SeaWorld 7 seas vs Epcot Flower and Garden food festivals

Throughout the seasons both SeaWorld and Disney World offer several food festivals to give you a culinary adventure. SeaWorld’s Beer and Food and Seven Seas Festivals compete for guests across the I4 highway with Epcot who offers their Food and Wine Festival, Arts Festival, and Flower and Garden Festival. 

This year, the Seven Seas Festival is running alongside the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot but is one better than the other? We decided to take our chances and visit both to see which one was the better option for your money.

We do need to face one reality. Comparing the two festivals really isn’t fair to SeaWorld. There is no comparing the two. It is hard to beat Disney at anything and the Epcot festivals are some of the best you can enjoy. The attention to detail is as incredible as the offerings themselves.

My intention was to give you a nice slideshow of comparisons but when they kept coming up with Epcot as a winner I decided to save you the hassle of clicking through but instead to provide you a reason why. The SeaWorld Seven Seas Festival is running now through May 9th while the Taste of Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is running now through July 5th. Here is our look at the two.

Festival times

The Epcot festival is open daily from the time the World Showcase opens until closing. The SeaWorld festival is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Serving sample sizes

SeaWorld doesn’t win many in this comparison but the sample sizes are bigger at SeaWorld and in many cases, it isn’t even close.

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Prices

The food prices are comparable with samples at each ranging from $5.00 to $9.00. There isn’t any huge benefit from one to the other but there is one area where SeaWorld wins out.

Both offer a “lanyard” or “prepay” option but SeaWorld’s is far better. At SeaWorld, you purchase a $60.00 or $75.00 option. The 60 option gives you 10 samples and the 75 option gives you 15. Annual pass holders will get 18 samples on the $75.00 option.

At Epcot, you can pre-pay for a scannable card that eliminates the need to carry cash or continually use your credit or debit card. For those on a set budget or who desire to stay within a certain spending limit, this is a great way to monitor what you are buying.

The difference however is simple. At SeaWorld, you are getting rewarded for buying the lanyard. With average prices falling around $6.99 per menu item, a 15 item sample lanyard will save you around 30%. Sampling 15 items at $6.99 at Epcot would cost you over $100.00. Epcot doesn’t offer discounts on the food, even for pass holders.

Presentation

This is where we start seeing the separation between the two. Epcot’s presentation is clearly designed to give you a culinary adventure. They pay attention to the small details including some food with edible flowers or sauces that are more meticulously added with an artistic approach instead of squeezed out of a bottle in a glob.

Epcot takes their time but for some reason can still deliver the food far quicker than the kiosks at SeaWorld. Both parks offer pictures of their food on a menu board but SeaWorld’s never looks like the image.

Kiosk options

Naturally, there are more options at Epcot than at SeaWorld. The World Showcase alone has food kiosks spread out all over the park including areas around the Port of Entry. SeaWorld’s is limited to the lake area and around the arctic pavilion. They are a little harder to find but they have gone to better lengths to make them more interesting and inviting with their decor instead of just a stand.

SeaWorld is offering food from different areas of our world, Asia, Brazil, different parts of America’s, Germany, Mexico, and so on, but while they try to deliver a wide range of international options, they can’t compete with the sheer size of the Epcot offerings from around the world.

Themed festival

This is an opportunity missed for SeaWorld. They call it the Seven Seas Festival but there is nothing that would make you believe you were touring around the seven seas but instead you are touring around different countries and there really doesn’t seem to be a reason why certain countries were chosen

Of course, Epcot doesn’t have that problem. They use the countries well and typically, pre-Covid, the kiosks were maintained and the food was cooked by cast members from those countries.

Food samples

Naturally, with the larger amount of kiosks and country offerings, there is far more to taste and sample at Epcot but that shouldn’t be surprising.

Entertainment

There are 28 concerts happening at SeaWorld this year and range in musical talent and genres. On our Sunday visit, country singer Easton Corbin was the entertainment. The problem is you have one shot to see the acts. The shows are scheduled for six o’clock and without reserved seating it is first come first serve until max capacity. Social distanced seating is used so only every other row is available.

At Epcot, there is a lot of entertainment throughout the park that runs throughout the day. Some of the World Showcase countries have entertainers outside their pavilions and there is a series of shows at the American Pavilion’s center stage. Traditionally, more mainstream acts will appear on the weekends or throughout the week at the Food and Wine Festival but currently, under the COVID restrictions, these acts are less common and during the Flower and Garden Festival are non-existent for the most part.

Both parks offer the entertainment free with your paid admission but if it is a more mainstream act you are looking for, check the schedule at SeaWorld in the link above.

Value

When it comes to value, SeaWorld wins this and it really isn’t close. Aside from the 30% savings when you use the lanyard option, the cost of entry is less as well. You can pre-order day tickets to SeaWorld for as low as $59.00. Annual passes can be bought throughout the year for around $79 to $89.00. There are always deals on admission prices to SeaWorld.

Epcot? Not so much. Florida residency rates depending on the time of year will set you back $109.00, the price this week. Out-of-state guests will pay around $135.00 for the day and that of course does not include any discounts or food sampling for the event.

Overall

If you want to simply experience a food festival and are watching your money or taking the entire family, SeaWorld is your best option. You will not be disappointed and you will find yourself enjoying both food and beverage options equally.

If money isn’t as much of a concern or you want to experience an elevated culinary event, Epcot will win every time. The food and atmosphere is far better and the entertainment is better as well.