Park Thoughts

We were able to sit down with Jennifer Lauerman, marketing director of Nickelodeon Universe, the largest indoor Theme Park in America located at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. The park operated as Camp Snoopy from 1992-2006 and The Park at MOA from 2006-2008 before opening as Nickelodeon Universe in Spring 2008.

We talked about how the park is doing so far this year, considering the massive heatwave that’s hit Minnesota recently, and we also talk about how they market such a unique and challenging park to guests. There are also hints to big new things coming soon! After our interview, I was given the chance to ride “Brain Surge,” the park’s newest thrill ride. I will have a complete review up soon of this thrilling and intense attraction.

Make sure to check out Nickelodeon Universe’s website and “like” them on Facebook!

Listen below or download here.

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So, you’re ready to visit the Theme Park? You’re ready to hop on those coasters and scream your head off, but you don’t want to break the bank. How do you have fun while saving? Here are some easy tips to save on your next trip to the park.

1. Don’t go wild with games

Do you really need that big plush bear? It might be tempting to win it, but don’t go wild trying to get it. It’s fine to play a $3 game a few times, but don’t play more than three times at most. The prizes the parks have are insanely cheap, so you’re really wasting your $20. Why spend $20 on a $2 prize?

2. Water, not pop

Pop is actually really bad for you on a hot summer day. You’ll get even more dehydrated, thus you’ll need to buy more and more. Instead of wasting $4 on a pop each time, just find a water fountain or go to a food stand and ask for a cup of water. You’ll only be charged for water if you buy it bottled, so don’t make the mistake of doing so. Parks will always provide water no matter what. The last thing they want is someone passed out on the midway. If you’re at Holiday World though, you don’t have to worry about this since it’s unlimited soft drinks all day, every day.

3. Eat outside the park

If you’ve driven to the park, just leave to eat. Most meals in the park cost $9 and up, which is crazy when you can get a meal at Mc Donald’s for less than $6. Parks will usually allow you to leave and come back at least once with your parking pass. If you don’t want to leave the property, just pack a sack lunch. Sometimes a peanut butter & jelly sandwich is better than a greasy burger.

4. Skip that awesome T-Shirt

Woah! That shirt is awesome! But will you really wear it that often? I find myself looking through theme park gift shops finding all kinds of cool things. However, I don’t like coughing up the cash. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy souvenirs. Just don’t buy everything you see. Remember: you’re basically paying for the name of the park on the item. Most of the time, the item costs nothing if you went to Walmart.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for deals

If you’re looking to get some great bargins throughout the day, make sure you drop by Guest Relations first thing at the park. They should be happy to answer your questions about current deals inside the park. Last year when I was at Valleyfair, they had an entire Chicken Strips basket (I believe that’s what is was) for only $5. That’s certainly a huge discount compared with the normal $9 you’d pay. Don’t be afraid to ask. The parks wants you to spend more money. They need it, plus they have to get rid of their inventory somehow.

I hope these little tips help you when visiting a park the next time.

Do you have any ways personally to save? Share your Park Thoughts with us!

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1scream, a leader in online content dealing with the Amusement Industry with websites such as RCTLounge and Park Thoughts, will be introducing a first-of-its-kind online Theme Park question service, ParkPlanr.com.

“ParkPlanr is an exciting new service that we know both enthusiasts and general park goers will love,” said Doug Sisk, a 1scream partner. “You can ask questions and get answers before you go so you can plan your day at the park.”

ParkPlanr visitors will be able to navigate to specific areas for different Theme Parks. Once in these areas, visitors can then browse others’ questions or ask their own. Visitors can vote on whether or not answers to questions are helpful.

To post a question, visitors will be required to register. To make registration easy, visitors can either register using their email, or their Facebook or Twitter account. “If you decide to connect your account to Facebook and/or Twitter, you can post your question to those networks to reach your friends and followers,” added Sisk. “We know how big social networking sites are to people these days, so we couldn’t ignore them.”

Alongside general visitors will be designated “experts” chosen by the ParkPlanr staff. These experts will be designated by a badge under their avatar picture. Their answers will be weighted and displayed before general visitor answers. Experts will also receive a link to their website or blog, if they have one.

Theme Parks themselves can contact ParkPlanr to add an employee as an “official” to provide visitors with official responses. “Having an official is a great idea for parks. Instead of having to visit the Public Relations office during the day, visitors can ask their questions before they get there on ParkPlanr.”

ParkPlanr will be a free service for all visitors. Advertisements will be provided by the Maingate Ad Network. Invitations for experts will be sent out in April 2011, followed by a full public launch in May 2011. An exact date has not been set yet for the launch.

Sisk added, “ParkPlanr is going to be a truly exciting thing for Theme Park fans and guests. We can’t wait to see how it improves people’s Theme Park visits.”

More information about ParkPlanr will be updated on ParkPlanr’s website, ParkPlanr.com. People interested in ParkPlanr are invited to “like” ParkPlanr on Facebook or follow on Twitter. Both links to ParkPlanr’s Facebook and Twitter can be found at ParkPlanr.com. For more information regarding the 1scream Company, messages should be sent to contact@1scream.com.

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