Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina
Life is short. Live it well.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
- Messages
- 13,825
Monday, October 17th (continued)
When booking our Pirates Dinner Adventure tickets, we had the option for several different upgrades depending on what specific level of experience we had hoped to achieve. We were able to get the dinner show price down to under $50 per person using a promotion code available online (regular price is $67.95 per person) so we figured we’d go big and add on the top tier upgrade:
The VIP Ship Upgrade - $30.00 plus tax per person
Includes:
· Front Row Boat seating. (VIP tables seat up to 7 guests. If there are more than 7 guests in your party you may be seated in different sections depending on availability)
· Access to the Governors VIP Lounge before the show where guests may enjoy; upgraded & exclusive appetizers, VIP Restroom and Smokers Garden.
· 15% Discount at the gift shop when you show your upgrade sticker.
· Priority access to the main show area.
· Guaranteed interaction with the Pirates during the show (for those who wish)
· Unlimited soda and beer during the main show.
· Two complimentary glasses of champagne or house wine.
· Guaranteed opportunity to board the ship and take pictures with the cast
It was the front row seating that truly reeled us in. That, and the guaranteed interaction during the show (a big perk for my outgoing Steve, not so appealing for quieter me).
We had received an email earlier that day reminding us to arrive at 6 pm for the 7:30 show so that we could take advantage of the full benefits of the VIP Lounge. When we arrived, we were charged an additional $5 to park the car…..rather disappointing, considering the reasonably high cost of the tickets (especially for those who paid full price for admission) and the fact that we were already out an additional $60 plus tax for the VIP upgrade. I know it’s only $5, but still…..it just started things off on a bit of a negative foot.
Our tickets were verified at the box office and we were given VIP stickers to wear on our shirts. From there, we were ushered through the main gift shop/bar/gathering area into the completely empty VIP lounge where a lone pirate wench was stationed with a small table of appetizers (both hot and cold) and a pitcher of water. She invited us to partake in the food offerings and poured each of us a cup of H2O. Alcohol, she explained, was an additional cost and available at the bar outside.
The appetizers were just…..okay. The mixed fruit was absolutely terrible and was very obviously from a can. That fruit, and their salads (I know Steve tried one with broccoli in it, as well as a second one….perhaps potato?) were both thrown in the garbage. Truly gross. I have no idea what the people in the general reception room were offered, but remember….these were supposed to be “upgraded” appetizers.
Some of their other options were much more palatable (or at least seemed so given the aftertaste of the aforementioned items). They had meatballs in a beef gravy, various sliced cold meats, some sort of shredded chicken, pita slices, and cubed cheeses. We stuck with those and didn’t have any more “OMG! Spit it Out!” moments.
By this time, one other couple had wandered their way into the VIP Lounge (definitely not a popular upgrade, obviously) and a small group was gathering in the main reception room. Steve decided he was going to go get us a beverage from the bar to enjoy while we waited to be seated for the show, and that began an almost 40 minute wait for two very small…..and very expensive…..drink. God bless the sole bartender who was working tirelessly to slosh through the backlog, but she was woefully overburdened and grew increasingly behind, yet she kept on shaking and mixing and serving with a smile. While the drinks were good (and quite potent……they were free-poured and she did not scrimp on alcohol content) I am not sure they were worth the $20 with tip and the crazy long wait.
True to the upgrade promise, we were seated before the other general guests and placed in a perfect spot in the front row. It would turn out that not only did we have front-row seats, we were the ONLY ones in our front row: crazy low attendance had the building at maybe 1/10th capacity. At times, it felt as if we had private showing for a school or church group.
Our vantage point was, of course, excellent and we had a perfect view of the stage (that’s a score for this girl who is short in stature). The seats are graduated, though, so I’m pretty sure the folks behind us could see equally as well as we could, albeit from further back.
During the month of October, the show was rethemed from the regular Pirates presentation to a special “Vampirates” production in honour of Halloween. From the website:
Vampirates Halloween Adventure
This Halloween Season
You are invited to join the residents of Treasure Bay
for their annual Halloween Ball. But beware, this
year festivities will be offering something
new for the menu……You!
The evil Vampirate Captain Sebastian the Black
has returned with his crew of undead monsters to take
vengeance on those who have “crossed” him.
You will have to join forces with a band of vampire
hunters on their quest to defeat the bloodthirsty
crew and bring safety and daylight back to the people
of Treasure Bay.
