We took our usual Thanksgiving vacation trip to Disneyland with a couple other families, and eating our way through the Disney Festival of Holidays at California Adventure park was a highlight! We bought a Sip & Savor pass to share within our group of five adults, and I’m sharing the highlights here today (read more here about how we used points and miles to book this Disney trip!).
SIP & SAVOR PASS
The Sip & Savor Pass costs $57 and gives you eight tickets to redeem at different carts for food and non-alcoholic drinks (any cocktails pictured in this post were purchased separately). You can purchase the pass at any of the food carts lining the walk between Carthay Fountain, past Avengers and Cars Lands and ending in front of The Little Mermaid attraction (read to the end to find out whether we would purchase the pass again).
BRAISED PORK BELLY ADOBO WITH GARLIC FRIED RICE
Our spouses took the kids offsite for lunch (win, hack) while me, my sister and friend hit up the Holiday Duets Marketplace kiosk as our first stop with the pass. We shared the braised pork belly adobo, which ended up being one of our favorite items! In fact, Disney does pork belly REALLY WELL: We also ate pork belly at Oga’s Cantina and at Bengal BBQ and loved it all. Also pictured: the Pabana Cachaça Colada – Cachaça, passionfruit, banana, mango, coconut cream, and lime. It was delicious (like Starbucks, remember to request ‘light ice’ so you get more actual drink).
REIMAGINED BEEF BRISKET WELLINGTON
Next, we walked to the Twist on Tradition Marketplace kiosk and paired the Beef Wellington with a (not pictured) sangria, and it hit the spot. The kiosk is right outside Avengers land, so we strolled in to watch Spiderman do his amazing animatronic act while we snacked.
We took a break and came back to CA later to finish off our pass.
Impossible™️ Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips
I knew I had to find margaritas to round out the queso, so I jogged over to Adorable Snowman on Pixar Pier and ordered a few. They were good, but be advised that it’s basically a Chile-Lime Mango Dole Whip with a little tequila.
If I’d known that, I might have gone to Pym’s Tasting Lab for a regular marg on the rocks. I’d just had a Chili-Lime Mango Dole Whip at Tropical Hideaway the day before at Disneyland. My son remarked “Disney is having a chili-lime moment” and he’s not wrong.
HOLIDAY STUFFING MAC & CHEESE
True confession: I didn’t get to sample this mac & cheese because I was riding Incredicoaster over and over with my nephew–no regrets. My friends said this mac & cheese was one of their favorite things, which is fitting because they got it from the Favorite Things kiosk. Incidentally, my favorite treat from California Adventure (besides a clam chowder bread bowl) was the Hibiscus Ginger Mezcal Mule from the same cart. I liked it so much that I came home and made it for my family on Thanksgiving, and I like you so much that I’m going to share the recipe with you:
HIBISCUS GINGER MEZCAL MULE DIY RECIPE
add to a cocktail shaker:
- 1 oz vodka
- 2 oz ginger beer
- 1/2 oz hibiscus syrup
- 1/2 oz mezcal
- juice of half a lime
shake and strain into a glass; garnish with a bright carnation or marigold.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Sip & Savor pass was fun, and might save you a couple dollars, but not necessary. Because the pass didn’t include cocktails, and we wanted to share some of those while we snacked, it wasn’t worth it to us. We could have sampled anything we wanted ala carte, and I think next time that’s what we’ll do. We will definitely visit the kiosks during the Disney Festival of Holidays again!
Learn more about how we travel for almost free: on Instagram @almostfreetraveling, & in our facebook group
Almost Free Traveling 
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