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		<title>Knotts Berry Farms vs Disneyland?  Which one is right for you?</title>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hilary Erickson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:11:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Disney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Travel]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Knotts Berry Farms&#160;vs Disneyland Which is better?&#160; &#160;How are they different?&#160; I&#8217;m here to tell you that they&#8217;re very different, but both fun.&#160; Knott&#8217;s Berry is a favorite of mine, and today I&#8217;m gonna compare the two and tell you why. Knotts Berry Farm vs Disneyland Disclosure: I was given Knotts Tickets for our family<a class="more-link" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/knotts-berry-farms-vs-disneyland/" rel="nofollow">Continue Reading</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/knotts-berry-farms-vs-disneyland/">Knotts Berry Farms vs Disneyland?  Which one is right for you?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com">Pulling Curls</a>.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Knotts Berry Farms&nbsp;vs Disneyland Which is better?&nbsp; &nbsp;How are they different?&nbsp; I&#8217;m here to tell you that they&#8217;re very different, but both fun.&nbsp; Knott&#8217;s Berry is a favorite of mine, and today I&#8217;m gonna compare the two and tell you why.</em></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="500" height="750" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-500x750.jpg" alt="Which is better, Knotts Berry or Disneyland?" class="wp-image-34589" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-500x750.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-300x450.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-240x360.jpg 240w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-150x225.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms-600x900.jpg 600w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-vs-Knotts-Berry-Farms.jpg 411w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farm vs Disneyland</h2>



<pre class="wp-block-preformatted">Disclosure:  I was given Knotts Tickets for our family and have gotten Disneyland tickets at times in the past, but no posting requirements were included.  All opinions are my own.</pre>



<div class="mytoc">
<p>Table of contents</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#anchor-1">Differences between Knotts Berry Farms &amp; Disneyland</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-2">Knotts Berry Farms Pricing</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-3">Knotts Berry Farms Hotels</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-4">Disneyland to Knotts Berry Farms</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-5">Knotts Berry Farms Rides</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-6">Knotts Berry Farms Crowds</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-7">Food at Knotts Berry Farms.</a></li>
<li><a href="#anchor-8">Knotts vs Disneyland at the Holidays</a>
</li><li><a href="#anchor-9">Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farms:  Final Answer.</a></li>
</ol>
</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-1">Differences between Knotts Berry Farms &amp; Disneyland</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Disneyland is truly a magical place.&nbsp; I don&#8217;t think of it as a theme park, but as more of a destination.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts Berry is a theme park (owned by Cedar Fair, which owns a LOT of US theme parks).&nbsp; And frankly, probably the best one I&#8217;ve been to.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts has big rides &#8212; HUGE rides, that are super fun.&nbsp; It&#8217;s well-kept, themed well, has good food, and is great for a family day.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Disneyland has smaller rides, with more imagination.&nbsp; There is something for every member of your family to delight in.&nbsp; It has a high standard of cleanliness, has great food, and is a destination for family travel.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">BUT, each one has its place.&nbsp; I&#8217;ve talked a TON about <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disneyland-tips-part-make-happiest-place-earth/">Disneyland tips</a> &#8212; so, today I&#8217;ll talk more about Knotts Berry and what is great about it!</p>



<span id="more-34445"></span>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-2">Knotts Berry Farms Ticket Pricing</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re looking more into Disneyland &#8212; check out my <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/should-i-budget-for-disneyland/">Disneyland budget</a> and my <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disney-trip-calculator/">Disneyland trip calculator</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts Berry Farms Tickets (when bought online at the time of publication) are about half the price (or more &#8212; depending on when you go) of Disneyland.  That is HUGE.  If you have other things you&#8217;d prefer to spend your money on, but still have a fun vacation, that makes Knotts a great option!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Plus, Disneyland has the whole park hopper/Genie+ add-on, so that adds to the price as well.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let me spell it all out for you in a table.  Please note that both parks have dynamic pricing for 1-day tickets (meaning it&#8217;s more expensive on weekends, etc).  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Disneyland tickets vary from about $90 to $169/day (this is why <a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Get Away Today Disneyland Tickets" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/disneyland-tickets/" data-shortcode="true">most people prefer multi-day tickets</a> &#8212; your price/day goes WAY Down).  Knotts seems to vary from $69-$89</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>Park</td><td>Base Average Price</td><td>Base Price Plus Line Skipping</td></tr><tr><td>Disneyland 1-park-day</td><td>$140</td><td>$170</td></tr><tr><td>Disneyland Park Hopper</td><td>$205</td><td>$235</td></tr><tr><td>Knotts Berry Farms</td><td>$60</td><td>$160</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Disneyland Line Skipping = Lightening Lanes | Knotts Line Skipping = &#8220;Fast Lane&#8221;</figcaption></figure>



