@@BigDBrian stay at all star sports at Disney or dockside endless summer at universal their peak prices are like 200/night but off seasons are like 99/night
Have a nice fast food breakfast item or 2 before you go into the park. Bring in pre-made pbjs and some packs of raisins for lunch. Crush a 16.9oz water bottle or 2 to fill in the drinking fountains. Have a cooler in the car with dinner or bring in more pbjs if you don't want to walk to the car for dinner. I usually bring in a few granola bars too just in case I need a snack. You can fit a lot into a big $9 walmart fanny pack.
@@irok1 Yeah.. you could bring a cooler with egg salad sandwiches eat fried eggs and pbjs in the park and probably only need to buy a dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread if you have the condiments and seasoning on hand. But $1 menu items are pretty close for the folks who don't cook or have a few bucks to spare.
One thing that my parents did that I really respect now that I’m older is telling us we had to spend our own money on merch. When you’re a kid and you have to spend your own money it makes you think way harder about weather or not you’re actually going to use or wear that thing you want to buy ever again. It’s honestly a genius way of teaching kids to be smart with their money from a young age.
That's an exception... I don't fall for gift shop tricks and souvenirs, but when I eventually get to go to Disney one day I'm 100% building a lightsaber - there's an actual experience involved, not just pick what you want off a shelf, go to the register, pay, and leave
When you mentioned packing sandwiches and bringing it into the park gives me so much nostalgia, I used to go to the subway across from my local theme park, pack them in a backpack and when come lunchtime me and my family would eat and it wasn't overpriced, Thank you for the memory lol.
Just the best way to do it tbh. You don’t go to a park to eat you go to enjoy the rides. As a kid we’d always just have a big lunch before entering the park and have a dinner after leaving. It’s not like you’re doing strenuous exercise you’re just walking, you won’t get hungry
Ahh the feeling of having the tupperware molded bread ham and cheese sandwich and the small coke can on your backpack and just... getting together with all the group when y'all went to different places and just talk about your rides with everyone
The real pro tip is to just buy one of these for your whole party and grab food every 90-120 minutes. I did that at Cedar Point with my 2 cousins and we got about 8 meals out of it.
Then you have cedar point where they can operate 3 trains and still end up with 1 hour and 30 minute wait times in the fast lane simply because there is just that many people attending. Speaking from experience here...
Holiday world pumps the smell of thanksgiving food into gobbler getaway, which means when you leave the ride you want to walk across the path to the Plymouth Rock cafe
These sorts of things really affect my enjoyment in a park, and it is annoying to me when people don't take any of this to account when talking about good parks. I don't wanna feel like cattle that is being fed to a grinder plastered with ads, I want to feel like visitor.
Yea I literally just got back from a trip to Orlando to go to most of the Disney/universal parks it feels downright insulting to get off a “motion simulator” and be offered a 25 dollar porg plushy
In regards to the park hopper, it definitely works when trying to do Disney on a budget. You can easily do three parks in a day by only doing the good rides. Hit the first one with short lines at rope drop, reserve your fast passes at the second park, and stay at the last park until it closes. Since you are already on a budget, you can have lunch and dinner when you come back to the car to go to the next park. This is the only way I have experienced Disney but because of that I have experienced through 2 1/2 10-day-passes back when the no exporarion date option was a thing. Best plan is either AK-HS-MK or HS-EP-MK. You can do all four in ome day, you just have to plan and get lucky on crowds.
This guy's commentary is great, and I just appreciate you sneaking in the Hydro City theme from Sonic 3 in all your videos! It goes perfectly in these videos!
I'm gonna be upfront in saying that I prefer to eat at the parks, especially theme parks. I like to sit down and enjoy the food and theming at Disney and Universal, and I'm always down to grab a beer or 10 at SeaWorld.
Love this content. Every other amusement park are just coaster rankings and pov vids. I like these discussions of the amusement park culture. I don’t think videos should try to emulate an amusement park, so talking about it is much more interesting
“The soda is better value but you won’t drink all of it” Ah, but you are underestimating my willingness to buy 10 days at Disney anyways, thus making this price an amazing value
This just reminded me of the one time I went to Disney Springs bc we had to take a small break from driving on this school trip I was on, and there was this small pillow in the Marvel store, and it was $28. I did not buy it.
Lol every time after the ride is finished and the gift shops appear me and my family just freaking ghost them we literally ignore them to the point where we don’t see them
If I’m going to a park I am setting aside money that I’m comfortable spending to enjoy my vacation. The video does a great job at pointing out things that you don’t really need to spend your money on but at the end of the day it’s your vacation and you should enjoy yourself so if that means a 7 dollar Mickey waffle then it is what it is.
