Lagoon Ticket Discounts: How to Save via Military, co*ke Promo + More (2024)

We may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post.

Surprised at the cost of Lagoon tickets? We were too! Have Lagoon ticket prices gone up exponentially, or am I just way out of touch with the cost of theme park entertainment? It’s probably both. Luckily for all of us geezer millennials (the oldest millennials turn 38 in 2019 39 in 2020 40 in 2021, and so on) with young families, there are a couple of ways to save some money when buying Lagoon tickets. Read on, you old farts, to find Lagoon ticket discounts for the fam.

Lagoon ticket discounts and promo codes

Update: I wrote this post in 2019, but am now updating it for 2021! Aaaand now 2022. And’23.

The regular adult ticket cost for 2021 isnow $69.95, up $5 from two years ago. Update for 2022: it’s $79.95 when you buy tickets online. You don’t wanna know what they’re up to for ’23.

1. Current Lagoon discount/promo codes:

Military member or veteran? promo code: Military2023

For more sales and codes that change every month, check their promo code page here or subscribe to the Lagoon newsletter at the bottom of that page.

Use code LABORDAYFUN22 wyb 2 or more tickets for a September 3-5 visit.

Use the exclusive promo code:KUTV2when purchasing 2 or more single-day passports online, for $61.95 each after the code!
Single Day Passports are valid for one operating day betweenAugust 14 – 18, OR 21, 2022.
(Excludes Friday, August 19, 2022, and Saturday, August 20, 2022)

Father’s Day Special: Save up to $15 off a regular single day pass when attending June 19th, 2022. Promo code to use online: Papa22.

Deseret Book in Utah offers $10 off Lagoon admission when spending at least $5 and asking about the offer at checkout. UPDATE: A customer in line gave me this very coupon he received from Deseret Book. I felt like I won the lottery. It worked for $10 off two regular tickets! Our co*ke cup took $9 off the third “adult” ticket. Our 12-year-old son now qualifies for a regular purchase ticket because he is above 48 inches. And our 8-year-old is right behind him. AHHHH!

2. co*ke promo code

For 2022, the early bird co*ke discount is valid Sundays through Fridays before 12 noon and will save $9.00 off a regular single-day passport. These co*ke discounts expire in early September. You may bring aco*kecan or anyco*keproduct to any Lagoon ticket window to receive this discount. Here’s the Chevron below where we bought ours. See Lagoon just south of it near the bottom of the map? One can/drink is valid for up to six (6) people. If you want to pre-order tickets online, you have to buy either a local 32-40 oz fountain drink or canned co*ke with promo code info on the drink, then enter that promo code online to buy tickets. That can be hard to find if you’re not from Utah.

Not a fan of woke co*ke? The Park Lane Chevron shown above just North of Lagoon offers the co*ke logo on their cups, but you can fill it with whatever fountain drink. That’s what we did a few years ago. Update: We just got back from another Lagoon trip 7/24/21 and did the co*ke discount again while buying our tickets at the counter. Here’s what the cup from Park Lane Chevron above looks like:

Park Lane Chevron is also a clean, well-maintained store to stock up on snacks, then just take Lagoon Dr down to the Lagoon parking lot.

3. Military Lagoon Discounts

Active military personnel can save $14 by using promo code MILITARY23 online and showing an active military ID at the gate. Retired military and dependents of military personnel can get in for a rate a few bucks more.

4. More ways to save: Lagoon ticket discounts for groups, or buy at Costco

• Looking for group discounts? Purchase a minimum of twenty-five (25) tickets and buy them at a discount–$62 per presold ticket. (Some restrictions apply. SeeRestrictions and Rules). These tickets are valid any regular operating day of the current season with no date restrictions.
• If going more than twice in a year, consider a season pass.
• They say you can sign up for their emails for special offers, but you don’t really get anything special. Just a heads-up about summer sales you might not otherwise know about, like the Two-for-Tuesday and Pioneer Day sales in July and August.
• Costco has limited availability gift cards worth $10 off admission. Call ahead to the store to verify they have these in stock!

Lagoon ticket discounts DON’T apply for youth and seniors.

While regular adult admission costs $80 for 2022, youth (under 48 inches) tickets are $62 online, and discounts don’t apply. You’ll save “$5” by buying online, but there’s a $2 processing fee, so it’s more like a $3 savings.

