Inside: One family visits Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show on vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN, and shares their experience, real review, with tips for a great visit.
If cheering on pirates as they perform acrobatic tricks and engage in sword fighting while eating a delicious meal sounds fun, then you’re in for a real treat at the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! Kristina took her kids and has the full review.
Quick Summary: Pirates Voyage
Kristina and her kids recently checked it out and had an amazing time! Here’s what you need to know:
The memories? Totally worth it.
???? Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show 2713 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN
My kids and I love live theater and enjoy awesome food so why not put those two together and try out the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show? This was a show I had been wanting to go see for years and on a recent trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, I walked the plank and bought tickets for us. So is it worth the price? Read on to find out.
About Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show is owned by Dolly Parton, as are many attractions in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. She’s a saint in these parts (I love her, too though). The pirate show is, you guessed it, full of pirates. But there’s so much more than pirates.
There are mermaids and animals and birds and music and tricks. It’s a fast-paced show with lots of action, including several dives into the water which makes up parts of the stage, sword-fighting, acrobatics, and adorable sea lions.
New to the show in Pigeon Forge is the South Pacific Celebration. I think this was actually my favorite part. It includes amazing music, a fire artist, and super cool drums that looked like the drummer was making music by hitting water. It was really neat.
The show overall is about 1.5 hours long.
The Food at Pirate’s Voyage
I know food at dinner shows can sometimes be meh and average. This wasn’t one of those shows. You can view the menu online and they do have accommodations for those with special diets.
We were offered a variety of sodas, sweet tea, lemonade, and water. Our server was fantastic and worked so hard to get everything out on time and served us fast. He had refills available whenever we wanted as well.
First up was a soft biscuit with creamy vegetable soup that even my vegetable-hating teen loved. The main course was huge: it was fried chicken with a side of corn on the cob, mac & cheese, and ham. That fried chicken was especially tasty and one of my daughters said it was the cheesiest mac & cheese she’s ever had.
Dessert was either an apple turnover or coconut chocolate cake. Everything was delicious. My daughters had to take home some of their meals since it was that big. Overall, this was a great meal.
The Show
We really enjoyed how fast and fun the show is. The storyline is that the two dueling pirates – the Crimson and Sapphire pirates – have to fight to get the dead pirate’s treasure. The audience is split between the two colors and cheer for their pirates to win it all.
I was impressed with the actors because they had to know how to dive (from high places no less), do acrobatics, sing, and dance. They were all so talented.
The South Pacific addition to the show is fantastic. The lights are dimmed as drums play and an actor (maybe an actor – he looked like a legit South Pacific person) came out who looked like he belonged in the movie Moana. He was the fire artist who spun a stick on fire like nobody’s business.
The other actors played drums that looked like they were made by hitting water. There were dancers and more fire. It was awesome.
I’m not about to spoil the show for you but sea lions and swimming dogs are involved in Pirate’s Voyage, much to the delight of the audience.
My daughters (ages 10 and 14) and I really enjoyed the high divers and the pirate competition towards the end of the show. Overall, the entertainment value is high at Pirate’s Voyage.
Tips: Enjoying Pirates Voyage
Here are a few tips on getting the most out of the show:
Book early: if you have the date you want, book the show. I waited too long and the value tickets were sold out so I had to pay more for the time I wanted.
Go hungry: you’ll be getting a lot of food so go hungry.
Kids will love this: I saw kids of all ages there. My tween and teen really enjoyed it but I saw small kids there who were awed as well.
Try to get seats on the sides: if you can get seats on the sides of the arena, those would be better than in the corners where we sat. The poles on the stage blocked some of our views.
Tickets to Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
The show lasts about an 1.5 hours total and you’ll pick up your tickets when you get there.
Ticket prices are not inexpensive. Ages 10+ are considered adults so they pay the adult ticket price and kids are ages 3-9.
Ticket prices depend on the time. During busier times of the year, there are three shows most days: 3 pm, 6 pm, and 8:30 pm. The most expensive show I saw listed was the 6 pm show. Ticket prices start at $59.99 (~$71 with tax) and go up to around $81 (~$95 with tax).
There are also VIP tickets which gets you the best seats at the show, meet & greet with cast members, and a cheering flag. This costs an extra $28/person.
Pirates Voyage also offers Animal Encounters before some of the shows were guests get up close with the animals in the show. The admission for Animal Encounters is $74/person plus tax.
So Was the Show Worth It?
That’s the question, right? The cost was high for this experience but the memories made were worth it. My kids and I really enjoyed the show, the food, and the atmosphere. If you’ve got room in your budget for this amazing dinner show, then go for it!
The Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show is also shown in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show2713 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TNPirates Voyage Pigeon Forge Website
BONUS: If you’re looking for more places to eat when you’re in Pigeon Forge, check out our Kids Eat Free (and Cheap) in Pigeon Forge, TN.
Visiting Pigeon Forge? We have a HUGE guide to the area to help plan some awesome memories!
Ultimate Guide to Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg, TN
For more things to do in Tennessee, see our Guide to Family-Friendly Travel in Tennessee.