When most UK families plan an Orlando holiday, the conversation usually starts with Disney and Universal. SeaWorld Orlando often gets overlooked, but after our latest visit, it might actually be one of the most underrated parks in Florida, especially if your family has teenagers and loves rollercoasters as much as ours does.
It had been a couple of years since our last visit and before we had even landed in Orlando our daughters were already talking about riding Pipeline again. This time though, there was another reason we were excited to return the Seven Seas Food Festival.
We love the EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival, so when we heard about SeaWorld’s version, we made space in an already packed itinerary to squeeze in a return visit to Seaworld. Friends had described it as Orlando’s hidden gem and told us the food was surprisingly good, the portions bigger and the atmosphere far more relaxed than Disney’s festivals. Naturally, we were curious to see if it could really compete.
After spending the day at Seaworld Orlando during Spring Break, I can honestly say it exceeded our expectations.
What Is The SeaWorld Orlando Seven Seas Food Festival?
The Seven Seas Food Festival takes place annually at SeaWorld Orlando from late January until mid-May and has quietly become one of Orlando’s best seasonal events.
The festival features food and drink inspired by countries around the world, with everything from Italian classics and Asian street food to cocktails, craft beers and desserts. Throughout the day on weekends, live DJs and local performers can be found around the park, while the evenings bring larger concerts from major artists.
Unlike some theme park food festivals where the food feels secondary to the rides, the festival here is a major event in its own right.
What surprised us most was how relaxed it felt compared to EPCOT. Even though the park itself was extremely busy because of Spring Break and because it was a Saturday, it never felt quite as overwhelming. Seaworld is a huge theme park with plenty of space, so you could still wander between booths at your own pace without constantly feeling shoulder to shoulder with crowds.
SeaWorld Orlando Is So Much More Than Animal Attractions
Although SeaWorld is still best known for its marine life and conservation work, what many people do not realise is just how good its ride line-up has become over the last few years.
For our family, it now rivals some of Orlando’s biggest thrill rides at Universal Orlando.
As we made our way around the festival booths, the smell of barbecue and grilled food drifted across the pathway circling central lagoon while rollercoasters roared overhead. It created a completely different atmosphere to what we normally associate with SeaWorld.
Throughout the day we stopped off at several of the animal habitats, including dolphins, sharks and the rescued manatees, which remain one of my favourite parts of the park.
But for our teenagers, the thrill rides here were still very much the main event.
Manta remains one of the most unique rollercoasters in Orlando, giving riders the sensation of gliding like a manta ray just above the water, while Mako still looks as extreme as every. Even watching the carriages fly across the track on Kraken from below looks intimidating.
However, our family favourite is still Pipeline: The Surf Coaster. The ride genuinely feels unlike anything else in Orlando. The launch catches you off guard and the moving seats create the strange sensation that you are constantly being lifted out of the track. You really do feel as though you are bouncing across waves as the coaster twists and dives around the circuit.
Even after multiple rides, our daughters came off laughing and immediately wanted to queue again. I on the other hand, was more than happy to watch them from the exit.
That is what I love about SeaWorld Orlando compared with Disney and Universal, the experiences here feel different. It is less about screens and storytelling and more about adrenaline, speed and physical thrills.
Spring Break Crowds Made Quick Queue Essential
We visited during a Saturday over Spring Break and the crowds were honestly some of the busiest we have seen at SeaWorld.
By early afternoon, queue times for the major attractions were well over 2 hours and the Florida heat was becoming relentless. We briefly considered riding Atlantis or Infinity Falls to cool down before remembering how soaked we got on a previous visit, even ponchos did not help much last time so we decided against it. Watching other guests walking around absolutely drenched later in the day made us feel we had probably made the right decision.
We had purchased Quick Queue Unlimited passes and during a busy weekend visit like this, they were absolutely worth the extra money.
Without them, we would have spent most of the day standing in queues rather than enjoying the rides and festival booths.
One thing we only discovered during the day, however, was that Expedition Odyssey and Penguin Trek are not included with the standard Quick Queue Unlimited pass. You need the higher-tier Quick Queue Unlimited PLUS option for those attractions.
Unfortunately, that meant we missed Expedition Odyssey this time, which was disappointing as it was one of the rides we had been hoping to experience.
It is definitely something worth checking before you book.
