Epcot Food Challenge! Is the 2022 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Better than Year-Round Epcot Eats?

[@dakotascherich9470]

Ahhh it turned out so good! Thank you again for inviting me on your channel, I had so much fun! ✨

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much for joining us for this one. We had a blast, as well! 😃

[@angelakneeland136]

We’ve stumbled on a goldmine with this channel. We’ve been consumers of Disney podcasts and KZbin channels for years. Ear Scouts has risen to the top of our list. My daughter and I are thrilled that Rob doesn’t enjoy seafood… lol… finally someone we can trust for food recommendations! Truly love this man and his honesty when it comes to his experiences.

[@EarScouts]

Aww - thanks so much Angela. This comment made my night. 😃 If it lives in the water, it’s not for me. 😂 Thanks so much for this very sweet comment.

[@lovejohandmade]

What a brilliant idea for a video and so helpful for me and my husband for our first food and wine festival (and my first ever wdw visit!). I love the idea of the video showing how to combine the festival and the rides. Your channel is fast becoming one of my favourites. Thank you!

[@EarScouts]

First visits to WDW are so exciting! Thanks for making our videos part of your planning process. 😃 When is your trip?

[@lovejohandmade]

@@EarScouts mid October with a week at Disney and one at universal with HHN! I’m ridiculously excited. I’ve always wanted to go and we’ve had it booked since July 2021. Getting closer now.

[@EarScouts]

@@lovejohandmade Wow - that sounds like an EPIC vacation! We should definitely have the Genie festival one up before then.

[@dr.j2814]

Your videos are so well done!! I loved the idea of comparing classics to festival favorites! And kudos to you for tasting the seafood pie! Great job all around!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much! There’s no way I would have tried that pie if I wasn’t doing a video. 😂 Thank you for supporting our channel by watching our videos and leaving great comments like this one. 😅

[@lampwick-lounge]

The fish scene was hilarious! I loved your expressions! The food reviews are fun and this format with Dakota was nice. Thanks for doing this Rob!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much for this comment. We really enjoyed trying something new (except for that Fisherman’s Pie 😂 though Erick loved it and said it was his favorite thing from the festival. 🤷‍♂️) It was lots of fun trying everything with Dakota - especially the fish scene. We had a lot of fun with that one. Thanks for watching!

[@AmyofAllThings]

It would be great to see a video of 2023 food, drink and snack must try’s!

[@vickihandel3620]

You two were awesome together! Loved the food reviews ! Your videos are always so informative and fun

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much. We had lots of fun - glad that came through in the finished video. 😃

[@kimkusek6506]

Great video!! Love seeing all kinds of content for Epcot. Looking forward to seeing more

[@EarScouts]

Thank you! We’re glad to hear it because we have a ton on Epcot content we are editing right now. 😂 Things get very Epcot-heavy when the festivals change over. Thanks for watching! 😃

[@kimkusek6506]

@@EarScouts awesome! Plus what I love most is that your channel is offering a pretty unique perspective. Keep up the great work

[@jsf745]

Fun video! Super helpful. Something is lurking under the mashed potatos .ha

[@EarScouts]

Lol - that was the most terrifying mashed potato dish I’ve ever encountered. 😅😂🤣 Thanks for watching! 😃

[@joancross5361]

Thanks for sharing! Very informative and nice to meet Dakota. Going to check out her channel.

[@EarScouts]

Dakota is awesome - we had so much fun together. Thanks for watching!

[@redesignedbydelicia3052]

Loved the format !! Enjoy all of your videos

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@miriamvaldivia2612]

I was laughing the whole time while you tasted the seafood. Thank you for going out of your comfort zone to give your viewers your opinion 😁 like always, I loved the video!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks Miriam! We always look forward to your delightful comments. Thanks as always for supporting our channel. 😃

[@danwatson1014]

What a delightful duo!! Great content!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks Dan! We had a lot of fun that day. Glad to hear it came through in the video. 😃

[@nickweatherhead7496]

We’re heading to Disneyworld from the UK in 2 weeks and watching all your vlogs in preparation. Super informative and very entertaining….so stinking good!!! Very excited…😁

[@EarScouts]

😂 - thanks so much. Hope you have an amazing vacation. Good luck with those Genie Slots! 🍀🧞‍♂️🎰

[@saraaceves6642]

You’re a trooper! For someone that didn’t eat seafood when I was younger I wouldn’t have tried it but you jumped in :)) enjoyed the comparison!

[@EarScouts]

It was not my favorite flavor of the day. 😂 Thanks for watching! 😃

[@lisaglass8850]

I really really enjoy your channel. You have quickly become my go to for Disney planning (we visit in September!) ...yay!... I am with you on the "If it lives in water, I do not eat it!" lol. The fish shepherd pie looked bleh... lol. Thanks for taking one for the team!!