Vampirates
A new and spectacular addition
to our already amazing show!
Can the heroic Benjamin rescue the Princess?
We were seated in the Orange section, and our Vampirate came by while to greet us before the show which I thought was quite nice. He also explained a little about what we would be called upon to do at a specific point in the show, and in true vampire form, gave us a stern warning about what might happen afterward if we messed it up. He was actually quite a cool guy: kept in his character but still somehow came across as rather nice. I couldn’t help but wonder if he found it discouraging to look around and find the crowd so lacking.
Our “serving wench” ensured we had wine and beer in front of us quite soon after being seated. The show and the meal ran at the same time, so with the lights dimmed and the action commencing on the stage, she brought around salad as the first course and this soup as the next food instalment:
She called it a tortilla soup (which I had never heard of before, but admittedly, I’m not much of a Mexican food connoisseur), and it was overpoweringly tortilla-flavoured. I had a few bites. Steve ate all of his but passed on my left-overs.
Due to the darkness of the room which greatly compromised my photo quality, I didn’t take any photos of the meal itself but both entrees were fine. Not spectacular, but equal to something I would whip up quickly after a day at work: mashed potatoes and gravy, pot roast for Steve/chicken for me, and a vegetable side (green beans in our case). Meals were pre-booked from a small selection when tickets are ordered, and I noticed on the website that they have changed the selections slightly since our visit last fall. Chicken and pot roast are now a combined plate with both items. Portion sizes were ‘enough’ but not huge. While a fine quantity for me, I think Steve could have used a larger serving.
The biggest disappointment was dessert: a small square of plain white cake, no icing, with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with a scant amount of Hershey’s chocolate syrup (the kind you would make chocolate milk out of, not ice cream topping). While it tasted okay, it came across as not only underwhelming, but pathetic. They could have done SO MUCH better than that. A couple of fresh chocolate chip cookies would have presented better than that dessert. Steve ate his in 3? maybe 4? bites.
Each table was presented with a gratuity tray when they delivered dessert.
The show itself was definitely the highlight of the experience. The actors were great and they played their parts with enthusiasm. They did their level best to gain crowd excitement and anticipation but the small numbers made that crazy hard. Both Steve and I had entertaining roles within the show when the Vampirates competed against each other in a variety of challenges. It was fun and engaging (though harder than it looked…..I think my arms are still aching from waving that dang massive flag) and really did enhance the whole experience. I also should note that they had a special part of the show were kids could come up on the stage and become honourary pirates, which I thought was great. Those that did so received special certificates and had a cool opportunity to be with the actors right up on the ship, in front of all the guests. I am sure that made some awesome memories for those little ones.
After the show, everyone was invited back to the main reception room for more drinking (at your own cost, of course), a chance to meet and take pictures with the actors, and a Pirates Dance Party. They also had a costume contest, which the sole family who dressed up won in every category.
Again, the characters were what made this experience overall a good one. They were great with the guests in the reception room afterward and you could tell they enjoyed their jobs. We enjoyed the chance to give them all a well-deserved pat on the back for a high-energy, entertaining show.
Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and were glad we went: the show was fun, the actors were great, and we absolutely had the best seats in the house. The “energy” would have been much better had there been a greater capacity of guests, but that was no fault of the actors….they very much did the best they could with what they had. Admittedly, though, the food was a disappointment for the overall cost, and we wondered if we would be equally underwhelmed by the meal at Capone’s (our other dinner show of the trip) which was scheduled for the following night. Time would tell!
A special shout out to "Magee" .... he was FABULOUS:
We headed back to the resort, miraculously found a parking space 5 buildings away (rather than 10), and enjoyed a soak in the hot tub before heading to bed.
Tomorrow would find us under the sea, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and learning how to play roulette from a guy named Snaps
.
When booking our Pirates Dinner Adventure tickets, we had the option for several different upgrades depending on what specific level of experience we had hoped to achieve. We were able to get the dinner show price down to under $50 per person using a promotion code available online (regular price is $67.95 per person) so we figured we’d go big and add on the top tier upgrade:
The VIP Ship Upgrade - $30.00 plus tax per person
Includes:
· Front Row Boat seating. (VIP tables seat up to 7 guests. If there are more than 7 guests in your party you may be seated in different sections depending on availability)
· Access to the Governors VIP Lounge before the show where guests may enjoy; upgraded & exclusive appetizers, VIP Restroom and Smokers Garden.
