Pirates Dinner Adventure Orlando Review

*We were provided with this experience for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

When we went to Florida in the summer we wanted to experience an Orlando dinner show. They are hugely popular in Orlando, with so many to choose from and we decided on the Pirates Dinner Adventure, booked through Giftory.com.

What is Pirates Dinner Adventure?

Pirates Dinner Adventure is a two hour event that features a three course dinner and theatrical pirate adventure experience in one. With venues in Buena Park, California and Orlando, Florida, it’s a popular addition to a Disney holiday, an evening of entertainment and something that many families book whenever they go to Florida.

The Pirate Dinner Adventure tickets

When you book your Pirates Dinner Adventure tickets you are given a choice of three different ticket levels. General Admission tickets, Treasure tickets and VIP tickets. It’s worth noting that anyone aged 11 and above is classed as an adult as far as ticket prices are concerned – which is pretty standard across Florida.

Children under two also go free. However, they don’t receive a meal and have to sit on your lap. The venue also don’t allow any outside food or drink to be brought in – not even a water bottle – so toddlers would need to either share your meal or you’d have to buy one of the extra menu items for them.

General Admission tickets are the most basic option, giving a three course meal and the pirate show with no extra frills. With the Treasure upgrade – for an extra $25 per adult/$20 per child – you get guaranteed third row seating, a discount on alcoholic beverages and a souvenir pirate bandana and eye patch.

Or for $37 per adult/$27 per child you can have VIP tickets which give complimentary soft drinks, seats in the first or second row, complimentary parking, discounts on drinks and appetisers, free digital photobook access and the souvenir bandana and eye patch. We went for the Treasure package which at the time also included complimentary soft drinks although that has now been removed.

We found the Pirates Dinner Adventure venue easily as it’s not far from international Drive and the Universal Studios Resort – well located for an Orlando holiday! With a pirate ship right outside, it’s hard to miss! We parked in the Pirates Dinner Adventure car park which does come with a charge – $8 but half price or free with certain ticket types.

We checked in at reception and were then shown to our table with a few stop offs on the way! The first stop was to take photos with a green screen – as they do in many attractions – which they’ll try and sell to you later. Then we were shown around the big entrance hall which was full of different vendors selling everything from artwork to swords. It was like an old fashioned marketplace and a real hive of activity.

When we got to our table we were seated, as expected, three rows from the front and we were impressed with the pirate show arena. We had a big pirate ship on the stage in front of us and behind us the walls of the arena were made to look like a pirate ship too. A lot of work has gone in to the theming of the Pirates Dinner Adventure.

I should probably mention that some seats do have a better view than others and I would class my seat as a restricted view as we had a big mast right in front of us. These structures are necessary for the show but do make visibility poor at times.

The Pirates Dinner Adventure Orlando menu

Shortly after arriving at our seats our waiter came to ask what drinks we’d like. We were given complimentary sodas in jugs and could choose pretty much any Pepsi products. These were brought out straight away and refilled throughout the show. Plus we could buy other drinks from the bar and we saw lots of people with big fishbowl cocktails but we stuck to soft drinks.

He then came round with caesar salad that was served in front of us or we could have tomato soup. Two of us chose tomato soup but it took such a long time to come out that I would probably just get the salad in future.

You also have the option of buying other appetisers if you want them like calamari, chicken tenders, chicken wings or chips and dip but these are quite expensive – even compared to other tourist attractions.

With our adult tickets we had the choice of chicken, pork or vegetarian pasta for our meals and between us we had all of them. There were also lots of upgrade options with meals like beef, surf and turf or salmon and add ons for things like lobster tails, shrimp or turkey legs. The chicken and pork were served with yukon gold potato purée – basically mashed potatoes – and seasonal vegetables and the vegetarian pasta was pesto pasta with a layer of baked cheese on top.

By the time our meals came out the show had started and we had been plunged into darkness so we couldn’t really see our food. The actual meals were fine but very garlic heavy and Little Man didn’t eat his pasta as it was too different to what he was used to and being in darkness didn’t help. He likes what he is used to.

As the kids were over eleven we had to book adult meals for them so they couldn’t have chicken nuggets or similar. It would be great if Pirates Dinner Adventure could add something like chicken nuggets for adults as well to save situations like this in the future.

For dessert we all had a chocolate brownie which again could be upgraded to things like cheesecake or ice cream. Like with the other upgrades, the additional cost seemed quite high for all the options. The brownie was fine, a nice end to the meal. Overall the food wasn’t the best experience, it wasn’t bad, was edible, but it was just so dark and it’s really weird eating when you can’t see what’s in front of you.

The Pirates Dinner Adventure show

The main part of the Pirates Dinner Adventure is the pirate show. It starts with pirates swinging in on ropes from the sides of the arena and we all get to meet our team’s pirate. There are six main pirates and the arena is split into different coloured sections so you can all root for your pirate throughout the show.

There is a lot of audience participation – with the wearing of eye patches and bandanas, passing treasure around, each audience section having a captain selected from the audience and all the children being invited up on stage at various points too.

The website explains the show:

It’s set on the eve of the Governor’s Gala, held each year to celebrate the defeat of the evil pirate captain Sebastian the Black. You have been invited by the governor’s daughter, Princess Anita, to meet this year’s guest of honour: a magical mermaid! Behold the mermaid’s legendary jewel, the Serpent’s Eye, which holds the power to summon a terrifying leviathan up from the dark depths of the ocean.

Then, without warning, pirates attack! Sebastian The Black has returned to take his revenge! With his band of pirates, he kidnaps you, the princess, and the mermaid, and takes you prisoner on his ship, heading to parts unknown. Enjoy a final meal as the brave sailor Benjamin Blue fights to defeat the evil pirates before they can lay claim to the jewel and bring forth the dreaded leviathan waiting at the bottom of the sea.

As you can see, when you join Captain Black for a Pirates Dinner Adventure, you can expect lots of different parts to the show. There are princesses and mermaids, pirates and prisoners! We did find it quite hard to follow the story but it was full of fights, singing and stunts which the vast majority of the audience absolutely loved.

Our favourite part of the pirates adventure show was the times that the pirates did circus skills with things like aerial silks that had us on the edge of our seats! There were also special effects, great lighting and music throughout.

The show is two hours long and at times did feel like it was dragging. The pirates didn’t make much effort with things like pirate accents – there were no shiver me timbers, ahoy me hearties or pieces of eight. It felt fairly lacklustre and halfhearted at times. I think, for the price, we just expected more.

One thing to be aware of with the Orlando pirate dinner show is that you are asked to tip at the end as tips aren’t included in the ticket price you pay. Plus the staff come round with your photos and a torch whilst you’re watching the show to get you to buy them. We declined. For an evening that already costs just short of $500, it felt like there were so many upsells expected. Upgraded food, drinks, photos, the main hall of retailers and a tip at the end.

For us, the Pirate Adventure Dinner is the sort of thing we would only do once and would probably try a different interactive dinner show on our next Florida vacation but it’s definitely an experience and one most holidaymakers should try. You’ll definitely be talking about it long after the show has finished.

You can find out more about Pirates Dinner Adventure over on their website and find even more great experiences over on the Giftory.com website. For reference, the address is: Pirates Dinner Adventure, 6400 Carrier Drive Orlando, FL 32819

If you’re looking for other things to do in Orlando these articles might help:

• Our top tips for Planning an Orlando Holiday
• Our guide to Florida holidays
• The Best Indoor Activities in Orlando Florida
• Relaxing Things to do in Orlando
• Our 21 Day Orlando Itinerary
• Our 2 Week Orlando Itinerary