A special bit of Holiday magic available specifically in Disney’s California Adventure is the Festival of Holidays “a seasonal celebration of diverse cultural festivities with music, food, and fun for all, from November 12, 2021, to January 9, 2022!” Returning from past festivals to the Festival of Holidays celebration is the Sip and Savor tasting passport. The pass is available for purchase to all guests and gives you the opportunity to taste your way through your choice of eight different dishes or non-alcoholic beverages from participating Festival Foods Marketplace locations. This pass can be purchased at various locations throughout the park, including Festival Merchandise Carts, Seaside Souvenirs, Kingswell Camera Shop, and Rushin’ River Outfitters. Sip and Savor passes cost $57 ($51 if you are an annual pass holder). The question then becomes, is the sip and savor pass worth it?
Let’s look at some details:
Disney’s Festival of Holidays Sip and Savor Passport Review
The pass is only valid in Disney California Adventure Park
The pass is only valid in Disney California Adventure Park which means if you have a park hopper and are only visiting the parks for one day, you would want to fit in all eight dishes into that half-day. Because, although the name “Park Hopper” suggests you go back and forth if you’ve ever been to Disneyland and California Adventure you know there’s so much to do and one doesn’t normally go back once a park has been left. Therefore, fitting all eight dishes into a half-day in California Adventure may be tricky.
If you are visiting just California Adventure or visiting the parks for multiple days, this detail is null. You should easily be able to fit in 8 dishes in a full day itinerary. The tabs on the pass can also be redeemed any day you have a valid California Adventure park reservation until January 9, 2022.
The pass does not include any alcoholic beverages
Obviously, this would be the best bang for your buck if a $57 pass included alcoholic beverages. Especially since the average cost of one in California Adventure is $15-$17. But unfortunately, the pass does not include any of those types of drinks. Any alcoholic beverage needs to be purchased in addition to whatever you are getting with the passport tabs.
Eligible items are tasting-size portions only, not full entrée offerings.
First, let me clarify that this is not an opinion. It is a stated fact by Disney on the information page for the Sip and Savor pass. That being said, we felt like the portion size was just fine. Especially knowing that we were going to get 8 of them in a half-day in California Adventure. It allowed us to “taste the holidays” without being too much food.
The eligible items are pretty low cost
All of the eligible items are low-cost, with everything being close to between $5-$8. Now at first, you might see this as a positive thing, who doesn’t love low costing treats? However, when you remember that we’ve already pre-purchased 8 dishes at a fixed cost, getting expensive items to ensure you get the most bang for your buck, or even just getting your buck back, is important.
By the end of our 8 dish excursion, we didn’t even break even. We were close though. By the end of the night, there was only a $2 difference. We would have for sure made up the cost if we had been magic key pass holders with the discount.
Still, even if you bought the most expensive item on the list at a whopping $8.50 you would only have a value of $68. ($11 more than what you paid) Essentially buying 8 and getting 1.4 items free.
Is the Sip and Savor pass worth it?
With these details in mind, the answer to the question is no. The Sip and Savor Passport is definitely not worth it. The cost for the pass really just doesn’t add up with what you get.
However, the holiday food items included in the Sip and Savor pass ARE definitely worth experiencing. We just suggest you buy them separately. Some of our favorites were: the Impossible™ Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips, Churro Toffee Cold Brew Latte, Holiday Stuffing Mac & Cheese, and the Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Macaron. You can view the full Festive Foods Marketplace menu here.
