Parent Review of the All Ages Pirate Adventures (Kid's Birthday Pirate Cruise)

Ahoy there, mateys! For my Santiago of the Seas / Pirate-Loving-Son's fifth birthday, we opted on the one and only Pirate Cruise aboard the "Pieces of Eight" on Fort Myers Beach! The adventure itself is a fun and interactive cruise with your group (you can rent the full ship for a private charter or you can book your birthday with whomever from the public purchased tickets for the same day). We opted to have our group of 30 mixed with the public, which turned out great! 

I worked with Ryan VanDenabeele, the Marketing Director, and directly with Faiza Shariff, the Store Manager (who was so very helpful and communicative during the whole process). I worked with Faiza to book a cruise for 20, and then I was able to add more a couple of weeks after the initial booking. When you book, you receive a confirmation email with your receipt, the address, and all the details you need prior to going! I shared this information with all of our guests, so that they would be in-the-know as well.

We feared there would be a ton of traffic due to it being a weekend, spring break, etc, but the effects of Ian still linger all around the area - which was a little better for traffic. Bonus points for not even having to cross the Matanzas Pass Bridge onto the island! Upon arrival, the Pirate Cruise guests were allowed to park in the Parrot Key Restaurant reserved parking spots (per the confirmation email), and we did! This worked out really well for the birthday party because we were able to snag a spot right up front next to the picnic tables, where the ship docks. We had our trunk open, and from there, we were able to distribute our goodie bags, and store any gift bags that our son received. This made it so much easier so that we didn't have to carry extra baggage onto the ship.

All I brought on the ship, which I prepared ahead of time, was a backpack with my wallet, our water bottles, sunscreen, mini first aid kit, and spare shorts for my son. I would definitely recommend wearing breathable clothes that are suitable for the weather (especially on Florida's hot and sunny days).

As for being the reservation/party host, all I had to do was go into the store and speak to Faiza to collect our group's tickets. The kids' tickets came with 50% off coupons for lunch at Parrot Key after! I then brought our birthday cake to Parrot Key, right next door. The restaurant manager happily took it to the kitchen to keep it cool and safe while we went on our pirate adventure.

I went back to the car/picnic area and distributed the tickets amongst our guests. We were allowed to start boarding 30 minutes prior to departure. Folks stood in line, where the captain checked for tickets and names on his list. (Since we were a birthday group, my guests just had to state my name and that they were a part of the birthday group). Once everyone was boarded, we all found seats and waited for the captain to board. 

The captain boarded right on time, and they reviewed a few safety items while preparing us for departure. We "hoisted the anchors" and off we went! 

Once everything was cleared for departure, the crew asked that everyone take a seat while they maneuvered the 65-foot vessel around the marina area towards Matanzas Pass Bridge. The crew introduced themselves to us:  Esperanza Rosa, Kut Throat Kali, Typhoon Ty, and Sunny the Salty One. They are a hilarious bunch of pirates who interact *mostly* with the kiddos through their performances, but we adults found lots of their jokes quite humorous! Many of them were intended for adults, as the jokes would fly way over the kiddos' heads.

At no point did I believe it would be "scary" for any kiddos. They kept it clean, funny, interactive, and fun! The pirates kept the kids entertained with many games, such as limbo, hot potato (with a skull) and a treasure hunt for a map/key/treasure aboard the ship. They exercised by hopping on one foot to music, got to engage in pretend swordplay, take pictures with the pirates and get a cool story time on the main deck. The story book was about 4' tall with colored pictures, and the pirates would describe the different pirate vocabulary and images in it. Typhoon Ty was a great sport as well, as he "tattooed" all of the kids throughout the cruise, and even let some of our little pirates tattoo him near the end.

There was also be a real live *miniature* cannon with a live round that was shot safely into the water! My son was the birthday boy of the cruise, and the wonderful Kut Throat Kali gifted him the shell casing from the cannon round as a trinket to remember the cruise by! During all of these activities, there were a few parents that participated with their younger kids, but the majority of us were able to sit back and enjoy the ride!

The cruise ship has bench-style seating all around the edges - seating on both sides of the main deck (where most of the activities were performed), seating on both sides of the galley/bar area (plus standing room around a bar height counter), seating all around the upper deck of the front of ship (where the captain sits, and in my opinion, the best views), and seating for a maximum of six people on the upper deck of the back of the shop (which no one on our cruise utilized). 

