In 2021, over 8.5 million people visited the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. Holy shit, right?
Theme parks are a popular destination for people of all ages who seek thrilling rides, shows, and of course, junk food. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend a day at Disneyland and ride Space Mountain while eating a foot-long churro? Well, when you take into account the costs, wait times, and crowdedness, a day at Disneyland seems a lot less fun. As someone who has been to nearly every theme park in California, I’m here to help you decide which theme parks (if any) are worth it.
Disneyland
Disneyland tickets can get super pricey, especially if you want a multiple-day pass or a park-hopper pass. When I went a couple summers ago, my ticket was roughly $140, and that was just for a full day at a singular park. To me, the price of the ticket was not really worth the experience. It was absolutely packed, which resulted in ride wait times of one-to-three hours. Even Thunder Mountain, which usually has a shorter wait time than other rides, had a hour-and-a-half wait time. On top of this, I went in late July, so I was constantly touching sweaty people. If you absolutely love Disney and Disney characters, the price and wait times may be worth it. But if you’re like me and just want to go on fun rides, I would say choose another theme park (I did love the firework show though).
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood actually has relatively decent ticket prices. A two-day pass is $150, which is usually the cost of one-day admission tickets for other theme parks. I ended up buying the two-day ticket, which allowed me to spend time in both the upper and lower lots. The park was definitely crowded, but the wait times were surprisingly decent, usually ranging between 20 minutes to an hour. I’m a huge movie/TV person, so the rides and attractions felt worth waiting for compared to the rides at Disneyland.
For example, the wait for the Harry Potter ride was about 45 minutes long, but I’m obsessed with the movies, so it didn’t bother me that much. I also love how Universal Studios offers bus tours through famous movie sets at no extra cost. The wait time was only 30 minutes, and I got to see the sets from Jaws and Nope. Universal felt worth it to me, but maybe that’s just because I love movies. They also just added Super Nintendo World, so I am definitely going again.
Knott’s Berry Farm
I haven’t been to Knott’s Berry Farm in a while, so I don’t really remember how much I paid for a ticket, but according to their website, a one-day pass is about $70 (not bad!). The rides at Knott’s Berry Farm absolutely terrify me in the best way. Other theme parks I’ve been to only have a handful of exhilarating rides, but Knott’s has it all. Unfortunately, the wait times were pretty long, ranging from one-to-two hours, but the rides are so fun, which makes it worth it in my opinion. Knott’s also has really yummy treats, like their famous boysenberry pie and fried chicken.
Overall, if you’re an adrenaline junkie, Knott’s is definitely worth visiting, but if you prefer smaller, less intense rides, maybe try Disneyland. BTW: don’t go on the GhostRider unless you wanna break your spine.
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is definitely at the bottom of my list for theme parks. The ticket was $64, which is pretty good, but the experience was so terrible that I wish I just used that money to buy literally anything else. The wait times were around two to three hours, and the rides I wanted to go on, like Goliath and Superman, were closed. One thing that made me furious was when my friends and I waited in line for Colossus for two hours, and they shut the ride down right when we were at the front. The food didn’t make up for the long wait times either. Maybe I need to give Six Flags another chance, but as of right now, I don’t think this theme park is worth visiting.
Next time you’re thinking about going to a theme park, do your research beforehand in order to have the best time you possibly can!