Have you been dreaming of going to Disney World or Universal Studios? Be to sure to take plenty of money: It costs the average family of four about $700 just for entrance and a meal.
We looked into how you can slash the cost on your next theme park visit.
Never buy tickets at the gate.
Check out reputable third-party wholesalers for multiday tickets. That can help you save up to $50 a ticket.
Touringplans.com is another resource that helps find the lowest prices. Or, you can use Disney's site and save a minimum of $20 per ticket on three-day passes.
Consider going only to the water park.
Universal charges $65 to get into its Volcano Bay water park, versus $124 for other parks.
Purchase a pass for one day less than you're staying.
Use the extra day to hang out by the pool.
Try ride-share services.
Search for promo codes for Uber and Lyft, and use them to get from the hotel to the theme park -- instead of paying $20 to $30 a day for parking. You'll get to the entrance faster anyway, and save money.
Use a grocery delivery service.
Food can be costly, too. Use services such as Shipt or Instacart to deliver some food to your room. If you have a fridge, you can keep snacks, cereal and sandwiches at the ready and save on eating out three times a day.
Consider a hotel on the park property you're visiting.
Express passes at Universal can run up to $150 per day on top of the admission. If you stay at one of the three on-property hotels, which includes both transportation to the front gate and express privileges, you save tons.
Avoid the in-park souvenir shops.
You'll almost always find it cheaper outside the park or online.