All of our adult party guests were able to order a beverage from the galley, then find a seat (or stand around) and chat! Looking into the water, we saw many dolphin pods playing around, lots of pelicans and other birds, and lots of improvements being made on Estero Island, in general! It really was nice to see and gave me a good feeling that things are in that upward climb towards recovery from Hurricane Ian.

Once we were out on San Carlos Bay, you could feel the waves and wake of other large vessels, but it wasn't that bad! I don't believe anyone got seasick from the little bit of rocking that did occur - the pirates taught the kiddos to have a wide leg stance during their activities, so that they could lessen the chance of falling over. 

At the beginning of the cruise, my son had his full pirate outfit on - a long sleeve shirt, vest, hat, pants, belt, eyepatch, sheath and sword. But, knowing that it would get too hot for him, he opted to take off his long sleeve shirt early in the cruise, leaving just his vest on his chest. Later in the cruise, he opted to exchange the pirate pants for his black gym shorts that I packed. It was super easy to change out on their bathroom on board. It was right on the main deck, and was a pretty large room! The bathroom was home to a toilet, sink, and a window (high enough that kids couldn't get out of). We had plenty of space to swap those pants for shorts.

One of the next activities was the kids searching the ship for a treasure map and a key. They brought the map and key back to the main deck, where they used the map to find the treasure. They pulled the treasure out and let each child choose one medallion and one treasure map of their own as a prize. This was also picture time! While on the way back to port, on Matanzas Pass, the pirates hosted one final dance party to celebrate becoming official pirates after having found the treasure. As we approached the docks, we were asked to take our seats again so that the captain and crew could safely bring us home.

Upon docking, we all gathered our things and deboarded. They held a treasure chest for tips at the end, of which I gave my son (the birthday boy) some cash to put in there for them - he was so proud to do so! Tipping is not required, but I just feel that they worked hard to perform, keep the kiddos entertained, keep us safe, and get us back to port safely - they deserved it!

Parent Review of Parrot Key Caribbean Grille (Birthday Lunch Restaurant)

After having returned to land, part of our birthday fun was having a reservation at Parrot Key for lunch! It was perfect because it was now 1pm, and the kids had so much fun in the sun that they worked up an appetite! Folks in our party took bathroom breaks before we got situated at our tables. We walked as a group to the host stand (the walkway to the right of Captain Jack Sparrow's statue). The whole restaurant was open concept with a very nice breeze coming through - the fans didn't even need to be turned on in the 84 degree weather. There is a large bar in the center of the restaurant, right in front of the host stand, with seating everywhere else. The kitchen was the only area that had complete walls/rooms.

We let the hosts know we were there for the party, and they took us to the left, and back. We ended up being seated in a group of tables in the section right behind the large Adirondack beach chair, facing the parking lot area. There was a little stage there, cool colorful string lights above our heads, and lots of bright, vibrant, Caribbean colors everywhere. The restaurant looked quite busy up front, but back here, it was only our large party, and two other tables with families there. The rest of the seating was all unoccupied at the time, which made for a perfect preschooler-aged party!

The servers came to take our drink orders, but we were all ready to order. We had two designated servers who were wonderful in assisting our group of 14 adults and 11 kids (ages 4-5 mostly). The kids all had a coloring page (with 3 crayons) to keep them busy while waiting for our meals. They also had all of the treasures they collected from the ship and our goodie bags. They did so well and were so behaved and patient! About five minutes before the food arrived, some of the kids were running around (in the empty section by the stage/wall behind us) playing tag. They weren't bothering anyone, breaking anything, or misbehaving, just having a little preschool fun, which made my heart happy to see.

When the food arrived, it suddenly got a whole lot quieter. The kids were scarfing everything down and chatted for a bit when they were finished and waiting for things to be cleaned up. Once everyone was near done, the manager brought the cake out on a separate empty table. He even brought small cake plates and plastic spoons for us - how thoughtful! We were able to light the candles, sing happy birthday and enjoy the cake, all in our "private dining area."

Our servers must've taken our orders well, because when it came time for the checks, they already separated them perfectly for us! They had a mini tablet on their wrists, where we could review the itemized receipt and confirm. We paid with a card, right on the tablet, it asked us to sign and if we wanted to tip right on the device, then voila! All done!