What about on ride photos? Or those photo passes some parks have? And the fact that ride photos aren't only simple printed photos anymore, but they come in key chains, magnets, you name it.
Magic Mountain's ice cream store has a really clever way to get you to spend lots of money. A single scoop of ice cream is $6 but a 2nd scoop is only one more dollar and a 3rd scoop is just one more dollar after that. They've pretty much guaranteed that you're going to spend at least $7 on ice cream since in that situation the less you spend the more ripped off you feel.
also fun fact about the butter beer - in two months of sales of butter beer and wands, universal made all the money they spent on the original harry potter word (which was close to 2Billion i heard) back. that’s insane!!
if they spent 2 billion dollars on that harry potter world then they need to get their money back. Theres no fucking way. unless you have ZERO concept of money.
Some of these aren’t so evil. People act like they’re supposed to NOT optimize things in their own parks. People choose to go and choose to buy things. Why wouldn’t they put their shops and restaraunts near big rides? They’re a business. That’s not evil. People need self control and accountability.
Of course it's not "evil." As businesses, they have a clear incentive to use such strategies to sell more products and increase their profit. That's just what all businesses do. However, as consumers, we should still be aware of these strategies so that we do not spend more than we want.
exactly man. this is how businesses work. if you cant control how much money youre pulling out of your own wallet then maybe youre not an adult. And people who have kids? learn to fucking say no.
Oversimplified solution: Be a thrifty cheapskate and don't buy anything; except for drinks which you have to buy since Six Flags didn't turn on the water fountains post-lockdown.
These rules can apply to many non theme park situations, including but not limited to Malls, Grocery stores, that one street in your city with all the bars (Theres a very well known reason that that one restaurant stays open till 3am), ect. Essentially if it is a place that will take your money it is designed to do so on the most efficient way possible even to the detriment of those being exposed to it
I think what's also sneaky is when they put a stand for X food that everyone likes, literally on every corner and by every ride. I'd love to know how many Dippin' Dots stands are in a single Six Flags park. Same thing with Churros. Gotta buy those churros even though you'd literally never eat one outside of a mall or something
Whenever we went to Cedar Point my parents always brought a giant cooler full of lunch meat, cheese, and anything else you'd need to make sandwiches as well as bread (obviously), chips, veggies, pop, juice, pretty much everything you could ever want for lunch. As a kid I used to hate having to walk all the way back to the parking lot to eat a (comparatively) healthy lunch instead of getting the delicious fair food. But now as an adult I can appreciate the hell out of them for training me to avoid spending just as much money on food as I do on a ticket to the park.
The sneakiest way is the fact that because you’re in such a colorful wonderful area do you want to feel that you’re a part of everything so you’ll spend money on anything whether it’s frivolous because you’re having a good time and you wanna continue that good time in your out of the comfort of your own home where you have everything you need.
Well, black blends on everything so no worries. While in PH, they won't let you bring food inside because they told that there will be a lot of garbage. Surprise surprise, they sell food inside and force you to buy. Only in PH. Enchanted Kingdom.
My favourite is Tremors at Silverwood in Idaho. Not only do you exit through the gift shop, but the train goes through it at the bottom of the first drop. So you go through the gift shop twice per ride!
4:03 I'm not sure that's really an option as the theme parks I've been too check your bags and force you too throw away any food or drinks you may have even closed cap water.
Don't forget the adrenaline rush you had after leaving a coaster, you are more inclined to buy some stupid souvenir. If IKEA could force you riding a rollercoaster before entering the store, they would.
For my fellow Floridians looking to go to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens... The souvenir cups are $15 and get free refills the day of purchase--however, unlike Universal who charges a $11 recharge fee for free refills the rest of the day, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens will charge $0.99 for each refill--which if you're like me, is $1-2 a trip. I happened to find one at a thrift store for $2 and it's been the biggest money-saver for me. Also, any cup purchased at one is good at the other--for example, my cup is from Busch Gardens Tampa (and from 2014) but is good at SeaWorld Orlando as well. If you see yourself going in the future, especially with family, get a souvenir cup to share.
Worth noting that Cedar Fair or at least Cedar Point doesnt allow outside food in parks. So if you’re visiting do what me and my buddies did and have a cooler in your car. You can get back in the park after you leave all day so its not a big issue.
*glances at my resin shelf which has 12 different models of coasters, and 9+ pin badges* I think I know exactly who this video is aimed at But yeah, I agree on the food part. I actively try to go as long as possible eating next to damn near nothing when I go to a park. I remember doing an 11 hour day at Thorpe Park on nothing but a hot dog and curly fries. But when it comes to merch I just can't stop myself
The only thing that makes the interactive wants special is a small reflector behind the black plastic. There’s no electronics anything in the wands. The infrared sensors blast invisible light toward the wand, and sees the bright reflection, thus magic happens lol
I'm so lucky that whenever I'm in a park, I don't get hungry at all. I could stay in there for 10hrs+ without eating anything. Of course I still need drinks to hydrate myself but I usually bring my own drinks in.
