Review: SeaWorld Seven Seas Food Festival, is it worth it?

From now until May 9th, SeaWorld in Orlando is inviting you to taste your way around the 7 seas in their annual Seven Seas Food Festival and I recently took to the seas to taste the culinary party they have laid out for us all to enjoy.

SeaWorld has changed a lot over the years and they are in the process of changing their operations to satisfy the ever-changing culture around the world when it comes to captive creatures. That is a debate or discussion for another time, this time, it’s all about the food and whether you should make the trek to the Seven Seas Food Festival.

For starters let’s get to the price points. There are two “pre-pay lanyards” you can buy. One is priced at $60.00 for 10 samples and the other is $75.00 for 15 samples. If you are an annual pass holder you get to add a few more samples to those. Previously you received a discount off the price but honestly, the additional sample offer works out more in your favor.

Sample dishes ranged from $6.99 to $9.99 for food and up to $13.99 for alcoholic drinks which also can be used as a lanyard item. Of course, you can also pay your way as you go.

The festival runs through May 9th but is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The rest of the week, the kiosks are closed, unlike another local park that remains open all week long. You have to plan your visit accordingly. The trade-off is crowd levels are down Monday through Thursday.

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SeaWorld is also offering 28 live concerts at the main entertainment stage. We did not stick around to see country singer Easton Corbin on our Sunday trip.

Let us start with what worked well at the event. Aside from the prices that are consistent with other parks that run similar annual culinary events, there is a wide range of offerings. SeaWorld claims there over 200 plus offerings and that is true. There are different regions to explore, for example, an Asian option, a Brazilian option, Mexican, etc…

The kiosks are all numbered 1 through 26 and are spread throughout the park relatively evenly with some exceptions.