The family-pack freeway series

TAKING the family out to the ballgame can be a pricey proposition. When you add up tickets, parking and food, a family of four could easily spend hundreds of dollars. But both the Dodgers and Angels offer family plans, which include tickets, hot dogs and small drinks for a family of four at a discounted price. While the Dodgers and Angels battle it out on the field, we put the two teams’ family packs to the test. What did we find? Not taking into consideration ticket availability (which favored the Dodgers), our test family preferred the food at Dodger Stadium but spent less in Anaheim. And we split on the favorite ballpark. This contest is obviously headed for extra innings. Batter up:

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The blue

team

Planning: The Dodgers took an early lead as soon as we sat down to purchase the tickets over the Internet. The blue team offers its Coca-Cola Family Pack on Wednesday nights and Sunday day games. The Angels do not offer Family Fun Packs on weekends.

The family pack promotions at both stadiums are only good while supplies last. And if you buy your tickets over the Internet, you’ll spend more than the advertised prices, thanks to Ticketmaster service charges.

Pocketbook: The Dodgers pack is advertised for “as low as $52,” but our testers ended up spending $65.55. The promotion is good for field ($30 to $35 per ticket), reserve ($12 to $14) or lower reserve seats ($15 to $17). Our testers opted for the reserved tickets at $13 each, with a $2.50 service charge per ticket, plus a $3.55 processing charge for the entire order.

Getting there: Our test family took in a Dodgers game on an overcast Sunday afternoon in late April. Without a parking pass, they paid the $10 fee and parked in the general admission section, which required a long walk to the will call booth. Getting the tickets was a snap; there was a short line, and the attendant quickly found the tickets and food vouchers, which look almost identical to the tickets, but there was another long walk to the reserve level entrance.

The experience: Ordering food with the vouchers was also relatively painless at Dodger Stadium, as was finding the seats, which were high up on the first base side but afforded nice views of the field and the Dodger Vision screen.

The family of four enjoyed their foot-long Dodger Dogs, grilled and served in a fresh bun of white bread. Although the concept of the tickets-and-food package is nice, it’s unrealistic to think anyone in your party will limit their food consumption to a single hot dog and small beverage. A few innings in, our test family visited the concession stand again, and bought a beer for Dad and two orders of nachos for $20.

Any parent attending a ballgame with children will note that planning the intervals of food and souvenir purchases requires almost as much strategy as managing a team. As such, if you pull the dessert card too early, you’ll have a slim chance of making it through the entire game.

Employing such strategy, our test family waited until the sixth inning for the mother to take the children to visit the Top of the Park Gift Store, located in close proximity to the cheap seats. They returned with no souvenirs, but two ice cream sundaes and a bag of Cracker Jack for $13.

And the Dodgers won.

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The box score

Dodgers

Four reserve level tickets, hot dogs, small drinks ... $52.00

Convenience service

charge ... $10.00

Processing charge ... $3.55

Parking ... $10.00

Two orders of nachos,

one large beer... $20.00

Two ice cream sundaes,

one bag Cracker Jack ... $13.00

Total $108.55

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The red

team

Planning: The Angels’ available dates for their Family Fun Packs fall mostly on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Tim Mead, the Angels’ vice president of communications, says the team doesn’t offer its family plan on weekends because it already has strong pre-sales for those games.

Once again, the Family Fun Packs are subject to availability. And buying your tickets over the Internet, you’ll spend more than the advertised prices, thanks to Ticketmaster.

Pocketbook: The Angels’ plan, which is available only for upper view level tickets, is less expensive than the Dodgers’ lowest-priced package. The club advertises the package “for only $39,” but with the service charges, our test family paid $49.50, plus $8 more for parking, giving the Angels an edge in the value department.

Getting there: As with the Dodgers, picking up the tickets and food vouchers from will call was painless. Our testers also found virtually no line at the concession stand on a balmy Thursday night in May, but were left waiting for 10 minutes because of a problem with the soda machine. Once they got their food, a certain 12-year-old boy remarked that the hot dog seemed small. Both parks sell Farmer John products, but only Dodger Stadium offers the foot-long Dodger Dog. The Angels hot dogs weren’t grilled but boiled and the buns were hard and stale. Score another one for the Dodgers.

The experience: Mom and 12-year-old boy in our test family marveled at Angel Stadium, which they said seemed a lot more modern than Dodger Stadium, despite the fact that both parks date to the ‘60s and have undergone recent renovations. The 10-year-old girl in the group preferred Dodger Stadium, simply because she was “used to it.” Her dad agreed, preferring the character and old-time feel of that park and the view of the real hills of Chavez Ravine to the faux mountain in center field and the more generic environment of Anaheim.

The seats at Angel Stadium were in the second to top row on the first base side but provided a nice view of the field and the video-enhanced scoreboards in left and right field. Our test family’s second trip to the concession stand came in the fifth inning. Again, they found no line at the snack cart where they purchased a large beer each for Mom and Dad, two orders of nachos, a bag of peanuts, and a Super Dog for the growing boy, which totaled $32. Since it was a school night, that was their final purchase of the night, and they headed for the parking lot during the seventh-inning stretch. About the time the family was getting home, the game was decided -- sadly, an Angels loss, in extra innings.

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The box score

Angels

Four upper view level tickets, hot dogs, small drinks ... $39.00

Convenience service

charge ... $7.20

Processing charge ... $3.30

Parking ... $8.00

Two orders of nachos,

super dog, peanuts,

two large beers... $32.00

Total $89.50