Medieval Times Is Revelry At Its Best!

   

We recently visited Medieval Times Toronto to see the 2-hour family-friendly live action horse & knight competition show, and to enjoy the 4-course meal that is included the ticket price. From the moment you enter, you are treated like royalty. Though the dress code for attendees is casual, being referred to as  "My Lord" and "My Lady", and seeing all the decor and costumes makes you almost feel like you are actually part of an 11th century tournament!

I want to start off by letting everyone know that they will be having a BOGO promotion from March 1st to April 6th, 2015! They also typically have a number of other special offers throughout the calendar year, and Canadian & U.S. military are also eligible for discounts. Military discounts need to be booked through local bases as these types of discounts are not offered at the box office. Always check for specials & promos! Why pay more if you don't have to?!

The Toronto Castle is part of the Toronto Exhibition Place, and is the only Medieval Times venue here in Canada. It is also the largest of all of their castles in North America, and seats 1,400 people!  

Although free parking is available at their U.S. locations, you will need to pay for parking if you plan to park at this particular venue. The day we visited, the cost was $11 and was cash only. It might cost more in the summer months and/or during special holidays like March Break. It would be nice if those in charge of the parking lot had signage posted advising that it is cash only before or immediately after pulling in. We didn't realize it would be cash only until we got right near the parking attendant's booth where it was posted. Thankfully I had just enough cash on me to cover the cost, otherwise I would have had to turn around and find an ATM before returning to wait in the parking line again. Once you park your vehicle, you walk over to the front of the building. There was a short period where we had to wait outside in line for about 10 minutes to get in the actual building. If you have little ones, be sure they are dressed for the weather if it is cold or inclement. We almost left our coats in the car, but I'm glad we didn't as it was quite cold with the windchills the day we were there. 

Admission tickets for this location are $69.95 for adults and $49.95 for children 3yrs - 12yrs of age. (Admission prices do not include the taxes, gratuities, and/or processing fees which may apply.) Children 2yrs & under are admitted free of charge if they can sit on your lap for the duration of the show and eat from your plate. If you think they might need their own seat for part of the show, you can request a high chair. This can be provided free of charge as long as there is an open seat next to where you will be sitting (meaning no one has purchased that seat), and they will still need to eat off of your plate. If there is no room at your table, then it won't be provided unless you are paying for the seat, assuming that the show is not sold out. I would suggest you mention this need when checking in to get your seat assignment so that they can accommodate you to the best of their ability by placing you in a section that might have more space available so you don't end up having to pay the extra admission price. If you do end up having to pay for the additional seat, then a separate meal will be provided for your child. If you can get a highchair at no additional cost, I suggest you do so as the seating is quite close together. If you need a high chair then you probably have a diaper bag or something similar with you and would benefit from the extra space to store your items comfortably during the event.  Luckily, it seems that most seats would have a good vantage point, so your experience shouldn't be dampened if you had to choose a corner section to accommodate a high chair. Upgrades to the King's Royalty Package, the Royalty Package, and/or the Celebration Package are available at an additional cost. They offer things like VIP first row seating, programs, banners, DVDs and more.  

Showtimes vary, and specific dates and times are listed on their calendar. Most shows though, are on the weekend starting at 4:30pm & 7:30pm. The castle doors open 75 minutes before the show starts. It's best to get there when the doors open, or as soon as possible thereafter for the best seating, because it is first come, first served. Once you present your tickets, you are provided with a table number. You then get your crown based on your table number and can take a picture with the King for an additional cost if it is not already included in an upgraded package. You are then whisked into The Hall of Arms where you can browse the gift shops, purchase cocktails from the bar, view the horses, watch a knighting ceremony and take pictures with the master falconer and his bird of prey. 

When it's time for the dinner and show to start, you will be called to your table by the colour of your crown. The colour of your crown and seating area dictates which of the 6 knights you will be cheering for. While dinner is being served, the show begins and continues throughout the meal. 

