Is the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Plan worth it for you?
Picture this: You’re doing your pre theme park hopping day research, and you come across a BIG dilemma.
You noticed that there’s SO many amazing options when it comes to dining, snacks, and restaurants, you have NO idea which one to pick!
A day is only so long, and theme park food is so expensive after all…it’s not like you can fit in EVERY cuisine option, right?
Nope – think again!
Thanks to Busch Gardens All-Day Dining, overpaying for limited portions of theme park food is a thing of the past!
For just $50 a day ($25 for kids 3 – 9), you can enjoy one meal every 1.5 hours…
Yup, you read that right…every 1.5 hours!
Seems impossible? Too good to be true?
I get your concerns, and I’m prepared to lay them all to rest below as we explore every facet of the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining plan that the park has to offer!
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What is the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Plan?
Pretty much identical to the SeaWorld All-Day Dining Plan, the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Plan is just as I described above: one meal every ninety minutes, all day, for one flat fee.
Now of course, there are a few parameters you have to follow with All-Day Dining such as:
- “A meal” = one entrée, one beverage, and one side OR dessert, every ninety minutes, so you can’t double up on drinks, entrees, or side dishes in one restaurant visit.
- Select Busch Gardens Tampa restaurants apply, more specifically: Zagora Café, Dragon Fire Grill, Oasis Pizza, Zambia Smokehouse and Chick-fil-A®.
- Only certain menu items are included, and those items are denoted with a colored dot (although many guests say that the vast majority of items, especially fan favorite items ARE included).
- Cost $49.99 for adults and $24.99 for kids (ages 3 to 9)
- There is NO sharing allowed on the Busch Gardens All Day Dining plan, so unless you’re towing along a child under 3 years old, don’t expect to be able to split your food orders to maximize savings. Unfortunately, that kind of thing is frowned upon and can result in an immediate removal of your Busch Gardens All Day Dining Plan.
- You’ll receive a wristband at the beginning of your Busch Gardens All Day Dining period that must be scanned with every meal “purchase,” so that your hourly meals can be tracked accordingly.
Overall it’s pretty simple, and the PERFECT solution for ThemeParkHipsters who want to try a little bit of everything without breaking the bank!
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How do I purchase the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining pass?
Purchasing the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining pass, which comes in the form of a wristband with a barcode on it, is pretty simple.
Especially because Busch Gardens Tampa allows you to purchase it in 3 different ways:
- On their website, where you can show your purchase receipt to Guest Services upon park entry to receive your wristband.
- Through Groupon’s website which allows you to buy your theme park ticket and dining pass in just one click!
- From Undercover Tourist website who are authorized Busch Gardens ticket sellers
- On the Busch Gardens Tampa app, where similar to the website purchase, you can show your receipt to Guest Services to receive your Busch Gardens All Day Dining wristband for the day.
- In person at Guest Services! For some people, this is their favorite way to purchase the Busch Gardens All Day Dining pass because they can add it on midday as they realize just how many amazing dining options there are to try!
- Select kiosk locations throughout the park.
Pros and Cons of Purchasing the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining
Eating every hour and a half, what could be so bad about that, right?!
Let’s break down the pros and cons together, so you can see the good and bad for yourself!
Pros of All-Day Dining
Let’s start off with the pros of this dining deal at Busch Gardens.
1. The potential to save a lot of money!
If you’re someone who enjoys food sampling in theme parks just as much as the rides and attractions themselves, then this is for sure THE BEST way to make the most of your money.
Because, think of it like this, one meal (entrée, beverage, and side/dessert) is about $25 at Busch Gardens Tampa, so after two meals, the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining pass already pays for itself!
2. Guilt-free sampling
It’s hard being in a theme park and only choosing one snack or restaurant to eat at for the sake of your pocketbook.
With the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining, you have the chance to try up to 9 or more different food options (depending on the amount of hours Busch Gardens is open on your park visit day).
So, limiting yourself or making difficult meal decisions are a thing of the past!
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3. The PERFECT solution for indecisive eaters
We all know that one person – or maybe you are that one person – that can never decide what to eat!
Luckily though, with the Busch Gardens All Day Dining plan you can try every eatery at least one time, if not more, so you can go about your day stress free!
