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What is the All Day Dining Deal at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
If you’re planning a trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, you’re definitely going to want to think about dining options.
Meals at theme parks can get expensive. But with the All-Day Dining Deal at Busch Gardens, you can pay a one time fee that covers all your meals for the day!
How does it work? Well, you’ll get a wristband, which you’ll show at participating restaurants in the park.
You can get one meal every 90 minutes.
For adults, this meal includes:
- 1 entrée
- 1 regular sized fountain drink (non-alcoholic)
- 1 side OR dessert
Children on the All Day Dining Plan get the following with their meal:
- 1 kid’s entrée
- 1 kid’s sized drink
- 1 side OR dessert
We’re going to take a look at what dining options are included in the All Day Dining Deal. Then, we’ll go over whether or not this is a good deal for you and your family. Finally, we’ll give you some tips we’ve learned that can help you make the most of the dining plan.
Which restaurants does Busch Gardens Williamsburg All-Day Dining include?
The All-Day Dining Deal at Busch Gardens Williamsburg includes 6 dining locations:
- Das Festhaus
- German Pretzels and Beer
- Les Frites
- Marco Polo’s Marketplace
- Trappers Smokehouse
- Squire’s Grille
Let’s take a look at each of them so you can get an idea of where to find them and what they offer.
Das Festhaus
Location: Oktoberfest
Includes: German fare (as well as other options, like pizza or chicken)
This fun restaurant is set up like a festive dining hall, with long wooden tables that can be shared by multiple groups or families. There is a stage in the middle of the hall for entertainment (fun, family friendly shows, usually involving singing and dancing).
Some of the entrées at Das Festhaus include oven-roasted chicken, pizza options, a Sausage Sampler, salads, and more. You can also choose from a handful of sides (like macaroni and cheese, French fries, fried pickles and more). There are dessert options, like cake, cookies, pudding and fruit.
One feature that makes Das Festhaus especially appealing is that it is entirely indoors. Not every restaurant at Busch Gardens Williamsburg has indoor seating. In fact, Das Festhaus is the only place with indoor seating that is included in the All Day Dining Deal. This makes it stand out as one of the best options on a really hot – or really cold – day.
German Pretzels and Beer
Location: Oktoberfest
Includes: The name says it all!
At German Pretzels and Beer (aka Beste Brezeln und Bier), you can enjoy a variety of pretzel-themed menu items. Order a pretzel sandwich or pretzel-wrapped hot dog. Use one of the dipping sauces with your pretzels. And of course, you can’t forget about the beer! Choose from a variety of draft beers.
Please note, though, that alcoholic beverages are not included in the All-Day Dining Deal. In fact, the dipping sauce and the other sides available at this particular restaurant are also not included in the All-Day Dining Deal. Only adult entrees can be purchased with the Dining Plan here.
Les Frites
Location: France
Includes: French fries with toppings
While plain French fries can be delicious, at Les Frites they take fries to a whole new level!
For example, with Bacon Cheddar Frites come with sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese and chives. Other options include Brisket Frites (with garlic aioli, pico de gallo and signature BBQ brisket) and Poutine (with gravy and cheese curds).
Marco Polo’s Marketplace
Location: Italy
Includes: Italian, Mediterranean & Asian
At Marco Polo’s Marketplace, the entrees reflect the cuisine of not only Marco Polo’s home country but the places he explored as well. This makes it an excellent place to go if you have a big group or a lot of different tastes in your family, because there are a variety of options! The menu includes such items as Mongolian beef or chicken, vegetable lo mein, chicken Parmesan, meatball sub, orange chicken, pizza and more. There’s also a nice selection of sides, including Caprese salad, fried rice, spring rolls, bread stick bites and more. But you might end up skipping the sides and heading straight for the various desserts.
While there is no indoor seating, the Marketplace is located next to Il Teatro Di San Marco, an open air theater with covered tables for seating. This makes it a nice place to eat if you want to get out of the sun or rain – and especially nice if there happens to be a performance going on!
Trappers Smokehouse
Location: New France
Includes: Slow-Smoked Barbecue
Entrees at Trapper’s Smokehouse include hickory and oak-smoked pork ribs (aka St. Louis-style BBQ ribs), smoked chicken, and a salmon platter. There is also a sampler option that includes chicken, ribs and smoked beef brisket. For a side, you can choose from options like baked beans, fresh green beans, Mozzarella sticks and a side salad. The kids menu features chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. And if you’d like, there are assorted cakes, pudding, cobblers and fresh fruit available for dessert.
Squire’s Grille
This restaurant, located near the front of the park in the England section, has been closed for some time for refurbishment. As of our most recent visit, Squire’s Grille has not yet reopened.