<p class="has-white-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-paragraph" style="background-color:#ee2f6e">Keep in mind that with Disneyland &#8220;Genie&#8221; you only get to use each Lightening Lane once, vs the Knotts Berry farms Fast Lane allows you to the ride the same rides over and over if you&#8217;d prefer.  It is a <em>much</em> better value for people who want to ride a few times many times in one day.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Like most places, I recommend buying your tickets before the gate (buying at the gate is <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disney-mistakes/">one of my biggest Disneyland Mistakes</a>)&#8230;..</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I have a whole post on if you can <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disneyland-tickets-gate/">buy your tickets to Disneyland at the gate</a> (you shouldn&#8217;t, and 99% of days you can&#8217;t) &#8212; that shares the CHEAPEST way to get Disneyland tickets!</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farms Discount Tickets</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My #1 choice for Southern California tickets is <a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Get Away Today Disneyland Tickets" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/disneyland-tickets/" data-shortcode="true">Get Away Today</a>.&nbsp; You can usually get Knotts tickets on <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/tickets/disneylandresortarea/?referrerid=6740">this page</a> (just scroll down a bit to find the Knotts tickets). FYI, sometimes Knotts has sales that make buying off their site cheaper, but Get Away Today will price-match their ticket prices.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can also get great prices on Universal, Disneyland, Sea World, and more (and when you combo them, you save even more!).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I would 100% recommend pricing a Knotts hotel in the area with them as well.&nbsp; They have the <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/blogs/2008-12-11/best-price-best-service-best-places-guarantee?referrerid=6740">best price guarantee</a>.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/tickets/disneylandresortarea/?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="206" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34595" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT.jpg 800w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-300x77.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-500x129.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-634x163.jpg 634w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-200x52.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-150x39.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-600x155.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">2025 Note:  I often see that Get Away Today is not selling Knotts tickets, in that case I do think your best bet is to purchase through <a href="https://www.knotts.com/">Knotts online</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-3">Knotts Berry Farms Hotels</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you plan to go to Disneyland as well, I would get your hotel location based on Disneyland, and drive (or Uber) to Knotts.&nbsp; They&#8217;re actually quite close to each other.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re just going to Knotts, they have their own hotel &#8212; <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneyland-resort/buenaparkknottsberryfarmresorthotel?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">The Knotts Hotel</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We actually stayed there at our last visit and I was nervous because the hotel doesn&#8217;t get great reviews.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The hotel has recently been updated and the rooms <em>were</em> nice, but it was definitely a surface remodel.  The rooms were loud, and the handle on my sink came off when I turned it to hot.  However, it&#8217;s SUPER close to Knotts, and if I was visiting Knotts again I&#8217;d probably stay there.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The price is great &#8212; <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneyland-resort/buenaparkknottsberryfarmresorthotel?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">check it out here</a></li>



<li>It&#8217;s so close</li>



<li>The rooms were comfortable, just loud.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">**AND when you book with Get Away Today you get REDUCED PRICE PARKING which is a nice savings!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are some great deals that can be found if you want to go to Knotts and stay at their hotel.  Their packages can be found <a href="https://www.knotts.com/stay/knotts-berry-farm-hotel" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If where you stay is important to you, we have also stayed with the  <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneylandresortarea/ayreshotelorange/?referrerid=6740">Ayres chain</a> that is in LA (we stayed in their Seal Beach Location &#8212; and Get Away Today can book any hotel if you call them).&nbsp; Get Away Today offers a few of them. They have an AMAZING breakfast, the rooms are large and we really enjoyed our stay there.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They also recommend the <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneylandresortarea/holidayinnbuenapark/?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Holiday Inn Buena Park</a> &#8212; which is at a great price point.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-300x450.jpg" alt="Rides at Knotts Berry Farms" class="wp-image-34591" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-300x450.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-500x750.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-240x360.jpg 240w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-150x225.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms-600x900.jpg 600w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-berry-farms.jpg 411w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-4">Disneyland to Knotts Berry Farms</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They aren&#8217;t far from each other at all.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Disneyland+Park,+Disneyland+Drive,+Anaheim,+CA/Knotts+Berry+Farm,+Buena+Park,+CA/@33.8343138,-117.973741,14z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x80dcd7d12b3b5e6b:0x2ef62f8418225cfa!2m2!1d-117.9189742!2d33.8120918!1m5!1m1!1s0x80dd2be6d7e87555:0xf23978ef5dfc5c17!2m2!1d-117.9981409!2d33.8470569"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="287" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-Park-to-Knotts-Berry-Farm-Buena-Park-CA-Google-Maps-500x287.png" alt="Disneyland to Knotts Berry Farms" class="wp-image-46037" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-Park-to-Knotts-Berry-Farm-Buena-Park-CA-Google-Maps-500x287.png 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-Park-to-Knotts-Berry-Farm-Buena-Park-CA-Google-Maps-300x172.png 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-Park-to-Knotts-Berry-Farm-Buena-Park-CA-Google-Maps-150x86.png 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Disneyland-Park-to-Knotts-Berry-Farm-Buena-Park-CA-Google-Maps.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Personally, I find the area around Disneyland to be much harder to navigate, so we usually stay near Disneyland and drive to Knotts on the day we are headed there.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This shows to take the 5, but we often drive down Ball and then turn north just past the 39 &#8212; there are some fun things to see along the way.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I also checked the price for an Uber/Lyft, and it was about $25 each way (obviously depending on timing) to go from Disneyland to Knotts.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-5">Knotts Berry Farms Rides</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts Berry Farms has rides for everyone in your party.&nbsp; Even with small children, Knotts can be very fun.&nbsp; There is a Snoopy area, and lots of other fun rides for kids &amp; families (more on that).&nbsp; Many of the rides don&#8217;t have height restrictions, and kids will find them SUPER fun.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I think Knotts can be fun for kids of all ages, similar to Disneyland.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="450" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-300x450.jpg" alt="Best rides at Knotts Berry Farms" class="wp-image-34588" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-300x450.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-500x750.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-240x360.jpg 240w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-150x225.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides-600x900.jpg 600w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Knotts-Berry-Farms-Rides.jpg 411w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts is split into areas.&nbsp; &nbsp;There are lots of rides and something for every taste.&nbsp; However, they are much more amusement-park-like rides, unlike Disneyland which seems to have its own brand of rides.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of particular note of popular rides:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>GhostRider &#8212; a great wooden roller coaster, my husband said it&#8217;s one of the best he&#8217;s ever been on (you can see it in the photo above).  I rode it for the first time recently and REALLY enjoyed it.</li>



