This is a guest post written by Joslyn Gould, a friend of mine from the olden days (you know, long BEFORE kids). Joslyn has two daughters, Althea, who is 3 1/2 years old, and Autumn, who is almost two. The names may seem familiar to you and I’m sure the pictures will – Joslyn, Althea, and Autumn make regular guest appearances here on Toddling Around Chicagoland because we adventure with them as often as we can, and Joslyn has done a couple Avon giveaways here too. Pretty soon you’ll be able to read more from Joslyn because she’s working on her own blog – yay! In the meantime, you can find Joslyn on Twitter at @jmgould76, on her Avon site, or on her Facebook page, Joslyn’s Journey. Joslyn’s also doing the 2012 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (39 miles in 2 days!) and you can visit her page here if you’d like to donate.

 Medieval Times – website

Location: 2001 Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL 60195

Phone: 866-543-9637 (National center)

Hours: Show times vary from week to week. The schedule can be viewed online. There are typically shows Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Matinees are still full price, but can be less crowded.

Ticket prices:

**** Family Finds has a deal on Medieval Times tickets for up to 44% off! (I’m not sure how long this deal will last. You do have to register for another site, Goldstar, but registration is free and they have discounts on lots of other tickets too.)

Adult $59.95
Child 12 years & younger $39.95
Children under the age of three can be admitted free, but must sit on the lap of a parent and share from their plate.
The following ticket packages are available to upgrade your experience:

King’s Royalty Package – $20 additional per person (over $40 retail value plus premium seating):

• VIP first-row, all section or second-row, center section seating
• Framed group entrance photo
• Behind the scenes DVD
• Commemorative program
• Knights cheering banner

Royalty Package – $10 additional per person (over $20 retail value)

• Preferred seating in the second or third rows
• Behind the scenes DVD
• Commemorative program
• Knights cheering banner

Celebration Package – $16 additional per person (over $40 retail value)

• Preferred seating in the second or third row
• Slice of cake
• Framed group photo
• Behind the scenes DVD
• Commemorative program
• Knights cheering banner

Parking: There is free parking in the attached lot.

Bathrooms:  There are two sets of bathrooms in the main hall, and both men’s and women’s facilities have changing tables. There are additional bathrooms one inside the seating area, but these facilities are NOT equipped with changing tables.

Nursing area: There is no designated nursing area, but there are benches prior to enter the Hall of Arms area and some table seating at the opposite end of the main hall that would allow you to sit and nurse (it is loud and colorful, however, so I would recommend waiting until the show is in session if needing to nurse an easily distracted child).

Handicapped/stroller accessibility: The castle is very accessible for strollers, wheel-chairs, and walkers. Due to the nature of the arena seating, handicapped seating appeared to be at the top level. You are also required to leave strollers on the top level, prior to descending to your seats.

Amenities: Medieval Times is commercialism at its best! They have several store fronts to purchase souvenirs ranging from simple flags to complete medieval costumers. There are also weapons for sale, pewter knick-knacks, and a variety of other “themed” items for purchase. There are two full service bars in the main hall, a dance floor, a dungeon (tickets are $2 for the dungeon tour and it is not recommended for small children), and even glass enclosed stalls to see the horses.

Lunch/Dinner:

• Garlic bread
• Tomato Bisque Soup
• Oven-roasted chicken
• Spare rib
• Herb-basted potato
• Pastry (typically an apple turnover)
• Cola and coffee (you can ask for water, but speak up quickly to your server if this is the case)

And YES, you must eat with your hands!

We paid: The price is pretty steep – we only went because we had two complimentary tickets (won from the Chicago Children’s Toy Examiner!) and used a buy one, get one free coupon for the remaining members of our party – but I think it is well worth it to do at least once. We ordered our tickets online, using the BOGO coupon code, and so we paid for one full price adult admission and one full price child admission = $109.42 after tax and fees (I attempted to order over the phone, but they used the coupon to comp the two children admissions and I would have had to pay for two full price adult admissions). We also purchased two red flags at $1 each, two slushees at $5 each, and one pop at $7. Total (not including gratuity which you leave with the server) spent for our group of six was $128.42.

Our experience (show spoilers!):

The sheer size and stateliness of the castle welcomed us before our car even entered the lot. Upon entering the castle, we were transported to another place – all employees are in full medieval garb (wenches, squires, knights, etc) and speak to all of the guests as if they are royalty. Once checked in, we were send to receive our seating assignment – guests are assigned a color that corresponds to the section they sit in and the Knight they will be cheering for. We specifically requested the red section based on months of pleading by our 3-year-old (we had been assigned blue one a trip to a different location) and they were happy to accommodate us. After receiving the table assignment and out crowns, we were led in to have our picture taken with the Lord Chancellor (my 3-year-old was a bit disappointed because the Princess was taking pictures with guests entering the room through the other set of doors). The souvenir picture can be purchased later (they actually bring them to you at your table) for $20 and comes in a cardboard Medieval Times frame.

