On a day of rest during our week-long Orlando trip, I mentioned to my oldest son that we had a special dinner planned. "Donuts?! I really hope it's donuts," was his response. Imagine his surprise when we approached a medieval castle! Our family was about to enter the Middle Ages to dine like kings and queens while cheering on knights at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
The castle opens 75 minutes prior to each show time. Seating is first come, first served and guests are advised to arrive as early as possible to obtain the best seats available. Upon entering the castle we were assigned a table and given a red paper crown to wear to support the red knight. The audience is then held in the Castle Hall to wander the various merchandise cases and bars. Guests can also tour the outdoor Medieval Life Village & Museum. The weather was a bit chilly when we visited so we skipped the village and waited quite a bit as VIP pass holders were seated first, color by color, then regular tickets color by color. Our color was the second to last to be seated and my kids were a bit antsy at this stage, still with no idea what they were about to see. Once our color was summoned and we entered the Grand Ceremonial Arena their eyes grew wide with excitement.
The performance was nearly 2 hours and features 6 knights performing for the king and his daughter, the princess. The show features graceful equestrian and falconry performances balanced with the action of competing knights. The audience is introduced to the various knights and instructed who to cheer and boo for, which my kids definitely got into. The Tournament of Games has the knights performing various skills like javelin throwing and the Tournament Royal featured jousting and sword fighting. My kids were most enthralled by the sword fighting as it was the most realistic fighting theyve seen with sparks flying as weapons made contact. There was a light plot of a mildly evil visitor from another kingdom that I didnt quite follow as about halfway through the performance my three kids were on a constant rotation to the bathroom. The arena is dark with loud sounds and flashing lights, and while it wasnt scary for my kids, sensory-sensitive kids may have difficulties.
A four course meal is paced throughout the performance. Our kids were giddy on lemonade (a rare treat for them) by the time the first course arrived. A great surprise for the kids was that dinner is served without cutlery, so all of moms rules of the table are set aside for the night. Tomato bisque is served with garlic bread and slurped from a bowl with a giant handle. A perfectly roasted chicken half is served with an herbed potato and corn. A slice of pound cake was a lovely finish for dessert. Vegetarian meals are also available. I found the pricing structure interesting, as kids pay a lower price but yet it looked like everyone received the same meal portion. For our kids, again, super hopped-up on lemonade, there was no way they were going to make a dent in the chicken they were served and quite a bit went to waste
We planned Medieval Times on a rest day during our week in Orlando. The castle was just over 20 minutes from our Disney resort and the pricing structure is similar to a character meal at Disney. Ive found Disney character meals a bit frantic in terms of pacing dining against characters dropping by the table to visit. By comparison, other than the wait to enter the arena, we had nearly 2 solid hours of entertainment and well-paced dining at Medieval Times. Even though my kids are used to dinner at home around 6pm and heading to bed by 7pm, they were completely engaged and engrossed in the 6pm performance, particularly the sword battles towards the end. Our red knight was victorious, which certainly kept them excited! Be prepared for multiple upsell opportunities photographs, upgraded drinks, fairy wings, weaponry, multiple battery-operated glowing toys, etc. You may find it helpful to have a talk with your kids ahead of time about what youre prepared to spend, if anything.
Medieval Times Orlando Castle is located at 4510 W. Vine Street in Kissimmee. Adult tickets are $62.95, children under 12 are $36.95 and lap children under the age of 3 are free. You can purchase tickets and see promotional pricing here. Medieval Times also offers free admission with the purchase of a full-priced adult during your birthday month here.
My family was provided complimentary tickets to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament for this review. View our full FTC Disclosure Statement here.
