A College Student’s Guide to Amusement Parks around LA
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
I’m a Los Angeles native, so I’m not sure what other people think about when they think of Los Angeles, but amusement parks should at least come to mind. The LA area houses a lot of great theme parks, but it can be confusing to know which one is right for you if you are not familiar with them. That is where I, an amusement park junkie, come in. I am here to shed light on the logistics of each park and to help you decide which one is right for you!
Prices:
Yes, expenses are probably the last thing any college student wants to think about, but they need to be addressed all the same. Not all amusement parks are priced the same, but there is a little something for everyone’s budget if they want to have a bit of fun.
Disneyland/California Adventure
- Disneyland/California Adventure tickets are by far the most expensive.
- The ticket prices range from $104-$149 depending on what time of the year you go.
- If you want a Park Hopper Ticket, which allows you to go to both parks (the parks are right next to each other, but are technically separate), the prices can be $154-$199 depending on the time of the year.
- If you are looking for something cheap and easy, this may not be the right place for you.
Universal Studios
- Universal Studios is a bit cheaper than Disneyland/California Adventure as a California Resident 1-Day Ticket can be $99-$124 depending on the day.
- It is not as expensive as Disneyland, but still, it is not cheap.
Six Flags
- For a single day ticket, the price is $59.99 when bought online ahead of the day you want to go. If you buy the ticket at the park it is $89.99.
- Needless to say, buy online and ahead of time.
Knott’s Berry Farm
- A single daily admission ticket is $46 when bought online. If bought at the park it would be $82.
Pacific Park
- Pacific Park is the cheapest park of the bunch. It is a great choice if you want to have a bit of fun, but do not want to spend a lot of money.
- Does not charge for admission.
- Rides and attractions are priced individually and range in price from $5-10.
- Games cost $2.00-$6.00.
- Can buy an Unlimited Ride Wristband for $31.45 online or $34.95 in-person.
Discounts:
If prices are the most disliked topic, discounts are probably the most liked. Amusement parks offer a wide range of discounts: some small, some big, some for college students, some not at all, but all the ones I could find - are listed below.
Disneyland/California Adventure
- Disneyland does not offer any discounts which makes perfect sense because of course, the most expensive one wouldn’t try to lower their prices.
- If you search around online you might be able to find some sorta-kinda-shady methods of getting discounted tickets, but as I have not tried any of them, I cannot recommend them. Try at your own risk!
Universal Studios
- Similar to Disneyland, there are no official discounts, but if you search online you might be able to find discounted tickets with a couple of dollars off.
Six Flags
- If bought at the USC Ticket Office you could get it for $58.
- It is cheaper to buy your ticket online than in person, but if you forget, don’t fret. Bring a Coke can to the ticket booth and you can get $20 off. Seriously.
- Groups of 10-14 people also save $30 per ticket, so grab some friends and make a whole trip of it!
Knott’s Berry Farm
- If bought at the USC Ticket Office, it would be $45 (if bought January 7-March 28th) or $51 (if bought March 29-January 5).
- Knott’s Berry Farm is also a great place to go with friends because if you go in a group of 15 or more you could get tickets almost half-off.
Pacific Park
- May be able to find a 10-20% off promotional code if you search online for a bit. Otherwise, there are no official discounts listed.
Transportation:
How easy is it to get to all of these places? Which is the most effective? Can you take the metro or would you have to Uber?
Disneyland/California Adventure
- The cheapest (but maybe not the easiest) way to get to Disneyland is probably by taking the bus. Walk to the St. Transitway Station about 12 minutes from USC and get on the “460 towards 460 - Disneyland.” Get off at the “Disneyland Employee S Entrance” stop and you are just a 5-minute walk from the park! It would take roughly 110 minutes.
- Taking an Uber or driving there yourself would cut the time in half, but would cost more and include parking cost.
- If you are not comfortable with time but do not want to spend a lot of money driving, consider carpooling with friends!
Universal Studios
- If you are looking to take public transportation: take the Expo line from the “Expo Park/USC Station” to the “7th St/Metro Center.” Then, transfer to the Red Line and ride it to the ‘Universal City/Studio City’ stop. From there, the park is only 12 minutes away. The whole trip should take roughly an hour.
- Taking an Uber would cut the time in half, but would probably increase the price from $5 to $30 (not including parking).
- I would recommend taking the train or carpooling with friends.
Six Flags
- Strangely, there is no public transit information listed online, so you’ll probably have to Uber or drive, which kinda sucks. It is not the easiest place to get to. Driving would take roughly an hour depending on the time of day.
