Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets to Medieval Times.  All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal experience.

This summer, my friends and I made a list of activities we wanted to do as a group.  Among them was going to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament.  As the designated group planner, I took on coordinating this activity for our group of 17, including 11 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 4 to 8 years old.  Here are 10 Tips for a Fun Night Out at Medieval Times.

Tip 1 – Convenient Location

Medieval Times Lyndhurst Castle is conveniently located in Lyndhurst, NJ at149 Polito Avenue.  If you’re driving in from NYC, take the Lincoln Tunnel.  Another option is the NJ Transit train to Seacaucus Junction.  From the Seacaucus station,  take an Uber to the castle.

Tip 2 – Parking is Free

Tip 3 – Save on General Admission Tickets with Code NJBLOG36

Now through December 30, 2018, use promotion code NJBLOG36 to purchase General Admission adult tickets for $36.96 ($26 SAVINGS) and child tickets (12 and under) for $30.95 ($6 SAVINGS).  If you’re celebrating a birthday or special occasion, they offer upgrade packages for an additional charge.

Tip 4 – Seamless Group Reservations

Make your visit to Medieval Times memorable by getting a group of friends together, like we did.  Depending on the size of your group, you may qualify for a discounted group rate.  For group reservations, call 1-866-543-5278.  Patty and Taylor, the coordinators at Lyndhurst Castle, were great to work with.  They responded to my group request and emails in a timely manner.  They were friendly and helpful when group members called to purchase their tickets.  I arranged for each family to call Patty directly and purchase their tickets, which she appended to the group reservation.  This is one of the easiest and most seamless activities I’ve planned for our group.

Tip 5 – Pre-Show Activities

Doors open 90 minutes prior to show time.  We arrived at 3:30PM as suggested by the event coordinators for the 5PM show, because I hate rushing and being late.  When you enter the castle, you are given a table assignment and provided with a crown.  A group picture is taken by the Medieval Times photographer.

After the picture is taken, you enter a large hall.  This is where you are knighted, if you’ve purchased the upgrade.  You can shop for souvenirs, including banners, light up swords, shields, princess tiaras and unicorns on a stick.  You can even buy frozen drinks with or without alcohol and beer.

We spent most of our time taking pictures with the suits of armor and sword displays.  You remain in this area until the seating starts.  The seating is done by color.

Tip 6 – The Show

The show starts off with a horse performance.  The horses are beautiful, graceful and well trained.  Next, a falcon flies above the crowd.  Finally, the six knights are introduced.  Each knight represents a color or section of the arena.  The crowd gets into the action by cheering on their knight – ours was the yellow knight.

As a crafter, I loved the attention to detail in the costumes.  As the mom of a daughter, I liked that two of the key performers were women – the Queen and the horse trainer.  It makes the show appealing to both girls and boys.  The performers do a great job of entertaining the crowd and keeping them engaged throughout the 2 hour experience.

Tip 7 – Stadium Seating and Booster Seats

There is stadium seating so little ones can see all the action below.  They even provide booster seats.  To be honest, I could have used a booster seat myself.

Tip 8 – Eat a Light Lunch

I suggest you eat a light lunch before the show.  It’s a 3-course meal, including soup, entree and dessert, and the portions are pretty big.  At Lyndhurst Castle, the menu was:

• Tomato Bisque
• Toasted Garlic Bread
• Roasted Half Chicken
• Sweet Buttered Corn
• Herb Basted Potato
• Pastry of the Castle – Slice of Lemon Pound Cake
• Non-Alcoholic Pepsi Beverages (Sorry, Coke lovers)
• Coffee

The food got a thumbs up from our group.  If you’re like me and don’t like wasting food, don’t worry.  They provide doggie bags.

Tip 9 – Be Prepared to Eat like a Medieval Knight

If you haven’t heard, there is no cutlery at Medieval Times.  You are expected to eat with your hands, like in Medieval Times.  At the end of the meal, they provide warm wipes for your hands.  The kids enjoyed eating with their hands and getting messy.  Just between us moms, I’ve heard you can request cutlery, but why ruin the fun?  I almost brought plastic cutlery with me in case any of the kids (or adults) rebelled.

Tip 10 – Bring Cash for Gratuity

The server’s gratuity is not included.  I normally don’t carry cash (which I know I should in case of emergencies).  Luckily, we had enough cash among our group members to give Francis a decent tip.  Stop at the ATM before you go to the show.

I hope you find these tips helpful.  I can’t wait to see your pictures.  Share your experience using #latinamominnyc and #MTFan.  If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below.  For more kid-friendly activities near New Jersey and NYC, see posts in the Family Fun | Travel category.

Enjoy a trip back in time at Medieval Times,

Jackie

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Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets to Medieval Times.  All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal experience.