From season passes to photo packages: What should you spend money on at a theme park?
When visiting a theme park, it’s easy to be tempted by all the “extras,” but are the offers really worth the money?
Obviously, the answer will vary from family to family, but there are some things I think are worth paying for while others are better to skip.
Universal Orlando’s Universal Express
Unlike Walt Disney World, which lets you book fast passes for every ride in the park for free, Universal Orlando charges guests for the chance to skip the line.
The Express options start at $69.99 per person for the opportunity to bypass the regular lines one time per ride at a single park to $99.99 per person for the chance to bypass the lines an unlimited number of times at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.
Having visited Universal Orlando at least three times in the last five years, this expense has always been a definite pass for me.
In my experience, the lines for a lot of the rides at the Universal parks just aren’t as long as those at Disney, so it’s not worth adding several hundred dollars to skip a line that may only be 20 to 30 minutes long.
There’s also a risk in spending several hundred dollars in advance on the ability to skip the line when you don’t know how crowded it will be on the day you visit. For example, the last time I visited Universal was a Sunday in June, however I never encountered a line longer than 45 minutes and I was able to ride everything I wanted more than once.
The pass did recently start allowing visitors to skip the lines at all the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions, so that may be worth the money for people who have traveled a great distance for that element, particularly during the peak season (holidays or summer). That said, I think it’s better to just arrive at the park before opening and make a bee-line for the ride you most want to experience as soon as you’re allowed in. You’ll get a shorter line and can save that extra money for souvenirs!
Disney World’s Memory Maker
From the rides to character meet-and-greets, there are a lot of photo opportunities in Disney parks, but is it worth paying for a professional to capture those moments for you?
The last three times I visited a Disney park (twice in Orlando and once in Disneyland Paris) I have paid for the service, but this is a service where the value strongly depends on who you’re traveling with and what you plan to do with your time in the park.
The Disney World Memory Maker costs $169 if ordered at least three days before your trip and $199 if you buy it the day you arrive. The package includes all photos with characters, photos from every ride with a camera and special shots throughout the park, like in front of the iconic castle.
Disneyland offers a similar service, but because it’s combined with their new MaxPass program, it’s a bit more complicated, so we will focus on Disney World since it’s the closed Disney park to North Carolina.
For me, the Memory Maker is a must if you’re traveling with young children who will be visiting all the characters. Rather than fiddling with the camera on your phone and watching your child meet Mickey Mouse for the first time through your 7 inch screen, you can let a professional do the work while you remain present in the moment.
You can also get all of those often hysterical screaming pictures from rides like Splash Mountain, which can cost more than $10 per photo if purchased individually, depending on the size and quantity you want.
The $169 cost may seem like a lot for photos, but the price includes pictures from the entire duration of your visit. For example, if you have a five-day ticket, it includes photos from all five days. The Memory Maker can also be used by everybody in your group, so the fee covers multiple people.
When I visited Disney World in February, our group of seven had more than 400 photos by the end of our five-day trip, so the cost was well worth the benefit, but for others that may not be the case.
If you’re visiting Disney to drink around the world at Epcot or you’re only visiting the park for a day, there probably aren’t going to be enough photo opportunities to justify the cost. The photo opportunities will also be lacking if you don’t plan on waiting in line to meet a lot of the characters or you’re more likely to be riding Dumbo than Space Mountain.
Plus, if you don’t buy the package and still want some photos in front of Cinderella’s castle or with a character or two, every professional photographer will take the picture for you on your phone if you just ask!
Season passes
While most North Carolinians won’t be buying season passes to the major Orlando theme parks, many don’t realize that buying a season pass to some of the closer theme parks may be the cheaper choice if you plan to visit more than once.
A Carowinds Gold Pass, which allows unlimited, free parking, and attendance at the Scarowinds Halloween event and WinterFest costs $108 per person. A regular priced ticket to Carowinds is $66 for an adult and doesn’t include the $15 parking fee.
Similarly, single-day admission to King’s Dominion is normally $68 plus $16 for parking if you pay in advance online while a Gold Pass costs $120.
Both Carowinds and Kings Dominion also offer the Pre-K pass, which allows children under the age of 5 to visit for free as long as they register by May 28.
Busch Gardens, which is farther from the Triangle than the other two parks but still drivable for a day trip, charges $70 for a single day ticket if it’s purchased more than two days in advance at $90 if it’s purchased on the day of your visit. That doesn’t include parking, which is $16 if purchased online in advance and $20 at the gate.
An unlimited membership, which includes admission to Busch Gardens (including Christmas Town), Water Country USA (which has its own $60 admission fee), free parking and two free guest tickets, costs $204 per member.
So, if you plan on visiting at least twice in a season, a season pass will save you money.
