Strollerderby : theme parks

HOW Much for a Trip to Legoland??

Amy Kuras — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:02:00 GMT

I love Legos. But based on this review in the LA Times of a trip there, I think I’d hate Legoland.

Mostly because I am a cheap Midwesterner, and if I am paying around $225 to take my family somewhere I’d better be having Thomas Keller cook for me or sitting in the front row while Aretha Franklin sings.

I mean, it sounds kind of cool – rides, a good playground for the little ones, and Miniland -- all kinds of things made out of Legos. There’s a series of landmarks and so on – click on over, that paragraph is quite funny.

The writer relays that his family’s overnight trip, which included a stay at the hotel adjacent to the park, meals etc. clocked in at about $600. I’m a big believer in spending money on experiences versus things; if I had to choose between spending that kind of money on a day at a theme park or, say, a biog day at the mall I’d cough up for the theme park, no question. But sweet fancy Moses, $600 seems like an awful lot of money for a family outing.

That just seems insane to me, that nothing could be that fun to justify that cost. And no wonder we’re all in insane amounts of debt if a normal rite of passage for childhood costs almost as much as our car payment and more than our heating bill.

California and Florida readers, help me out here: Is spending a day at one of the big theme parks an annual thing, a “big birthday” kind of thing or considered practically a birthright? Is it something that’s sort of expected that you’ll do, or is it optional?

Related on Babble:

Field Trip: Behind the Scenes at the US Lego Headquarters!

12 of the 100 Greatest Places to Vacation

Brett Singer — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Life Magazine has just come out with a new tome -- LIFE: Dream Destinations: The World's 100 Greatest Places to Vacation. Twelve spots are chosen for families, and here they are:

London: The wife and I took Thing 1 and his Gramma to London when he was only 2 years old. It was great. There's a lot to do that can appeal to even a young kid (the Globe Theater, changing of the guard, and eating fish and chips in a pub were a few highlights). Depending on where you stay, there can be a lot of walking and/or tube riding, so if you are more Country Mouse than City Mouse, just be prepared for a potentially urban adventure. Highly recommended.

Riviera Maya: I had to look this one up (I don't get out much). This is an area of Mexico designed for tourists. This site has some info on family-friendly vacations in the area.

Orlando: Um, duh. Disney. Other theme parks. Sun. Fun. Go.

Wisconsin Dells: The "Waterpark Capital of the World." 18 indoor and 3 outdoor waterparks, one of which, Noah's Ark, is the largest in the United States. Never been but it sounds pleasant enough, if a tad soggy.

The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, California: this sounds a lot like…nature. For those who like that kind of thing, you can't go wrong. If not, go to London, or Orlando.

New York City: I live here and we hate tourists. OK, we don't hate you. But we wish you wouldn't stand in the middle of Times Square and not move. (I kid. Well, not about the standing in the street part.) Obviously, there are millions of things to do for those with families and without. The notion of New York as scary place is gone, although personally I would stay away from Bushwick. Bonus: we have a new Governor!

The Bahamas: Why not? Can I go now?

Snowmass, Aspen, Colorado: Aspen is incredibly beautiful. Also kind of expensive. Snowmass, a ski resort, just opened the Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center, which sounds fun. If you don't ski, this probably isn't for you. But if you do, have at it.

Memphis: Even if you aren't an Elvis fanatic (and if you are, it's OK, you can admit it. There now, wasn't that easy?), there's plenty to do in Memphis, including a Children's Museum, Zoo, and the Mud Island River Park (Mississippi Mud, of course).

Cuzco, Peru: these pictures look intriguing. I like Peruvian food. Need to practice my Spanish though. (De donde esta el... hey, give me a break, it's been awhile.)

Montana’s Dude Ranches: Dude! Who doesn't want to be a cowboy/girl? Unless the kids are allergic to horses, this sounds like a blast.

The Impossible Dream: Space: Now that's just silly. Isn't it? Until Richard Branson re-opens reservations on Virgin Galactic, and maybe lowers the price a bit ($200,000 a person is a tad high), this option will indeed remain the impossible dream.

Anyone been to any of these places, especially the less well-known spots? What are your favorite vacation destinations?

