We did end up doing the all you can eat meal plan, and it worked really well for us:
1. First of all we had a large of 20 people, so I bought an annual pass (good for 2 years) which paid for itself...at least the cost above a 1 day pass...by covering our parking ($12) and then giving us 10% off everyone's meal deal. Also I used it to get 20% off a one day pass, but they would only let me use it for 6 people. The meal discount had no limit.
2. We went early to the park and planned on eating breakfast, lunch and dinner there. They have one restaurant open, pretty close to the entrance, that serves breakfast. We rushed over there, and found the line pretty small. They had breakfast platters and milk and juice and everyone was satisfied. The kids especially enjoyed helping themselves to a dessert with their breakfast!
3. We had a group of teenagers who were old enough to go off on their own, and just meet up with us for some pre-arranged shows. The meal plan was nice, because they didn't have to worry about money, and could eat whatever they wanted. I laughed because when we met them for a show, I asked it they had had lunch, and my daughter said (who is very small and not a huge eater) "We had 3 lunches". They really enjoyed trying things.
4. The meal deal says "No babyback ribs", however, at the BBQ restaurant, they had other ribs that were on the deal, and several of us got a mixed platter that was delicious. It had: brisquit, ribs, and chicken.
5. After lunch, we looked at what breakfast and lunch would have cost us (including dessert and drinks for each) and realized that the $30 each we had spent, had been covered. And that was for those of us who ate one lunch!
6. As the afternoon got hotter, we were able to duck into a restaurant just to get a drink. The greeter sent us ahead of the line to check-out where they had big icy tubs of bottled sodas and water. It was perfect. Everyone got a drink when they needed one.
7. Also, many of the restaurants had cups of ripe strawberries for desserts, so on our way to the next show, those who wanted one would grab that for a snack.
As you can see, we enjoyed the meal plan very much, and found it extremely useful for our big family group, all with different food tastes. It was expensive, but worth it for the one day. The next day just our family went to California Adventure, and my teenagers sure missed being able to get a snack or soda whenever they wanted! I hope this helps anyone else looking at getting the plan.
