Clark's Big Book of Bargains by Clark Howard

Author:Clark Howard [Howard, Clark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4013-9767-8
Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2003-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

Amusement Parks

Both the regional and national amusement parks offer season passes that allow unlimited visits for people who live in the area. Or you can buy a less-expensive pass that’s good for certain times of the year. If you think you’ll visit the amusement park two or more times, it makes sense to buy one of these locals’ passes.

In Florida, there’s the Florida Residents Pass for Disney, and Universal Studios has one as well. But don’t think you’re going to be able to call your long-lost cousin who lives in Florida or California and have them buy a pass for you. The attractions prevent that by making you show a local driver’s license. You might be able to do it for a child. Many parks also offer a second day free, or a discounted second day if you purchase admission at the same time you buy the first day. If you think you might want to go back a second day, ask what a second-day pass costs. It’s worth a gamble even if you’re not sure, because the price is great. The parks make their money on concessions and parking.

Another way to buy discounted amusement park tickets is through AAA, the auto club (www.ourAAA.com). AAA sells tickets to its members for several dollars off the regular price of many attractions.

Be very mindful of all the signs you’ll see, especially in Orlando, that promise free or extra-cheap tickets to an amusement park. To get them, you’ll have to go to a time-share presentation, and as I detailed in my previous book, Get Clark Smart, time-shares are a terrible rip-off. If you think the tickets are worth the time you’ll give up, and if you know yourself well enough to know that you won’t buy a time-share no matter how enticing they make it seem, go ahead and do it. I had a caller who went to three time-share presentations while in Orlando. He and his wife got into Sea World and Universal Studios for free, and got into Disney World for just $20 a ticket. They would schedule their day by going to time-share presentations in the morning and the amusement parks in the afternoon. It makes sense if you can go with the flow like that because the tickets cost a fortune—usually $200 per day for a family of four, just to get in the door. That’s big money. The people who sell the time-shares know some people will try to take them for the tickets. But they also know they’ll get enough buyers to easily cover the cost of the tickets.

I did a hidden-camera visit to a time-share presentation in Orlando, and the salesperson knew right away that there wasn’t anything he could say to get us to buy. So he chatted with us for a while, told a supervisor it was hopeless, and let us go early.

• Tips on Vacations •

Buy your ski equipment, clothing, and lift tickets in the ski town you’re visiting, not in the city where you live.

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