BC Living
B.C.’s Best Coffee Shops for Networking and Working
Chili – From Scratch
You’ve Gotta Try This in September 2024
Back to Reality: Mental Health Tips For Managing Stress as an Entrepreneur
Balancing Work and Wellness: Tips from Successful BC Entrepreneurs
10 Picture Perfect Spots for Outdoor Yoga
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Local Getaway: Unwind at a Vancouver Island Coastal Retreat
Fall Magic in Vernon: Your Next Great Adventure for Epic Dining, Jazz Grooves and Golf Wins
Off the Beaten Path: Exploring BC’s Hidden Destinations
The Ultimate Ride: Monster Jam Vancouver
Entrepreneurs to Watch in BC’s Entertainment Industry
B.C. Adventures: Our Picks for September
Back-to-School Style: Including Essentials From BC-Based Brands
Best BC Markets For Local Artisans and Crafts
Eco-Friendly Home Tips for Summer
It's not all amusement at busy theme parks unless you have a game plan. Follow these simple tips to keep everyone sane and smiling
Follow these theme park survival tips to keep your kids smiling
On average, families are spending $900 per person for a trip to the promised land of theme parks.
With that kind of outlay, you’d think that visitors would pretty much know what they want to see, what they want to do, and how to go about seeing and doing them. However, by and large they don’t.
Plan Your Visit: Buy a guidebook. Read reviews. Check out the park’s website. Then plan what you want to see and do.
Have a Plan B: It is not uncommon that an attraction or ride will be closed. In that case, just move on to the next one on your list.
Arrive Early: An extra 15 minutes waiting in line at the park entrance could cut an hour off your waiting time for the most popular attractions.
Stay in Touch: Go your separate ways, but arrange to meet back at a specific location at a designated time. Also, have a site selected that can become a place to reestablish contact should your party become accidentally separated. If you have walkie-talkies, take them.
Go Deep: Once you enter the park, proceed to the farthest attractions first. Theme park designers place stores near the park entrances — hoping to catch you coming and going. And it works — in this case to your advantage. By bypassing the shops on your way to the popular attractions, you will beat others who get caught by them.
Leave Mid-day: Generally, theme parks are most crowded in the middle of the day. This is a good time to rest for a few hours — before returning for a second round later in the day. But, be sure to get your hand stamped on your way out.
Keep Calm and Carry on: Finally, if you find yourself getting ticked off at slow lines, poor service or inconsiderate guests, stop and take a breather. A visit to a theme park is supposed to be fun, not stressful.
Claire Newell is the travel media expert for Global BC, host of the travel series Operation: Vacation, best-selling author, spokesperson, wife and mother of two.
Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.
