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5 Tips for Theme Park Fun
Nothing gets my kids more excited than going to a theme park. Planning a trip to the big California or Florida parks or even to a smaller theme park featuring an indoor or outdoor water park ensures a lot of excitement and very good behavior leading up to the trip. Here are some tips to enhance your theme park experience.
Researching your vacation is a sure-fire way to help set expectations and create excitement.
Do Your Research
You’ve decided to go on a theme park vacation! Now comes the fun part, deciding where you want to go. There are some questions you should research before you make your decision.
- Are you looking to stay in the park or outside the park?
- What dining venues are available?
- What rides and attractions are family-oriented, what are the height requirements and what rides are too scary for small children?
- Is there a system to skip or greatly reduce the wait time in line?
- What are the “big” attractions your family wants to experience?
- Is parking included?
- Is transportation from the hotel to the park included?
- What are the covid protocols for each park?
- Are the restrooms/water fountains easy to locate?
- What’s the weather like for the location and time of year you want to go?
Nothing’s better than seeing the smiles on their faces when they find out they are going to a theme park for vacation!
Book Hotels and Tickets in Advance
Now that you’ve researched and know what park you’d like to visit, it’s time to book. Book as far out as possible to get the best availability. Most parks are currently under occupancy restrictions so be sure to make reservations for the parks and days you want to visit to ensure a smoother vacation. Once you’ve booked, find and download the theme parks free app. These are valuable resources for while you are in the parks as they provide things like wait times for rides and allow you to make reservations for restaurants (do this as soon as possible).
Book Hotels and Tickets in Advance
Now that you’ve researched and know what park you’d like to visit, it’s time to book. Book as far out as possible to get the best availability. Most parks are currently under occupancy restrictions so be sure to make reservations for the parks and days you want to visit to ensure a smoother vacation. Once you’ve booked, find and download the theme parks free app. These are valuable resources for while you are in the parks as they provide things like wait times for rides and allow you to make reservations for restaurants (do this as soon as possible).
Nothing’s better than seeing the smiles on their faces when they find out they are going to a theme park for vacation!
Comfy shoes are an absolute must for any theme park vacation.
Pack for Success
This is another place where research can really help. Take a look at the weather in the location you are visiting and design your wardrobe accordingly. You don’t need a heavy parka in 90-degree weather! Make sure the shoes you pack for the entire family are all comfortable and broken in. Breaking in a pair of new shoes in a theme park is effective but painful, and flip-flops offer little to no support for hours of walking. Pack as light as possible, even if it means having to take a rest day to do a load of laundry and explore the hotel. Your feet will thank you even if your kids won’t (I send mine to the hotel pool, which usually works!) Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Many theme parks offer firework spectaculars that can be viewed from many places in the park.
Get to the Park Early and Stay Late
Most theme park destinations like Orlando tend to be warm-weather locations. In addition to taking advantage of the cooler part of the morning, you might be able to ride the more popular rides before the lines get enormous. Getting there early also provides the option of taking a nice and well-deserved break in the hottest part of the afternoon to get powered up for the evening festivities and fireworks shows. Speaking of fireworks shows, lines at some of the attractions tend to be shorter during these spectaculars so if you’ve already seen the show it’s a great opportunity to go do your favorite ride one more time. No matter what time of day you wind up at the park, remember to drink plenty of water.
Get to the Park Early and Stay Late
Most theme park destinations like Orlando tend to be warm-weather locations. In addition to taking advantage of the cooler part of the morning, you might be able to ride the more popular rides before the lines get enormous. Getting there early also provides the option of taking a nice and well-deserved break in the hottest part of the afternoon to get powered up for the evening festivities and fireworks shows. Speaking of fireworks shows, lines at some of the attractions tend to be shorter during these spectaculars so if you’ve already seen the show it’s a great opportunity to go do your favorite ride one more time. No matter what time of day you wind up at the park, remember to drink plenty of water.
Many theme parks offer firework spectaculars that can be viewed from many places in the park.
Don’t let the unexpected (like accidentally dropping your ice cream cone) ruin your vacation.
Be Flexible
No matter how much you plan, no matter how many reservations you make or research you do, something is going to go sideways. You are not going to be able to do everything, and that’s okay. For your sake, and for your family's sake it’s best to roll with the punches. Most theme parks care very much about your experience there so if you do have an issue while you are in the park, let someone know about it. The kinder you are while reporting the issue, the more likely you are to get an acceptable resolution.
Once You Are Ready to Travel Again, Costco Travel Can Help
We invite you to take some time to browse around and dream of an exciting theme park vacation, whether you’re booking for next month or toward the end of the year. Click here to see the possibilities.
