Theme Park Wars Essay, Research Paper

Theme Park Wars

It is a hot, sunny day in the middle of August. School s out for the summer, and you have nothing to do. You and your friends decide to go to a theme park for a day, but which one will you go to? California has three major theme parks; Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Disneyland. Disneyland is for sissies, and you are no sissy, so it s between Universal Studios and Magic Mountain. Each has its own unique experience, and depending on the type of person you are, one is better than the other.

The only reason to go to a theme park is for its attractions. Magic Mountain contains many rollercoasters. These rides are very fun, but only people above forty-eight inches (fifty-four inches on some rides) can enjoy them. The rollercoasters have spins, turns, corkscrews, and loops. Magic Mountain does not leave children out though. There is a child s area where kids can enjoy themselves, but it is very small. Universal, however, offers mainly shows, where people sit down and watch live action movies. The shows

are aimed at all ages, making Universal a family park. They have only 2 rides, one of which is similar to a water rollercoaster.

Spending an entire day at a theme park can be very costly. One adult ticket at Magic Mountain ( adult constitutes being taller than forty-eight inches) costs $37.00. You can get a twicket also, which allows you to get into the park at a later date for only one to five dollars, depending on the season. It costs $70.00 for a season pass, but you do not get free parking. Each automobile costs seven dollars to park. Tickets to Universal cost $39.00 each, and parking is also seven dollars per automobile. The season passes cost five dollars more than Six Flags charges, but you are given free parking privileges. Food is outrageously high at both parks, charging over two dollars for a pretzel and three dollars for cotton candy. The restaurants are priced between five and twenty dollars for food, depending on what type of food you crave.

The theme of a park is supposed to be an added bonus to make you want to go there. Six Flags has a loosely based theme on Warner Brothers characters, which only seems to apply to the children s area. The more recent rollercoasters have been set to the theme of DC comic book characters, who s movies are owned by Warner Brothers. Univesal s theme of Hollywood movies shows up in every show, ride, and store. Both parks have people dressed up in costumes to give chances to take pictures with celebrities (Like anyone wants to take a picture with a 20-yr old pedophile in a Bugs Bunny Costume).

If you are the adventurous type, you may want to seek out Six Flags many rollercoasters. But if you are a family type of guy, you should go to Universal Studios. The costs are generally the same, although you may end up spending more if you decide to go twice, but in that case buy an annual pass. Tourists from outside the state or country will want to go to Universal to get the Hollywood feeling even though it is located in Studio City, not Hollywood.