<li>Knotts Berry Tales &#8212; an interactive dark ride where you learn the history of Knotts and &#8220;shoot&#8221; things.</li>



<li>Timber Mountain Log Ride &#8212; A log flume &#8212; has a lot of story to it.&nbsp; Very similar to Splash mountain, we really enjoyed it (and didn&#8217;t get TOO wet)</li>



<li>Silver bullet &#8212; a hanging-type coaster.</li>



<li>Calico Mine Train &#8212; This is a family-friendly fun ride through a mining mountain.&nbsp; It&#8217;s like Knotts Berry&#8217;s Pirates of the&nbsp; Caribbean.</li>



<li>HangTime &#8212; this was their newest ride when I went and has one of the steepest drops of a coaster on the west coast.</li>



<li>Xcelerator &#8212; Another steel rollercoaster that is amazing &#8211; per my husband, because I am NOT a roller coaster rider</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is also a raft ride and lots of spinning rides.&nbsp; &nbsp;Like I said, most of your basic amusement park rides.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I will say if you&#8217;re a lot on the <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/overweight-at-disneyland-tips/">overweight side</a>, Disneyland will likely be more comfortable.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There were a couple of rides that I was too big to ride (or very uncomfortable buckled in).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, if you&#8217;re <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disneyland-while-pregnant/">pregnant</a>, there isn&#8217;t a ton for you (but you could still have a fun day.  There are a lot of places to sit down, and a few rides you could enjoy.  Knotts is MUCH easier <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disney-feet/">on my feet</a>.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image size-large wp-image-34597">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="750" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-500x750.jpg" alt="My Fast Lane Pass" class="wp-image-34597" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-500x750.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-300x450.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-240x360.jpg 240w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-150x225.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar-600x900.jpg 600w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-fist-bump-jaguar.jpg 411w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">My Fast Lane Pass as I fist-bump a Jaguar on the ride Jaguar (which is one of my kid&#8217;s favorite rides)</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Soak City</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts also has a water park tied to it called Soak City.  You can get tickets to it <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneyland-resort/buenaparkknottsberryfarmresorthotel?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">here</a>.  It&#8217;s only open during the summer months, and is just your basic water park.  It was crowded, but spread out enough I didn&#8217;t feel claustrophobic.  They had a nice locker system and changing area.  It&#8217;s across the street from Knotts.  Most people that are doing Soak City have a pass and are enjoying both.  I would not recommend buying Knotts Theme park tickets, and adding on Soak City also.  </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On our stay we went to Soak City on our arrival day for a few hours and then went to Knotts the next day.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Camp Snoopy &amp; Other Options for Little Kids</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Camp Snoopy has been re-done in 2024.  As I toured it I will say most of it looked pretty familiar, just some re-theming, new coats of paint, etc.  Lots of times to visit snoopy and places to explore.  This area tends to have rides for small kids similar to other amusement parks.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There is also the Ghost Town area that has informational stuff on the history of California and sometimes extra fun for little kids (especially at Halloween and Christmas).  Lots of interactive experiences (including a blacksmith etc).  That type of interactive entertainment isn&#8217;t just for Disney. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />  When I was there they also had &#8220;Ghost Town Alive&#8221; where characters would talk to kids and it was super interactive and fun!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the biggest perks for small kids is not having to wait long for rides. Anyone who&#8217;s waited an hour for Buzz Lightyear with a 2-year-old knows from whence I speak.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Note: Fast Lane does <em>not</em> work for any of the rides in Camp Snoopy &#8212; so Getting smaller kids that would be of no use, <em>just FYI.</em></p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farms Rides for Teenagers</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Like most amusement parks &#8212; Knotts is a mecca for teenagers.  yes, while they will likely skip Camp Snoopy (and the many routes through the park makes that doable, the rest of the park is perfect for them).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While not impossible, I think <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disneyland-secrets-for-families/">Knotts is a little harder to do with kids of all ages</a>.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farms Rides for Adults</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I think adults will find a lot of fun at Knotts as well.  Because it&#8217;s not as crowded you aren&#8217;t constantly faced with teenagers who will annoy you.  There are a lot of really nicely themed areas and adults also appreciate the lack of lines.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-6">Knotts Berry Farms Crowds</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In general Knotts is much less crowded than Disneyland.  But, at crowded times at Disneyland, Knotts also tends to be quite crowded.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We went the 3rd of July, and it was BU-SY. Thankfully, we had fast lane passes.&nbsp; That got us on to the rides quite quickly, and I think they were 100% necessary on that day &#8212; I would not have wanted to go to the park without them.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are times that ride wait times will get to about 3 hours (looking at you Ghostrider).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On a regular day, I think the Fast Lane passes might not be worth it.&nbsp; You can add them to your pass in the park if you decide to do so&nbsp; (you can get them at many of the stores).</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farms Entertainment</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I have to say that I&#8217;m not sad that my kids aren&#8217;t too into the &#8220;shows&#8221; anymore.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts has great shows, some of the best I&#8217;ve seen at amusement parks.  They also have great bands and characters around the park.  WAY better than your &#8220;average&#8221; amusement park.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But, Disneyland has broadway-esque ones.  So, for me, there isn&#8217;t much of a comparison.  The win to Disneyland on this one.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts Berry Farms Parking</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts doesn&#8217;t have a lot of hotels that are within walking distance, but there is plenty of parking in the area it is currently $30, vs the $35 it costs at Disneyland.&nbsp; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As far as WHICH parking lot at Knotts, I recommend the North lot &#8212; it seems to be closest to the main entrance.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-7">Food at Knotts Berry Farms.</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts has a LOT of food options, and I found the pricing to be pretty great in comparison to <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/best-food-at-disneyland/">Disneyland food</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We got some Carne Asada fries that were really yummy, and very shareable &#8212; just near the Fiesta Plaza.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We got those in the afternoon and then had an early dinner at Mrs. Knott&#8217;s Chicken Restaurant.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It was pretty good, and HUUUUUGE.&nbsp; I would recommend ordering the fried chicken dinners &#8212; My  adult son and I split and we still couldn&#8217;t eat even close to all of it.&nbsp; it included:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Soup</li>



