Non Disney Theme Park Prices

[DavidRoss]

So yesterday I went to a midwest theme park (Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois) with a group from work. Of course I love Disney parks by far. I am biased being a DVC member and all. However, while at the theme park yesterday, I thought I would check out a few things and post prices here for the theme park I was at. Lately, I will admit, I have been increasingly concerned at how expensive Disney has become. So my visit to this other theme park was a bit of an eye opener for me. Here is why:

One day parking: $25
Locker Renal: $13 small, $20 medium, $25 large
20 oz bottle of soda: $4.50
20 oz fountain beverage $4.74
Refillable sports bottle for one day: $17.94 (can be used on return visits during the season at 99 cents per fill)
Prepaid meal voucher for a burger and fries: $15.25

And this floored me the most - their version of fastpass is divided into three tiers:
Regular: $45 per day per person - records the current wait time and lets you return later in that amount of time - basically it is a place holder.

Gold: $90 per day per person - records the current wait time and lets you return with a 50% reduced wait. So if the wait time is 60 minutes, you can return in 30 minutes.

Platinum: $145 per day per person - reduces wait time by 90% and lets you walk ahead of the line.

There are no planned windows of return time like with Fastpass+. Also, you can't book the ride ahead of time or online. You have to physically go to the ride and activate the pass kind of like the old Fastpass worked at Disney where you would get a paper ticket.

So if you are a family of 4 and you want to have platinum access, it will cost you $580 extra on top of your ticket prices. Suddenly, Disney's Fastpass+ program doesn't look so bad to me.

So what do you think of these costs compared to Disney?

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

What was the entry price?

 

[chipndaleluver]

Was the park in IL?

 

[clayfolks]

OP said it was Six Flags Great America. I think the single day tickets run $65.00ish. I couldn't find a true gate price on their site.

 

[Capang]

So I live very near Cedar Point and until a few years back I was a season pass holder for over 20 years. I went to price out a day trip so my DD, 4, could experience the place I grew up loving. Nearly $60 for admission for adults when you factor in tax. Parking close to $20. Their FP equivalent is either $55 or $75 per person after the admission ticket. Five years ago water was over $4 per bottle. I can't imagine what it is now. I remember when it went to $2 nearly 10 years ago and how appalled we were then. Cedar Point is definitely a thrill riders dream, however with a 4yo it is just not worth it for me. She will be stuck in kiddie land or camp snoopy and I will get to ride very little to nothing with her. Or at all for that matter. Compare to WDW that really accommodates families and gals of my size (my hips quit fitting on the largest coasters after DD was born) and I will shell out the extra for WDW. It works for us.

 

[freediverdude]

Eh, comparing those other parks to Disney or even to Universal or Sea World is apples to oranges. Six Flags, Cedar Point etc. are amusement parks, not theme parks. Plus most them are only open seasonally, and they have to grab what money they can in about 3-4 months.

 

[hydrotony]

One thing Six Flags does that is great...any park's annual pass is good at other Six Flags parks. Ride parks that is, but not water parks.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Eh, comparing those other parks to Disney or even to Universal or Sea World is apples to oranges. Six Flags, Cedar Point etc. are amusement parks, not theme parks. Plus most them are only open seasonally, and they have to grab what money they can in about 3-4 months.

Agreed. People do that alot, but as you said, it is apples to oranges, not a valid comparison at all.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Do they got rides? Do they got food? It may not be the same thing, but apples to oranges is a Kool-Aid thing. It may be more like a Golden Delicious to Winesap, but it's a far cry from apples to oranges. It all depends on what you go for. Most people go to eat and ride rides.

 

[brooke789]

We were considering going to Dollywood on a recent trip where we'd be close by. It would have been about $50+ per person for us to get in. We decided it wasn't worth it. I didn't even think of possibly having to pay to park, that not including tax, etc etc etc.

 

[chartle]

Agreed. People do that alot, but as you said, it is apples to oranges, not a valid comparison at all.

Do they got rides? Do they got food? It may not be the same thing, but apples to oranges is a Kool-Aid thing. It may be more like a Golden Delicious to Winesap, but it's a far cry from apples to oranges. It all depends on what you go for. Most people go to eat and ride rides.

You can compare anything to anything particularly if its an entertainment activity. You can compare a trip to WDW to going to the movies a base ball game, etc its all relative. Also the amusement park industry compares all parks even small ones like Kennywood.

