We always go to Disneyland but the kids are seeing other parks advertised on television and asking about them. Paramount's Great America and Marine World Six Flags are half the distance from our home and the season passes are only about $70 compared to the annual passes we planned to buy for Disneyland for $229.
We have been to MW and PGA several years ago and we were not impressed. DH says Disneyland is the best and worth the drive. He doesn't think we can stay entertained for several days at the other parks the way we do at Disneyland. We could stay at Disneyland for a few weeks and still want to come back. Suffice it to say it has been ten years since we have returned to the other parks. As we recall they were not as clean, too many rowdy teens running around, very little for small children or families to do together and we were ready to leave after one day. WE are not roller coaster fans.
The kids are big fans of Scooby Doo, Dora, Spongebob and Diego. They would also like the animal shows. Again not sure they would care to return for a second day.
I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks

I live 20 minutes from Six Flags Marine World, and I have a season pass every year, last year we went a total of 4 times, and that was to use up two of our bring a buddy for free passes. Having said that, I personally only ride ONE ride there, the white water rapids ..I don't do hurl machines...my daughter however LOVES two of the coasters, Meduza and Roar. I can tell you that Roar is broken and rumor has it that it may not make it back online for the entire season, time will tell. As for other aspects of MW, they are adding an additional kiddie area up near the elephant enclosure. A good source says one of the rides will be a knock off of our beloved dumbo ride. They do have some really fun animal shows and opportunities to interact with some dolphin (if ya want to wait for every in line to be one of the ones that get to feed them) and the stingray pool and penquin area is nice. I don't see the park as a multi day visit (meaning hanging for 2 or 3 days in a ROW) if you live "local" then having the pass is worth it, being in Nevada I don't think I'd recommend the pass ...if you wanted to visit I'd watch for the special half off coupons that are around all summer long.

Thanks, I was hoping you would reply. In our area Mc Donald's usually will have coupons or maybe we can get them through Triple AAA. I think Disneyland is the place for us.

momuvseven

We have passes to both Paramounts and Six Flags. Between PGA and SFMW, I prefer Paramount's Great America. It's cleaner, and just seems more family oriented. I like coasters, but neither of them have any great coasters in my opinion.

Plus, if your kids like scooby doo, spongebob and dora, they'll love PGA. They have those characters roaming the park, and they have ride areas themed to all of them.

Neither of them are multi-day attractions, unless you throw side trips to Bonfante Gardens and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk into the PGA trip.

If money and driving time weren't an issue, I'd vote for Disneyland. The others just don't compare for me. But money and time are an issue for most of us, so PGA and SFMW are just more practical and still fun.

There is no question about it... DISNEYLAND is the way to go!! I live 5 mins from Six Flags Marine World and I NEVER go. I go to PGA about 1 time a year and that is only because I get 1 free ticket a year when my studio dances there, and when I do go I want to leave about 3 hours later if that. DISNEYLAND is the best park ever IMO.

I would suggest sampling the other two parks as the are closer to your location. There should be some discounts available for the summer season coming up. However, don't go into the other parks with a mindset of them being inferior to Disneyland. Obviously, Disney has resources that go way beyond what is available to PGA and SFMW, so a direct comparison is pretty much meaningless. Not having a good time becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go into the other parks with an open mind and a good attitude, and I expect you will find something to enjoy about the other two parks.

If you have very small children, I recommend trying Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy. It is orientated towards smaller children (8 and under) but there are two roller coasters (pretty tame with no loops) and a swing ride for older kids. It has absolutely beautiful landscaping that in some regards I think rivals Disneyland's landscaping (hope no one gets mad at this). It also has a wonderful water activity area. Since it is geared towards the younger crowd, rowdy teenagers usually stay away. Of course the rides, food(especially bad), and personnel are not even in the same ballpark as Disneyland. Even so, I have had season passes for three years now and my small children and I enjoy it. Absolute maximum time you could be entertained at Bonafante is two days.

Thanks everyone!