Vote of the week: Are you buying theme park tickets as Christmas presents?

December 18, 2009, 11:15 AM · Theme parks have been filling my e-mail in box over the past few weeks with offers hawking season passes and tickets as Christmas gifts. Six Flags and the Cedar Fair theme parks seem to have been hitting the pitches especially hard, trying to build a large base of visitors for what looks like another tough season in 2010.

Here's my question: Are you buying? Are you buying theme or amusement park passes this holiday season - for yourself, or for family or friends?

Or maybe you're buying for yourself and for family and friends. If so, the industry sends you its thanks. ;-)

Tell us what theme park-related gifts you've been buying (or asking for) this year. And if you're not, tell us why not - whether it's because of cost, quality, selection... whatever.

Thanks again for reading Theme Park Insider. And please keep reading next week and in the weeks ahead as we continue our series looking at all 64 nominees in the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction tournament.

Replies (6)

December 18, 2009 at 11:36 AM · Stocking stuffers at the Rao household = 2010 season passes to Silver Dollar City (Tom & Huck's River Blast opens in March!), and Friends of the Zoo family passes for the Kansas City Zoo and all its reciprocal partners.
December 18, 2009 at 12:30 PM · The student lifestyle doesn't allow for Annual Passes, unfortunately.

If Disneyland Paris are still doing their 'upgrade your ticker to an Annual Passport for 35 Euro's' offer I may consider a purchase if I book a trip.

December 18, 2009 at 1:14 PM · Living in Clearwater, FL (which is a short hop over to Tampa) I'd be stupid not to take advantage of Busch Garden's deal right now for Florida residents - For less than the price for a one day pass, get admission for the rest of 2009 and all of 2010! And that Disney weekday Florida resident pass is too good good to pass up as well (so what if it not good on weekends... I prefer to visit when it's not zoo-like conditions!)
December 18, 2009 at 7:25 PM · I bought a one night stay at Royal Pacific at Universal Orlando and 7 day passes for my moms Christmas gift. Of course my husband and I get to tag along to.
December 19, 2009 at 12:49 AM · With the cost getting higher every year, it becomes an annual present now (usually the big one). It is something we enjoy doing together and gets harder to figure out what to get each other all the time. Disneyland is close to our house, and we end up there often.

Last year, we also got Magic Mountain passes, and made it up there a few times. It is a good value (especially for the boys, wanting more on the thrill level), but gets hard to make the trip up there, just to watch them ride.

Disney related gifts are always easy to add in, too. Having the annual pass discount helps - even more this year with the company offering 20 percent of to all pass holders for a couple of months. Also, there is a Disney outlet store just down the street in Fullerton. It has discontinued and other things from promotions that are barely over.

Gift cards for the park usually end up in stockings, too.

December 20, 2009 at 8:12 AM · Wait, people have to "buy" theme park tickets?

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