10 Things I wish I knew before I went to Medieval Times
As a blogger I get to do a lot of fun things, and sometimes I get to include some of my favorite people. When I had the opportunity to go to Medieval Times in Buena Park, it was an easy decision for Jason and I to invite our close friends Chris and Jamie. What made the experience that much better was that for 3 of the 4 of us it was our first time attending and seeing the show.
As a review blogger myself, I decided to look up reviews to give me an idea of what to expect and after attending I feel like there are something’s that were missing. Therefore I compiled a list of the 10 things I wish I knew before we saw Medieval Times:
1. To Drink or not to Drink? This is for the adults who want to drink – if you purchase a drink you can choose your choice of souvenir glasses. The base cost starts at $15.00 (that was the cost of our glasses). Refills start at $7.00 and you end up with a little more than fits in your cup – quite the good deal. If you do not want to pay for drinks they have complementary water, tea and Pepsi. I had the Mermaid’s Kiss and Jason had a Mango Margarita which were both really good. While the cups were expensive, they are a strong metal that makes you feel you’re in the medieval times and will be reused.
2. Restrooms – If you have to go to the bathroom I would recommend going before the show – there really is no leaving since the tables have no room to walk past without disrupting your entire row. There are exits on the side of the row, but since we were seated in the middle there were about 5 people on either side of all of us. Speaking of bathrooms, right after the show the ladies bathroom gets busy fast, so if you have to go prepare for a minor wait (it took about 20 minutes for Jamie and I to do our business). Although we did not mind the wait since we had a hour and half drive home. 
3. Speaking of no room – if you are a larger person, or if you require leg room be sure to mention it when they are seating you as they may be able to accommodate your request. We failed for a aisle seat because we did not think of it at the time, but I can tell you that if you are taller than 5’10 you will be in for a little discomfort. Chris is 6’2 and Jason 6’5 and they both were feeling a little cramped. Jamie and I, being in the 5’6 range were fine and adequately comfortable.
4. Arrive Early, Walk Around – There are multiple shows and I would recommend the early show since the crowd is a bit lighter. Speaking of early, be sure to show up early so that you can walk around the shops, and see the horses in the stables. The creators have really made this a destination and a fun place to walk around. There are also announcements about the show from town criers while you wait, so be sure you catch those. There is a fun little announcement ceremony that told us how to enter the arena for our seating, which was by the color of our crowns.
5. Color Choice – After you enter the bar area they assign you a color and this is the knight you root for during your dinner adventure. If there is a particular color you want, be sure to mention it when you get your crown, and they may be able to accommodate you. We were assigned the Red Knight, which brought me a little confusion with the red and black knight. Luckily they make it very clear the knight that you are rooting for, and honestly the Knights really play it up for the crowd.
6. Flag or No Flag? After you are seated in your colored section a flag seller comes by to sell the flags ($5.00 a piece) in your assigned color. I was told that with the purchase of a flag my chances were higher of receiving a flower from our knight. I, as well as Jamie, never received a flower despite having two of the loudest screamers and 2 flags a waving almost the entire time. I would definitely advise purchasing a flag – it really adds to the over all experience and gets you in the spirit.
7. Meat of the Feast – The dinner options included 2 options – meat/chicken and a vegetarian option. Dinner is served to everyone at the same time cafeteria style. The dinner consists of 3 courses including a tomato soup with a piece of garlic bread, the main dish and a dessert that consisted of an apple turnover. The meal was really good considering that they serve 1,000 people at the same time. Also be sure to remember that there are no utensils – you use your hands. They do provide a wet wipe after the meal, so you are not stuck with dirty hands for the remainder of the show.
8. Photo Ops – If you want a photo taken they do charge for photos, but there are many different photo opportunities throughout the arena and outdoor area to have photos taken. We deliberately arrived early so that we could walk around and, not only see the site, but to also get pictures. The employees are very accommodating about taking photos – don’t be afraid to ask!
9. Plan for Silence – The next morning, if you yell for your knight, plan on not having much of a voice – RED KNIGHT was yelled loud and strongly for over an hour. There was a rumor that the knights whose section yelled the loudest would be declared the winner. Despite being with the two loudest yellers (our knight looked up at us at one point almost to acknowledge he heard Chris and Jason screaming their support), our knight lost. I would encourage cheering for your knight despite the result – it makes the whole experience a lot more fun.
10. I wish I knew – The final thing that I wish I knew was how much fun it really is. I have lived in California and within a couple hours or less of this arena my entire life, yet here I sit at 40 years old sharing my experience. Jason and I have been talking about attending since the moment we got together, yet for one reason or another we decided against it. I know that if cost is a concern, Groupon frequently has deals to help cut the cost. I think EVERYONE should at least attend once, and if possible go with other people – it is so much fun!
As a bonus the parking is included in the price of the ticket and the parking lot is convenient and the walk to the castle was not long or arduous in anyway. I did notice that as we were leaving they were preparing for the next show, and so there was a dance of entry and exiting taking place with the cars. The entry and exiting was smooth and we were able to exit with little to no delay other than a couple small timid drivers that were unsure where they were going.
The show flows along well, and the meals are well timed and at no point did I ever feel rushed through a meal. I do wish there were seconds of the tomato soup and bread, these were both very tasty. The chicken came and honestly I was so involved with the show that I just began picking away at the bird while they were still delivering the potato. As the meal was cleared the show continued and dessert was served. The show was completed a little while after dessert and the finale was grandiose and theatrical – we loved it!
If you have been considering going, I would say take the leap and go, root for a knight and eat with your hands – it was the best night we have had in a LONG time!
Thank you Medieval Times in Buena Park, you put on quite the show!
Let say that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Medieval Times -Buena Park, CA..
Sounds like a lot of fun! I know we have one near us too, up in Chicago and I have never been either. Might have to make the trip up there with my son.
Rhiannon – It was so much fun that I would say go! I am so glad that we had to opportunity – we all wished we would have done it sooner! Let me know if you go and how you like it!
My husband and I are toying with the idea of going soon. This post just makes me more eager. Thanks for the share!
If you are considering it I would recommend going! It was SO MUCH fun – my husband and his friend Chris are still are yelling RED KNIGHT as a greeting to one another (as well as random texts).