Tips for Coaster Trip Costs

I've been planning my coaster trips and have one planned for Japan for next spring/summer. I am wondering, from you veterans of many many coaster trips, what are your tips for finding the best air fair, best car rental, and best hotels money wise. Thanks.

You can try Orbit.com or Priceline.com and make an offer.

One thing that helps, not as much as cheaper airlines, but if it is a lengthy multi park trip it helps in the long run. Food is a huge thing, for the amount of cash yopu spend on one meal for 2 people at a park or out say usually about $20 you can buy about 5 or 6 meals at a grocery store, for $20 insead of getting a big burger and fries, with drinks x 2, you can buy 2 packs of 6 bagels, 2 cream cheeses, a loaf of bread some meat, lettuce and tomatoes and a cheap pack of water with the optional 12 pack of sodas. That has saved me hundreds of dollars on my trip this year because I don't have to pay for breakfast, lunch and dinner, just lunch. Try that. just do lunch at the park and bring your own food for the other 2. You should eat lunch at the park otherwise the food you have will get old. If you are doing a multi park trip that does help, and of course limit souvenirs, we would all like the leather jacket that says Superman Ultimate flight or whatever hot ride, but it is not worth the $279.99 price tag. Get one onride photo of your fav ride, a T shirt of the park or favorite ride and some other little thing, instead of spending about $100 on souvenirs.

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coasterkid16 said:
One thing that helps, not as much as cheaper airlines, but if it is a lengthy multi park trip it helps in the long run. Food is a huge thing, for the amount of cash yopu spend on one meal for 2 people at a park or out say usually about $20 you can buy about 5 or 6 meals at a grocery store, for $20 insead of getting a big burger and fries, with drinks x 2, you can buy 2 packs of 6 bagels, 2 cream cheeses, a loaf of bread some meat, lettuce and tomatoes and a cheap pack of water with the optional 12 pack of sodas. That has saved me hundreds of dollars on my trip this year because I don't have to pay for breakfast, lunch and dinner, just lunch. Try that. just do lunch at the park and bring your own food for the other 2. You should eat lunch at the park otherwise the food you have will get old. If you are doing a multi park trip that does help, and of course limit souvenirs, we would all like the leather jacket that says Superman Ultimate flight or whatever hot ride, but it is not worth the $279.99 price tag. Get one onride photo of your fav ride, a T shirt of the park or favorite ride and some other little thing, instead of spending about $100 on souvenirs.

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I am all the way with you. Hey if your ever in the NYC area let me know, I try not to buy food in the park's, they dont have alot of choices for me. All I eat are salads etc, so a chicken sald stays nice in a cooler with some bottled water, and whoever wants to stuff food in it can. The only way I buy food in the park is if I dont feel like getting back to the car.

Camping is usually cheaper than a hotel. That may help in some cases. Doubt it will be of use to you in Japan though.

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Zero G Thrills - Moved and Improved

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Ajrides said:
You can try Orbit.com or Priceline.com and make an offer.

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It's www.Orbitz.com.

Other good sites are www.travelocity.com, www.hotwire.com .

What I usually do, is find the best price on orbitz or travelocity, then go directly to the website for the hotel chain itself and see if I can get a better deal from their website. If that doesn't work, I call the chain's main reservation line and see what price they can give. If all else fails, I call the actual hotel and tell them I really want to stay there and I am looking for their best price...

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--George H
---Currency tracking experiment... http://www.wheresgeorge.com (Referring to The "George" on the $1 bill - Not Me)

And depending on how hungry you get over the course of the day, along with buying my dinners at grocery stores when I was in California, I also made sure all my hotels had free continental breakfast. I just pigged out on breakfast, and that lasted me all the way until the end of the day when I came back and got a sandwhich from the grocery store or whatever. I ended up spending less on food (not drinks) than I did for the 9 shotglasses I bought of the different major rides out there.

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"As soon as you design something that's idiot-proof, the world will go and design a better idiot."
--Brett

Treat your stomach nice and avoid park food. I keep a cooler in the trunk when driving and try to schedule myself to eat away from the park as much as possible. Generally both cheaper and healthier.

Stay at hotels a little farther from the park in many, but not all cases. A hotel in Hershey is $100. 10 miles north of the park, you can stay for $40.

In the US of course, don't forget the SF season pass.

Yeah, grocery stores are a great idea. I know the Florida parks allow soft coolers in the parks, so you could take drinks, etc. in the park.

It may not be what you're looking for, but campgrounds are a great, cheap alternative to hotels. You can take a tent, or even find a camping cabin at much cheaper prices than hotels. I suggest KOA cabins, they are cheap, and many have pools, breakfasts, and other activities.

A season pass is a great idea. A good way to save money on one is to buy one from a smaller park in the chain. For example, if you want to go to SFMM, buy a sp from a smaller SF park. It's a good way to save about twenty bucks.