Kiddos under 2 years old get in free. If you’re bringing a baby under two to Lagoon, I’m sure you’ll “pay” in other ways. Or maybe I just had really grouchy babies.

Seniors 65+ get in for $76 online.

What’s Lagoon like?

The beautiful Pacific Northwest is known for many things, but theme parks isn’t one of them. There aren’t many places to choose from should the roller-coaster craving strike. In fact, there are two. One is Silverwood, which is another park for another article. Luckily, we have a little gem known as Lagoon that’s just a four-hour drive away from Boise. It’s a great little theme park (though it feels surprisingly big) that will take the full day to explore, especially if you’re doing some rides twice. The water park also commands a couple of hours of your time.

Before this summer excursion to Lagoon, I hadn’t been to a theme park–which was also Lagoon–in almost a decade.

What age to take kids to Lagoon?

Why haven’t I visited Lagoon in ten years? As a mom of three young kids, the last thing I wanted to do was coordinate a long journey with a carsick toddler and colicky baby. Plus, you have to mastermind how to fit naps, diapers, bottles, and general toddler-ness into a day-long exploration of a crowded theme park. Some moms can brave it, but I chickened out. That doesn’t sound like a vacation, that sounds like…hell.

Many of the rides in kiddie land didn’t have minimum height requirements, though some had a maximum height of 54″.

I didn’t feel like the two younger kids would truly appreciate and enjoy it as toddlers. With that said, these guys were colicky babies and grouchy toddlers. For this reason, we waited until our youngest was nearly five and could at least have fun on the kiddie rides. At the time, Matt was almost five, but a little “young” for his age. I could see other clearly younger kids really enjoying their trip. It all depends on your child’s temperament and potentially how they do on long car rides. With the right stroller and room to nap, I even saw countless itty-bitty babies looking quite content. What magical babies these mamas had!

See Also

Plan Your Day | Epperson Lagoon

Meanwhile, our family still went on vacations, but we kept our toddler vacations reserved for camping, hiking, and day trips. Lagoon would have to wait.

So we waited patiently until naps and bottles and general toddler-ness were out of the picture. And I’m glad we did.

Ten years later, we took the plunge.

While my 10-year-old took turns riding roller coasters with my husband and me, my 4- and 6-year-olds were able to enjoy the kiddie rides. We used the kiddie ride’s central location as a kind of meetup place, and we’d switch up who took my oldest to which ride next. This way, my husband and I were still able to have fun ourselves. Granted, it wasn’t always with each other, but you don’t do family vacations for the romance.

Don’t just save with Lagoon ticket discounts: tips to save more on your trip

There are several ways you can save money on more than just the Lagoon tickets. Save on hotels, food, gas, food, and more to maximize savings on your Lagoon vacation.

5. Use Priceline or the motel website for the motel

We stayed at Motel 6 in nearby Ogden on our first night, which was by far the cheapest local motel. Surprise, surprise, we got what we paid for. In hindsight, we should have canceled our plans after seeing the adjacent rowdy-looking bar a few steps away and the condition of the former pool, which was now apparently a junkyard. We braved it out for a mere $70 room we bought directly through the website–Motel 6 also offers a 10% military discount!

We paid dearly with our sleep–or lack thereof.

The kids slept well. Caleb and I–not so much. Luckily, the barely functioning AC gave outstandingly loud background noise to drown out the sound of whatever debauchery was going on outside our door.

Priceline Express deals can really save you money!

We originally used the Priceline app for our next hotel and almost nabbed a four-star room for $90. This app has some fantastic deals for higher-quality hotels. Their Express Deals offer outstanding value compared to regular prices, but rooms move fast. If you want a room, book it immediately or you’ll lose it like we did. You won’t know the hotel name but can usually infer based on the price range and general location they give.

As it occasionally often does, our cheapness beat out our good sense, and we went with a Motel 6 again the next night, but in a different city. Hey, we survived the first night, did we not? We traveled south a few miles to Salt Lake City and this hotel, albeit smaller, was better. I think this motel was the boys’ favorite part of the trip, beating out Lagoon and the Hogle Zoo. Because “It’s so exciting” to sleep anywhere but home and the recent remodel gave it a midcentury vibe.