We arrived at the castle about an hour early, as was recommended when we reserved our seats, and had ample time to check everything out. We took our girls to see the horses first, and the Dungeon Master (the dungeon is located across from the horses but is not recommended for small children) was very friendly and spent time talking to the kids and even did a magic trick for them before being call back to dungeon duty. We then took some time to admire the weapons and tapestries on display in the Hall of Arms before heading to the store fronts. Luckily, our girls are little enough that they aren’t keen on all of the more expensive souvenirs and were happy with $1 red flags to wave while cheering on our knight! After exploring everything the girls were willing to do, we purchased beverages in plastic souvenir cups ($5 slushees for the kids and a $7 pop for me) and sat down on the benches lining on of the halls until the Lord Chancellor called all the guests to the main hall.

Once assembled in the Main Hall, the Lord Chancellor provided back story to the day’s events, and gave instructions for entry into the seating area/arena (Red/green are seated first, then black & white/red & yellow, followed by blue/yellow). Since we were seated in red, we entered and had to walk to the far end of the seating area – right near the platform King Phillippe and Princess Leonore address the audience from! Our seats were amazing! We did not pay for any of the upgrades, but because the lunch show is not as busy and we had requested the red section, we were in the second row! There really aren’t any bad seats due to the nature of the arena and the staged seating area – but we all loved being so close to the action. Dinner is served in stages throughout the show and you barely notice the server at all because you are so engaged in the performance.

The opening sequence shows Prince Tristan leaving to deliver the peace treaty to the King of Leone – the audience watches as he is captured, therefore unable to fulfill his task. Meanwhile, back at home, the King and Princess Lenore must prepare for the festivities celebrating this new peace. I don’t want to give too much away – but essentially the Don Temple (Green Knight) is the bad guy and Don Iofre Sant Creu (Black & White Knight), Don Alberto del Mau (Blue Knight), Lord del Font (Red & Yellow Knight), Don Eduardo del Rey (Yellow Knight), and Baron Ruiz de Roig (Red Knight) are the good guys.

The King’s procession was visually stunning and the girls loved all the colors and pageantry, the performances by the Master of Horses cooperate at our performance – the Lord Chancellor (who acts as the Master of Ceremonies) covered quite nicely with jokes and threats that the bird was going to butchered if it did not obey. The ‘tournament’ itself is the part the audience seems to enjoy the most – it is obvious from the skills of the performers that they must spend a tremendous amount of time practicing and perfecting their accuracy. As each Knight accomplishes a feat, he is presented with flowers from Princess Lenore, which he then throws to his adoring fans. My 3-year-old was rewarded for all of my loud and crazy cheering (hey, she wanted a flower) and was given a dark pink carnation from our dear, Red Knight.

**SPOILER** Near tournaments end, Don Temple brings his prisoner – Prince Tristan – out to flaunt to King Phillipe. Baron Ruiz de Roig helps free Prince Tristan and together they take on Don Temple and his men. Obviously, good triumphs over evil, and after being given the choice of “peace or death” Don Temple is slain. Baron Ruiz de Roig is the hero, and the story ends with Princess Lenore being reunited with her husband and then the cast is called out for a final curtain call.

The show really is very entertaining, and while the food is nothing to write home about, it isn’t bad. The girls loved that everyone, even Grandma, had to eat with their hands and got a little messy. Our youngest is almost 2 – she loved seeing the horses and kept asking for more “neigh-neighs” whenever there were none in the arena. Our 3-year-old was a bit scared of the one-on-one fighting (it is loud and sparks fly off of the weapons), but since she was surrounded by us and had seen the show previously, she handled it pretty well. I would think that around age 7 kids would really start to understand and fully enjoy the whole experience – but our kids had a great time anyhow. We have now been twice with the kids – once prior on vacation to Atlanta, GA – and already they are asking to go again. Maybe Santa will bring tickets for some time next year?

Do’s and Don’ts for your visit:

• Do a lunch show – it is much less crowded then.
• Don’t pay for the upgrades unless you really want the souvenir items – the view is great everywhere.
• Do bring a beverage (we brought sippy cups/juice boxes) for the kids.
• Don’t go if you are allergic to horses or are affected by theatrical smoke.
• Do request the section you want to sit in (it can’t hurt to ask) – if you want to be close to the King, request to sit in Green or Red.
• If you want the best overall view, request Black & White or Red & Yellow (this is where the upgrades are usually seated).
• Don’t bring in utensils (yes, folks do) – it takes away from the fun and the food is finger friendly.
• Do let your kids dress the part if they wish – there are tons of kids that show up in princess dresses, crowns, etc.
• Don’t bang anything on the tables or bring laser pointers – they can startle the horses.
• Do relax and have a good time – your kids are only young once and this is the kind of memory they will look back on one day.

Have you visited Medieval Times? What did you and your kids think of it?