· 15% Discount at the gift shop when you show your upgrade sticker.
· Priority access to the main show area.
· Guaranteed interaction with the Pirates during the show (for those who wish)
· Unlimited soda and beer during the main show.
· Two complimentary glasses of champagne or house wine.
· Guaranteed opportunity to board the ship and take pictures with the cast
It was the front row seating that truly reeled us in. That, and the guaranteed interaction during the show (a big perk for my outgoing Steve, not so appealing for quieter me).
We had received an email earlier that day reminding us to arrive at 6 pm for the 7:30 show so that we could take advantage of the full benefits of the VIP Lounge. When we arrived, we were charged an additional $5 to park the car…..rather disappointing, considering the reasonably high cost of the tickets (especially for those who paid full price for admission) and the fact that we were already out an additional $60 plus tax for the VIP upgrade. I know it’s only $5, but still…..it just started things off on a bit of a negative foot.
Our tickets were verified at the box office and we were given VIP stickers to wear on our shirts. From there, we were ushered through the main gift shop/bar/gathering area into the completely empty VIP lounge where a lone pirate wench was stationed with a small table of appetizers (both hot and cold) and a pitcher of water. She invited us to partake in the food offerings and poured each of us a cup of H2O. Alcohol, she explained, was an additional cost and available at the bar outside.
The appetizers were just…..okay. The mixed fruit was absolutely terrible and was very obviously from a can. That fruit, and their salads (I know Steve tried one with broccoli in it, as well as a second one….perhaps potato?) were both thrown in the garbage. Truly gross. I have no idea what the people in the general reception room were offered, but remember….these were supposed to be “upgraded” appetizers.
Some of their other options were much more palatable (or at least seemed so given the aftertaste of the aforementioned items). They had meatballs in a beef gravy, various sliced cold meats, some sort of shredded chicken, pita slices, and cubed cheeses. We stuck with those and didn’t have any more “OMG! Spit it Out!” moments.
By this time, one other couple had wandered their way into the VIP Lounge (definitely not a popular upgrade, obviously) and a small group was gathering in the main reception room. Steve decided he was going to go get us a beverage from the bar to enjoy while we waited to be seated for the show, and that began an almost 40 minute wait for two very small…..and very expensive…..drink. God bless the sole bartender who was working tirelessly to slosh through the backlog, but she was woefully overburdened and grew increasingly behind, yet she kept on shaking and mixing and serving with a smile. While the drinks were good (and quite potent……they were free-poured and she did not scrimp on alcohol content) I am not sure they were worth the $20 with tip and the crazy long wait.
True to the upgrade promise, we were seated before the other general guests and placed in a perfect spot in the front row. It would turn out that not only did we have front-row seats, we were the ONLY ones in our front row: crazy low attendance had the building at maybe 1/10th capacity. At times, it felt as if we had private showing for a school or church group.
Our vantage point was, of course, excellent and we had a perfect view of the stage (that’s a score for this girl who is short in stature). The seats are graduated, though, so I’m pretty sure the folks behind us could see equally as well as we could, albeit from further back.
During the month of October, the show was rethemed from the regular Pirates presentation to a special “Vampirates” production in honour of Halloween. From the website:
Vampirates Halloween Adventure
This Halloween Season
You are invited to join the residents of Treasure Bay
for their annual Halloween Ball. But beware, this
year festivities will be offering something
new for the menu……You!
The evil Vampirate Captain Sebastian the Black
has returned with his crew of undead monsters to take
vengeance on those who have “crossed” him.
You will have to join forces with a band of vampire
hunters on their quest to defeat the bloodthirsty
crew and bring safety and daylight back to the people
of Treasure Bay.
Vampirates
A new and spectacular addition
to our already amazing show!
Can the heroic Benjamin rescue the Princess?
We were seated in the Orange section, and our Vampirate came by while to greet us before the show which I thought was quite nice. He also explained a little about what we would be called upon to do at a specific point in the show, and in true vampire form, gave us a stern warning about what might happen afterward if we messed it up. He was actually quite a cool guy: kept in his character but still somehow came across as rather nice. I couldn’t help but wonder if he found it discouraging to look around and find the crowd so lacking.
Our “serving wench” ensured we had wine and beer in front of us quite soon after being seated. The show and the meal ran at the same time, so with the lights dimmed and the action commencing on the stage, she brought around salad as the first course and this soup as the next food instalment:
She called it a tortilla soup (which I had never heard of before, but admittedly, I’m not much of a Mexican food connoisseur), and it was overpoweringly tortilla-flavoured. I had a few bites. Steve ate all of his but passed on my left-overs.