Researching your vacation is a sure-fire way to help set expectations and create excitement.
Do Your Research
You’ve decided to go on a theme park vacation! Now comes the fun part, deciding where you want to go. There are some questions you should research before you make your decision.
- Are you looking to stay in the park or outside the park?
- What dining venues are available?
- What rides and attractions are family-oriented, what are the height requirements and what rides are too scary for small children?
- Is there a system to skip or greatly reduce the wait time in line?
- What are the “big” attractions your family wants to experience?
- Is parking included?
- Is transportation from the hotel to the park included?
- What are the covid protocols for each park?
- Are the restrooms/water fountains easy to locate?
- What’s the weather like for the location and time of year you want to go?
Nothing’s better than seeing the smiles on their faces when they find out they are going to a theme park for vacation!
Book Hotels and Tickets in Advance
Now that you’ve researched and know what park you’d like to visit, it’s time to book. Book as far out as possible to get the best availability. Most parks are currently under occupancy restrictions so be sure to make reservations for the parks and days you want to visit to ensure a smoother vacation. Once you’ve booked, find and download the theme parks free app. These are valuable resources for while you are in the parks as they provide things like wait times for rides and allow you to make reservations for restaurants (do this as soon as possible).
Book Hotels and Tickets in Advance
Now that you’ve researched and know what park you’d like to visit, it’s time to book. Book as far out as possible to get the best availability. Most parks are currently under occupancy restrictions so be sure to make reservations for the parks and days you want to visit to ensure a smoother vacation. Once you’ve booked, find and download the theme parks free app. These are valuable resources for while you are in the parks as they provide things like wait times for rides and allow you to make reservations for restaurants (do this as soon as possible).
Nothing’s better than seeing the smiles on their faces when they find out they are going to a theme park for vacation!
Comfy shoes are an absolute must for any theme park vacation.
Pack for Success
This is another place where research can really help. Take a look at the weather in the location you are visiting and design your wardrobe accordingly. You don’t need a heavy parka in 90-degree weather! Make sure the shoes you pack for the entire family are all comfortable and broken in. Breaking in a pair of new shoes in a theme park is effective but painful, and flip-flops offer little to no support for hours of walking. Pack as light as possible, even if it means having to take a rest day to do a load of laundry and explore the hotel. Your feet will thank you even if your kids won’t (I send mine to the hotel pool, which usually works!) Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Many theme parks offer firework spectaculars that can be viewed from many places in the park.
Get to the Park Early and Stay Late
Most theme park destinations like Orlando tend to be warm-weather locations. In addition to taking advantage of the cooler part of the morning, you might be able to ride the more popular rides before the lines get enormous. Getting there early also provides the option of taking a nice and well-deserved break in the hottest part of the afternoon to get powered up for the evening festivities and fireworks shows. Speaking of fireworks shows, lines at some of the attractions tend to be shorter during these spectaculars so if you’ve already seen the show it’s a great opportunity to go do your favorite ride one more time. No matter what time of day you wind up at the park, remember to drink plenty of water.
Get to the Park Early and Stay Late
Most theme park destinations like Orlando tend to be warm-weather locations. In addition to taking advantage of the cooler part of the morning, you might be able to ride the more popular rides before the lines get enormous. Getting there early also provides the option of taking a nice and well-deserved break in the hottest part of the afternoon to get powered up for the evening festivities and fireworks shows. Speaking of fireworks shows, lines at some of the attractions tend to be shorter during these spectaculars so if you’ve already seen the show it’s a great opportunity to go do your favorite ride one more time. No matter what time of day you wind up at the park, remember to drink plenty of water.
Many theme parks offer firework spectaculars that can be viewed from many places in the park.
Don’t let the unexpected (like accidentally dropping your ice cream cone) ruin your vacation.
Be Flexible
No matter how much you plan, no matter how many reservations you make or research you do, something is going to go sideways. You are not going to be able to do everything, and that’s okay. For your sake, and for your family's sake it’s best to roll with the punches. Most theme parks care very much about your experience there so if you do have an issue while you are in the park, let someone know about it. The kinder you are while reporting the issue, the more likely you are to get an acceptable resolution.
Once You Are Ready to Travel Again, Costco Travel Can Help
We invite you to take some time to browse around and dream of an exciting theme park vacation, whether you’re booking for next month or toward the end of the year. Click here to see the possibilities.
About the Author: The above piece was compiled by Penny Anderson, mother of two young athletes, and Merchandising/Ecommerce Manager at Costco Travel. Penny has been a Costco employee for 24 years, most of these years at Costco Travel.
