Local 6 Theme Park Week: Pet peeves

Tips for battling park pet peeves

This week, Local 6 is showing you the theme parks like you have never seen them before.

Local 6 asked on Facebook what were some of the biggest pet peeves with the parks. The most talked about issues: price, rest areas, and crowds.

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With the help of advice sent in by Local 6 Facebook fans and input from Local 6 theme park expert, Ken Pilcher, here is a cheat sheet of helpful solutions.

Disney World

Deals Inside The Park

  • Be on the lookout for merchandise discounts on the receipt of your meals
  • All Disney parks allow visitors to bring in lunch, snacks, and bottled water
  • Ice water is available for free at all quick service restaurants in the parks
  • Complimentary transportation to and from the airport for resort guests
  • Transportation provided between all resorts and parks
  • Monorails, buses, and even boats can take you from park to park
  • Strollers are allowed inside the park ($15 a day for a single to rent)
  • Rapid Fill Refillable Mugs available for $8.99. Once purchased, refills unlimited (usually expires at the end of the day)
  • Epcot "Club Cool" offers sodas from all over the world for free
  • If you want to eat a meal with the characters, try breakfast or lunch. It's much cheaper than dinner and you get the same experience.
  • Ask before you pay! Disney often offers discounts on food and merchandise if you have an annual pass, AAA members, military, etc.

Rest Area/Crowds

  • Best solution to beating the crowd is getting to the park early
  • Ride Thunder Mountain first thing but then grab a fast pass to Splash Mountain
  • Start at Magic Kingdom if you are visiting multiple parks in one day. It tends to get more crowded throughout the day
  • Best way to deal with crowd at Epcot, visit Soarin first. It is the hardest attraction to get to because of its popularity and get eat up hours of your time if you do not get there first thing.
  • The People Mover at Tomorrowland uses magnets to draw your car from place to place -- it's said to be a scenic ride that allows people to relax for a few minutes
  • Tom Sawyers Island offers a lot of places where you can sit and find shade

Universal Studios

Deals Inside The Park

  • 10% discount at most restaurants for AAA Members
  • Souvenir cup available for purchase $8.99 plus tax. Once purchased, visitors can receive soda for 99 cents plus tax.
  • Souvenir popcorn bucket available for $5.49 plus tax. Once purchased, visitors can receive popcorn for 99 cents plus tax.
  • The Great Feast at The Three Broomsticks is said to be a platter for four but it is a lot of food

Rest Area/Crowds

  • Recommendation: Go to Harry Potter's Wizarding World of Harry Potter first
  • Visit Wand Shop first because it tends to have the slowest line, then the Flight of Hippogriff
  • Area behind Mythos that is beautifully themed that is often not crowded

SeaWorld

Deals Inside The Park

  • Refillable cup cost starts at $9.99 plus tax. Refills after purchase cost 99 cents throughout park.
  • 10% discount at select in-park dining locations for AAA members

Rest Area/Crowds

  •  Start at the back of the park and work to the front
  • There is a boardwalk (entrance to village) that you can take all the way to the other side of park
  • Recommendation: Take boardwalk to Shamu Stadium before crowd forms
  • Pacific Point is tucked in the corner and often does not get a lot of crowds
  • Pacific Point also allows people to watch sea lions and seals while taking a break

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