[@EarScouts]

😂🤣 - it was definitely not my favorite of the day. But much to my surprise (and Dakota’s) Erick loved it. 🤷‍♂️ Thanks so much for watching!

[@Mia-sq4eq]

This is hands down the MOST HELPFUL festival food review video I’ve ever seen. We have an upcoming WDW trip and I really value your insight as to what food is worth our dollars (festival vs classics).

[@EarScouts]

Thanks, Mia! So glad you enjoyed this one. We covered a LOT more food in our Festival Genie video. It's kind of a rapid-fire series of reviews of literally everything we ate. Hope you have a great time at the festival!

[@imonislandtime]

i love that their ears are the CLASSIC mickey ears. i've literally never seen anyone wearing those and it's such a clever thing to do! makes a clean looking silhouette too ✨ excellent content as always!

[@EarScouts]

Thank you so much for watching! We love classic Mickey ears, too. 😃

[@sqwirrels]

This was so helpful! Thank you! We're taking our first trip soon and it was so helpful to see some options compared.

[@EarScouts]

Glad you enjoyed it! We have two more festival videos coming where we found a lot more delicious festival treats. 😃 Thanks for watching!

[@amanapurdy]

I just love your videos so much. I’m so nervous for my upcoming trip and you just make it so easy!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much! Our goal is always to try to make things as easy as possible. Vacation should be fun, not difficult. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@amandarodriguez1242]

I hope you get to the 3rd part of the video which is eating and going on all the rides before I get to epcot the week of August 21st!! Lol love your videos keep up the good work!!

[@EarScouts]

It's gonna be close. I think we are tentatively planning to have it come out on Monday the 22nd, but we often switch things around depending on how things are going with editing, etc. I'm actually filming that one for the second time tomorrow. We learned so much filming it the first time that it made sense to re-film so we could include all the new knowledge we picked up along the way. Thanks so much for watching! Hope you have an epic Disney World trip! 😃

[@amandarodriguez1242]

@@EarScouts thank you we go to epcot on Friday the 26th

[@christiebartram7677]

What a genius concept!!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks! We had a lot of fun filming it. 😃

[@maryannallen4608]

Great video. Our family is planning to have dinner every night and are hoping to try every booth over 5 days. Loved the comparisons. Might have to duck into a couple of those shops too.

[@EarScouts]

It is SO MUCH FOOD. 😂 I think you can do it in 5 days. We found lots of winners that we’ll be talking about in the next videos. The Fromage Montage was delicious! Thanks for watching. 😃

[@mattcollander3001]

What camera do you use for your videos? Always look so good, even in low light. I’m headed with the family in October (first trip in almost 4 years) and have decided not to bring my Mirrorless. So I’ll have my iPhone but debating a point and shoot vs GoPro vs nothing extra. Thank you for all the helpful videos!

[@EarScouts]

Hi Matt - we mainly use an iPhone 12 Pro along with a DJI gimbal to get smoother shots. I find the quality in low light to be less than stellar (we do what we can to doctor it in Final Cut Pro). Really hoping this year’s new iPhones will improve the low light capabilities (which is rumored). Thanks for watching!

[@peladopdp]

Will be there on Set 19th with all my family! Can’t wait! Thank for your videos, really helpful

[@EarScouts]

That’s so exciting - it will be here before you know it! Thanks for watching our videos - hope you have an amazing trip. 😃

[@jessicascraps4010]

Wow the description of that fish pie was so crazy ;) thanks for sharing

[@EarScouts]

😂🤣 - believe it or not, Erick (who was with us offscreen) said it was his favorite thing from the festival. 🤷‍♂️ It was definitely not for me. 😅 Thanks so much for watching!

[@catspawx]

Thank you for these videos!! I am going to WDW for the first time in October. All of your videos are going to be so helpful 😊😊

[@EarScouts]

Hi Jazmin - that’s so exciting! First trips to Disney World are the BEST! Thanks for making our videos part of your planning process. 😃

[@lovejohandmade]

Snap, Jasmine.

[@heathlamb8097]

Visiting Disney World for the next week; hope to bump into you!!!

[@EarScouts]

Awesome! Hope we see you. But more importantly, we hope you have an amazing vacation! 😃

[@frankieo8285]

Oh I love seeing you eating fish and chips! In the UK we usually have haddock or cod in our fish n chips sometimes pollock. They don't have a strong "fishy" taste. There's no way I'd eat that fisherman's pie either, but my grandma would devour it!

[@k4hdr5]

I like this premise! I had similar thoughts when in the Germany Caramel shop. I thought, “what I am eating now is better than any of the sweets in the festival. “

[@EarScouts]

Mmmmm…Karamell Kuche. That’s one of my faves. And now I want caramel popcorn. 😂 Did you try the maple popcorn in Canada? Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for watching. 😃

[@k4hdr5]

@@EarScouts meant to go back and ran out of time. So much to do…..

