Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Medieval Times opened at Discover Mills just north of Atlanta in summer 2006. I had not been even once since it opened, probably cause I thought I was too hip for that trip ("The Cable Guy" movie probably didnt help). Well, I finally went yesterday with my ten-year-old son who is on spring break and we had a great time! Even though it was a weekday and a 7:30 show (no matinee available that day), we managed to get there without too much traffic trouble. The tickets said doors open at 6:30 and show starts at 7:30. We got a late start and I was afraid we might miss part of the show, but we got there around 7 p.m. and didnt miss anything. The early arrival is to give folks a chance to buy souvenirs and hit the bar. Right before they let you in, the King knights those who have paid for the privilege in a short ceremony. You get a color-coded paper crown and seating assignment when you present your tickets, followed by a picture with the King and the Princess (youll have an opportunity to buy it later). The venue itself is impressive inside and out. Theres a castle battlement outside the mall to show where the venue is. Inside, the waiting area has a huge fireplace (gas logs) and ample opportunities to spend money on souvenirs, gifts and beverages (yes, they serve Pepsi -- you gotta have medieval chutzpah to serve Pepsi in the heart of Coca-Cola country). We were ushered into the tournament hall according to our color codes and seated according to when we bought tickets and how much we paid (front row tickets and VIP section cost more). The show is well done. There is a narrative that carries through the show with various pauses for dialogue/dramatics, but its really a stunt show with some animal acts mixed in. There was a female falconer whose bird made several passes around the arena and low over the heads of the audience before being allowed to snag his lure. There was also exhibitions of trained Andalusian horses who performed various equestrian feats. The main attraction of course was the tournament with the six knights competing, each cheered on by his respective section. The show is fun to watch and has bad guys and good guys. The tournament hall seats 1,100, according to brochures, but the crowd Wednesday night couldnt have been much more than half that. Swords clang and throw sparks, lances shatter into splinters, knights are unhorsed (its obviously heavily choreographed but, considering the consequences of a misstep, thats easily forgiven). Theres theater quality lighting, smoke machines, strobes and musical cues to heighten the action. Pageantry, drama and good defeats evil in the end. Heres what it cost for me and the boy: I used a coupon giving one free admission with a full paid adult admission, so tickets altogether cost $57 (tax and convenience fee for booking online included). Two souvenir hurricane glasses of Pepsi with "Medieval Times" logo from the bar = $22. Copy of the photo with the King and Princess = $20. Our serving serf Dmitri was a pleasant host and nice to my kid, so I tipped him $15. Total (gas to drive there not included): $111. Thats with none of the other extras (knighting, stable tour, VIP seating, etc) we couldve added on. The food was decent and filling (my ten-year-old boy couldnt eat it all). The experience is not about the food, however. The play is the thing. Seeing the show with a kid or two is advisable, as is cheering and booing at the appropriate times without worrying if youre cool. Children under 8 might be intimidated by the noise and the action, while kids 12 and over may not be able to allow themselves the luxury of acting goofy. Overall, the experience was worth the money. My son had a great time and he has souvenirs to help remember our visit. If hes interested, we might go back next year. When his younger siblings are ready, Ill take them, too.

JO

Jonathon Thomas

WARNING: The show has flashing lights in a darkened arena, as well as loud music and even louder cheering. This could be an issue for any loved ones with PTSD. Medieval Times is one of those places where you sit, eat, and wonder how the hell they manage to turn a profit (up until you get to the souvenir shop, more on that later). The food is seriously good considering the sheer amount of it they have to put out for one show. While generally safe for people with sensitive pallets, it’s still got enough flavors to be enjoyable. As a bonus, the place is insanely clean and I seriously wonder how they manage to get several hundred people in, fed, out and clean up after them before the NEXT group goes in… Of course, the show itself is good entertainment. The actors clearly enjoy what they do, the animals look like they’re well treated, and it’s clear that safety is an extremely high priority. The writing is nothing to get really worked up about, but the actors clearly understand that and ham it up to get the desired effect. If you have younger children, they will absolutely LOVE it. Now… the souvenir shops. Things are, not surprisingly, overpriced for what you’re buying (after all, little Timmy is so pumped about being a knight and OH MAN WOOD SWORD GIMMIE), but after checking the pricing on Amazon they’re not completely ripping you off. It’s a pretty reasonable upcharge, all things considered, but don’t be surprised if you’re suddenly staring down a $400 charge on your account because you saw that awesome Master Sword and Hylian Shield... oh and the photos, can’t forget that. They also do some REALLY cool things with the cast. You can get knighted (with photo, optional sword purchase), but you can have your knighting as part of a marriage or child announcement! Pretty cool way to announce your marriage to the world. It’s also the most reasonably priced souvenir you can get. Overall, I’d recommend you go at LEAST once. If you go in, resist the urge to drop money on souvenirs, and enjoy the dinner and show it’ll easily be worth the money. And hey, maybe your special someone wouldn’t mind if you got that Game of Thrones replica sword…

PA

Page Mathews

8-19-17 Spent over 500 bucks (kings royalty upgrade for 2 adults 3 kids) and have compliments and complaints on this place. This castle was very nice and clean despite being located in a mall that has seen better days. The show was awesome and the kids are still amped. My complaints. 1.Please usher guests to their seats, security popping up telling us to move after we got settled was a bit heavy handed and frustrating, luckily the server told her it was fine but not the VIP treatment one would expect 2.Please keep the distractions to a minimum, selling cheesy keep sakes is great but you have a million dollar lobby for that and I want to watch the show and my kids smile NOT wave off solicitations. 3.The photographer, you interrupted us took a photo and said you had a great picture that we wanted to buy but when we saw it our eyes were closed, you call that great? Thanks for nothing, maybe show the guests and get it right and you will make more money that way. 4. The food, go to Wal-Mart buy a box of Texas toast and a rotisserie chicken and you just had dinner at medieval times. Not a major issue but dont let people tell you the food is amazing! 5. Encourage all the servers to get the crowd fired up, we were a bit jealous that the yellow and red section had a server that will win an Oscar one day while our section which contained guests paying extra (kings royalty) had a nice young lady that didnt seem to be into the medieval times brand. This is long winded enough but we did honestly have a great time, we want to see this company give us reason to return again and again is why I wrote this thing.

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