This review reflects our experience from October 2015.
If you’re traveling with a wide group of eaters then you should head to Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion at Epcot. Sunshine Seasons is a large cafeteria style restaurant that offers several food stations and pre-made meals, as well as allergy friendly desserts!
Previously Sunshine Seasons carried a Tamarind Vegan Beef that was made from Gardein® Beefless Tips. Around September of 2015 they changed the vegan item here to Vegan Korma with Gardein® Meatless Chik’n.
The Korma was okay, it had a strong smell of coconut but no taste of it. It was a pretty spicy dish that had cauliflower, peas, carrot, onion and the Gardein® Chick’n. As a whole we really didn’t love it.
The Gardein® Chik’n was okay, not too spongy. One of us had way more cauliflower and the other had way more chik’n in our dishes. The Tamarind Vegan Beef used to be one of our go-to dishes that we would have multiple times in one trip. We were really excited to try this and it ended up being a flavorless flop to us.
We walked around the rest of Sunshine Seasons to see what else was vegan at the time. I came across this Mango Sorbet in a freezer that is vegan and a smoothie that probably changes daily. That day it was a Strawberry Banana smoothie but it did contain honey. Sunshine Seasons still has the pre-made vegetarian platter and hummus pinwheel. You can also find vegetable sushi here too.
One of the best features of Sunshine Seasons it the Special Dietary Treats section. Here you can find Surf Sweets candy and Enjoy Life cookies and brownies. This is a great way to get some snacks to carry with you during the day.
Would we go back?
Probably not for the Korma, but the pre-made hummus platter is still a great option.
Price?
$
Melissa & Corey
I just got back from Disney a couple days ago and eating was an absolute breeze. I was actually astounded at how many options there were and how easy it was to find something in every park, both table service and quick service. There were even vegan options at the Food and Wine Festival, which was a lot of fun. I am surprised at how vehement another commenter was about wanting to avoid the animal attractions at Animal Kingdom. As a vegan I would think that the goal would be to support animal conservation and protection efforts, which is exactly what Animal Kingdom does. They are actively engaged in protecting rhinos that have drastically dwindling numbers, researching other endangered species, and protecting animals that have been injured. They also ensure the safe hatching and return to the ocean of thousands of sea turtles each year. As a vegan I am proud to support their efforts and to be able to show my daughter not just the beauty of these creatures so that she can appreciate them, but also the research work being done to ensure that they are able to continue on for generations to come. I think that there are a lot of vegans out there that really need to drop the act and stop trying so desperately to get attention about issues that they clearly don’t understand.
The hummus in Sunshine Seasons isn’t vegan. (As of 2015). Has cheese in it.
I was surprised to find a vegan option on the “cheap” at Epcot (or any of the parks for that matter). This was the only food I went back for later, and it was good the second time around as well.
I’m very surprised by this review. My husband and I recently came back from Disney and had a harder time than we thought eating vegan (even with this awesome website).
Between the shared fryers, honey and cross contamination concerns; it was a massive headache. By then end of the trip I had it down but it took some time.
I found the only way to get it right is to find a meatless dish and tell them you are allergic to eggs and milk.
Aside from Sunshine Seasons’ not so great atmosphere and proximity to living with the land (the fish tanks) we would not have survived without this korma. I thought it was full of flavour and very filling (I did always add an extra steamed rice because of the spiciness). We came back multiple times. It’s also awesome just having them slop it on a plate without having to ask a whole host of questions.
I also recommend adding a side of the kids green beans from the neighbouring bay. (they are only cooked with oil)
I would love to see a review from the new Skippers Canteen. We were able to catch it on it’s second day and they have a couple vegan options. It’s a little pricey but it was nice having new and more diverse food in Magic Kingdom. #1 tho in MK is still Be Our Guest.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m heading there at the start of Feb and hoping to use this and other sides as a guide, but not expecting much.
I agree as well, it is nice to just be able to order something, I don’t want to have to interview the chef every time I’m hungry. We’re planning on going to costco or a grocery store to get supplies for our condo, but will need to eat in the park at some point.
I haven’t heard any vegan opinions anywhere about things other then food, so it was good to hear you mention the atmosphere… For example, Animal Kingdom… I am not wanting to visit a large part of that park, but there are a few rides I want to see. I will have to refresh my research before I go so I can avoid the animal attractions. I wish one of the vegan disneyworld blogs would cover this aspect at least a little.