THIS POST WILL CONSIST OF TWO PARTS. PART 2 (THE DON’T’s) WILL BE POSTED THURSDAY, MARCH 1st.
Planning a trip to a theme park can be a daunting task. You have to worry about things such as parking, admission, food, souvenirs, and many other costs. Sometimes you have to deal with long lines, heat, or frigid cold. Sometimes your day is interrupted because of inclement weather. However, there are many things you should and shouldn’t do in order to have the best day at the park.
The DO’s
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- Get to the park at opening – While some people may think going to a park at opening may be hectic and busy, it can actually not be. You see, many guests who arrive at opening tend to head towards the largest or newest ride in the park. That leaves the rest of the rides with little to no wait for about the first hour of operation. Avoid going to the bigger rides and head to the lesser known attractions. You will still have time later in the day to ride the big name attractions, but you’ll be able to get on more rides in a day.
- Look at the park map online – Theme parks are a lot more fun when you know where you’re going. When you want to ride as much as you can in a day, it can often be difficult if you don’t know the lay of the land. By knowing the park layout ahead of time, you’ll have a better idea of where you’re going.
- Make a plan for meals – This is probably the most hit or miss part of amusement and theme parks. Many people will eat inside the park, while others will keep food in their car and go out for it, or eat at a restaurant just outside the park. If you’re eating in the park, be aware of busy times for different restaurants. For example, many restaurants will be most busy between 11:30AM and 1:00PM, as well as 5:00PM and 6:00PM. Planning to eat before or after these times will likely cut down on the time waiting in line, as well as give you more time to enjoy the rest of the park. Additionally, if you plan an early lunch and late dinner, you can always grab a snack to hold you over in between meals.
- If you can, go on a Tuesday or Thursday – This can be very touchy depending on what park you’re going to and what events are happening. From my personal experience, I have found that visiting a park on a Tuesday or Thursday leads to shorter lines and less crowds. Since those two days don’t immediately precede or succeed a weekend day, and aren’t the exact middle of the week, for some reason many people won’t visit on those two days. There are exceptions, but from my experiences, many parks are less crowded on those two days.
- Go see a show – When people think of theme parks, they often only think of rides. However, many parks offer an array of shows to get away from standing in lines all day. If the lines in the park are getting busy, a show is a great way to sit back, relax, and get away from the crowds. Shows typically run anywhere between 15-45 minutes, and perform multiple times a day.
There many more tips and tricks for visiting amusement parks, but the list would go on all day. Ultimately, a trip to the park is what you make of it. Take these tips into consideration; they could help make a day in the park much more memorable.