Knott’s Berry Farm
- If you would like to take public transportation: walk to the “St. Transitway Station” about 12 minutes from USC, get on the “460 towards 460 - Disneyland,” get off at the “Beach-El Capitan” stop, and you are only a 10-minute walk from the park! The whole trip takes roughly 90 minutes.
- If you drive or take an Uber, the time would be around 40 minutes and would, of course, cost more.
- I think both are pretty decent options, so just take your pick!
Pacific Park
- Without a doubt, Pacific Park is the easiest and closest place of the bunch to get to. It is a straight train ride on the Expo line to the “Downtown Santa Monica” stop. The whole trip would take roughly 20 minutes and cost less than $3.
- I would not bother driving or taking an Uber unless you are going alone at night.
Attractions:
You cannot talk about amusement parks without talking about rides. Honestly, isn’t that what you go there for? Almost all amusement parks have a wide range of thrill rides, family rides (medium thrill rides), and kid rides. Whether you are looking for all thrill rides or a healthy medium, you can find which park can meet your needs below.
Disneyland/California Adventure
- Disneyland has 53 attractions overall (with 7 thrill rides).
- California Adventures has 33 attractions overall (with 5 thrill rides).
- Both parks have a large variety of slow rides, water rides, and spinning rides but do tend to lean towards family/kid rides more than thrill ones.
- If you are looking for a park that is going to have you screaming your heart out time and time again, this may not be the park for you.
Universal Studios
- Universal Studios houses 6 traditional rides.
- Being focused on movies, it has tons of character sightings.
- This park also has 9 interactive attractions/shows. These are not traditional rides and include things like 3D experiences and light shows.
- The park also has a section dedicated to kid rides and carnival games.
- Universal Studios houses the popular, Wizarding World of Harry Potter so if you are a Harry Potter fan, this is perfect for you!
- City Walk, which is next to Universal Studios and free to enter, also houses iFLY, a movie theatre, and a performance stage.
Six Flags
- The king of thrill rides! Six Flags has rides where you are upside down, standing up, on your stomach, on your back, dropped from mid-air, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
- If you are not a fan of rollercoasters this is not the place for you!
- They have 21 thrill rides, 11 family rides, and 14 kid rides.
- They also have meet and greets with characters if you are into that.
Knott’s Berry Farm
- Knott’s Berry Farm has sort of a healthy medium of different types of rides: 13 thrill rides, 15 family rides, and 12 kid rides.
- They also have different shows depending on the day/time of year.
Pacific Park
- I’m not gonna lie, Pacific Park does not have anything major in terms of rides.
- They have 12 rides, about half of which are designed for children, but they can still be fun depending on who you are with.
- They also have 13 carnival games.
Line Management:
I can admit that I am not the most patient person, so I really do not like spending hours upon hours waiting in line for a 3-minute ride. So, if you are like me and want to know what you can do to save your time, here are your options.
Disneyland/California Adventure
- Disneyland and California Adventure both offer Max Passes.
- They cost $15 per person
- The passes allow you to get in a significantly shorter line for certain rides and save time, but it is not unlimited and you have to plan which rides you want to go on ahead of time.
Universal Studios
- This park offers a special ticket called Universal Express which includes one-time express access to each ride, attraction, and seated show.
- Cost between $179-$259.
- Includes general admission to the park.
- Can save up to $10 if bought online, rather than bought at the gate.
Six Flags
- Six Flags offers The Flash Pass which depending on the type you buy, can offer you varied line-skipping benefits.
- The price can range depending on how many people are in your party and what level you purchase.
- Not included in park admission.
Knott’s Berry Farm
- Knott’s Berry Farm offers a line-skipping service called Fast Lane.
- It cost $70 if bought online and $75 is bought at the gate.
- It is not included in park admission.
Pacific Park
- Does not offer any line-skipping passes.
Which park is the best?
I do not think you can definitively say that one park is better than another. Each has unique attributes that make them perfect for a certain type of person.
- You’re a huge Disney fan? Disneyland or California Adventures, even though it is the most costly, is a Disney lover’s dream.
- Love action movies or are a huge Harry Potter fan? Universal Studios will give you an amazingly immersive experience and transport you to some of your favorite sets!
- Thrill Junkie? Six Flags. Period. You will be scared out of your mind and laugh with your friends all at the same time.
- Want a little bit of thrill and a little bit of chill? Knott’s Berry Farm is your perfect match.
- Not really looking for anything super expensive or crazy? Pacific Park will give you something cheap and easy.
There truly is something for everyone. No matter which park you choose, just make sure you do your research, dress for the weather, bring some friends, and have fun!
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