For me going out to eat is one of my favorite things, especially dinner theater. I have to confess; dinner theater is a guilty pleasure of mine. Number one, I am not prepping anything, cooking or serving anything, so its already a win, but on top of that we have entertainment. On October 23, 2022 my family and I went to Pirates Dinner Adventure for a dinner show.
First Impression
Honestly, upon pulling in my first impression was "Is this the place? Is it even open?" From the outside of the building I was not impressed. It looked a little run down. Upon entering we checked in, and the staff was courteous and kind. The décor was pirate themed. After we signed in, we had our pictures taken in front of a green screen. The pictures were later offered to us for sale with some funny backgrounds. We received a tour around the shopping area and bar before being taken to our colored section for seating. The shopping area had souvenirs that were pirate and mermaid themed, and sold everything from stuffed animals and jewelry to actual swords. The bar was a full bar, with a list of specialty drinks and souvenir cups. After some shopping, and ordering some drinks, we took our seats in the yellow section. Seats are like long benches with several tables lined along the way. Once we were seated a wench came to take our drink orders, and offer us appetizers.
Dining Experience
The entrees were all pre-ordered at the time of ticket purchase, and consisted of chicken and vegetables. Adults received roasted chicken, while kids received nuggets. There were options to add all kinds of extras, and make the meal really extravagant, but we did not select any of those, because lets be honest, everyone likes chicken. We were delivered large pitchers of what ever non-alcoholic drinks that were ordered, followed by salad, the main course, and dessert. The time it took to come out is difficult to say, because there was a show going on, while we ate, but it definitely didn't feel like it was long.
The Show
The show was fantastic. There are 6 different colored sections, and each section gets a pirate that they root for. Each pirate has their own story and they are all competing for position. In the show you see pirates sword fighting, and swinging from ropes across the stage, aerial performances, mermaids, and a sea monster. Its interactive, and engaging with several opportunities to be part of the show. My son loved the sword fighting, and my daughter loved the mermaid and the princess. Performers were talented and engaging. Once the show was over there was a party with music, time to shop, stop at the bar, and meet the cast for photos. The entire experience from beginning to end was about 3 hours.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Good food, Great entertainment, fun for all ages
Cons: limited meal options, the place could use a bit of a face lift
Overall Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, its kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Rating |
Wait Time | 4 - we basically walked right in, no wait at all. Above Average |
Staff Helpfulness/Friendliness | 4- Staff was engaging, and hung around after the show to chat and take photos, definitely above average |
Comfort / Seating | 3- Seats were long benches. They were comfortable - average seating |
View/ Appearance | 5 - You are now right outside a pirate ship. There's water, clouds, thunder, mermaids, people swinging on ropes over head, giant sea monsters coming out of the ocean. This is a whole other level |
Menu Diversity | 3 - The basic menu is chicken, and then you can upgrade to fancier options. Being a dinner theater, its about what's expected. |
Food Appearance | 3 - Average appearance. Nothing spectacular, and nothing concerning either. |
Taste & Temperature | 3 - Average. Food was warm, and tasty. Nothing truly note worthy. |
Portion Size | 3 - portion size was average. Not too much, not too little. |
Kid Friendly options | 3 - Average. Food options in general were limited. Chicken nuggets is what's basically expected for kids, and that was the main dish. |
Drink Selection | 4 - Full bar, and a good list of specialty drinks |
Dessert selection | 3 - if this were a normal restaurant, I'd say 2, but it is dinner theater, and its more focused on the theater than the dinner. Dessert was provided, and there was an option for an upgrade, so it is as expected. |
Environment/Crowd/ Cleanliness | 3 - The outside looked a little worn (preventing me from rating it as a 4), though clean and the stage area was on point. The crowd was pretty light. Every section had a decent attendance, but nothing was mobbed. |
Talent | 5 - singers, actors, sword fighters, acrobats, great choreography. Amazing talent. |
Duration | 4 - the show is 90 minutes long, which feels just right, and the after hours party was an awesome addition |
Kid Friendliness | 5- My teenager, school aged boy, and kindergartener all loved it. Meeting all of those interest levels is a major win. |
Price | 4 - I'm pretty tight with money, but the amount of food, the length of the show and the talent of the performers considered - I think it was a great deal. |
Overall Rating | 3.7 |
Overall rating 3.7. I will definitely be revisiting this place on my next trip to Orlando. This was a fun night out. Everyone enjoyed the show, and had a meal and it didn't break the bank. I count this as a family outing win.