Cliff and Leah Patton went camping on Lion Country Safari's grounds with their two granddaughters thanks to the annual passes they just bought.

As Palm Beach Gardens residents, they own almost all major Florida theme park passes including Sea World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and the recently acquired Lion Country Safari.

The Pattons say they started buying annual passes three years ago when they noticed the amount of money they could save. That way, they can visit the parks as many times as they want without the pressure of having to stay all day. If the girls aren't in the mood to spend the day at the park, they can always return the next day or next week.

``It's the way to go,'' said Leah Patton, who plans to return to Lion Country Safari soon.

Cliff Patton says that his granddaughters never get tired of visiting the parks and that, especially with Lion Country Safari, it's a whole different experience each time you go.

``If you're going to go to these places two to three times a year,'' Cilff Patton said, ``the seasonal pass is really worth it.''

Annual passes for the major parks like Disney can be a lot of money. With a family of three or four children, plus the parents, annual passes wouldn't be realistic.

With six granddaughters, the Pattons only own annual passes for the two who live nearby. They buy daily passes for the visiting grandchildren.

``Still, that reduces the price tremendously,'' Cliff Patton said.

``We've got this formula pretty much down,'' said Leah Patton with a smile. ``We realized the joy of the passes because we always have something to do.''

THE PARKS

Most major theme parks offer annual passes at Florida-resident pricing.

The Blackstone Corp. parks, which include Busch Gardens, Sea World and the two water parks Adventure Island and Aquatica, offer ``annual passports'' for any combination of the four parks. The cost can be broken down into monthly payments that are drafted from a bank account.

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure also offer monthly payments for an annual pass.

Disney does not offer a monthly payment plan. Nor does it allow consumers to choose which of the four parks they'd rather visit, making the cheapest of its passes, the seasonal pass, the priciest of all the parks. Not to mention the blackout dates.

Busch Gardens and Sea World have a pass called the Fun Card. With it, you pay the price of a daily ticket but can return as often as you want until Dec. 31. However, the Fun Card doesn't include parking, while an annual pass does. Cost for 2010: $74.95 at the gate, $69.95 if customers purchase the Fun Card online (www.SeaWorldOrlando.com or www.BuschGardensTampaBay.com) or at participating AAA offices.