<li>Salad</li>



<li>Biscuits (SO yummy, with their delicious KNOTTS jam)</li>



<li>4 pieces of chicken</li>



<li>Mashed potatoes</li>



<li>Corn</li>



<li>Pie</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All that is around $30.&nbsp; I think 3 of us could have split that dinner!</p>


<div class="wp-block-image size-large wp-image-34596">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="333" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-500x333.jpg" alt="Mrs Kott's Chicken dinner" class="wp-image-34596" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-540x360.jpg 540w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner-150x100.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mrs-knotts-chicken-dinner.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">SO much food at Mrs. Kott&#8217;s Chicken dinner</figcaption></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Disney also has a great chicken dinner, at a bit lower price point, but less food.&nbsp; I think their chicken is better (you can find it at the Plaza Inn at the end of Main street).</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="600" data-pin-description="Knotts Berry Farms vs Disneyland -- which one is better? Which gives you more for your money? Is Knotts still fun?" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-vs-disneyla-nd-300x600.jpg" alt="matterhorn macaroon and funnel cake" class="wp-image-46041" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-vs-disneyla-nd-300x600.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-vs-disneyla-nd-500x1000.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-vs-disneyla-nd-150x300.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/knotts-vs-disneyla-nd.jpg 308w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pro Tip: <a href="https://www.knotts.com/help/frequently-asked-questions">Knotts</a> has a bit different rules on what you can bring inside vs what you can <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/what-to-bring-to-disneyland/">bring to Disneyland</a>, so be aware.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>My favorite Knotts treat</strong> is to get the funnel cake but with the ice cream and the topping on the side.  That way the funnel cake stays warm and doesn&#8217;t get mushy with all the liquids on it.  They didn&#8217;t even hesitate when I asked for it on the side.  So good after a long day at the park!</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts All Day Dining</h4>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This last time we went I tried the Knotts all-day dining package.  It was around $37 I think.  It allows you to get a full meal every 90 minutes.  There were 3 of us, and we just got one.  Obviously, it could be a GREAT value if you do it right:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Get a meal every 90 minutes</li>



<li>Enjoy the types of foods offered on this meal plan.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some downsides:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Obviously,</strong> this is just for &#8220;one person&#8221; (although there are no rules about who can eat the food, they&#8217;re just very clear that only one person can purchase the food &#8212; you are given a wristband).  So, THAT person has to stand in line to get the food each time.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>This only includes MEALS.</strong>  Much of the offered food is fries or burgers.  During Our day, we got:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Carne asada fries in the Fiesta Village</li>