4. Never be hungry or thirsty!
We all already know that being an adventurous, park hopping, ThemeParkHipster takes LOTS of energy, so the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining plan ensures you’re always properly fueled, hydrated, and ready to go!
5. A 20% Discount for Busch Gardens Tampa Passholders and Special Days!
Already have an Annual Pass at Busch Gardens Tampa? Then the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining offer gives you even more savings!
Or, to be more specific, it’ll only cost you $40 – which is DEFINITELY a steal – cuz it’s just a few bucks less than 2 meals!
This is a deal that’s not always predictable so always log into your Pass Member account to see if you’ll get a discount.
Also, during special holidays like Memorial Day, Busch Gardens will offer discounts for the All-Day Dining Plan as well.
So, be on their email list to know when they will offer the different dining deals.
Cons of All-Day Dining
Let’s go through a few of the cons for this Busch Gardens dining deal.
1. Some Limitations
As we mentioned earlier, the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining is not totally limitless. You can only choose certain – albeit most – menu items, and Twisted Tails Pretzels is NOT included.
2. No Sharing
While you don’t necessarily have to eat your meal inside the eatery, if you choose to, extra eyes might be on you and your party.
So, everyone has to have the dining pass to ensure there’s no food sharing.
3. May Require LOTS of Planning
We know that not ALL ThemeParkHipsters are planners, some of you like to take your day step-by-step, and so if that’s you, all the power to ya!
But, we also know, that some people want to make the MOST of their Busch Gardens Tampa trip, and don’t want to miss anything!
If that sounds more like you, and you want to make sure you try certain menu items and restaurants, you might find that you want to map out your restaurant plan of attack ahead of time! Especially because Busch Gardens Tampa is SO BIG!
Questions you might want to ask yourself during this planning period are: which restaurant will you eat at first for breakfast? How will you make sure you don’t accidentally skip a restaurant you wanted to try?
For those Type A ThemeParkHipsters, planning is the best way to prepare for your Busch Gardens All-Day Dining day.
4. An Additional Cost
Remember, the All-Day Dining plan is another cost on top of park admission and parking, so if you’re trying to cut costs as of late, this might not be the best way to do it.
Mainly because, you could always just get away with one quick cheap park snack or packing a picnic in your car.
What to Know Before You Go to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Now that we have the basics covered, let’s go through some of the most commonly asked questions for this Busch Gardens dining plan.
Is Busch Gardens All-Day Dining actually worth it?
So long as you plan on eating at least two meals worth of food during your Busch Gardens Tampa visit, then we have to say an enthusiastic YES to this question!
Even if you just want to eat one full meal, and then get side dishes/desserts and beverages to keep you going throughout the day, you can do that, and still get your money’s worth.
Remember that even desserts, side dishes, and beverages can run you $5 – $9 a pop.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that bottled water is included in the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Deal?
And likely we don’t have to tell you with the Florida heat that one fresh bottle of water per hour is a game changer!
Are alcoholic beverages included in the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining plan?
Unfortunately alcoholic beverages are NOT included in the dining plan.
However, if you are interested in some sweet or refreshing libations while at Busch Gardens Tampa, the Springs Taproom is certainly the best place to kick back with an ice cold beer or specialty cocktail.
What is the best thing to order on the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining plan?
Time and time again, Busch Gardens Tampa connoisseurs say that the Brisket Sampler from the Zambia Smokehouse is a MUST – Busch Gardens All Day Dining plan or not!
So, make sure you fit that into your day if you’re a big meat eater!
What are the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Restaurants?
- Zagora Café
- Oasis Pizza at Serengeti Overlook™
- Chick-fil-A
- Dragon Fire™ Grill
- Zambia Smokehouse
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Wrapping Up…
Basically, if you’re going to have more than one meal while at Busch Gardens, then the dining plan is definitely worth it!
What’s your favorite meal at Busch Garden? Got any tips or tricks that we forgot to mention? We’d love to hear about them all in the comments below!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Gina is a former Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line Cast Member who enjoys reliving the magic by writing helpful tips and tricks for future guests!
Check out more about her Disney adventures and writing endeavors here on ThemeParkHipster or Florida Hipster!
(Original Article Date: June 16, 2021/Updated by Editor on February 14, 2024)