[@LoulouVitt]

I see those earrssss!!! 👁👁😍😍😍 👀 I agree, loovee festival foods BUT the regular menu will always be faveee!!

[@EarScouts]

Exactly! Epcot is the best park for eating. Already looking forward to new holiday food. 🤤 Thanks for watching!

[@aimeeguerrera2579]

Love your energy 😊. You give the best tips!!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much. 😊 We had a lot of fun making this one, so I’m glad that came through. Thanks for watching!

[@shawnvanfleet6636]

Yay! I've been hoping you would branch into Disney eats

[@EarScouts]

Always fun to try new things. Thanks for watching! 😃

[@espo221b]

Great idea for a video. The choice between festival food and old reliables is always my biggest dilemma in epcot.

[@EarScouts]

Thanks so much! It was fun trying something new. 😃

[@jenniferakers2534]

We will be at Disney October 22-25 I sooooooo hope to meet you!!! I really enjoyed this video, well all your video's!!! So a non-food question, do you cut off the long tag from the Mickey ears or leave it on? I know wierd question lol

[@EarScouts]

Lol - I have actually thought about making a short about this because I feel like it is something lots of us wonder about. There’s that insanely long fabric tag on some of the ears and it’s sewn in there so there’s no good way to cleanly remove it without possibly messing up the ears. What I do (and this might be a little crazy 😜) is roll it up really tight so it fits inside the headband and then I sew it to the fabric lining of the headband. That way I still have the tag and haven’t risked messing up the ears, but it’s not visible. I haven’t found it to be more uncomfortable than normal, so it works for me. Thanks for watching!

[@jenniferakers2534]

You should soooo make a short about this!!!!

[@silviaar1585]

Do you think Space 220 is worth enough like to chose it instead of eating more in the festival?

[@peladopdp]

I’m not an expert, but I’d say that if the focus is on immersive experience and theme, 220 is unique. But for sure not the best food and pretty expensive. So it’s up to you, totally different experiences.

[@EarScouts]

Hi Silvia - we have only been there for drinks. As Andrés mentioned, I have heard that the food is not the best, so we decided to just visit the bar and we had a great experience. I would go back for drinks for sure. They also had non-alcoholic options on the menu and there were families at the bar with kids (in case that is a concern). We will eventually try the food, but I’m not in a rush since I have heard mixed things and I feel like we were able to enjoy 90% of the experience by visiting the bar. Hope that helps!

[@JoshuaBatJoshHayes]

To be fair I think this would make an entertaining sequel series where you put some other foods against one another. First because taste buds can vary but secondly because there's so many other battles to be held at Epcot

[@JoshuaBatJoshHayes]

I had a friend who had the seafood pie and the fish and chips and he vastly preferred the seafood pie.

[@EarScouts]

Erick (the other half of Ear Scouts) actually preferred the seafood pie as well. It is definitely very subjective and I know I’m useless at reviewing seafood. 😂 It was a very fun day though and I hope we end up doing more of these. Thanks for watching! 😃

[@JoshuaBatJoshHayes]

@@EarScouts it was awesome. All for it

[@deb8268]

Fun video, thanks for the vlogs!

[@EarScouts]

Thank YOU for watching! We really appreciate it. 😃

[@andreazavatto3413]

Please release the third video first (genie plus + food and wine in day)!!! I'm visiting epcot in two weeks and that video would be a HUGe help! Ps: I love your channel!!

[@EarScouts]

Hi Andrea! I actually just got home from filming it - it was an epic Epcot day! 😂 I can’t wait to get it up for you guys to see it, but it won’t likely be until Aug 22 because we have Mickey’s Not-So-Scary later this week and this one is going to take ages to edit. Will Aug 22 be soon enough for your trip?

[@andreazavatto3413]

@@EarScouts I'm heading Epcot on August 21th 😭. No worries, I have a lot of information with your other videos to come out with a great strategy! Thank you!! 😊

[@EarScouts]

Oh no!!! If we can get it up early, we will. 🤞

[@andreazavatto3413]

@@EarScouts fingers crossed!

[@rzamez5150]

I'm be there on 17th and was looking forward this video too. Guess will have compare what I did to what you suggest to see all my errors 😄

[@carolebrand6693]

Will spice road let you order hummus fries to go?

[@EarScouts]

Great question! My guess is no because I tried to get the amazing onion rings from Sci-Fi Dine-In and they said food was for table service only. Not sure if that applies to all table service, but I imagine it might. I’ll try to remember to ask next time I’m there and let you know.

