most places will have their own app to order online and will deliver within an hour. I had breakfast and lunch covered for 4 people for 4 days for less than $100. Prior to our trip I purchased a LifeStraw water bottle. LifeStraw is like Brita on steroids. It's a portable water bottle that filters all the yuck from the known not-to-be good Florida water. Water throughout the park is free, but the ice is NOT. Just note that. During dinner time just order pizza or cheaper food options and again have it delivered to you at your hotel. The cheapest item on the hotels menus was on the kids menu and was noodles with butter and cheese for $8. Burgers were around $20-$30.
The second BS item you don't need are the reusable cups. Even if you have an addiction to soda it can get really pricey. Each cup will run around $20 per cup and then there's the price to refill them. Which you can do by the day or for your stay. To be able to refill for your stay that will be another $20. So $40 per person just to drink. Water is up to $8 a bottle as well as just regular bottles of soda. If you drink a LOT of soda maybe this is a good option for you. My suggestion just buy a case while ordering your groceries and putting it in your own cup.
Lastly the photo package. Is it worth it? In my opinion no. I personally hate seeing myself looking all wonky on rides and any character photo op you are allowed to use your personal camera or phone to take the exact same picture. A 1-day photo package costs $90 which does NOT include prints. Prints are a separate cost. I made the mistake of getting one photo with a Transformer and it was $30. I thought all the photos would be included but they were not. Save the money and the cheesy borders that are on the photos and just use your phone and print them off the Shutterfly app in 4x6 format for free.
Now I don't wanna seem like I didn't enjoy the trip because I did. It was an experience, but not one that I'm going to repeat anytime soon. My kids however will have these core memories for awhile. This trip was something that in my childhood would never have been feasible because my parents were legit dirt poor. I'm by no means rich or super well off, but I did what I could to make this trip happen for my kids to enjoy. Which meant cutting costs where I could.
To summarize: If you travel off-season skip the Express Pass go with the cheaper hotel.
Buy your groceries while at the park and have them delivered. Make sandwiches can carry them with you in the park as well as snacks.
Carry your own tickets/passes/and water bottle. Don't get the lanyard or refill cup.
Take your own photos, don't get the photo package.
Plan ahead!
Make a purchase plan with your kids so they know what they can expect to buy and what they cannot.
Don't follow the crowds. Look to experience the other attractions the parks offer such as shows and character meet-and-greets.
Hopefully if you're planning a trip you too can find a way to save precious money but still have the best time possible. I hope that some of these tips help you in that effort as well.
Mischief Managed!
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