Is All Day Dining worth it at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
In most cases, yes, All Day Dining is worth it at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Now, if it’s a good deal – and just how much of a good deal it is – depends on how many meals and/or snacks you are planning to have during your time at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Because you can only go through a restaurant line once every 90 minutes, if you will only be spending a few hours at Busch Gardens, this probably isn’t a good deal for you. Similarly, if you plan on having lunch before you arrive or dinner after you leave, then you might want to pass on All Day Dining.
Money Saved with All Day Dining
Let’s say you plan on having lunch at Marco Polo’s Marketplace and dinner at Das Festhaus. For simplicity’s sake, we won’t be looking at taxes. And we will assume you are an adult.
Let’s also say you pick an entree and a side or dessert that is around the average price for each restaurant, as well as a soda.
At Marco Polo’s Marketplace, you order:
- Chicken Parmesan for $17.99
- average price of Entree is $18.04
- Caprese Salad for $6.99
- average price of Side/Dessert is $6.90
- Soda for $6.29
That comes to $31.27.
At Das Festhaus, you order:
- Hot Corned Beef Sandwich for $17.99
- average price of Entree is $18.39
- Side Salad for $7.99
- average price of Side/Dessert is $8.11
- Soda for $6.29
That comes to $32.27.
The total price for those two meals is $31.27 + $32.27 = $63.54.
But the All-Day Dining Plan, currently on sale, costs just $51.99!
This means that if your order is roughly average price at Marco Polo’s Marketplace or Das Festhaus, the Dining Deal is definitely worth it!
Plus, if you get a snack and/or a soda, or a couple of snacks and a couple of sodas throughout the day, you’re saving even more money.
Depending on when you visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg, there can be a lot of opportunities for these snack breaks. In June, for example, the park opens at 10 am or 11 am each day and closes sometime between 8 pm and 10 pm (depending on the date).
And Trapper Smokehouse is more expensive than our two example restaurants. As you can see, for Trapper Smokehouse:
- average price of Entree is $21.99
- average price of Side/Dessert is $7.51
So eating at Trapper Smokehouse makes it an even better value. As does choosing more expensive entree and side/dessert options.
But keep reading to learn an even better value!
Best Deal for All-Day Dining
You can save even more money by purchasing your All-Day Dining Pass along with your ticket.
Right now as part of the Memorial Day Sale, you can get a single-day ticket for $61.99. But if you add on the all-day dining pass, the ticket costs $106.99. So that means the all-day dining pass only costs $45, which is cheaper that what you would pay right now for the all-day dining pass ($51.99).
The same thing is true if you want to purchase a 2-day Busch Gardens & Water Country USA ticket. You pay $143.49 for the two-day ticket with the all-day dining plan, and $78.50 for the two-day ticket without the all-day dining plan. That means you essentially pay $64.99 for two days of dining – which means you pay around $32.50 for a day of all-day dining. And that is an even better deal!
TLDR: The most savings for an all-day dining pass is when you buy it along with a two-day ticket or a one-day ticket.
Other All-Day Dining Benefits
In addition to being financially worth it (which, let’s face it, is the most important aspect by far), there are other advantages to getting the All-Day Dining Deal.
Because you’ll pay for your dining before your trip, this makes it easy to budget for travel expenses. Otherwise, meal prices can sometimes add up quickly on the day of your park visit.
And since you get a wristband to wear, you won’t have to bother with payment methods each time you want to get a meal or snack.
Do you have any All-Day Dining tips?
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your All-Day Dining Plan at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Buy All Day Dining Beforehand
Click here to purchase the All-Day Dining Deal so that it’s already taken care of before your trip.
See Which Restaurants are Open
On the day of your visit, check the website to see which restaurants are open. Some dining locations are open seasonally.
Get a Park Map
Download a park map or save this link on your phone. A visit to Busch Gardens often involves a lot of walking. You might also choose to take advantage of the train or Skyride (if they are open). Regardless, the park is rather spread out. Keep this in mind when deciding how to plan your day and where to eat.
Eat During Shows (or Avoid the Crowds)
Click on the day of your visit to see a show schedule. You might (or might not) want to time one of your meals around a performance. As we talked about before, these dining options are ideal if you want to watch live entertainment:
- Das Festhaus
- Marco Polo’s Marketplace (next to Il Teatro Di San Marco)
Drinking Costs Extra
Budget for alcohol beforehand. Alcoholic beverages are not included in the All-Day Dining Plan, but there are a lot of great places to get wine and especially beer. If you’re planning on drinking alcohol, you’ll have to pay separately for that.
Don’t Share Your Meals
While sharing one or a few All Day Dining Plans with a larger group of people may sound like a good economical decision, it’s strictly against the rules. It can also lead to you losing your All Day Dining privileges, which is definitely not going to save you money!