I was there 4 weeks ago. We chose not to get the ride pass, but we did get the dining pass. It is not worth it if you only plan to eat one meal. We had both lunch and dinner. You get free soft drinks as well, but not at every kiosk. Only at the restaurants and the snack shops. However, if you in need of a drink and are not near one of those locations, you can buy one and get one free. For us, it was worth it because we were there for 10 hours and ate two meals. If you are militarily, past or present, with proper documentation you can get 4 free tickets to Busch Gardens before July 4th. Look at their website for more details.
Last time we were there, we received a wrist band for the Fast Pass. I've never done the dining plan so I'm not sure about that.
I saw some patrons with wrist bands, other with papers and some other with cards that would get scammed. I don't think they do it for dining.
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