Drinks: guilty of getting souvenir cups Food: naw I bring my own Park hopper: we actual park hop and make it work Merch: dear gosh where has all my money gone
Ehhh... the more money GP spends on food and merchandise, the more likely a new coaster will be built next season. I wouldn't call any of these sales techniques sneaky. What is sneaky, is not providing shade in lines so people are more inclined to buy those plastic cup drinks they can refill all day. Or slowing down ops/1-train ops to build lines to sell more fast passes.
As someone who works at Legoland florida F&B, I can say that restaurants is such a high profit for the hotel alone. A family of 5 will easily spend almost $100 for 1 dinner without any passes or deals.
I heard somewhere that at Disney the rough breakdown is park tickets cover rides and maintenance, food sales covers employee wages and merchandise is profit. I don't know how true that is though.
I strategically choose ahead of time where I want to eat before I visit each park, and totally take advantage of their Coke refill program. I also have a good idea what I want merch-wise, but have a lot of fun window shopping and roll my eyes at crap I would never buy.
I really want to admit Before i was an enthusiast i wasn't that social and i wanted to stay home alot But thank god for what i am now i am able to walk and be more socail with people and have fun without looking too much at devices !
the gift shop one is so true, at Carowinds when you get off fury they have the pics from the ride camera in the gift shop with all the fury merch. did i buy a fury 325 shirt? yes, yes i did
The thing is, many of us who go to Disney are aware of the high prices on food/drinks or merchandise. We go KNOWING we will over pay for a basic pasta or a churro or Diet Coke. However, it's an experience that you prepare for in advanced for a few weeks ahead of time. We know we're going to spend (waste) money, but it's a fun experience to do every few months, and we factor in that likely money we will spend on food/drinks/merchandise ahead of time. No one goes to Disneyland thinking we will spend $130 for the day. We go thinking we will spend $130 plus another $200 (or more) on food/drinks/etc.
I went to 10 different theme parks for a total of 17 times and if I got the virus, I didn't know it. I love how Disney bans smoking/vaping in the parks because they "Care about children and families". But at Disney Springs, where they couldn't charge you $120 to get in & don't have you captive to their food and drinks, smoking/vaping is allowed. Either they don't care about children and families at Disney Springs or they care more about getting your money. I guess they think we're stupid.
You forgot to mention carnival games, I work at a theme park in the games department so I should know. Our job is literally to get folks so intrigued into winning a prize, sometimes people blindly spend without thinking about anything but the prize.
Marketing guy here - I’m someone who always loves to buy from Supreme and people get it twisted that I paid $200 for a tee (I didn’t, it was $35). But you said it right, I clap back with “how’s it any different than buying a $50 Mickey Mouse tee from Disney?” You’re just blowing your money on memories. I stand by my rule for souvenirs from Disney: just add a few pins to my lanyard. Done.
At Six Flags over Georgia, all the water fountains are broken so they force you to pay $5.99 for water. If you’re broke and dying of heat exhaustion, too bad! The only way to even make it through the day is to sneak water bottles into the park or leave and come back.
Another thing is, only buy tickets for the independent parks, but buy season passes and not tickets if you're going to a Cedar Fair or Six Flags park. And buy the all season dining meal pass... trust me it's worth it.
I'm going to Disney for about a week, I'll make sure to use some of these tactics. I will not fall to the sent of chocolate chip cookies. Ok I might once.
I used to work at a Six Flags. We were told to not let people bring meals (typically sandwiches) and large coolers into the park. This meant that if you wanted to eat a meal, you'd have to spend tons of money at a place in the park, or take everybody back to the car to eat. Keep in mind, during the summer, the lines to get into the park were incredibly long and hot.
Disney popcorn smells sooooooo good. After 4 long days they ALMOST got me and I was on my way to buy popcorn when all the shops closed because I left too late. Thats the one dumb thing they do, close all the food down at closing. When everyone is tired and probably put of eating to get those last rides in at night.
My family always went to holiday world even though Kings Island is closer and a similar nominal price. The free drinks, sunscreen, and water park access more than made up for and benefit that Kings Island had.
I once went to Disney world with my high school choir. like on day 3 of our trip I found out they were all buying kids meals for their food. they're actually pretty large in size and are always at least a couple bucks cheaper. so if for whatever reason, you don't want to bring in your own food, just like buy kids meals the whole time.