[@AmeliaranneStiggins]

Loved this! I feel exactly the same way about most seafood! Although as a Brit I can eat fish and chips and you’re right it really doesn’t taste that fishy 😂

[@EarScouts]

I was surprised by how much I liked the fish and chips that day. Though I have since been informed by Brits that I did it wrong by forgetting to add malt vinegar. Next time! Thanks for watching! 😃

[@Leob-s1]

Will u be in Disney world from august 13-September at all?

[@EarScouts]

Hello! We’re in the parks about 3-4 days a week. Maybe we’ll see you there!

[@Leob-s1]

@@EarScouts wow lucky u

[@EdwardNygma1980]

"if it lives in the water, I do not eat it" . Haha. Words I also live by! I totally get it. Also the fatty on meat...ugh.... 😖. I won't even cut it off, I just skip the meat that has it to avoid every chance of eating it. GIve me a filet mignon and I'm a happy camper. Cool to have 2 videos this week!

[@EarScouts]

Exactly! I grew up in Charleston, SC and people thought I was crazy for not liking seafood, especially since it is (apparently) so good there. 😂🤷‍♂️ Thanks for watching! We’re going to try to do 2 videos a week when we can. Thanks for supporting our channel by tuning in and leaving fun comments like this one!

[@mauriciobori]

2-video week yaaaaaay!!!!!

[@EarScouts]

Thanks for noticing that! We are going to try to do more 2-video weeks when we can. Thanks for watching. 😃

[@jljl24]

Last time we were there I didn't go to Les Halles but I wish I had. The line was super long. But I am making that one of my priorities next time.

[@EarScouts]

It’s so good. Although it was actually even better back when the cultural representatives were there from France, so you might enjoy it even more next time since that program has finally started back up. Thanks for watching!

[@jljl24]

@@EarScouts We go in October. I am so excited.

[@ChelsyLewandowski]

What a good idea

[@rundercoverreviewer5516]

Really great video thank you. I really enjoy all your videos and have learned a lot. Just for future though - Republic of Ireland isn’t part of the UK, it’s part of Europe 😊

[@EarScouts]

Sorry - I think what I meant to say was Ireland in the UK Pavilion at Epcot because that’s where the booth is. Thanks for watching and for the clarification.

[@Alejandrodavidmartinez]

Thank you!

[@EarScouts]

Thank YOU for watching! 😃

[@dakotaperez7303]

As someone who is also a Dakota, it is so trippy hearing my name being said in this video. Definitely never happens lol!

[@jumpingpops8655]

I saw you on the buzz lightyear ride earlier, we were so close to coming up to you then we chickened out last minute wish we would have 😂

[@EarScouts]

😂 - that was me. We were enjoying a nice night off at Magic Kingdom. Maybe we’ll see you in Epcot tomorrow. We’re there all day filming. Hope you had a great time at MK!

[@debbieshurson714]

Agreed. It can stay in the sea! No seafood.

[@EarScouts]

Glad to find more kindred spirits here in the comments. Nothing that swims on my plate, please. 😂

[@Amy_V]

As a Canadian I have an issue with the poutine. The fries are too thin to support curds so big, the ratio is off lol The curds should be half the size they are because otherwise they won’t melt under the gravy and they are suppose to melt, you aren’t supposed to just eat giant pieces of cold cheese. They are too rubbery for that. Yes, we take our poutine seriously 😂 In a perfect world the fries would be thicker and the gravy super hot so that the curds melt after a few seconds of mixing it around.

[@EarScouts]

I can’t wait to try real Canadian poutine. It sounds delicious. 🤤

[@matthewzepess5721]

I 100% feel that seafood stance. If it’s from under the water I don’t eat. Like from finding Nemo, fish are friends not food.

[@EarScouts]

This is one of my favorite comments ever. 😂 I hope you don't mind, but I am totally stealing that whenever I do another video where I have to eat seafood. "Fish are friends, not food." 🤣 It's perfect. Thanks for watching!

[@sharonbateman2513]

You should have salt and vinegar on your fish and chips. ENJOY

[@EarScouts]

You’re right - we totally should have eaten it that way. I’m definitely a fish and chips newbie. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@silviaar1585]

Yummy!!!!

[@EarScouts]

Except for that Fisherman’s Pie…although Erick said it was his favorite from the festival. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@lindsaygutierrezcubero538]

Love 💕 it

[@EarScouts]

Thank you - we were trying something new so we’re glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@maryannmccullough5815]

Well this video has not encouraged me to be optimistic about the festival. Food not so good but more people 🤦‍♀️

[@EarScouts]

We found MUCH more delicious things on the Fromage Montage. That video will be out later this week. You can always count on cheese to save the day. 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@maryannmccullough5815]

@@EarScouts true cheese makes everything thing better. I canceled the coral reef (which was more about seeing the fishies). I had higher expectations of the festival. Can’t wait to see the next video. We will be at Epcot next Thurs