<li>Orange chicken from Panda Express</li>



<li>Pizza &amp; a salad</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In total that food would have been around $45, and we just paid $32. But sadly, this meal plan does NOT  include the delicious chicken dinner.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pro Tip:  The Boardwalk BBQ has HUGE meals and are included in the wristband &#8212; it was yummy, easily split-able and I&#8217;d recommend it!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>You&#8217;re stuck.</strong>  The Panda Express line stretched far out of the restaurant, but since I&#8217;d already paid the money I was stuck eating at those venues.  I also couldn&#8217;t just decide we&#8217;d rather sit down for the chicken dinner.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Be aware of open/closing. </strong> There are no breakfast options on the meal plan, which made it so we couldn&#8217;t even get a meal til&#8217; around 11.  We&#8217;d hoped to get some tots, but that place was closed, so we went for Pizza.  Just be aware of those things.  Also, if you plan to leave early that limits how many meals you can get since it&#8217;s just one every 90 minutes.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Lines for Food are Long </strong>&#8212; in reality, you almost need to get in LINE about every 75 minutes, because some of the lines are long. It was fine for me because my kids love big rides and I don&#8217;t mind sitting out &#8212; but again, something to think about. It did take up a considerable amount of my day.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Honestly, for the 3 of us, it was a decent amount of food for the day.  The portions are pretty decent.  If our boys were there, I would think 2 bands would do all of us for the day.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pro Tip:  What to BRING to Knotts is very similar to <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/packing-for-disneyland-packing-light/">what to pack for Disneyland</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Knotts All-Inclusive Vacation:</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As I was typing all of this up &#8212; you could get a REALLY sweet Knotts Vacation (pricing is current in July 2023)</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneyland-resort/buenaparkknottsberryfarmresorthotel?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Stay 2-nights at the Knotts Hotel for $304</a></li>



<li>Get a <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/tickets/disneyland-resort/knotts-berry-farm?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">1-day knotts ticket</a> for $60-$70 (looks like weekends are higher)</li>



<li>Option: Add Fast Lane in the Parks for $99-$119 (busier days being more expensive)</li>



<li>Optional: Add the all-day eating for $32&#8217;ish (might be able to knock off a kid or two depending on if they&#8217;re big eaters)</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For a family of 4, here&#8217;s your pricing (and I&#8217;m using average pricing)</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>$564 without fast lane</li>



<li>$964 with fast lane</li>



<li>You&#8217;d even be just over $1,000 if you added in food.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This gives you <strong>a total of under $1000 for all the food and fun for 2 days </strong>(you&#8217;d only get one day of the food pass, I&#8217;d recommend splitting a couple of meals at the chicken dinner spot your first day).</p>



<p class="has-white-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-paragraph" style="background-color:#4b8a4b">I&#8217;ve recently seen some Knotts hotel packages that include fast lane &#8212; which is a nice option.  I love going back to relax there in the afternoon!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Honestly, that&#8217;s less than just our Disneyland tickets cost us.  Just putting that out there. Be sure to check out my <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/should-i-budget-for-disneyland/">Disneyland Budget</a>.  You can also get a better idea in my <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/all-inclusive-disneyland-packages/">Disneyland All-Inclusive Packages post</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But, here&#8217;s some basic comparative pricing (and I want to be clear that most people visit Disneyland for more than one day, but I want to compare apples to apples):</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>1-day Ticket ($169-$104) I&#8217;m taking an average day at $144</li>



<li>2-nights at <a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/hotels/disneyland-resort/the-anaheim-hotel?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">The Anaheim Hotel</a> $430 (this is a similar type of hotel that is close to Disneyland)</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The total for those for four is: $1,006 (so, basically double what Disneyland was)</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you add Genie the price goes up to $1106, and if you add park hopping to that it goes up to $1,366</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Anyway, that&#8217;s just to give you some pricing ideas.  The pricing does vary a bit depending on when you go, for both parks.  I have a whole post on the <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/cheapest-time-disneyland/">cheapest time to go to Disneyland</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-8">Knotts vs Disneyland at the Holidays</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We actually attended Knott&#8217;s and Disneyland last fall for both of their Halloween festivities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While Disneyland is certainly amazing <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disneyland-halloween/">at Halloween</a>, I was really impressed by how Knotts did it up.&nbsp; Our kids were able to trick or treat (no additional charge) and the ghost town was done up really fun.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A few of the rides (especially the log flume) were done up for Halloween.&nbsp; Although, I am pretty sure my kids are scarred for life from the Log Flume &#8212; it&#8217;s a little weird, and the music is certainly an earworm. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts does Knott&#8217;s Scary Farms in the evenings in the park and I hear it&#8217;s some of the scariest stuff in the area, which has ZERO appeal to me.  So, there&#8217;s that. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They also do a &#8220;Knott&#8217;s spooky farm&#8221; during the day for the littles where ghosts hang out in the Ghost town.  It&#8217;s pretty fun.  Kids can even trick or treat on the weekends.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/christmas-at-disneyland/">Disneyland again does Christmas up like crazy</a>, but Knotts isn&#8217;t to be beaten with their Knotts Merry Farms!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Knotts also has their own festivals including the Knotts Boysenberry Festival (which sounds delicious).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="anchor-9">Disneyland or Knotts Berry Farms:  Final Answer.</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While each definitely has its own place.  A few thoughts:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If Disneyland tickets/hotel alone is going to stress <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/how-to-budget-on-vacation/">your vacation budget</a> to the max, go to Knotts &#8212; I think you&#8217;ll have a great time and feel less financial strain.  BTW, check out my <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/disney-trip-calculator/">Disneyland Trip Calculator</a> (which can easily be used for Knotts or any other trip).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If it is your visit to Southern California and can only pick one &#8212; pick Disneyland.  Overall, it&#8217;s better, more iconic, and &#8212; something your family will <em>always</em> remember.  There are tons of <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/spring-break-2016-southern-california-uss-midway-knottsberry-farms/">other fun things in Southern California as well</a>!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;ve gone to Disneyland a few times, <strong>I say try Knotts</strong>!  I think you&#8217;ll be pleasantly surprised at the decreased crowds, fun rides, good food, and enjoyable days!</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity"/>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All in all a trip to Knotts is a LOT of fun.&nbsp; I think it&#8217;s different than Disneyland, but can be done for a LOT cheaper, and with a lot fewer lines (although I do have a whole post on <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/skip-lines-disneyland/">how to skip the lines at Disneyland</a>).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are just SO many California Theme parks to choose from (which is awesome). Be sure to check out my post about <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/universal-studios-hollywood-family-tips-tricks/">Universal</a> also (I even have one on the <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/super-nintendo-world-tips/">brand new Nintendo land</a>).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All in all &#8212; Knotts is awesome for thrill-seekers, and Disneyland (for me) is more magical.&nbsp; I am not a thrill-seeker though, and our kids absolutely love both parks.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://www.getawaytoday.com/tickets/disneylandresortarea/?referrerid=6740" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="206" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34595" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT.jpg 800w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-300x77.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-500x129.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-634x163.jpg 634w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-200x52.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-150x39.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Get-Away-today-tickets-GAT-600x155.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></a></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you liked this post, be sure to join my #1 tip for family travel:</p>



