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We try to make it to Dutch Wonderland at least once a year. We would definitely go more often if my husband didn't have a seasonal job, making our time with him over the summer a little scarce.

Dutch Wonderland hosted us for a visit this year and it was another great day! I love Dutch Wonderland because it's really catered to the younger kids, making it perfect for a day of family fun! If you're heading there soon, you'll want to check out our tips on how to save money at Dutch Wonderland.

Drinks

One of the first things we do when we enter the park is pick up our Souvenir Cup.

The souvenir cup gives us $0.99 refills throughout the season. We definitely get our money worth when buying the cup because we refill it several times during the day.

Tickets

If you'll be heading to Dutch Wonderland a few times throughout the season, I would definitely recommend purchasing Season Passes. Premium Season passes come with a lot of perks including: unlimited visits during the summer, Happy Hauntings, and Winter Wonderland, free parking, a free souvenir cup, in-park discounts, and more!

If you're interested in purchasing single visit admissions, you'll save the most money by purchasing your tickets at least 7 days in advance. Use Promocode: MomsMessyMiraclesBlog16 to get a great deal!

Enjoy the last three hours of the Park the night before you visit Dutch Wonderland for a full day – FREE! Any full day ticket, regardless of where it is purchased is eligible to be Previewed. The only tickets that are not eligible for Preview are Twilight Admissions. Preview must be used prior to your full-day visit. If the park closes at 8:30PM, you can preview after 5:30PM. This is a great way to really get the most use out of your tickets! The kids can come in, check out a few rides, maybe play in the water park, then come back the next day for a full day of fun!

Parking

If you have Premium or Gold season passes, you'll get free parking. If you do not have season passes, you'll need to pay for parking. There are two options: General ($5) and Preferred ($10).

Honestly, the General Parking is not that much farther away and I'd rather save my $5 and walk a couple more minutes.

Food

We bring a cooler full of food for lunch. Dutch Wonderland has a great little picnic area right outside of the gate. This is the perfect place to take a little break from all of the exciting things inside the park. There are bathrooms right there, too.

Outside, we're able to control the food that the kids see and eat. When we're at the park for a long day, this makes it easier on our wallets.

Trust me, we still eat a bit while we're inside, too. Mill Stream Eatery is a great spot to take a break and get a bite to eat. I like that there are high chairs in here and that it's an enclosed area. They also just added Bean Sprouts, which offers some healthier choices.

We use this time out of the park to grab our swim things before heading to Duke's Lagoon for water fun!

Photos

As I looked through my pictures from our day of fun, I did not find myself in a single picture! How awful is that? While I take a ton of pictures of my husband with the kids, that's not always the same the other way around. It's just not something he thinks about.

While this will not really “save” you money, it's something I think is totally worth it. You can purchase a one-day photo pass for $39.99. This gives you the ability to download ALL of your photos from your day including: riding the rides, meeting characters, and just strolling around the park. If you have the Photo Pass, make sure you really take advantage of it! Anytime you see someone with one of the cameras, have them take a shot. We had several taken while we were playing in Duke's Lagoon.

Also, you'll save 25% on your print purchases when you have the Photo Pass.

Games

Sometimes we let the kids play one game a piece, but not always. If you have older kids, this may be of more interest to them.

There are game value packs that will allow you to save money on the cost of games. I believe it's something like 12 games for $15.

Pack appropriately

To me, this is a huge money saver. While Dutch Wonderland has several spots to purchase things that you may need, I try my best to make sure we bring everything with us. Things that I always bring with us include sunscreen, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, and any medicine we may need.

If you'll be enjoying the water area, bring towels, water shoes or sandals (you need them for the water slides), and swim diapers.

Dutch Wonderland does have strollers available to rent, but I suggest just bringing your own. I have always felt comfortable leaving our stroller with things in it at any of the stroller parking areas around the park. Even if you don't think you'll need a stroller, I would bring it. It comes in handy for those times when little legs just can't make it any more and for tossing bags down instead of carrying extra things.