Theme park planning

What It Means

Theme park planning is the work done before a park trip: choosing dates, buying tickets, checkingChecking accountA bank or credit union account for everyday money going in and out, used by debit card, checks, transfers and direct deposit. See more whether the park needs a reservation for each day, booking somewhere to stay and setting a budgetBudgetA plan for a set period, usually a month, that lists the money you expect to receive and how you'll spend or save it. See more. Big resorts add their own rules and perks. At Walt Disney World, for example, guests of Disney Resort hotels and some other hotels get into the theme parks 30 minutes early on every day of their stay, and the park says a theme park reservation may be needed on top of a ticket.

How People Say It

• "Which park are we doing first?"
• "Did you book the park reservations or just the tickets?"
• "If we stay on property we get in early."

The Breakdown

Worked example. A family of four plans three park days and three hotel nights (all example amounts):

That's $1,070 a park day, or $802.50 a person. Tickets are the biggest line here, which is why the number of park days moves the total more than anything else.

Planning steps (Buhata's suggestion)

1. Pick dates and check the park's calendar and hours for each day.
2. Buy tickets, then check whether the park also needs a reservation for each day and make it.
3. Choose where to stay, and check whether the hotel comes with a park perk such as early entry.
4. Run the budget with your own numbers, then set the savings targetSavings goalA specific amount you plan to save by a set date for one purpose, which turns into a monthly or per-paycheck amount to set aside. See more.
5. Plan each day loosely: the two or three rides that matter most go first, with rest breaks for small kids.

Good to Know

Read the park's own pages before you book, since perks and rules differ by park and change. Walt Disney World's early entry, for example, needs valid park admission and a MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World Card, covers select hotels only, and doesn't open every attraction in that first half hour. Disney says the perk continues through 2027.

Related Terms and Categories

• Family vacation

  A trip taken together by a parent or parents and their children, usually planned around school breaks, the children's ages and a shared budget.

• Travel budget

  A plan for how much a trip will cost in total, split into travel, lodging, food, activities and a cushion, set before you book.

• Vacation planning

  Working out where, when and how a trip will happen, including what it costs, how to save for it and what paperwork it needs, well before you leave.

• Annual pass

  A pass bought once that covers entry to a park, attraction or set of sites for a year, so it pays off after enough visits.

• Shoulder season

  The travel period between a destination's peak and off-peak seasons, just before or after the busiest weeks, when fares are often lower than at peak.

Travel and outings with kids