You still have to buy the food, snacks, and drinks you bring into the park so either way you're spending 🧀. I'd rather try some new foods, drinks, or a dining experience, and spend a little extra 🧀 for that experience than eat the same old turkey sandwich and chips. I'd much prefer a Ronto Wrap to a turkey sandwich 🥪. Or a memory refresher to a plain bottle water. If you want free water, just ask a cast member at any mobile order pick up window and they'll give you free large waters. Then if you bring a flavor enhancer like mio along, you can have flavored water throughout the day for free. I go with a merch budget. I go to an outlet or character warehouse close by the park for merch. 👍
Another thing to note: when buying drinks, ask for no ice, because what they do is fill the whole cup with ice first and then the rest with your soda. The soda is already cold when it's dispensed, so there's no reason to add ice unless you're gonna wait an hour to drink it
The worst thing some do monies do is either not have water fountains or make water fountains sparse and hard to find. I went to the Miami Open (a huge professional tennis tournament) and only found free water inside a small building from one of those huge coolers. That was the only place in the entire complex to get free water as far as I know. Once I found it, people FLOCKED to it.
Parking is where they get you. $25 burnt before you're even through the front gate
It’s all a rip off.
that’s why Disney and universal hotels exist you can take the free bus and not worry about traffic or paying
@@jonathanlala4867 but then you're paying for their hotel, so...
@@BigDBrian stay at all star sports at Disney or dockside endless summer at universal their peak prices are like 200/night but off seasons are like 99/night
This is why you go on your bicycle 😉
Price is a factor often overlooked in the community, so from a broke boy like me: thanks for bringing it to the light.
The happiest places on earth make my wallet very sad
Have a nice fast food breakfast item or 2 before you go into the park. Bring in pre-made pbjs and some packs of raisins for lunch. Crush a 16.9oz water bottle or 2 to fill in the drinking fountains. Have a cooler in the car with dinner or bring in more pbjs if you don't want to walk to the car for dinner. I usually bring in a few granola bars too just in case I need a snack. You can fit a lot into a big $9 walmart fanny pack.
"Overlooked" yea ok bud
@@2beJT It's always cheaper to make your own breakfast, so make your own breakfast sandwiches
@@irok1 Yeah.. you could bring a cooler with egg salad sandwiches eat fried eggs and pbjs in the park and probably only need to buy a dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread if you have the condiments and seasoning on hand.
But $1 menu items are pretty close for the folks who don't cook or have a few bucks to spare.
One thing that my parents did that I really respect now that I’m older is telling us we had to spend our own money on merch. When you’re a kid and you have to spend your own money it makes you think way harder about weather or not you’re actually going to use or wear that thing you want to buy ever again. It’s honestly a genius way of teaching kids to be smart with their money from a young age.
Agreed. Every Disneyland trip I went to, I spent my money.
me: "yes, absolutely despicable. Can't believe people fall for that"
also me: buys $200 lightsaber from Galaxy's Edge
That's an exception... I don't fall for gift shop tricks and souvenirs, but when I eventually get to go to Disney one day I'm 100% building a lightsaber - there's an actual experience involved, not just pick what you want off a shelf, go to the register, pay, and leave
Really?
“Bring your own food to the theme park” You are literally every child’s worst enemy 😂
Lmao
And now that I'm in my 20's im like "this man's a genius"
😂
I'd be fine with tbh, i dont like candy too much. I wont beg for it lol
That thumbnail is quite possibly the greatest piece of art I've ever seen
That and the surf coaster one are my finest creations
When you mentioned packing sandwiches and bringing it into the park gives me so much nostalgia, I used to go to the subway across from my local theme park, pack them in a backpack and when come lunchtime me and my family would eat and it wasn't overpriced, Thank you for the memory lol.
Just the best way to do it tbh. You don’t go to a park to eat you go to enjoy the rides. As a kid we’d always just have a big lunch before entering the park and have a dinner after leaving. It’s not like you’re doing strenuous exercise you’re just walking, you won’t get hungry
mmmm nothing like a hot backpack sandwich thats been cooking away until you decide to sit down and eat.
Ahh the feeling of having the tupperware molded bread ham and cheese sandwich and the small coke can on your backpack and just... getting together with all the group when y'all went to different places and just talk about your rides with everyone
🙄
@@Noneyobusiness7822 Put a insulated lunchbox in your backpack?
The daily dining plan at Kings Island was a pretty sweet deal. It was somewhere around $40 total. Got 4 meals out of it.
That certainly saves a lot of money
The real pro tip is to just buy one of these for your whole party and grab food every 90-120 minutes. I did that at Cedar Point with my 2 cousins and we got about 8 meals out of it.
A family of 3 spends that at a normal restaurant when going out to eat. That's a decent deal actually.
