We now have annual passes to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, The San Diego Zoo, The San Diego Wild Animal Park, and the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
Yes, we’re annual passes junkies. We are by no means rich, but the annual pass deals are simply too good to pass up. You can get some really great deals at the amusement parks in Southern California.
Disneyland
Our one splurge is our Disneyland annual passes. We have the best passes available, the premium pass. These passes have no blackout days and come with free parking. We get the premium passes for Disneyland because we like to go on the weekends and don’t want to be unable to go whenever we get the urge. These are the one passes we have that aren’t a bargain. I think they’re about $400 each, but they’ve definitely been worth it. They have passes that are much less expensive, but you have blackout days where your passes are invalid.
We’ve gone at least once a month, usually more than once a month. I think we went to Disneyland about 20 times last year, so it really does end up being a bargain if you do the math. If we did go 20 times, the cost per visit is about $20 each, plus we get free parking and good discounts on food and souvenirs.
It’s great to be able to just go over for the evening and ride a few rides and watch the great firework show. It’s really our favorite thing to do with the Babito, and of course he absolutely loves Disneyland.
Knott’s Berry Farm
Earlier this summer, my uncle and cousins were here from back east and we went with them to Disneyland, Sea World, and Knott’s Berry Farm. We didn’t have annual passes for Knott’s, and didn’t really ever even think about getting them, but when we saw how cheap they were, it made sense. Annual passes to Knott’s are only $79, and they come with discounts on food and souvenirs, and free parking. If you only go twice the entire year the passes are worth it. For $99 a year, you can get the annual pass for both Knott’s and their water park, Soak City.
Babito really likes Knott’s Berry Farm. They have a great kid’s area (Camp Snoopy), and he really likes riding the log ride and the mine train. They also have a great fried chicken restaurant (which started the whole park). Babito will like Knott’s even more when he gets a little bigger and can ride all the roller coasters at Knott’s.
San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park
The World Famous San Diego Zoo has a fantastic annual pass. For just $84 you get two adult annual passes to both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Regular one-day tickets to the zoo are $33, so you can see what a great deal it is. You also get two guest passes for each park with your annual pass and other discounts. You can buy annual passes for your kids for just $28 or $32 a year, depending on their age. Kids 2 and under get in free.
Both the zoo and animal park are top-notch.
Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
My wife also bought us annual passes to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. I’ve yet to go, but my wife, her mom, and the Babito have been several times. It’s a beautiful place, as you can see if you click on the link above. The annual passes are $70 for two adults and your kids. It’s a nice place to get away from the city.
So, to wrap it up, we have access to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, The San Diego Zoo, The San Diego Wild Animal Park, and the Arboretum for an entire year, whenever we feel like stopping by, for a little more than $1,000 a year, and most of that cost is just for Disneyland. All of these places are great family places, and we always love taking The Babito and spending a day, or just a few hours, in some of his favorite places.