<div data-birdsend-form="3679"></div>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="1000" data-pin-description="Is Disneyland truly THREE TIMES more fun than Knottts Berry farms?  The pricing says it is....  Let's find out." src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/knotts-berry-farms-1-500x1000.jpg" alt="Knotts Berry Farms Windmill" class="wp-image-51381" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/knotts-berry-farms-1-500x1000.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/knotts-berry-farms-1-300x600.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/knotts-berry-farms-1-150x300.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/knotts-berry-farms-1.jpg 308w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure>
</div><p>The post <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/knotts-berry-farms-vs-disneyland/">Knotts Berry Farms vs Disneyland?  Which one is right for you?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com">Pulling Curls</a>.</p>
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		<title>Finding a HealthShare for Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</title>
		<link>https://www.pullingcurls.com/christian-medishare/</link>
					<comments>https://www.pullingcurls.com/christian-medishare/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hilary Erickson]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2022 12:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Finances & Saving Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Saving Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[healthcare]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[save money]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.pullingcurls.com/?p=25175</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Christian Health Share plans are taking center stage now that traditional health insurance plans and health insurance premiums are becoming out of reach for many families.&#160;Includes a Liberty health share review, and also if “Mormons” can use a Health Share. One day I got my new insurance premium.&#160;It had officially surpassed my mortgage payment.&#160;That is<a class="more-link" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/christian-medishare/" rel="nofollow">Continue Reading</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/christian-medishare/">Finding a HealthShare for Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com">Pulling Curls</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Christian Health Share plans are taking center stage now that traditional health insurance plans and health insurance premiums are becoming out of reach for many families.&nbsp;Includes a Liberty health share review, and also if “Mormons” can use a Health Share.</em></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="750" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-500x750.jpg" alt="health share plans" class="wp-image-34244" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-500x750.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-300x450.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-240x360.jpg 240w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-150x225.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share-600x900.jpg 600w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Health-Share.jpg 411w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One day I got my new insurance premium.&nbsp;It had officially surpassed my mortgage payment.&nbsp;That is what made me consider a healthshare.</p>



<span id="more-25175"></span>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">FYI, I also did <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/249-healthshare/">a podcast on why we chose a healthshare</a> (and how it worked when I had a ruptured appendix)</p>



<iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/33684047/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/ee2f6e/" height="90" width="100%" scrolling="no"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why We Chose a Health Share</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We were now paying almost $1,000/month for an insurance policy with a $5,500 deductible.&nbsp;We had never used anything but preventive medicine from them. Ever since the affordable care act was passed, our insurance rates just skyrocketed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We&#8217;d paid <strong>all medical expenses out of pocket</strong> for the entire 6 years we&#8217;d been on the plan.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I treat a lot at home, and I dread taking my kids to the doctor &#8212; so in reality (and through the grace of God) we hadn&#8217;t used the health care system much at all.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Anyway, <strong>I knew something had to change</strong>. &nbsp;Our insurance was going up another 20% a year, and I just had enough. &nbsp;It wasn&#8217;t worth it anymore.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we had started on this same health insurance plan (with a $3,500 dollar deductible) 6 years ago, the cost was just around $400.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I had heard and read a lot about Health Shares. &nbsp;A lot of bloggers had started to use them.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But I was reticent. &nbsp;I&#8217;ve been the one who&#8217;s <strong>billed out the cost of a new car</strong> after just 8 hours of work.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I get that health care and medical burdens can entirely ruin you.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I also got (because I read it ALL over their website) that Health Shares are NOT insurance.</p>





