The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is coming up soon — it officially begins on July 27th and runs through November 18th. We recently heard some new information about the Eat to the Beat dining packages, which will be returning this year with two MAJOR changes.

Throughout the Food & Wine Festival, you can attend the Eat to the Beat concerts, which take place most nights at the America Gardens Theatre. The concerts are free to attend, but if you want to reserve your spot and throw a nice meal into the mix, you can purchase a dining package. Disney recently released new details about the 2023 dining packages, and there are some pretty significant changes you’ll want to know about before you purchase yours!

The popular Eat to the Beat Dining Packages entitle guests to lunch or dinner at select EPCOT restaurants and include same-day reserved seating at the Eat to the Beat Concert that evening. Booking for Eat to the Beat Dining Packages will open on July 6th, 2023. You can make reservations online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3378.

Dining Reservation start times must be at least 2.5 hours prior to the Eat to the Beat show time. Eat to the Beat concerts take place each night at 5:30PM, 6:45PM, and 8PM. Guests dining for breakfast or lunch can choose any of the three show times, while guests dining for dinner can choose between the latter two showtimes (or they may be stuck with just one option, depending upon restaurant dinner meal period start time). Guests should arrive at the America Gardens theater 15 minutes prior to the concert start time, entering through the designated package entrance.

All of this is old news. So what’s CHANGED in 2023? Let’s dig in.

Price Increases

First of all, this year’s dining packages are, for the most part, more expensive than last year’s. Here’s a look at the 2022 Eat to the Beat dining package pricing:

• Biergarten Restaurant: $57 per adult, $32 per child
• Coral Reef Restaurant: $69 per adult, $22 per child
• The Garden Grill Restaurant: $66 per adult, $43 per child
• Le Cellier: $79 per adult, $28 per child
• Regal Eagle: (same-day dining packages only — no reservations) $34.99 per adult, $16.99 per child
• Spice Road Table: (same-day dining packages only — no reservations) $44 per adult, $16 per child

Here’s a look at this year’s Eat to the Beat dining package pricing:

• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — Storybook Princess Dining: Breakfast — $64 per adult, $41 per child; Lunch and Dinner — $74 per adult, $48 per child
• Biergarten Restaurant: $60 per adult, $34 per child
• Coral Reef Restaurant: $69 per adult, $27 per child
• The Garden Grill Restaurant: Breakfast — $53 per adult, $34 per child; Lunch and Dinner — $66 per adult, $43 per child
• Le Cellier: $95 per adult, $36 per child
• Regal Eagle: (same-day dining packages only — no reservations) $35 per person (no separate price listed for children)
• Rose & Crown Dining Room: $59 per adult, $25 per child
• Spice Road Table: $47 per adult, $20 per child (note that dining packages for this restaurant do require reservations in 2023 — in 2022, Spice Road Table was a same-day dining package.)

And now here’s a breakdown of the pricing CHANGES from 2022 to 2023:

• Biergarten Restaurant: $3 price increase per adult, $2 price increase per child
• Coral Reef Restaurant: price stayed the same for adults, $5 price increase per child
• The Garden Grill Restaurant: dinner pricing stayed the same for both adults and children
• Le Cellier: $16 price increase (!!) per adult, $8 increase per adult
• Regal Eagle: price stayed the same for adults, $18 price increase per child (since the $35 price appears to apply to both adults and children now)
• Spice Road Table: $3 price increase per adult, $4 price increase per child

Although a couple of the prices stayed the same, almost every one increased by at least a few dollars. And Le Cellier had a MAJOR price increase of $16 per person! If these prices have you reconsidering your plan to buy a dining package, remember that you can always attend the concerts for free and just pay for dinner somewhere else separately.

And even if you don’t make it into the audience for a particular concert (sometimes they run out of room quickly!), you can hang out in the America pavilion of World Showcase and still hear the music!

More Restaurants Returning

You might have noticed in the above lists that the restaurant options for 2023 look a little different than the ones in 2022. That’s because a few more have been added to the list!

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall — Storybook Princess Dining and Rose & Crown Dining Room are returning to the options for Eat to the Beat dining packages after having been missing for a while, and breakfast at The Garden Grill Restaurant (which only recently reopened!) is also returning.

In addition, Spice Road Table is now available as a pre-booked dining package instead of same-day-only since the restaurant is now accepting advanced dining reservations once again. So if you’re hoping to eat at Spice Road Table before your concert, you’ll want to book that in advance. Now, Regal Eagle is the only option for same-day dining packages.

Eat to the Beat is a really fun concert series, with iconic bands and artists performed Fridays through Mondays, while local bands performed Tuesday through Thursday evenings. However, you DON’T have to buy a dining package to enjoy the concert. It might make your experience a little bit more relaxing, as you won’t have to wait in line to get into the concert and you can enjoy a nice meal beforehand, but if it’s not in the budget, don’t stress! You can always go to the concert for free (with EPCOT admission) or just hang out in World Showcase and enjoy the music.

Here are a few more Eat to the Beat dining package details in case you’re considering purchasing one:

Each package includes (1) an appetizer, entrée, and dessert OR one full buffet (where applicable), (2) a non-alcoholic beverage, and (3) one guaranteed seat per person to an Eat to the Beat concert held on the same day. To check availability for same-day dining packages, visit Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue during the Festival. Packages are subject to availability and may not be available on peak dates.

If you’re visiting the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival this year, make sure you’re dressed for the occasion with our DFB festival tees and tank tops!

Click here to shop our online DFB store.

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the EPCOT Food & Wine news!

Learn more about the Eat to the Beat dining packages and concerts here!

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Are you going to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival this year? Let us know in the comments!

The post 2 Huge CHANGES Made to Dining Packages in EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog.