What to Look Out For at This Year’s SeaWorld Seven Seas Food Festival

The Seven Seas Food Festival has become an annual highlight at SeaWorld in just a few years, and 2022’s version definitely serves up another outstanding array of tasty treats!

For those new to the festival (and it only began its recent run of success following its inaugural year in 2017), it is the chance to sample an array of international food and beverage items at a series of special kiosks sprinkled throughout the park.

It is similar in style to the Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World’s Epcot park each autumn, but it creates regional ‘markets’ rather than specific national foodie flavours, which is the case with Epcot’s World Showcase section.

And, where Epcot tends to go for a distinctly gourmet and even avant garde culinary approach these days, SeaWorld’s version is a bit more down to earth and approachable.

Save Money with the Sampler Lanyard

The Seven Seas Festival also offers a handy Sampler Lanyard that saves money if you plan on trying multiple tastes (which is definitely our recommendation).

Each sample costs from $7.99 to $10.99, depending on whether it is something simple, like the Berry Panna Cotta, or a high-end choice such as the Giant Panko Prawns. There are also some fab international dishes that allow you to graze your way around the park, chief among them being dishes like the juicy Brazilian Picanha Steak (from the Brazilian Market), Lu’Au BBQ Lamb Ribs (Polynesian Market) and a luscious Pan Seared Scallop (North Atlantic Market).

When you consider the 10-sample Lanyard costs $65 and the 15-item one is $80, that means you could easily be saving up to $45 and $85 respectively if you choose from all the top-end-priced dishes. Our view is that a 10-sample selection should be plenty for a couple, and you will feel well fed as a result.

What is the choice of drinks like?

Food isn’t the only choice, of course, as the parks have increasingly learned that there is a growing market for more grown-up tastes, hence beer, wine and cocktails play a prominent part in the whole experience.

And SeaWorld really likes to cast its net extremely wide here, to draw in an increasingly diverse array of craft brews and international wines, in addition to its own array of cocktails, some of them named for the park’s fabulous array of roller-coasters.

In total, there are more than 75 craft ales on offer, and another 75-plus wines, making for a grand aggregate in excess of 200 food and beverage options – enough for more than one visit!

It’s worth remembering that the 10 and 15-item sampler packages don’t need to be used up in one day, and you can spread them over two or three visits if you prefer.

Like Epcot’s version, the Seven Seas Food Festival is extended over a three-month period, but only takes place from Thursday to Sunday each week. With this year’s Festival running until May 8, however, that is still plenty of opportunity to give it a try.

What we Recommend you Taste

We have made several visits so far (all in the name of research, honest!), and our extensive “research” has revealed that the following menu items should be high up on your list of priorities:

• Beef Barbacoa Taco (Mexican Market) • Gulf Gumbo (Gulf Coast Market) • Crisp Pork Belly Bites (Asian Market) • Grilled Lamb Chop and Berry Panna Cotta (Mediterranean Market) • Palermo Fontina Cheese Meatballs (Italian Market) • Pan Seared Scallop (North Atlantic Market) • Spicy Tuna Poke Bowl (Polynesian Market) • Jerk Chicken Hot Slider and Spicy Rum Cake (Caribbean Market) • Bananas Foster Cheesecake Cone (Café de Mar).

The array of craft beers is equally impressive, and if you try any of the Strawberry and Orange Mimosa Sparkling Ale (Flamecraft Bar), Orange Crush Pale Wheat Ale (All-American Market), Blood Orange Wheat Ale (Mediterranean Market) or Free Dive IPA (Beer Garden), you will have had your tastebuds suitably tantalised.

For a cocktail recommendation, we would definitely endorse the Passion Fruit Mimosa (All-American Market) with its refreshing mix of champagne, passion fruit puree and St Germain elderflower liqueur.

We also love the advent of the new Beer Garden (with six highly contrasting brews on offer), the Taste of Sicily (featuring regional wines and specialty cocktails) and Jack Daniel’s Tasting kiosk, which add a really enticing extra element to an already impressive range of drinks (which also include several non-alcoholic options for the driver in your group).

Drink costs tend to be a little on the pricey side, with 20oz draft beers at $11.99, wine at $9.99 and cocktails from $7.99-$13.99, but this is holiday territory, after all.

And, as if all that foodie flamboyance isn’t enough, the festival additionally features 28 live concerts on each Saturday and Sunday evening, from Flo-Rida, Vanilla Ice, Everclear and Three Dog Night to an array of highly accomplished cover bands dealing in the hits of Queen, Elton John, Van Halen, The Beatles and more. They are free with park admission and really add extra pizazz to the occasion.

Oh, and just to put the cherry on top, SeaWorld’s fab new Ice Breaker coaster is now open, so you can add a few more thrills to your day at this increasingly exciting park!

Do you have a favourite Festival in Orlando? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.