The meal, which if you hadn't already heard about, gets eaten with your hands. It consists of four courses, and everyone, including children, gets the same thing and the same sized portion. Each meal consists of tomato bisque soup, oven roasted chicken, a pork spare rib, garlic bread, and an herb-roasted potato. There is a full bar service that offers alcoholic beverages at an additional cost. The drinks included in the cost of the meal are fountain pop and water, as well as tea and coffee. The latter of which is served with a pastry turnover for dessert.  I found the food to be a bit bland but was well cooked. The chicken practically fell right off the bone. I would imagine that with catering to the masses and different age groups, one would have to be more cautious with seasonings and spices. If you have little ones or someone in your group that would require utensils, you are permitted to bring your own cutlery. Starting March 1st, 2015, they will begin to offer the same meal as mentioned, but with corn on the cob instead of the pork spare rib. 

It would be nice if they had a separate child's menu that catered more to their tastes and preferences. My son only ate the garlic bread, a bite or two of the chicken and to no surprise, the dessert. Vegetarian & halal meals are also available and can be requested when booking in upon arrival, or by leaving a comment when booking online. The vegetarian meals consist of hummus, warm pita bread, carrot & celery sticks, 3-bean tomato & brown rice stew and fresh fruit or Italian ice. If I were to do it again, I would order one vegetarian meal for one of us, and one regular meal for the other. This way, I could split it up so that my child would be able to eat some veggies and have other options seeing as he is not a big meat eater, like most kids his age. The halal meals consist of everything offered with the regular meal, with halal chicken being served instead. The portions are big, so be sure to ask for a take-out container to bring any leftovers home. I did this and used our leftover chicken to make chicken soup the next day. Now that's bang for your buck! 

The horses are beautiful and so talented! The training and skill that they have is truly amazing and especially impressive to watch if you grew up in the city and/or did not have exposure to horses and what they can do. These horses are raised & trained at the Medieval Times' 240-acre Chapel Creek Ranch in northeastern Texas before moving to one of the castles at 3 years of age. The knights are also trained at this ranch. Their horsemanship skills in action are equally impressive. The show's plot is set in medieval Spain and features 6 knights competing against each other using live jousting, sword fighting, hand to hand combat with medieval weapons & dramatic equestrian skill! While cheering on your knight, be prepared to see lances splinter to pieces and see sparks flying off of clashing swords! Try to catch your knight's eye, and you might just be lucky enough to have him bestow a flower upon you. There is also a bird of prey segment in the show. 

The competition is in an enclosed area similar to a ring you'd see at a typical horse show. Those with allergies to horses, dust, or suffering from other respiratory issues such as asthma will be attending at their own risk as the seating is wrapped around the ring. We sat right in the front row, and while I don't have any allergies, I didn't find it to be dusty at all. In fact, when I first sat down at our table, I wondered if that would actually be the case seeing as we were so close to the ring, but it was not. Just be aware of this though, in case you or someone in your party visiting the event might have a particular sensitivity to any of this.  

If you plan on attending with children under the age of 4yrs or with someone who is sensitive to loud noise, be sure to bring noise suppression ear protection for them. The noise level in the facility from the sound system and the cheering can be quite loud and would be comparable to that of being in a loud movie theatre. I don't think ear plugs would cut it with the little ones. Most young children would likely find this to be too loud, but would probably be able to enjoy the show with the proper ear protection to dull down the boisterous fanfare. It would be nice if Medieval Times sold them at the venue for those that weren't aware or forgot to bring them. There are also strobe lights and pyrotechnic special effects that could be bothersome to those who suffer from photosensitivity or the like. For all of these reasons, I would not recommend this event for infants or young toddlers. For the masses though, it's unique, fun and exciting! 

To buy tickets, you can purchase in advance online, or in person at the box office. For further information, give them a call at 1-888-WE-JOUST.

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****