Cribsheet: Theme Parks

editors — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Number of theme parks in the U.S.: more than 600
Annual number of visitors to U.S. theme parks: 335 million
To the Florida Disney World theme parks: 45.1 million
Percentage of Americans surveyed who visited a theme park last year: 28%

Number of roller coasters in the U.S.: more than 1,300
Speed of the fastest roller coaster in the U.S. (the Kingda Ka at Six Flags in Jackson, NJ): 128 mph
Height of the highest roller coaster in the U.S. (also the Kingda Ka): 456 feet

Number of people on payroll at Disney World in Florida: 58,000
Amount spent on payroll at Disney World each year: $1.1 billion
Amount of money spent each year on maintenance and engineering at Disney World:
$100 million
Revenues generated by U.S. theme parks and attractions in 2005: $11.2 billion

Research by Sarah Sundberg. Cribsheet appears in Strollerderby every Wednesday.

Disney Small World Ride Sinking Under Weight of Fat People

Madeline Holler — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:37:00 GMT

The original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, will be putting one of its oldest and most famous rides on hiatus in January. Since the It’s a Small World boat ride keeps sinking under the increasing weight of the theme park’s visitors, engineers have to dredge a deeper flume and build more bouyant boats to keep the ride flowing.

The rebuilt course might also spare more hefty guests the painful embarrassment of being pulled from a stuck boat and led out the emergency exit. Already, workers at the ride have to board fewer riders when super-fatties are next in line, much to the irritation of those who have to wait even longer to get on.

The ride was built in 1963 when the average-size American adult male was 175 pounds and the average-size female was 135 pounds. I think now that's the average size of fifth-graders. In any case, riders regularly tip the scales at more than 200 pounds each so some tricky planning is involved.

The ride is an open boat made to accommodate a few rows of passengers. The boat floats down a narrow river-like flume, while passengers are bombarded with the cloying “It’s a Small World After All” tune, making getting stuck extra upsetting.

When It's a Small World reopens, it will be able to transport several hundred more pounds of capacity. Park officials may shut down and reconfigure other rides, like the Pinocchio, Alice In Wonderland and Pirates of The Caribbean rides – all of which have stalled or become annoyingly slow from the weight of their passengers.

The world really isn't so small, huh? But Disney is still fun for the whole fat family!

Saving Dollars at Theme Parks

Kelly Mills — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:30:00 GMT

A couple months ago the family packed into a minivan and headed to SoCal for a Disneyland adventure. I think I'm still recovering. The trip came at the behest and expense of my mom and stepdad, who are far, far braver than I am, and at the end of the day my kid had a blast. Therefore my first tip for how to save money at theme parks is: see if the grandparents will foot the bill. However, if that isn't an option, here's a list of ways to hang on to the almighty dollar while chasing after Mickey or another giant costumed freak.

Some of these tips boil down to carrying enough clothing that you'll wish you had a pet pack mule to accompany you. I'm going to second one tip in a big way: bring your own snacks. Not just because you'll end up spending three dollars for a bottle of water and five for an ice cream. It turns out that the food you can get at most theme parks is naaaaasty. More salt than a gallon of ocean water, heavy on the preservatives, and generally designed to make you feel barfy afterwards. I know I get the "duh" prize for not realizing how bad theme park food would be but since I think I like junk food, I wasn't prepared for how crappy I'd feel. Along those lines, I'll also second "don't overstay" for cost-cutting and sanity reasons. Because crying at the Magic Kingdom just feels bad.

Only In England: "Dickens World" Theme Park Now Open

Karen Murphy — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 20:25:00 GMT

Somehow, this is more telling about relative cultures than anything else I can think of right now: the U.S. is getting 20 "Sponge Bob" waterpark resorts, while England has "Dickens World." Let's see, that's a sponge that lives in a pineapple vs. literary classics of the Victorian era. Hmm.

Although frankly it's hard to say how excited kids can get over dark boat rides, Scrooge's Haunted House, and a Victorian school room, not to mention likely hundreds of grimy little pickpockets swarmng around, but Dickens World is billed as being "based on a credible and factual account of Charles Dickens works and the world in which he lived. ...[G]reat attention has been paid to the authenticity of the time, characters and story lines. It offers a new and entertaining way to enjoy Dickens and his characters as well as gaining an understanding of the times and conditions people experienced living in England in the early 19th century."

Oh. Of course. Cliff's Notes in a theme park version. I like it! Please sir, can I have some more?