We threw all three boys sideways into a full-size bed. Probably can’t get away with this much longer.

While you certainly don’t need to brave the Motel 6 scene as we did, do a quick check of your favorite hotel’s websites. See if they offer loyalty rewards, discounts, or even just better prices over travel sites. You can often do better on a motel price by cutting out the middle man known as Expedia/Hotels.com/Travelocity, particularly for the cheap places. Instead, use a cashback site like Rebatesme–and then go directly to the motel’s website. We scored 5% back on our Motel 6 purchase in 2019–and it’s currently 8% back. Again, I don’t recommend the Ogden one, no matter how cheap! But who knows, maybe they’ve since upgraded.

6. Consider camping or RVing

For 2021, it’s $40 to bring a tent, and $54 for a grass RV site with water, sewer, and electric hookups. In addition to cheap lodging in comparison to local hotels, campers also get a discount on Lagoon tickets! Regular adult passports become $56 instead of $70. Go here for more information.

7. Utilize money-saving apps, credit cards, cash back, and hotel loyalty rewards

• The Gas Buddy app shows you the nearest gas stations and their prices so you can get find the cheapest gas within a certain distance. Checkout 51 will give you up to 13% cash back on gas when you click the offer first, then snap a pic of your receipt.
• We used our US Bank Cashback Plus card for 2% back on gas and 5% back on fast food.
• If you’re looking for a nice cash bonus, Chase Freedom currently offers $200 cash back when you spend $500. Their 5% back categories rotate between groceries and gas. Frequent travelers could do better with the Sapphire card and $750 cash back, but that one has a $95 fee.
• While we don’t currently have a hotel loyalty card ourselves, if you prefer nicer hotels like Marriott, their rewards are hard to beat.
• Always start your purchase at a cashback website like Rakuten or Rebatesme. Whether you’re using Priceline, Motel6.com, or Expedia, cash back should first start with Rakuten or Rebatesme.

8. Bring your own food…or at least a water bottle

Lagoon allows you to bring in your own food and water, and many folks roll coolers in for a frugal lunch and dinner from home. There are various grassy areas, especially around the water park and Pioneer Village, where you can set a cooler and hope nobody messes with it. Lagoon is located near the LDS capital of the world, Salt Lake City, so you’d think most folks would leave others’ stuff alone. I would recommend a cheapo cooler, not a $300 Yeti because you never know…

You won’t find McDonald’s prices, but I was surprised to find costs comparable to outside food places. There is an Arby’s in Pioneer Village, and their roast beef sandwiches were $5 in ’21. My husband and I dined from across the way at Old Mill Grill for around $10 a meal. The crispy chicken sandwich was so yummy! Bonus; a mama peaco*ck and her baby waddled around for live entertainment.

While you’re in Pioneer Village, check out the Pioneer Photo Gallery which offers adorable old-western-style photography. Here’s $5 off when you print this out. I wish we would’ve done this on our visits, but both times the wait looked long. You might have better luck in the morning there.

Update: I believe they take appointments now!

There are water fountains all over the park to refill your water, so keep this in mind before purchasing drinks for everyone. Water is the best way to stay hydrated, but you could also bring in those single-serve Koolaid powder packets. Also, since we “splurged” on lunch, we saved on dinner and bought two $5 Little Ceasar’s pizzas on the way to the motel that evening. I know, I know: man, we’re cheap.

By the way, I highly recommend a visit to Hogle Zoo if you’re staying more than a day in Salt Lake City! Their train ride through the zoo was the boys’ favorite part.

9. Consider your clothing for Lagoon-a-Beach

If you’re planning on visiting the water park–and I highly recommend you do–consider wearing your swimsuit under your clothing, along with board shorts if you’re a gal. If not, you’re going to fork over $10 to rent a locker to keep your clothing in after you change. You could also go out to your car to change, but the walk across the huge parking lot may feel daunting after exploring the park all day. Many folks will need a locker anyway for purses and phones (also offered at the entrance of the park for the same price), but I was surprised at the number of people who simply had their belongings stowed away in a wagon, stroller, or bag, and pushed to the sides of the swimming areas.

