You can do your best to save money at a theme park, but when outside food is not permitted, you’ll need to fork out some cash (pun intended) for the park food. As a family, that can really set you back on your monthly budget when you least expect it. The Six Flags Dining Pass is an add-on to the season pass, but does it actually save you money? I’m breaking down whether it’s a good investment for your family AND how many times you’ll have to use it to recoup the money.
Purchasing a Six Flags Season Pass is the best way to save money when you’re planning to visit the park multiple times throughout the park opening. Just a handful of visits and the pass will pay for itself. Plus, there are so many great perks included in the pass – like discounts on merchandise, event access and food discounts (depending on the tier you purchase).
Sometimes those food discounts aren’t enough. Chances are, if you’re visiting Six Flags all day long, you’re at least going to buy a snack OR a snack and meal per person in your family. Part of the reason outside food and beverage is not permitted at the parks is because they don’t want any glass products brought inside, which makes sense (especially for the Six Flags water parks).
Then you’re left with deciding on whether the Six Flags Dining Pass is worth the money – which is $39.99 USD per adult season pass ticket.
Related: The Best Six Flags Over Georgia Rides For Toddlers
Is The Six Flags Dining Pass Worth Pass The Price?
All of the season passes can be purchased online and the Dining Pass is an upgrade. You’re emailed a confirmation and the first time you visit the park you show a ticket window your confirmation number to receive your official pass (with your photo).
Every time you use your dining pass, you’ll be required to show them the photo ID card. Your card is non-transferable, so the person who holds the card will be required to be the person grabbing the food.
Two Tiers Of Six Flags Dining Pass: Extreme vs. Ultimate Pass
In order to determine which Six Flags Dining Pass is best for you, you’ll have to look at the different season pass tiers. There are two passes that have the available dining pass upgrade to add on: the Extreme and the Ultimate Pass. Look at the park website for the Six Flags that you’re considering purchasing for, but here is the Six Flags Over Georgia example –
Six Flags Extreme Pass:
20% off of food and 1 One-Day Dining Plan To Use
Six Flags Ultimate Pass:
20% off of food and 10 Meal Dining Plan
Sadly, there was a 4-Meal Dining Plan that they’ve discontinued for the 2022 season. Hopefully it returns one day, but in the meantime you’re just left with the two above options. They are no longer offering plans with meal/snack combo (like the old legacy plan that was $80 for 1 person that included 2 meals & a snack every time you visited). You can buy 4 meals for $40 on their website and a small discount on food depending on your season pass.
How Much Does The Six Flags Dining Pass Cost?
To see how much the dining pass costs by itself, you have to break down the cost difference between a season pass with the dining pass and the one without.
The Extreme Season Pass is $139 per adult, adding the dining pass makes it $180 per adult. So you’re paying an extra $40 per adult pass for the dining option. It’s also the same price difference per adult ticket for the Ultimate Season Pass. So you’re paying an extra $40 for the season to add the dining pass.
Six Flags Season Drink Bottles
Quench your thirst by purchasing the Six Flags Season Drink Bottle. They have a one-day option versus an option that gets you refills all season long. For our family, this is completely worth the money – maybe even more so than the dining pass add-on. We’d be constantly pulling out our wallets if we didn’t purchase the Season Drink Bottles.
If you purchase the cheapest option, you get free refills on your first visit and .99 refills every visit after that.
- One bottle is $19.99
- Two bottles are $37.98
- Three bottles are $50.97
The next level of the Drink Bottle allows you unlimited soda refills all season long and the prices are as follows:
- One bottle is $27.99
- Two bottles are $51.98
- Three bottles are $65.97
The Biggest Downsides To The Dining Pass
There are a few park dining locations that do not accept the dining pass. I recommend looking at the Six Flags Dining Page for the particular park that you’re interested in purchasing your pass for. Also, not all dining locations are open all day long. Check the individual opening times of the dining location where you want to use your dining pass at.
If you choose the 2 meal plan, with the Ultimate Pass, the only restriction is waiting 90 minutes between meals. That’s not so bad and doesn’t bother our family.
Some of the food portions are rather small, too. If you’ve got big eaters, or you want to split a meal, you may not be able to do that. A few of the dining locations have larger portions, but they drastically vary depending on the location and which Six Flags park you’re visiting.
How To Make The Six Flags Dining Pass Worth It For Your Family
To determine if you should purchase this dining add-on to your season pass, you should ask yourself about the types of park visits you’ll have. How often are you going? Are you planning to stay the entire day without leaving the park? Do your kids eat a lot or not much?
I love to escape the heat and take a break. That means we’ll be paying more for sit-down dining options. I’d rather save some money by purchasing the dining pass.
There’s no longer a monthly membership option, so you’re paying for everything upfront. It’s best to know what your family will need, in terms of food, before you even go for the day.
Just remember that most Six Flags locations aren’t open all year long. So you have to use your Six Flags Dining Pass in the allotted time time frame that the park is open. For most parks, that’s from spring to the Six Flags holiday season – but includes the popular Six Flags Fright Fest during Halloween time.
Personally, I think it’s best to pay for your season pass, plus the add-ons at one time. If you’ve got a hungry family and you can’t bring outside food into the parks, the Six Flags Dining Pass will pay off for your family!