Knott's Berry Farm Meal Pass Deal 10-Day Challenge

It is officially December of 2024, and I did not use my Knott's Berry Farm pass once this year. For those who have never had a season pass to a theme park, the usual costs include the season pass as well as parking, but this year I went one step further. Aside from paying for the season pass that would allow me entry to Knott's every day (except special events like Knott's Scary Farm), but I also paid for parking, the all-you-can-drink pass that would allow me to get a fountain beverage every 15 minutes, and the all-season meal plan for two meals a day as long as they are 4 hours apart. In total my pass and extras came out to around $400, and although that may not seem like a lot in hindsight compared to other theme parks like Disneyland, that is still a hefty sum and would pay my grocery bill for a whole month. To be fair I would only count about $155 of the $400 towards food since that is what the meal plan costs on its own. With the prices of the meals ranging between $14-$20 per dish that is why I decided I need to go at least 10 times by the end of the year to feel like it was somewhat worth it. 

I just recently got a new job in Orange County, CA., so the freeway exit to get to Knott's is conveniently on my drive home from work. Even if it means just stopping by to grab a dinner and maybe walk around to get some steps in my goal is to stop by after work so I not only get to skip cooking dinner for myself, but I can save some coin (much needed during the holiday season).

I took a look at the menu options for the meal pass, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much better the food has gotten over the years. Before I used to think about theme park meal plans as junk food central with a lot of glutenous options such a cheeseburgers, chili cheese fries, hot dogs, and everything deep fried. And yes, while they do still have those options they have also offered a lot of great and more nutritious options too like salads, proteins with vegetables as sides, and even build-your-own Chipotle-style Mexican bowls. 

For this challenge, I plan to go to Knott's at least 10 times during the next month to try out foods from their various locations, and I want to try a variety of different kinds of foods such as their barbecue, their pizzas and pastas, their salads, and some of the seasonal options.  Here I will discuss what the price of the meal would have been without my season meal pass and how it tastes. 

Tonight will be my first time going for dinner, and I look forward to it already since I did not have a chance to pick up lunch for work.