Due to the darkness of the room which greatly compromised my photo quality, I didn’t take any photos of the meal itself but both entrees were fine. Not spectacular, but equal to something I would whip up quickly after a day at work: mashed potatoes and gravy, pot roast for Steve/chicken for me, and a vegetable side (green beans in our case). Meals were pre-booked from a small selection when tickets are ordered, and I noticed on the website that they have changed the selections slightly since our visit last fall. Chicken and pot roast are now a combined plate with both items. Portion sizes were ‘enough’ but not huge. While a fine quantity for me, I think Steve could have used a larger serving.
The biggest disappointment was dessert: a small square of plain white cake, no icing, with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with a scant amount of Hershey’s chocolate syrup (the kind you would make chocolate milk out of, not ice cream topping). While it tasted okay, it came across as not only underwhelming, but pathetic. They could have done SO MUCH better than that. A couple of fresh chocolate chip cookies would have presented better than that dessert. Steve ate his in 3? maybe 4? bites.
Each table was presented with a gratuity tray when they delivered dessert.
The show itself was definitely the highlight of the experience. The actors were great and they played their parts with enthusiasm. They did their level best to gain crowd excitement and anticipation but the small numbers made that crazy hard. Both Steve and I had entertaining roles within the show when the Vampirates competed against each other in a variety of challenges. It was fun and engaging (though harder than it looked…..I think my arms are still aching from waving that dang massive flag) and really did enhance the whole experience. I also should note that they had a special part of the show were kids could come up on the stage and become honourary pirates, which I thought was great. Those that did so received special certificates and had a cool opportunity to be with the actors right up on the ship, in front of all the guests. I am sure that made some awesome memories for those little ones.
After the show, everyone was invited back to the main reception room for more drinking (at your own cost, of course), a chance to meet and take pictures with the actors, and a Pirates Dance Party. They also had a costume contest, which the sole family who dressed up won in every category.
Again, the characters were what made this experience overall a good one. They were great with the guests in the reception room afterward and you could tell they enjoyed their jobs. We enjoyed the chance to give them all a well-deserved pat on the back for a high-energy, entertaining show.
Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and were glad we went: the show was fun, the actors were great, and we absolutely had the best seats in the house. The “energy” would have been much better had there been a greater capacity of guests, but that was no fault of the actors….they very much did the best they could with what they had. Admittedly, though, the food was a disappointment for the overall cost, and we wondered if we would be equally underwhelmed by the meal at Capone’s (our other dinner show of the trip) which was scheduled for the following night. Time would tell!
A special shout out to "Magee" .... he was FABULOUS:
We headed back to the resort, miraculously found a parking space 5 buildings away (rather than 10), and enjoyed a soak in the hot tub before heading to bed.
Tomorrow would find us under the sea, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and learning how to play roulette from a guy named Snaps
.
. But it definitely resembles one 
.
. I am just glad other people saw what we did 
.
from your neighbor to the south!
. More details, of course, in the December trip report. I'm trying to move through this report as quick as I can but no matter how much I try, I am a bit of a slowpoke. One of the downfalls of talking too much 
.
.
. What do you think, would I make a good flapper girl? 
. Steve gets 5 weeks holidays, though, so we still have lots of time to explore Michigan in addition to our Orlando adventures 
. We have already been to Frankenmuth, Ann Arbor and Northville so far (as well as our own community) and this weekend we have an eye on the Toledo Zoo if the weather is favourable. I have never been to Ohio before so that would cross another state of my US bucket list!
I wonder if anyone else is having issues with the photos? (not that some of them are that great.....the dark interior made for some less-than-stellar quality)
. That's actually a great idea, and one we hadn't considered yet. It's a bit of a hike from here......the better part of a 10 hour drive.....but still doable. Might have to keep that in the back of my mind for this summer or next.
". I was reading a few reviews of Capone's last night on TripAdvisor and seriously wondered if we had been to the same show that they were tearing apart 
. 
) and enjoy coffee and breakfast at the villa before showering and heading out into the sunshine en route to I-Drive 
.
. Our other only visit to this attraction was at Christmas 2015, and it was filled with young families with active children: that definitely impacted our ability to get up close to some of the exhibits or spend as much time as we would have liked enjoying some of the wonderful aquatic displays.