<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">Health Share Plans</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">LDS Health Insurance? <em>(or Mormon Insurance)</em></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I know a lot of people call it the Mormon church, but its true name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As a member of that &#8211;, we aren&#8217;t able to sign up for all of the health shares.&nbsp; Some just don&#8217;t accept Mormons, and some have you sign a document that goes against your beliefs (and I always worry they could come back if I had a big claim and say that what I signed went against my personal beliefs).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most often, those beliefs are based on <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead?lang=eng">what we believe about the Godhead</a>.  That&#8217;s a topic for another day, just be wary of signing something you&#8217;re not entirely aligned with.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For me, the two I could join boiled down to <a href="https://www.libertyhealthshare.org/">Liberty</a>, <a href="http://www.chministries.org/default.aspx?mem=273727" rel="nofollow"><s>Christian Healthshare Ministr</s>y</a> and <a href="https://zionhealth.org/affiliate-enrollment/?affiliate=Erickson Creative LLC">Zion HealthShare</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">FYI, just recently Christian Healthcare Ministries changed their statement of faith to something that I could not agree with.  Also, Samaritan Ministries had a faith statement that conflicted with my religious beliefs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">None of these health shares are run by the LDS church. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I will also say that some of the language used by both Liberty, and Christian Health Ministries was off-putting.  I don&#8217;t know why &#8212; but I have to say I feel more at home with Zion (and <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/healthshare/">I write about that switch in this article</a>).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I also did <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/podcast-126-zion-healthshare/">a podcast with Zion HealthShare</a> more on what exactly a health share is and who it&#8217;s good for:</p>



<iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/21506273/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/ee2f6e/" height="90" width="100%" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" oallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen=""></iframe>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Religious insurance?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I know, it seems odd &#8212; that religion should get involved with this.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In reality, Zion isn&#8217;t associated with any religion, although they have &#8220;Christian&#8221; (honestly, you could substitute in the word &#8220;good&#8221;) values that guide them.  Helping the sick and lifting where you stand.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The idea behind these is that you pool your money together, and then when someone is really ill &#8212; you pay out.  I can see how it started religiously, but has moved more mainstream now with the mess healthcare is.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most people now call these Christian Health Insurance or Christians Health Shares.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Why aren&#8217;t health shares insurance?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">First thing, they aren&#8217;t governed by the state entities that cover insurance. &nbsp;They are their own thing.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If mainstream health insurance plans don’t pay your health care costs, you have set lines of recourse (although, it is often due to their rules, so it would not rule in your favor anyway).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, regular health insurance is run state by state, so since I am going with a health share that is in another state &#8212; it clearly isn&#8217;t traditional insurance plans. Ultimately, these are faith based health insurance &#8212; because you have to have <em>faith</em> they will pay!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">2019 Update: I made the choice to <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/healthshare/">leave Liberty Healthshare</a> and switched to <a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Christian Healthshare -- CHM" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/healthshare/" data-shortcode="true">Zion HealthShare</a>. I was just having such poor experiences with Liberty and I am not sure they will ever pay our bills. That post I linked tells all about why we switched, etc. AND, in 2020 I joined their DPC Model (basically a concierge doctor) in my area and I pay the same amount WITH that doctor, and for Zion monthly shares.</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Zion Healthshare" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/zion-healthshare/" data-shortcode="true">Check out Zion HealthShare Here</a>!</strong></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">What is health sharing?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To me, it&#8217;s the basic idea&nbsp;of why health insurance was started.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I make my monthly contributions every month. &nbsp;It goes to help other member&#8217;s eligible health care costs of others.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is sometimes (but not always) run by a religious organization, and you are able to take the religious exemption out of insurance (if that&#8217;s still mandated when this post goes live).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is also governed by a managing board that adjusts the membership to stay solvent.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They are very clear that your health bills are YOUR health bills.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, through other member&#8217;s monthly contributions, they are able to share into other member&#8217;s eligible medical expenses. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But in reality, YOUR medical costs are YOUR medical costs even WITH insurance (fine print catches up people a LOT).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So often someone won&#8217;t be on your plan, or you went to the wrong hospital, or the moon was just a sliver and they don&#8217;t cover you on those days.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I just found out that the trauma surgeons at my own hospital won&#8217;t take the employees of the hospital&#8217;s insurance. &nbsp; We can ONLY go to our hospital, and our trauma surgeons are considered out of network.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">How do health shares work when you go to the doctor?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When you visit your doctor, you&#8217;d tell them you wanted to pay the cash price. &nbsp;I&#8217;d just pay it then, and get an itemized receipt. &nbsp;I&#8217;d then turn that into the health share (a VERY easy online process). &nbsp;Within a few weeks, they&#8217;d process it, and give me the money.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, if the provider fee is small, you will likely pay it, and then wait to be reimbursed.  However,  if it is a large stay at a hospital, they can sometimes remit payment to the hospital instead.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I do have a $1500 dollar deductible (sometimes called the annual unshared amount, initial unshareable amount) &#8212; so everything up to that point, I pay for myself (but you may want to still submit the receipts so it can count towards your deductible).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>2019 update:</strong> With <a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Christian Healthshare -- CHM" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/healthshare/" data-shortcode="true">CHM</a> I had a $500/incident deductible.  That means for each illness/injury I pay $500 and they chip in after that.  So, as you look at insurances be thoughtful with that.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If I was at the hospital I would tell them I was using a religious health share (and cross my fingers that someone there had heard of it &#8212; they ARE getting more and more popular, many people at my hospital have heard of them). &nbsp;I&#8217;d also call the Health Share to tell them that I was in the hospital and get started on working out an arrangement.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They will negotiate with the hospital directly in these types of cases.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They pay the hospital after a few weeks, just like regular insurance.</p>





