In the Spotlight :: Pirate’s Dinner Adventure

We were invited to see the new Pirate’s Dinner Adventure in Buena Park yesterday and had an absolute blast!  I have wanted to see the show for many years now but haven’t had a chance to go.  My daughter invited a friend who also loves pirates and the look on both of their faces the entire show was really too much fun.  We arrived early and were fortunate to have a quick tour by Celeste who has worked there for over 8 years.  She recommended we watch the pre-show and we sat in a large room with a bar as the stage.  The pre-show was a precursor of what was to come as we were introduced to many of the crew.  The Gypsy did an amazing aerial performance in the center of the room and had us all on the edge of our seats. The MC of the crew, Mr. Magee, played by RC Ormond (you have seen him on such shows as CSI and in Ben Stiller’s movie DodgeBall) was hysterical and announced that we had to follow our pirate back to the ship.  There are six pirates and when they called your seating color (we were with the red pirate, Cutthroat Jack) we marched behind him to the ship.

Shiver Me Timbers! An Authentic Pirate Ship:

The ship is an authentically replicated 18th-century Spanish galleon measuring 46 feet long, 18 feet wide with 40-foot masts is anchored in a 250,000-gallon indoor lagoon with night sky lighting. Surrounding the lagoon is a six-sided showroom of six additional “ships” where the audience is seated.  Many of the pirates were seated in their “Ship” area before the show, so if people wanted to talk to him or take photographs you had a chance to get up close and personal with a real, live pirate!  Cutthroat Jack, played by the entertaining Chris Mendez, was the captain of the red ship and when he asked for a lassie who wanted to participate in a game, I was so caught up in the pirate adventure, I jumped out of my seat waving my hand.  Poor guy didn’t have a chance to ask anyone else!  He told me that during the show, my job was to throw some red cannonballs up to him in the crow’s nest above my seat where he would be waiting.  Then he had to throw the cannonballs into the net across the ship mast and whichever pirate made three baskets and flew across the pirate ship on a rope to the other side – won the game.  Let’s suffice to say I had about a 50% accuracy rate but we didn’t come in last…  He was one of my favorite pirates and really kept the kids entertained.  Throughout the show he frequently come up into the audience to talk to the wee ones.  I am sure this made many of their nights as I know it made my daughter’s night!

More than 150 guests have the chance to play an actual role in each show as the evil Captain Sebastian the Black leads his crews of renegades to the ship, taunting the seaport “villagers” (audience members) along the way. Even youngsters can be part of the action, donning costumes to row dinghies in a crucial pirate race around the lagoon or board the galleon to brave the dastardly Sebastian the Black.

These opportunities to be a part of the show is a big bonus in my opinion.  There were several opportunities for youngsters to come up onto the deck or participate if they wanted to.  If you would like your name or your child’s name mentioned at the beginning of the show, you are able to let them know at the front desk, pay a small fee, and they will announce your little lad or lassie’s name.   They taken onto the stage during the show and have their picture taken with the gypsy and given some pirate booty.  Captain Sebastian the Black was amazing and really kept the audience entertained.  He made the kids honorary pirates and you could see all the kids up on the pirate ship having the time of their lives.

The Story:

The all-new adventure, ‘Rise of the Sea Dragon,’ is set during the night of the 10th Annual Governor’s Gala, a celebration of Captain Beauregard Fetter’s defeat of the dreaded Captain Sebastian the Black and his horde of pirates. Also in attendance at the Gala is her Royal Highness, Princess Anita, played by the lovely Chelsi Ervien. This year, the guests of the Gala are in for a special treat! Captain Fetter, played by Matt Ervien, reveals he has found the last descendant of a fabled Gypsy tribe who are said to hold the key to a legendary pirate treasure. The coveted treasure is hidden in a Secret Cove and guarded by a terrifying Sea Dragon. At the climax of the evening’s festivities PIRATES ATTACK! Captain Sebastian the Black played by Steve Rally who has been with the original show in Florida, and his pirate crew catch Captain Fetter by surprise and take him, the Gypsy, Princess Anita and all of the guests captive. They are then brought on board the ship in the Secret Cove where he plans on taking revenge on Captain Fetter and using the Gypsy and Princess Anita to perform a ritual which will locate the legendary treasure. What Captain Sebastian does not plan on is his own son, Benjamin Blue, played by the handsome Donny Nichols, falling for the Princess and leading a mutiny against his father in the name of love.

Enjoy a Feast Fit for a Pirate King:

Served during the show, you can enjoy a fresh garden salad with house dressing or vegetable soup. Choice of roasted 1/2 chicken or sliced smoked ham, buttery mashed potatoes or West Indies yellow rice with Caribbean seasonings and mixed vegetables.  Chocolate fudge brownie and vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Soft drinks and coffee are included.  I opted for the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.  The dinner was really delicious and the kids ate up their dinner as well.  It was served hot and even the brownie was warm.  Yum!

After dinner, every guest is invited to “get up close and personal wit the stars of the show through photo opportunities and autographs.  We had a chance to meet with the crew up on the deck and tell them all how impressed we were with the show, storyline and amazing stunts!  The Captain’s wife, Treasure, played by Brenda Castillo, is a beautiful, fiery redhead who sung throughout the show and has an amazing voice.  Each cast member brought their own personality to the show and Celeste mentioned how many of them are professional stuntmen, acrobats or actors in Hollywood.  The duo silk aerial show was created by the Green Pirate, played by Jason Sanfilippo who is the stunt and acrobatic coordinator, and show supervisor.  He has been with the original crew back in Florida and came to California when the Buena Park location was founded.  The aerial show really was one of the highlights of the adventure and I found myself holding my breath as they preformed some pretty amazing feats!

Histarrghy:

Pirate’s Dinner Adventure is the creation of its artistic directors, brothers Ramon and Antonio Riba of Spain. Well-known in Europe for their popular “La Scala” dinner shows in Barcelona, Madrid and the Canary Islands, the Ribas had a lifelong love of vintage pirate movies and dreamed of making new pirate movies of their own. Eventually that dream evolved into creating an interactive adventure that brings the pirate experience to life. The first Pirate’s Dinner Adventure opened in Orlando, Fla. in 1996 and has thrilled more than 2 million guests. Heightened by the arrival of the Ribas’ long-time collaborator, trapeze artist and theatrical producer Imre Baross, as director of entertainment, the success of the Orlando show led to the opening of a second Pirate’s Dinner Adventure on the West Coast.

The show is filled with amazing stunts, a breathtaking aerial show, special effects and tons of fun on the High Seas!  If you have an adventure-loving kid or a pirate fan yourself (raising my hand)  – you will love this show!  Celeste mentioned that they also have different themed shows throughout the year including the Vampire Halloween Show and Holiday Show.  We are fans and plan to attend again this year!

Good news dandelion moms!  We have four tickets courtesy of Pirate’s Dinner Adventure to hand out in a giveaway!  Make sure to enter as often as you can – this show you don’t want to miss!  Thank you to Liz Roberto, the Marketing Manager of Pirate’s Dinner Adventure for the invite and to Celeste for taking such great care of us at the show!

To read more about Pirate’s Dinner Adventure go to: https://www.piratesdinneradventureca.com/

You can find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/piratesdinneradventurebuenapark?fref=ts

Disclosure: We were provided with tickets by Pirate’s Dinner Adventure to attend the show but this did not affect my opinion in any way.  I loved the show!

Here is a list of the cast and crew:

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