That’s so true. Also a suvenere cup to
You forgot intentionally running one train ops to grow the queue times to get folks to buy express passes. God that should just be downright illegal
That makes me so mad
Yup. idk how I forgot that thats ones pretty obvious
Welcome to port aventura
Then you have cedar point where they can operate 3 trains and still end up with 1 hour and 30 minute wait times in the fast lane simply because there is just that many people attending. Speaking from experience here...
I’m actually curious if you have any examples or evidence of this happening
I don’t like chocolate, so Disney’s Main Street trick just makes me want to avoid that area lol
Hersheypark has entered the chat
I would criticize but... Some ppl can't have chocolate or they don't wanna be scammed with that Godiva chocolate wrapping technique
@@trenrede yeah by "I don't like chocolate" I mean I am not allergic to anything I just have bad taste lol
@@lightningbot85 I generally don’t like chocolate as it’s a very off tasting mixture of rich but gooey.
What do you MEAN you “probably” won’t finish that large soda? It’s finished before the movie starts!
And then 30 minutes into the movie you are in the restroom!
@@gregorygarrison572 So you're gonna want to buy the tickets again because you missed part of the movie
All the homies love a coastoons video
The Paper
The Bread
The Cheddar
The Benji's
The Dough
Lololol...
These are a few of my favorite things.
Holiday world pumps the smell of thanksgiving food into gobbler getaway, which means when you leave the ride you want to walk across the path to the Plymouth Rock cafe
MMMMMMmmmmmm..... Why does that make me want pumpkin pie just thinking about it
These sorts of things really affect my enjoyment in a park, and it is annoying to me when people don't take any of this to account when talking about good parks. I don't wanna feel like cattle that is being fed to a grinder plastered with ads, I want to feel like visitor.
Yea I literally just got back from a trip to Orlando to go to most of the Disney/universal parks it feels downright insulting to get off a “motion simulator” and be offered a 25 dollar porg plushy
In regards to the park hopper, it definitely works when trying to do Disney on a budget. You can easily do three parks in a day by only doing the good rides. Hit the first one with short lines at rope drop, reserve your fast passes at the second park, and stay at the last park until it closes. Since you are already on a budget, you can have lunch and dinner when you come back to the car to go to the next park.
This is the only way I have experienced Disney but because of that I have experienced through 2 1/2 10-day-passes back when the no exporarion date option was a thing. Best plan is either AK-HS-MK or HS-EP-MK. You can do all four in ome day, you just have to plan and get lucky on crowds.
This guy's commentary is great, and I just appreciate you sneaking in the Hydro City theme from Sonic 3 in all your videos! It goes perfectly in these videos!
And Driftveil City!!!!
Lol Dollywood’s park exit is literally a gift shop
That's actually kind of funny
Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, pls don't take my money just because you can
Like the final level in a tower defense game.
This man made a 2k subscriber video, and now he’s coming up on 3k. Props to Coastoons
I started my 2k at like 1900 subs and then by the time I finished im nearing 3k. The supports crazy thanks everyone
@@Coastoons Are you going to do a face reveal for 3k?
now he's at 19k!
@@neferpitou2687 wdym, he's at 51K
Love this idea! This is the main reason why I get a season pass, dinning pass/drink cup, and leave all my money at home!
7:00 "you still wont finish that large soda".
*laughs in diabetes*
I'm gonna be upfront in saying that I prefer to eat at the parks, especially theme parks. I like to sit down and enjoy the food and theming at Disney and Universal, and I'm always down to grab a beer or 10 at SeaWorld.
Well, if that's what you enjoy and love to do, I don't see any problem with it
If you have the money, use it
Enjoy what you have and what you can do
I am always discouraged at paying $10+ for a $1 item
I feel like this video is gonna blow up and put you in the mainstream of coaster TH-cam. Well done!
It seems you were right. This vid now has 300k views.
Love this content. Every other amusement park are just coaster rankings and pov vids. I like these discussions of the amusement park culture. I don’t think videos should try to emulate an amusement park, so talking about it is much more interesting
“The soda is better value but you won’t drink all of it”
Ah, but you are underestimating my willingness to buy 10 days at Disney anyways, thus making this price an amazing value
This just reminded me of the one time I went to Disney Springs bc we had to take a small break from driving on this school trip I was on, and there was this small pillow in the Marvel store, and it was $28. I did not buy it.
Lol every time after the ride is finished and the gift shops appear me and my family just freaking ghost them we literally ignore them to the point where we don’t see them
"Pap-uh, the bread, the chedda, the benjis, the dough" will now resonate in my head every time i think of money. thanks
I'm a simple man. I hear Driftveil's Theme, I smash like.
“You probably still won’t drink that large soda.” You underestimate me.
