Also, the Bison Burger stands out as one of the best menu items for this year’s event. Though guests may not think a burger is worth their time, this one impressed us!
Bison Burger.
Photo by Jon Self
This year’s event has 11 new or reimagined food items. In fairness, only Santa’s Apple Cider Cronut Chicken Sandwich counts as reimagined. The other 10 new food options are brand-new for Christmas Celebration 2024.
In addition to the items listed above, new menu items this year also include:
Strawberries and Cream Beignets
Arroz Con Dulce
Shaka Festive Donut
Cranberry Glazed Meatballs
Looking at this list, we had some concerns. Obviously, Santa’s Apple Cider Cronut Chicken Sandwich caused us to pause based on last year. SeaWorld Orlando loves to bring out items featuring cronuts. Some are good, and some are not so good. Also, the beignets and donuts last year were okay, but nothing special. The rice pudding (Arroz Con Dulce) qualifies as very festive, but we doubted how good it would taste at a theme park festival.
In addition, some of these items sound filling. That may be ideal for those looking for a solid snack to help them keep the theme park fun going. However, we were trying all 11 items in one day. So, below, you will find our list of the best and worst new food items at SeaWorld Orlando’s Christmas Celebration.
Best new food
Before unveiling the list, we must note that it is based on the opening week. We did visit twice during the opening week of this event. Still, food quality changes positively and negatively during a theme park festival. As they say, your mileage may vary. We consulted with other trusted colleagues and pondered how well these food items would continue to be prepared before placing them on our “best new food items” list.
In fairness, we also had a slight obstacle in evaluating all the new food items for the 2024 Christmas Celebration. Two menu items that featured chicken were not available for purchase on either occasion we visited the event. Thus, we did not taste this year’s version of the Joyful Chicken and Waffles or Santa’s Apple Cider Cronut Chicken Sandwich.
Roasted Turkey
Photo by Matt Roseboom
The classic holiday dish utilizing roasted turkey easily made our “best” list. The entrée includes the turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, stuffing, and brown gravy, providing a solid portion size. Also, the flavor of the turkey surprised us in terms of quality for a theme park food event. Guests can also select ham instead of turkey, but we found the turkey brought a more robust flavor.
Pork Tamales
Photo by Jon Self
Another traditional holiday meal made our “best” list. The Pork Tamales brought a surprising level of flavor. The combination of pork, cotija cheese, and cilantro crema creates a new balance for this dish.
With tamales being a holiday tradition for many, this fits nicely into the Christmas Celebration food lineup. Though these may not match those homemade versions, we found that they will give many people a nostalgic feel for tamales during the holidays.
Worst new food
Photo by Jon Self
Though we heard complaints about some of the new menu items not being served warm enough, we only found one item we would steer away from this year. The Yuletide Pasta provided what the menu description indicated. However, most guests will want more than they get in terms of flavor when ordering this.
The Yuletide Pasta features baked ziti with a type of marinara sauce. The flavors are adequate, but lack the quality level of most new food items we tried during the opening week of the Christmas Celebration.