One mistake we did make was leaving a couple of the bigger rides until later in the afternoon once the queues had built up. If you are visiting during busy periods, I would definitely recommend heading to the major coasters first before slowing the pace later in the day for the festival food and animal exhibits.
SeaWorld Orlando Is Brilliant For Younger Families Too
Although our daughters are now all about the thrill rides, SeaWorld still has plenty for families with younger children.
Sesame Street Land remains one of the best themed family areas in Orlando and actually brought back a lot of memories for us from previous trips when the girls were younger. Seeing them now sprinting towards rollercoasters instead of the Sesame Street rides honestly made me feel a little emotional.
The park also offers plenty of slower-paced attractions, including the Antarctica penguin experience, sea turtle habitats and world class aquariums.
One of my personal favourites continues to be Wild Arctic, where you can get surprisingly close to beluga whales and walruses. The underwater viewing areas here are fantastic and often noticeably quieter than the major attractions elsewhere in the park and also a great place to cool down from the heat.
SeaWorld is also much bigger than many people expect. By the end of the day, we had walked thousands of steps without even realising it.
If you want to properly experience the rides, animal exhibits and the Seven Seas Food Festival, two days here honestly would not feel excessive during busy periods.
Is The Seven Seas Food Festival Worth It?
Absolutely and the food was far better than I expected it to be. The food trucks here are also really well themed, around each corner of the circuit you feel you have entered another part of the world.
Theme park food festivals can sometimes feel overpriced or a little underwhelming, but that genuinely was not the case here. The portion sizes surprised us, especially considering we were using the sampler lanyard.
We opted for the 10-item sampler, which cost around $75, and it worked really well for our family of four throughout the day.
The food booths circle the park lagoon, so it becomes very easy to snack as you move between attractions. At one point we were balancing plates of chicken parmesan while trying to check ride wait times on the app and deciding which booth to head to next.
One of the festival team members also told us this is the first year SeaWorld has introduced rotating menus throughout the event, giving returning visitors the opportunity to try different dishes depending on when they visit.
Some of our favourite dishes included:
- Chicken Parmesan from the Italian Market
- Chicken Wings from the All-American Market
- Steak from the Brazilian Market
- Fish and chips from the North Atlantic Market
- Spaghetti Bolognese, which was a great option for children
One tip we would definitely recommend is using the sampler punches on food rather than drinks to get better value.
The only downside was that some of the more popular booths developed fairly long queues later in the day, especially once concert crowds started arriving although they generally moved quickly.
The Live Concerts Completely Change The Atmosphere
What really makes the Seven Seas Food Festival stand out compared with EPCOT’s festivals is the live music offering.
When we visited in the evening, country singer Brett Young was performing live at Bayside Stadium, and the atmosphere around the park completely changed as the evening crowds arrived.
Throughout the event, SeaWorld hosts a huge mix of artists covering everything from country and classic rock to pop and hip-hop.
After several days at Universal, this Orlando park day was a lovely change. We were still exhausted by the end of it, but in a completely different way.
Instead of rushing around trying to tick off attractions, we spent more time slowing down, taking in the exhibits, eating and enjoying the atmosphere around the park.
Overall – Is SeaWorld Orlando Worth Visiting?
After this visit, I think SeaWorld Orlando deserves far more attention from UK visitors than it gets.
Would I say it is better than EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival? Overall, probably not EPCOT still has the scale, atmosphere and its unique showcase setting that makes its festivals feel iconic. But SeaWorld’s Seven Seas Food Festival came far closer than we expected. In some ways, we actually preferred it. The atmosphere felt more relaxed, the portions were better value and the combination of major rollercoasters, live concerts and food booths created a completely different type of Orlando park day. For families with teenagers or thrill ride fans especially, this might actually be the better option.
Between the animal encounters, thrill rides, family attractions and events like the Seven Seas Food Festival, it feels like a far more complete park experience than many people expect.
For us, the combination of coasters, festival atmosphere and live entertainment made this one of the most enjoyable days of our Orlando trip.
Ready To Book?
For UK visitors, AttractionTickets.com offers a wide range of ticket options for SeaWorld Orlando.
If you are planning to visit Discovery Cove, several packages also include unlimited entry to SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Aquatica Orlando, which can offer excellent value for families.
For more information on rides, festivals and attractions, visit the official SeaWorld Orlando website.