Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show

Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show is a spectacular family dinner theater experience that combines a full four-course meal with an action-packed pirate adventure played out on a massive indoor lagoon with full-size pirate ships. Created by Dolly Parton's entertainment company, this show has become one of Myrtle Beach's most popular family attractions and delivers the kind of immersive, high-energy entertainment that creates vacation memories children talk about for years.

The experience begins in the pre-show pirate village, which opens 30-60 minutes before the main show. Here, costumed pirate characters roam the area interacting with kids, posing for photos, and building excitement for the battle to come. Face painting stations, a gift shop stocked with pirate hats and swords, and festive music set the mood.

This pre-show area is genuinely entertaining — not just a waiting area — and kids spend the time getting into character before the doors open.

Once seated in the massive arena surrounding the indoor lagoon, each section of the audience is assigned to either the Crimson or Sapphire pirate crew. This team allegiance transforms the audience from passive viewers into passionate participants. Kids wave their crew's color flag, cheer for their pirates, and boo the opposing team with uninhibited enthusiasm.

The competitive element is brilliantly designed to make children feel like they are part of the story rather than watching it.

The show itself is a high-production spectacle. Two full-size pirate ships sail across the lagoon as crews battle with swords, climb rigging, swing on ropes, and fire cannons. Acrobats and aerialists perform above the water.

A beautiful mermaid swims beneath the surface. Trained dogs, tropical birds, and even sea lions make appearances that delight younger viewers. The pyrotechnics, lighting effects, and original music create a genuinely immersive theatrical experience that rivals any theme park attraction.

The dinner is served throughout the show and embraces the pirate theme fully — no utensils are provided. Guests eat a four-course feast with their hands, which kids find absolutely hilarious and liberating. The meal typically includes creamy tomato bisque served in a bread bowl, a half rotisserie chicken, corn on the cob, herb-roasted potato, a pirate biscuit, and an apple turnover dessert.

Non-alcoholic drinks are included. The food is solid — not gourmet, but hearty and satisfying, and the no-utensils gimmick means kids too young to care about food quality are delighted by the permission to eat messily.

The show runs approximately two hours and works for an impressively wide age range. Toddlers are mesmerized by the colors, music, and animals. Elementary-age kids are the sweet spot — fully invested in the team competition and thrilled by the action sequences.

Even tweens and teens, who might roll their eyes at the concept beforehand, typically get swept up in the energy once the show begins. The only caution is for very noise-sensitive children: the cannon effects and crowd noise are loud, and the arena amplifies everything.