I didn’t need a locker because I didn’t bring a purse in, and I only went into the water up to my knees. I stayed in the kiddie area with my two younger kids while Caleb and Josh tried the big slides, so I was also able to keep an eye on our shirts and shoe pile, plus keep our credit card and phone in my pocket (in plastic baggies).

10. Lagoon-a-beach tube rental

Another tip about the water park; they charge $5 for each inner tube rental. You’ll want a tube to go down some of the slides. While not required, it’s also fun for the lazy river. Their site says you can bring your own tube for the river, but not for the slides. I didn’t see anybody bring their own. You can make the $5–or potentially $25 for a family of five–sting less by just buying a couple of tubes and taking turns with them. This also makes it less likely you’ll misplace a tube since it will always be with someone in the family.

Keep an eye on your inner tube…I saw three different families come up to a worker and complain about missing tubes! Lagoon offers a “free” 21 oz drink upon tube return. I guess they want to prevent folks from handing their tubes off to others as they leave. So don’t go thinking a good Samaritan will gladly hand over their tube as they leave. They’re thirsty.

You can also use a small life jacket for–gasp–FREE for the little ones. These are at the tube rental counter. Many kids below the age of six could have a hard time fitting in the tube anyway, especially if they’re small like mine. This could be a nice option if your little ones want to “float” the river. The river was deeper than I expected–at least 3 feet in places. I know some people are thinking, “Who cares?” But I know many a worry-wart mama will appreciate this knowledge. The lazy river is also rough on your feet. My husband walked the river with the boys floating nearby, and his feet were torn up after two times around! Try to float it as much as possible.

11. Use your Lagoon ticket discounts on a weekday

When you’re spending an arm and a leg for a vacation, you want to get some value for money. To get the best bang for your buck at Lagoon, you want to enjoy as many rides as possible. Go on a weekday to try all the rides and still enjoy leisurely time without feeling like cattle. More specifically, I highly recommend going Monday through Thursday.

We went on a Thursday, and we were surprised at how quickly the lines went. Sixteen years ago, Caleb and I went on a Saturday and I remember an inordinate amount of our time was spent waiting in lines. That’s OK because we were newlyweds and spent the time gazing lovingly into each others’ eyes. No, the lines were terrible. Go on a weekday.

If you get there as soon as they open, you’ll also avoid some crowds, especially in the parking lot and front gate. Sorry, there’s no way to avoid the $10 $15 parking cost. Not even a co*ke can save you there.

12. Lagoon Frightmares

My husband and I ventured to Lagoon waaay back when we were young and carefree (kid-free) to explore Lagoon during the Frightmare season–September and October. There were zombies roaming the park, fun Halloween decorations, and an extra haunted house set up. The haunted house was pretty scary, especially at the end, and I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under 12. But maybe my kids just scare easily. I wonder where they get that from. My heart was racing throughout, but my husband came out of the haunted house just laughing.

The zombies are also kinda gory and scary for kids, although they seem to know when to leave certain families (with little kids) alone. You can even buy $1 glow sticks that will let the characters know not to scare you specifically. They like to go up and jump-scare teens and young adults, and they seemed to know I jump-scare easily. So just keep in mind that you may get “harassed” in a fun way by zombies and other spooky characters, especially if you look like the type who scares easily. Who looks like the type? Teenagers, pre-teen boys, young women, and apparently me?

Lagoon Frightmares hours and discounts:

Lagoon is open weekends only September-October, Fri 5pm-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-8pm. The Frightmares spooky fog and scary characters come out after 5pm.

Military discounts still work, but not the co*ke can discount.

Back then when I went, Frightmares was only a few extra events, but nowadays, they have five haunted houses/mazes, plus a “Hack ‘n Slash” show which actually isn’t scary as it sounds.

Check out the show from 10 years ago below. It’s weird to think these guys are all likely dads now. I like the older show better and think the chainsaw guys looked spookier back then. Is it me, or was it also a little risqué? Either way, it’s lots of fun for those who like live shows.

For a much more detailed, recent, and amusing review of Frightmares, go here.

Lagoon ticket discounts= more money for ice cream

We had a blast, I hope your family does too! It’s even more fun when you come home knowing you did your research on Lagoon ticket discounts and haven’t blown your budget just before the holidays eat up the last remaining bit.

Want more ways to save in all aspects of everyday life? Read more of my blog or subscribe for weekly posts.