If you were thinking of bypassing Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival this year because of your budget, think again. This was my 2nd year attending the event, and I have some Disneyland money-saving tips and tricks to share with you when it comes to all things food and wine.
What Is Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival?
If you’ve never heard of Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, here’s the brief synopsis:
The 2020 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is an event held within Disney California Adventure Park during the spring. The festival aspect of the event are the food stands placed throughout the park, and the special shows and activities offered only during this time.
The Disneyland Food and Wine Festival 2020 dates are from February 28th to April 21st, 54 days in total.
How To Save At Disney California Food & Wine
Let’s get right to it. The biggest and best tip to save money at Disneyland is the Sip and Savor Pass. If you’ve attended the festival before, you know this is one of the biggest ways to save during these 54 days of food and fun.
The Sip and Savor Pass has eight tabs for you to trade in for one food item or non-alcoholic drink at any of the festival marketplaces.
Ultimate Sip And Savor Pass Hack
The Sip and Savor Pass is $54 with tax, and the best way to get your money’s worth is to order wisely. With 8 tabs on your pass, that means each tab equals $6.75. To get the best bang for your buck, only order items that are over 7 dollars.
I typically go for the 8 dollar items, to make sure I get the best deal. One of my favorite items during 2019 and 2020 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival was the Petite Impossible Burger with Guac and Pepper Jack Cheese.
This plant-based burger is located at the Avocado Time Festival Marketplace. As someone who doesn’t like avocados, it’s blown my mind every time I’ve had it.
Pay Out of Pocket For Tasting Size
What I love about the Disneyland Food & Wine Festival is they clearly state if an item is tasting size. This helps those of us on a budget decide is using our Sip and Savor tab is worth it.
If you really want to try an item that’s a tasting size, I suggest paying out of pocket for it. Most of the tasting size items are still on the affordable side, so use your extra dollars to try them.
Take Advantage of the Free Entertainment
During the media event of Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, we learned that they have increased the amount of free entertainment during the event. We also enjoyed the kids craft activities, and my husband and I even joined in on the fun.
Be sure to plan your day around these events, especially if you’re bringing kids to the festival. All of the entertainment is family-friendly ( I mean, it’s Disneyland). This will be a welcomed break to your jam-packed Disney day.
Order Once and Eat A Lot
This is more of a time-saving tip, but did you know you can order all of the Food & Wine items you’d like to try at one Festival Marketplace? Want something from Off The Cob or Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo, but you’re in line at Avocado Time? You can order your picks at the booth where you’re currently waiting!
We use the California Adventure Food & Wine Festival Tasting Passport to make our picks, then we order everything at one booth. You do have to go to each booth to grab your items after you purchase, but it still saves you so much time.
Related: 5 Things TO Do at Disneyland (if you’re a Disney World Pro)
Eat At Flo’s On Hot Days Or Cold Nights
One of our best tricks during our recent Disneyland trip was to grab our Food & Wine items from one spot (see hack above), and convene at one of the tables inside or outside of Flo’s V8 Cafe.
While there are special festival tables throughout the park, we loved finding a special spot at Flo’s to rest and enjoy each of our festival goodies.
Super Hack: Send two people to grab your festival food, and send the rest of the group on the hunt to find a table at Flo’s. Divide and conquer!
Save Those Tabs For Later
Fun fact: You don’t have to use all of your Sip and Savor Pass tabs the day your purchase them! If you are visiting Disney California Adventure for a few days, keep some tabs for another day.
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine On A Budget – It Can Be Done!
I hope these tips help you enjoy every aspect of the California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, while still staying on budget. With a little pixie dust and planning, you can definitely have a great time at Disneyland on a dime.
Want to know more Disneyland tips, tricks and hacks? Check out our post about the Disneyland Flex Pass!
