The biggest thrills are at ticket booths

A wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain will fire riders down a 100-foot drop. An exhibit at the San Diego Zoo will feature elephants, camels and 4-foot rodents in a new habitat the size of a soccer stadium. A musical comedy at Universal Studios Hollywood will star the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

As always, Southern California theme parks are ready for summer. But don’t expect much new compared with previous years at nearly every local theme park, zoo and aquarium.

This year, the biggest attractions may be bargain tickets, discount deals and two-for-one offers to draw recession-weary vacationers as the summer season gets underway this Memorial Day weekend.

Park visitors are already spotting the trend. “If you don’t have anything new, you should definitely lower your prices,” said Intan Saraswati, a 22-year-old theme park fan, standing near the gates to Universal Studios Hollywood with several friends recently.

Park operators are relying on the assumption that many of Southern California’s 21.7 million residents will ride out a sluggish economy by staying close to home this summer -- putting into practice the ballyhooed concept of “stay-cations.”

Instead of going to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon, thrifty-minded vacationers may be tempted to drive to Disneyland or the San Diego Zoo.

Angela Hahn, a mother of two girls from Long Beach, is a prime target for theme parks this summer. She and her husband plan to entertain their children with backyard play dates and visits to the local parks and beaches. A theme park visit, Hahn said, will break her budget unless she can find a bargain deal. “We are watching for ways to go to Disneyland again,” she said.

David Mandt, a spokesman for the International Assn. of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a trade group that represents about 4,000 parks, zoos and aquariums, hopes the bargain deals will keep attendance numbers up.

“These are unprecedented times, but we are optimistic,” he said.

Most Southern California theme parks suffered slight declines in attendance in 2008, according to an independent analysis by Economic Research Associates, a consultant to the travel industry.

For example, Disneyland, Southern California’s entertainment giant, had a 1% drop in attendance in 2008, according to the ERA analysis. Universal Studios Hollywood, where a back-lot fire destroyed several attractions last summer, ended with a 2.5% drop in attendance in 2008, according to the analysis.

The notable exception to the trend was Legoland in Carlsbad, which opened its new Land of Adventure attraction in March 2008 and reported a 20% increase in earnings and a 27% jump in attendance in 2008 over 2007.

Theme park managers say it’s only a coincidence that few theme parks are opening new attractions this year -- in the midst of the worst economic conditions in decades. They note that major attractions are planned at least 18 months in advance.

Disneyland, for example, won’t open any big-ticket attractions this summer. Instead, the park will upgrade several of its classic attractions. For example, new LED lights will be added to the electrical parade, and a new 40-foot, fire-breathing dragon will be added to the nightly Fantasmic water show.

With fewer new attractions, park managers are instead serving up a menu of bargain offers.

* Disneyland recently unveiled a three-day summer pass for $99 for Southern California residents, a bargain compared with the regular $69-per-day passes.

* Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park announced a day pass that includes all-you-can-eat barbecue for about $38 for adults and $29 for children and seniors on weekends.

* Universal Studios Hollywood will offer a six-month pass for $60 starting June 15.

“Discounts, discounts, discounts,” said Al Lutz, an online theme park reviewer ( www.miceage.com) in Costa Mesa. “That is the big thing this summer.”

Bargain deals and two-for-one offers are nothing new to theme parks. But park managers say the biggest discounts are usually saved for low-attendance periods, such as fall or winter, not for the summer when demand is already high.

Another difference this summer, according to theme park officials, is that nearly every Southern California park, big or small, is going local.

Because of the sluggish economy, the big destination resorts, such as Disneyland, will be competing with regional parks, such as Knott’s Berry Farm, for visitors living within a 150- to 200-mile radius.

“We want to make a strong appeal to locals,” said Eliot Sekuler, vice president for public relations for Universal Studios Hollywood.

All of which is good news for value-minded vacationers this summer.

“I think the new $99 three-day ticket is a great value for Southern California residents who want to visit Disneyland,” said Lisa Robertson, who writes a travel blog (www.babesindisneyland.com) for families visiting Disneyland. “I get e-mails weekly from folks looking for discounts, and until recently I usually had nothing to report.”

April and Larry Butler, tourists from Utah, said the bargain deals already offered by Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood allowed them to bring their four children and two parents for eight days, instead of six days, as planned.

“We found some good deals, so we are staying longer,” April Butler said as her children played in a fountain near the entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood.

Some theme parks are already pointing to signs of stronger attendance numbers. Disney officials said recently that attendance at Disneyland had jumped 2% in the second quarter of the year.

Jack Kyser, founding economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., said lower airline prices and new service into John Wayne Airport by Virgin America may also draw theme park visitors from the Bay Area.

But he believes the parks’ profit margins may be squeezed by the summer discount prices and the frugal spending habits of park visitors. “This could be a decent summer,” he said, “but in terms of profits, it could be a little dicey.”

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hugo.martin@latimes.com

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Theme parks at a glance

ATTENDANCE IN 2008 FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S

FIVE LARGEST THEME PARKS

1. Disneyland, Anaheim, 14,721,000 (-1%)

2. Disney’s California Adventure, Anaheim 5,566,000 (-2%)

3. Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, 4,583,000 (-2.5%)

4. SeaWorld, San Diego, 4,147,000 (-2.7%)

5. Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, 3,565,000 (-1.8%)

NEW BIG-TICKET ATTRACTIONS FOR SUMMER 2009

- Universal Studios Hollywood: A musical comedy called “Creature From the Black Lagoon -- A Raging Rockin’ Show.”

- Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia: The $10-million, 2,850-foot-long wooden roller coaster “Terminator Salvation,” named for the new “Terminator” movie, opening on Memorial Day weekend.

- San Diego Zoo: Elephant Odyssey, a $45-million, 7.5-acre habitat featuring a 2.5-acre elephant exhibit and a 137,000-gallon pool.

SPECIAL PRICES FOR SUMMER 2009

- Disneyland: Three-day summer fun pass for $99. Details for the deal will be available at www.disneyland.com after June 1.

- Universal Studios: Two days for the price of one. For details, go to www.universalstudioshollywood.com/ticket_2_for_1.html.

- Knott’s Berry Farm: All-you-can-eat barbecue, plus admission for $37.99 for adults and $28.99 for children and seniors. Weekends only. For details, go to www.knotts.com/hot/index.asp.

- Six Flags Magic Mountain: Buy an adult pass for $29.99 at any Ralphs supermarket and get a child’s ticket free.

Sources: Economic Research Associates’ attraction attendance report, 2008; theme parks.