Dinner Shows in Orlando: Medieval Times, Polynesian Luau or Pirates?
4 min read
Short answer: if you want one dinner show and no strong preference, take the Polynesian fire luau, the most reviewed of the five. Take Medieval Times if jousting and horses are the point, the Pirates Dinner Adventure for a pirate-themed evening, the magic show for unlimited pizza and a 60-minute show, and the murder mystery for an interactive evening with adults or older children.
Five shows, five different evenings
A dinner show is a fixed evening: you arrive, eat what is served and watch what is staged. That makes the differences between them matter more than the differences between, say, two bus tours.
| Show | Price | Rating | What the listing says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polynesian fire luau with dinner and live show | €66.35 | 4.5 (381) | 2 hours; buffet dinner, water, tea and lemonade, live show and parking included; alcohol at the cash bar |
| Medieval Times dinner and show | €75.58 | 4.5 (212) | 75-minute show with jousting, sword fights and horsemanship; four-course feast with two rounds of soft drinks, free parking; non-refundable |
| Pirates Dinner Adventure, Deluxe Package | €59.62 | 4.5 (42) | Three-course dinner, unlimited soft drinks, parking and all booking fees included; general seating |
| The Outta Control Magic Dinner Show | €35.08 | 4.4 (180) | 60-minute show with illusions and audience participation; unlimited pizza, salad, dessert, beer, wine and soda |
| Speakeasy murder mystery dinner show | €83.46 | 4.6 (32) | 1920s plot you help to solve, three-course meal; drinks and parking not included |
All five are priced per person. The rules for children differ: at Medieval Times, children under 3 are free if they sit on an adult’s lap and eat from their plate; at the magic show, children 3 and under are free but still need a ticket; the murder mystery is not suitable for children under 8.
Where they are
Visit Orlando lists Medieval Times at 4510 W. Vine St. in Kissimmee, and the luau’s booking page gives 4740 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, also in Kissimmee. The other three are in Orlando: Pirates Dinner Adventure is at 6400 Carrier Drive, and the murder mystery gives the same address as its meeting point. The magic show is at WonderWorks Orlando, 9067 International Drive; parking there is in the Pointe Orlando garage, at $5 for the first hour and $2 for each additional hour, no more than $10 a day, according to its booking page.
How to choose
You want spectacle and animals: Medieval Times. The 75-minute show is built around jousting, sword fights, horsemanship and falconry, and the four-course feast is served without cutlery. Book it only when your date is fixed: the ticket is non-refundable, while the other four can be cancelled up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
You want the most reviewed, easy option: the luau. Its listing states a length of 2 hours and describes a lei greeting, a buffet dinner and a show by a Samoan family with hula, fire poi and fire knife dancing. Water, tea, lemonade and parking are included; alcohol is sold at a cash bar.
You want unlimited soft drinks: the Pirates Deluxe Package includes them with a three-course dinner, parking and all booking fees. Parking alone is not a reason to choose it: it is also included with the luau and Medieval Times, while at the murder mystery and the magic show you pay for parking separately.
Beer and wine included, or a show to play along with: the magic show serves unlimited beer and wine as well as soda with the pizza, and its 60-minute show starts at 6 pm every night, with extra shows at weekends and in peak months. The murder mystery is a two-hour 1920s whodunit in which you get bribe money to buy clues and vote on the ending; drinks are not included. Its booking page says it is not suitable for children under 8 and, further down, suitable for audiences 12 and older. If your children are between those ages, ask the operator before you book.
Food and start times
Medieval Times offers vegetarian meals on request, and the murder mystery lists a vegetarian pesto pasta among its main courses, plus a separate children’s menu. The luau notes that its dinner menu is subject to change. If you have an allergy, ask the operator before you pay, because a dinner show cannot be improvised at the door. Apart from the magic show, start times appear when you pick a date on the booking page.
Our recommendation
For most visitors: the Polynesian fire luau. It has the most reviews of the five and a stated two-hour length. Choose Medieval Times when horses and jousting are what you are paying for. If you are still planning your park days, our guides to Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World help you leave an evening free. The full range is on our dinner shows page.