<p class="wp-block-paragraph">FYI, the individual mandate giving a fee if you don&#8217;t have health insurance that was initially in the affordable care act is not required by federal law (although I&#8217;ve heard some states still require it).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Liberty Health Share Review</h2>



<p class="has-background wp-block-paragraph" style="background-color:#fdefca"><strong>2020 Update:</strong>  <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/healthshare/">We left Liberty Healthshare</a> and I talk about that in this post, but I felt like it was alright to leave my initial review intact (even though I no longer recommend them &#8212; and did end up filing a Better Business Bureau complaint against them).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At the time of this initial writing, we had been on Liberty Health Share for a year.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We don&#8217;t go to the doctor often, which is why I was willing to try a health share.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We submitted flu vaccines (which are shared) and initially, they were denied, but when I called I quickly got a real human on the line and they quickly re-processed them, and then the doctor was paid (our doctor uses Christian Health Shares frequently, and is willing to wait for the payment).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We have been to the doctor a couple of times, but we didn&#8217;t reach our $1500 dollar deductible so we never had a payout.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When we go to the doctor, I still submit it so that we can get credit on our deductible.&nbsp; Scanning it into their box is super simple.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The whole process is really easy, and everyone I have ever talked to has been SUPER nice.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yup, I&#8217;m still worried they won&#8217;t pay &#8212; but I was worried that my regular insurance wouldn&#8217;t pay (at almost twice the monthly payment).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Liberty was&nbsp;<em>very</em> transparent last winter that they were behind on payments.&nbsp; <strong>They didn&#8217;t have enough for the amount of bills they had.</strong>&nbsp; I think this is true of most insurance companies or health share companies in the winter &#8212; but part of me was grateful they were so transparent about it<em> (and part of me was worried).</em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And, in  late 2018 they did increase our premium and deductible.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Liberty does&nbsp;<em>not</em> share pre-membership conditions for the first few years (they phase in coverage for those items).&nbsp; They&nbsp;<em>do</em> pay for well-visit doctor visits though.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">They do not pay for vaccines for kids over the age of 1, but we have gone to our county health department to have that taken care of at no cost to us.&nbsp; While it&#8217;s inconvenient it works.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am also on the Health Traq plan where a dietician checks up on me once a month and I am working to lose weight.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All in all, choosing a health share is the right choice for us.  I don&#8217;t love it, but it works.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I can understand why you want a medi-share review &#8212; I was SUPER nervous to change and I asked a LOT of people what they thought of the health share they were on.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you have questions, please post them in the comments so I can answer them!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tips For Joining a Health Share</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It did seem like I was <strong>joining a cult</strong> when I signed up. &nbsp;The process is a little weird, and you do have to make a declaration of faith in order to do it (not all the time, <a class="thirstylink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Zion Healthshare" href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/go/zion-healthshare/" data-shortcode="true">Zion</a> doesn&#8217;t require it nor is it faith-based). Btw, if you&#8217;re a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints you can’t join all the Christian health shares, because we are not Christian enough.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It is made clear 400 times that they are <strong>NOT a health insurance</strong> company, so I do have some fear in the back of my head that they won&#8217;t pay if we ever got into trouble. &nbsp;However, they have paid every bill submitted to them in the past few years &#8212; always solvent. &nbsp;They certainly have a history of fulfilling their end of the bargain.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some health shares do not share pre-membership conditions, so that is something to consider.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some health shares pay for preventive care and some do not.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>I can&#8217;t contribute to my HSA anymore</strong> because I am not an HSA-approved plan. <em>(this may be changing in 2025 &#8212; not 100% sure)</em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This type of health plan <strong>can&#8217;t be written off</strong> because it is NOT REAL INSURANCE. &nbsp;That is a very sad thing, and actually, the reason I waited a long time to join (although I am SEEING people who write it off&#8230; so maybe look into that).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I ended up saving almost $350 each month by joining the share. &nbsp;Yes, I will pay a bit more in taxes by not having that insurance deduction, but at this point, it&#8217;s certainly worth it.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It can be a really nerve-wracking thing, and I&#8217;d love to tell you why I ended up picking the one I did.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There are a few options for an affordable health insurance alternative, so check out what works for you.  I have found the workers on the phone have been very helpful!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I have an email all set-up to tell you which ones there are and why I went with the company I did. &nbsp;I&#8217;d love to send it to you. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>



<div data-birdsend-form="3299"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>This post was originally written in 2017 and has been updated.</em></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-medium"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="600" data-pin-description="Can members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints join HealthShares?  Can Mormons be members?" src="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mormon-Healthshare-300x600.jpg" alt="Surgery" class="wp-image-53501" srcset="https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mormon-Healthshare-300x600.jpg 300w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mormon-Healthshare-500x1000.jpg 500w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mormon-Healthshare-150x300.jpg 150w, https://www.pullingcurls.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Mormon-Healthshare.jpg 308w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>
</div><p>The post <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com/christian-medishare/">Finding a HealthShare for Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.pullingcurls.com">Pulling Curls</a>.</p>
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