I'll be going to Kennywood park tomorrow and can give a report but so far my ticket is $29.99 including a free Holiday Lights ticket (weather's been bad and attendance must be down for such a sale) and if we want to park close its $6 free if you want to walk.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

We live by Massanutten Resort (Virginia). The cost for annual passes to their water park is $390 for adults & $350 for students, with tax and fees it was around $1600 for a family of 4. It's a decent water park (I akin it to Great Wolf Lodge) but I certainly did a double take when they told me the pricing. I don't know parking or food costs so I won't comment.
When I told the woman that I didn't pay much more for Annual Passes (DVC discount) to Disney World she sat silent for about 15 seconds before telling me to call back if I was interested in purchasing, then hung up.

 

[alicat8]

I have a reeeeally hard time spending the money to do Six Flags. It's much closer than Disney, but I can't help but compare everything the whole time I'm there. When my daughter is a little older, I'm sure I'll get back into it. But for right now, I don't care enough about the thrill rides any more and my daughter is too nervous to ride kiddie rides alone. It is a nice reminder that Disney prices aren't SO bad.

For the record, they do consider themselves a "theme park"-it says it on their sign.

 

[amcnj]

Have been out of the Six Flags market for a few years now ("kids" are now adults!), but the one near me used to have a pretty inexpensive preseason price for an annual pass. Don't know if they still do that now. I think going like 3 times during the season made it worthwhile. And there was a seasonal parking pass too.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We are AP holders at Dollywood which is opened from late March through maybe Jan.2nd. My AP is around $100, Dh's is around $120. His gets us free parking, which I think is $18 a day, and 20% off just about everything we can buy including sit down meals and scooter rental.

Going in about 3 weeks to see, listen to Dolly's benefit concert. They offer them first to season ticket holders for purchases!

Love Dolly and Dollywood, but definitely not the same kind of experience as WDW, in some ways better, but not a replacement for WDW!

 

[rocketriter]

Agreed. People do that alot, but as you said, it is apples to oranges, not a valid comparison at all.

Not sure I agree on the "apples to oranges" part. I think apples to oranges is exactly the point. We think Disney apples are very expensive, until we learn that rival but lower-quality oranges are also expensive. That helps us put Disney prices into perspective: a bit more money for a lot more value.

 

[sheetz]

A lot of the regional parks target locals by pricing their daily rates very high in comparison to their annual/seasonal passes to pump up the passholder program. You're starting to see this a lot with museums, too. One example is the EMP Museum in Seattle, which charges a ridiculous $30 for daily admission but only $60 for annual membership.

 

[Capang]

Eh, comparing those other parks to Disney or even to Universal or Sea World is apples to oranges. Six Flags, Cedar Point etc. are amusement parks, not theme parks. Plus most them are only open seasonally, and they have to grab what money they can in about 3-4 months.

True, they each have their own reason for being. Six Flags and Cedar Point play to the thrill riders. Big coasters etc. universal is heading that way although with the theming. Disney sells their own brand. I think the point isn't that one type of park is amusement while the other is theme, I think that the point is the money each requires. Disney costs a ton for us because of the travel and hotel stays. If I had to travel to Cedar Point, and believe me, many do (the Sandusky economy is based on just that) and get a room and pay for a multi-day ticket I would be looking at about the same price as a Disney vacation (we pay far less for 4 day park hopper tickets using the salute, even cheaper than a CP pass) Hotels range from $100 or so for the cheapest roadside motel to several hundred for the nicest. The park admission is less but the food and water is actually more. Sure, they have to grab the money while open from May-November 1, yet don't forget they also have a large indoor water park resort that operates year round.

 

[brooke789]

A lot of the regional parks target locals by pricing their daily rates very high in comparison to their annual/seasonal passes to pump up the passholder program. You're starting to see this a lot with museums, too. One example is the EMP Museum in Seattle, which charges a ridiculous $30 for daily admission but only $60 for annual membership.

That is interesting! We have two (local) family memberships, both of which are very reasonably priced. Our local zoo is about $40 for our family to enter or $55 for the cheapest membership. Our childrens museum is also about $40 for us to enter or $150 for a 12-15month membership. If we go to the zoo it's really crazy not to just go ahead and get the membership!

 

[Kaigler]

Apples to oranges in the fact that the experience at Six Flags sucks compared to WDW. I think you can compare them easily and I do often. In fact, before we went to WDW when I was a kid, my dad was hesitant because he said it was just another Six Flags. The moment he turned that proverbial corner on Main Street USA, he was converted. You can definitely compare them.