YOU UNDERESTIMATE MY POWER
If I’m going to a park I am setting aside money that I’m comfortable spending to enjoy my vacation. The video does a great job at pointing out things that you don’t really need to spend your money on but at the end of the day it’s your vacation and you should enjoy yourself so if that means a 7 dollar Mickey waffle then it is what it is.
What about on ride photos? Or those photo passes some parks have? And the fact that ride photos aren't only simple printed photos anymore, but they come in key chains, magnets, you name it.
4:50 this has nothing to do with theme parks. You just explained the basic method of selling used in every modern shop existing.
Magic Mountain's ice cream store has a really clever way to get you to spend lots of money. A single scoop of ice cream is $6 but a 2nd scoop is only one more dollar and a 3rd scoop is just one more dollar after that. They've pretty much guaranteed that you're going to spend at least $7 on ice cream since in that situation the less you spend the more ripped off you feel.
Well I mean just buying one scoop at $6 is $6 but two scoops at $7 is worth $3.50 per scoop.
Three scoops at $8 is worth $2.75 per scoop.
Ngl I like these animations more than Sad-ist or TheOdd1sOut
Me playing roller coaster tycoon - "Write that down! Write that down!"
best RTC tip is to bump the price of umbrellas to $20 the highest it can go and when it rains everyone will buy one no matter what.
also fun fact about the butter beer - in two months of sales of butter beer and wands, universal made all the money they spent on the original harry potter word (which was close to 2Billion i heard) back. that’s insane!!
if they spent 2 billion dollars on that harry potter world then they need to get their money back. Theres no fucking way. unless you have ZERO concept of money.
Some of these aren’t so evil. People act like they’re supposed to NOT optimize things in their own parks. People choose to go and choose to buy things. Why wouldn’t they put their shops and restaraunts near big rides? They’re a business. That’s not evil. People need self control and accountability.
Of course it's not "evil." As businesses, they have a clear incentive to use such strategies to sell more products and increase their profit. That's just what all businesses do. However, as consumers, we should still be aware of these strategies so that we do not spend more than we want.
exactly man. this is how businesses work. if you cant control how much money youre pulling out of your own wallet then maybe youre not an adult. And people who have kids? learn to fucking say no.
I've never felt so guilty to get food...
Yeah I just over-budget the food into the vacation I'm not bringing a sandwich I make at home to Disney if I wanted to eat that I'd just stay home lol
In my local park i usually just eat there and spend a bit more especially in this time it is what keeps them to make these amazing rides!
Oversimplified solution: Be a thrifty cheapskate and don't buy anything; except for drinks which you have to buy since Six Flags didn't turn on the water fountains post-lockdown.
yeah u right but some of the disneyland food tastes amazing n if youve never been before/wont go again for a long time its fun to try some of it!
These rules can apply to many non theme park situations, including but not limited to Malls, Grocery stores, that one street in your city with all the bars (Theres a very well known reason that that one restaurant stays open till 3am), ect. Essentially if it is a place that will take your money it is designed to do so on the most efficient way possible even to the detriment of those being exposed to it
"Giftshops"
Ah, yes, the crap traps
I think what's also sneaky is when they put a stand for X food that everyone likes, literally on every corner and by every ride. I'd love to know how many Dippin' Dots stands are in a single Six Flags park. Same thing with Churros. Gotta buy those churros even though you'd literally never eat one outside of a mall or something
Whenever we went to Cedar Point my parents always brought a giant cooler full of lunch meat, cheese, and anything else you'd need to make sandwiches as well as bread (obviously), chips, veggies, pop, juice, pretty much everything you could ever want for lunch. As a kid I used to hate having to walk all the way back to the parking lot to eat a (comparatively) healthy lunch instead of getting the delicious fair food. But now as an adult I can appreciate the hell out of them for training me to avoid spending just as much money on food as I do on a ticket to the park.
Just here to say that I really enjoy your stuff and keep up the good work.
5:30 that’s why you stay at Disney hotels take a bus, talk to some strangers, and not worry about traffic
I had just gone to six flags today, and a smart water and a sprite came out to $16. Note to self, bring your own food/drinks
The sneakiest way is the fact that because you’re in such a colorful wonderful area do you want to feel that you’re a part of everything so you’ll spend money on anything whether it’s frivolous because you’re having a good time and you wanna continue that good time in your out of the comfort of your own home where you have everything you need.
Well, black blends on everything so no worries.
While in PH, they won't let you bring food inside because they told that there will be a lot of garbage. Surprise surprise, they sell food inside and force you to buy. Only in PH.
Enchanted Kingdom.
You earned a sub, bro. Mostly thanks to TH-cam algo, but also your presentation, charisma, and humor. Congrats!
