Group Holiday to Gold Coast Theme Parks

by Sharlee
(North Queensland)

Group Holiday to Gold Coast Theme Parks

I'm planning a group holiday to the Gold Coast theme parks for 6 adults and 7 children (between the ages of 1 and 11 years old).

I'd like to know the best way (cheapest, best value) to buy tickets for entry to all 5 theme parks on the Gold Coast - Dream World, Whitewater World, MovieWorld, Wet n Wild and SeaWorld.

Also, which school holidays are better to visit? Easter or June/July winter holidays?

I'm also interested in Australia Zoo, how much would that be?

We haven't organised our accommodation yet, do you have any suggestions for so many people to stay?

Can you give me an idea of how much the whole trip would cost from landing in the Gold Coast, including accommodation, hire car and attractions.

WOW! Heaps to cover... here goes...

Gold Coast theme park deals change all the time, you will need to check my updates on the Gold Coast theme parks deals page. Remember you should avoid buying tickets too far in advance because there are rules about presenting the tickets at the gate for first entry within a certain time frame. I like to organise my tickets online ahead of time, because it will save you time at the theme parks when you arrive, you don't have to stand in the huge queues where everyone else is!

Check the ages of children too, as the upper age for children and the lower age (as in the free entries) does differ from place to place on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast theme park deals are usually in two groups -

DreamWorld and White WaterWorld - family passes or World Passes

Movieworld, Sea World and Wet n Wild - have different passes depending upon the current deals, usually a combination parks on a pass.

Australia Zoo is definitely worth a visit - it is a full day excursion as the park is in Beerwah in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and takes a good 2 plus hours to drive from the Gold Coast.

If you hire a car (or two because of the numbers in your group) you have flexibility to visit Oz Zoo and the other Gold Coast theme parks. All the theme parks and the zoo have free parking, so that is not an issue.

Underwater World at Mooloolaba is another attraction on the Sunshine Coast that may be of interest. If you plan to visit both Australia Zoo and Underwater World, I would probably recommend you staying up in the Sunshine Coast overnight so you don't have to do all that driving twice, especially with the littler ones in your group!

That mostly covers the theme park questions, there are plenty of things to do in the Gold Coast which are suitable for large groups, you just have to work out what everyone wants to see and do.

Which is best Easter or Winter holidays on the Gold Coast?

Easter school holidays in March or April (depending upon the year) will be warmer. June July winter school holidays are not quite so warm, but it is all relative to what you are used to. If you are coming from further north in Qld you may find the water parks (Wet n Wild and Whitewater World) a no go.

Swimming in the ocean is available but only for the brave in June! Only kidding, water temps are about low 20s still in June, so depends upon whether you want to swim or not.

If you want to do the sightseeing then it is really your choice. I have to admit to being away during Easter school holidays as it always clashes with a swimming event we go to. Therefore I cannot comment on whether Easter holidays are busier than June/July winter school holidays at the theme parks.

If you come during the June and July holidays then whale watching has started so that is another activity you can consider.

Car Hire for Large Families and Groups
Landing in Gold Coast,you could hire a couple of large cars like Tarago or Hyundai Imax’s. They take 8 people each so that would probably be the best option - though when travelling with small children you have to remember the car seats seem to take more room!

By far the best option I can suggest for car hire is to use a car hire comparison tool. You can easily get quotes without having to give your contact details and then you can compare different companies side by side on their website. I always use this myself now.

Don't forget when looking at hiring, you can also hire baby seats, booster seats and GPS as extras, or just go for the standard hire. You need to get in early for the larger cars and make sure you reserve enough baby seats and boosters as they are always difficult to get during holidays.

Accommodation Options for Larger Groups

Accommodation wise there are options for larger groups, it depends on what you are looking for in terms of costs and comfort. Options range from cabins through to penthouses!

One place to start is to think about where you would like to stay. Check out Gold Coast Suburbs At A Glance and Gold Coast Maps. Many people like to stay in Surfers Paradise I have quite extensive pages on that here is the main index page for that: Surfers Paradise accomodation and for apartment in Surfers: Surfers Paradise apartments

Accommodation is more expensive in the holidays and you do need to get in quick for accommodation to secure the good places, especially with your very specific requirements.

Oh and by the way, most 3 bedroom apartments have a limit of 7 or 8 persons max per apartment so you definitely won’t be all able to fit into one.

Okay, probably enough to be going on with. I hope this information is helpful/useful. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any more questions and if you want some guidance on the accommodation, just let me know what sort of thing you are interested and where and I will give you some suggestions.

If you want to contact me personally, use my contact form or leave a comment below.

Good luck! I know it can be really hard when you are the one trying to organise group travel!

Cheers

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