My favourite is Tremors at Silverwood in Idaho. Not only do you exit through the gift shop, but the train goes through it at the bottom of the first drop. So you go through the gift shop twice per ride!
This level of sarcasm and education is perfect 👌🏾
I work at a cedar fair park and they mark up everythingggg it’s all so expensive but people still spend so much money every day it’s insane
4:03 I'm not sure that's really an option as the theme parks I've been too check your bags and force you too throw away any food or drinks you may have even closed cap water.
Fake bottoms in your bags
Don't forget the adrenaline rush you had after leaving a coaster, you are more inclined to buy some stupid souvenir. If IKEA could force you riding a rollercoaster before entering the store, they would.
For my fellow Floridians looking to go to SeaWorld or Busch Gardens...
The souvenir cups are $15 and get free refills the day of purchase--however, unlike Universal who charges a $11 recharge fee for free refills the rest of the day, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens will charge $0.99 for each refill--which if you're like me, is $1-2 a trip. I happened to find one at a thrift store for $2 and it's been the biggest money-saver for me. Also, any cup purchased at one is good at the other--for example, my cup is from Busch Gardens Tampa (and from 2014) but is good at SeaWorld Orlando as well. If you see yourself going in the future, especially with family, get a souvenir cup to share.
this was fantastic. awesome job 👏🏻
poor top 10 youtuber doesn't get the respect he deserves lel
Worth noting that Cedar Fair or at least Cedar Point doesnt allow outside food in parks. So if you’re visiting do what me and my buddies did and have a cooler in your car. You can get back in the park after you leave all day so its not a big issue.
Well researched and informative vid, the gift shop layout is so true
*glances at my resin shelf which has 12 different models of coasters, and 9+ pin badges*
I think I know exactly who this video is aimed at
But yeah, I agree on the food part. I actively try to go as long as possible eating next to damn near nothing when I go to a park. I remember doing an 11 hour day at Thorpe Park on nothing but a hot dog and curly fries. But when it comes to merch I just can't stop myself
Universal makes you get a new wand or fix your old one so you can’t do any of the things with them if you already have one
The only thing that makes the interactive wants special is a small reflector behind the black plastic. There’s no electronics anything in the wands. The infrared sensors blast invisible light toward the wand, and sees the bright reflection, thus magic happens lol
I'm so lucky that whenever I'm in a park, I don't get hungry at all. I could stay in there for 10hrs+ without eating anything. Of course I still need drinks to hydrate myself but I usually bring my own drinks in.
Just found this channel! I must say, your work is phenomenal!
Thanks! I really enjoy your content as well. I live somewhat near Hershey so your channel is like a constant stream of news for me
Drinks: guilty of getting souvenir cups
Food: naw I bring my own
Park hopper: we actual park hop and make it work
Merch: dear gosh where has all my money gone
I always get park hoppers it’s so nice to know if I’m bored or done with a park I have another park to go to
Ehhh... the more money GP spends on food and merchandise, the more likely a new coaster will be built next season. I wouldn't call any of these sales techniques sneaky. What is sneaky, is not providing shade in lines so people are more inclined to buy those plastic cup drinks they can refill all day. Or slowing down ops/1-train ops to build lines to sell more fast passes.
As someone who works at Legoland florida F&B, I can say that restaurants is such a high profit for the hotel alone. A family of 5 will easily spend almost $100 for 1 dinner without any passes or deals.
Bringing my own food and drinks is a must when visiting the parks in my area
I heard somewhere that at Disney the rough breakdown is park tickets cover rides and maintenance, food sales covers employee wages and merchandise is profit. I don't know how true that is though.
I strategically choose ahead of time where I want to eat before I visit each park, and totally take advantage of their Coke refill program. I also have a good idea what I want merch-wise, but have a lot of fun window shopping and roll my eyes at crap I would never buy.
got kinda sick by watching this video because of all of the 1st person POV's on the rollercoasters but you have some great points!
At universal they got a WHOLE PIZZA for $50😭😭😭 and it aint all that
I really want to admit
Before i was an enthusiast i wasn't that social and i wanted to stay home alot
But thank god for what i am now i am able to walk and be more socail with people and have fun without looking too much at devices !
the gift shop one is so true, at Carowinds when you get off fury they have the pics from the ride camera in the gift shop with all the fury merch. did i buy a fury 325 shirt? yes, yes i did
Double Cherry, Hydrocity, and Driftveil city 👍👍
I see you have good taste in music and games
The thing is, many of us who go to Disney are aware of the high prices on food/drinks or merchandise. We go KNOWING we will over pay for a basic pasta or a churro or Diet Coke. However, it's an experience that you prepare for in advanced for a few weeks ahead of time. We know we're going to spend (waste) money, but it's a fun experience to do every few months, and we factor in that likely money we will spend on food/drinks/merchandise ahead of time.
No one goes to Disneyland thinking we will spend $130 for the day. We go thinking we will spend $130 plus another $200 (or more) on food/drinks/etc.
Congrats this vid is popping off!!!!!
Well... I can never EVER hate theme parks... BUT, the Hershey's joke made me chuckle, much appreciated xD
Oh yeah I could never hate theme parks, I mean...
I kind of have a youtube channel about them
I went to 10 different theme parks for a total of 17 times and if I got the virus, I didn't know it. I love how Disney bans smoking/vaping in the parks because they "Care about children and families". But at Disney Springs, where they couldn't charge you $120 to get in & don't have you captive to their food and drinks, smoking/vaping is allowed. Either they don't care about children and families at Disney Springs or they care more about getting your money. I guess they think we're stupid.
You forgot to mention carnival games, I work at a theme park in the games department so I should know. Our job is literally to get folks so intrigued into winning a prize, sometimes people blindly spend without thinking about anything but the prize.
Marketing guy here - I’m someone who always loves to buy from Supreme and people get it twisted that I paid $200 for a tee (I didn’t, it was $35). But you said it right, I clap back with “how’s it any different than buying a $50 Mickey Mouse tee from Disney?” You’re just blowing your money on memories. I stand by my rule for souvenirs from Disney: just add a few pins to my lanyard. Done.
At Six Flags over Georgia, all the water fountains are broken so they force you to pay $5.99 for water. If you’re broke and dying of heat exhaustion, too bad! The only way to even make it through the day is to sneak water bottles into the park or leave and come back.
Another thing is, only buy tickets for the independent parks, but buy season passes and not tickets if you're going to a Cedar Fair or Six Flags park. And buy the all season dining meal pass... trust me it's worth it.
I'm going to Disney for about a week, I'll make sure to use some of these tactics. I will not fall to the sent of chocolate chip cookies. Ok I might once.
I used to work at a Six Flags. We were told to not let people bring meals (typically sandwiches) and large coolers into the park. This meant that if you wanted to eat a meal, you'd have to spend tons of money at a place in the park, or take everybody back to the car to eat. Keep in mind, during the summer, the lines to get into the park were incredibly long and hot.
At many European parks, if you leave the park in the middle of the day, they won't let you back in later on the same day.
Congrats again on the recent success man!!
Disney popcorn smells sooooooo good. After 4 long days they ALMOST got me and I was on my way to buy popcorn when all the shops closed because I left too late. Thats the one dumb thing they do, close all the food down at closing. When everyone is tired and probably put of eating to get those last rides in at night.
This is lowkey your best vid yet dude
If only you knew what was coming...
3:33 at the nearby kings island, a six inch from subway is $9.99 compared to, like, $4 at my local subway
It's ridonkulous
My family always went to holiday world even though Kings Island is closer and a similar nominal price. The free drinks, sunscreen, and water park access more than made up for and benefit that Kings Island had.
I once went to Disney world with my high school choir. like on day 3 of our trip I found out they were all buying kids meals for their food. they're actually pretty large in size and are always at least a couple bucks cheaper. so if for whatever reason, you don't want to bring in your own food, just like buy kids meals the whole time.
You still have to buy the food, snacks, and drinks you bring into the park so either way you're spending 🧀. I'd rather try some new foods, drinks, or a dining experience, and spend a little extra 🧀 for that experience than eat the same old turkey sandwich and chips. I'd much prefer a Ronto Wrap to a turkey sandwich 🥪. Or a memory refresher to a plain bottle water. If you want free water, just ask a cast member at any mobile order pick up window and they'll give you free large waters. Then if you bring a flavor enhancer like mio along, you can have flavored water throughout the day for free. I go with a merch budget. I go to an outlet or character warehouse
close by the park for merch. 👍
I go to six flags NJ a lot and there’s a lot of merch placed right after a ride 🤩
Me who’s going to Disneyland in 2 days: haha, gotta stay cheap
I spend over a hundred dollars I have no idea how, I have my self a limit lol
Another thing to note: when buying drinks, ask for no ice, because what they do is fill the whole cup with ice first and then the rest with your soda. The soda is already cold when it's dispensed, so there's no reason to add ice unless you're gonna wait an hour to drink it
"Merlin has lego"
Every IP at thorpe park: Am I a joke to you?
The worst thing some do monies do is either not have water fountains or make water fountains sparse and hard to find. I went to the Miami Open (a huge professional tennis tournament) and only found free water inside a small building from one of those huge coolers. That was the only place in the entire complex to get free water as far as I know. Once I found it, people FLOCKED to it.
Weirdly enjoyable 👍