After lunch was the perfect time for one more potty break and pictures right in the area. They have a bench between the bathrooms, a large beachy Adirondack chair, Captain Jack Sparrow's statue complete with a treasure chest, a mural with holes for heads to go in for pictures, and more! Lots of fun photo ops for visitors.

Summary

I would HIGHLY recommend Parrot Key Caribbean Grille and Salty Sam's All Ages Pirate Adventure Cruise to families in the Fort Myers - Fort Myers Beach area, and visitors! They were perfect for our 5-year-old's birthday party, and great entertainment for kids in general! I'm so thankful that we were able to make this happen, not just for the sake of my son's birthday, but because it felt really good to be back on the beach again. It was so good to see some progress in the area, like less debris and boats in the water, more restaurants open for business, etc. While there is still TONS of work that needs to be done, I thoroughly enjoyed helping my community in this very special way - helping the local economy and therefore the local workers/residents!

Even if you want a date night or an adults-only cruise and dinner, I'd suggest coming here to enjoy yourselves and support our neighbors. They have great spirits and service even in these really hard times. Do encourage your friends and family to visit as well and if you get a chance to meet Faiza, the Store Manager of the Pirate Cruise, tell her Macaroni KID sent you!

FAQs

How long does the cruise last?

The cruise lasts 90 minutes, and you are allowed to board 30 minutes early to get situated. You are asked to remain seated while departing and docking after it ends. The cruise port was at Salty Sam's Marina and we followed Matanzas Pass out into San Carlos Bay and back to port again.

Are you allowed to bring food/beverages on board? Do they offer food/beverages for purchase?

You are allowed to bring your own snacks, water bottles on board. They have a cash/credit bar in the shaded galley, which offers water, snacks (like chips), alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.

What do the kids get to do?

They learn how to be pirates, of course! They will play games, exercise by hopping on one foot to some music, swordplay, limbo, hot potato (with a skull), treasure hunts, pictures, "tattoos," story time, and a dance party right before you get back to the docks. There will also be a real live *miniature* cannon with a live round that is shot safely into the water! My son was the birthday boy of the cruise, and the wonderful lead pirate gave him the shell casing from the cannon round as a trinket to remember the cruise by!

Should you tip?

Tipping is not required, but they are providing a service and great entertainment for you! It's like a family-friendly booze cruise, with child entertainment, haha! We loved the entertainment, and the kids enjoyed it so much they'll be talking like pirates for weeks, so yes, we tipped - both for the bar and the entertaining crew members!

How can we book our family's trip?

You can book your cruise online or via phone. You'll get a confirmation email with tons of good information to help you prepare for the cruise.

What should we wear?

You can wear anything you like (as long as it's appropriate and family-friendly). Most of the adults were dressed in casual clothing that was appropriate for the weather on the boat - think t-shirts, tanks, dresses (beware of wind), shorts, etc. Most of our birthday group had the kiddos in pirate costumes. We also provided our birthday group with goodie bags that had pirate hats, eye patches, inflatable swords, and more goodies, and they used those props on the ship.

Does the pirate cruise offer "goodie bags" for all kids?

Yes! They offer two different packages for the kids, if you'd prefer those options.

Are there age limits?

For the All-Ages Cruise, no! Our party included a 6-month old and her stroller, which worked out perfectly when baby wanted to rest. The dock was pretty wide and sturdy, and there was plenty of room to push the stroller down the dock and up the short ramp onto the boat. The bathroom on board had plenty of space for baby diaper changing, crutches, wheelchairs, etc. It was very accessible! 

Is it safe?

I think it is very safe! When you first arrive, the dock is really wide and sturdy. There is a short ramp with handrails, and a pirate, to help you aboard. The whole main level (deck, galley and bathroom) had no obstacles in the middle of the walkways. The side rails of the ships were about hip height when standing. The seating (benches) were all on the sides of the ship and out of the way. Windows in the galley and bathroom were high enough that unsupervised kids shouldn't be able to climb out of - yes, they were all open to allow a fresh breeze. The stairs (or ladders, as they call them), were a tad bit steep and each step was a little smaller than my shoes. The stairs had handrails and no-slip gripping on each step, for safety. The stairs were wide enough for two people side-by-side going up/down. The upper decks had boat walls and railings on top of them starting at shoulder level. There are signs that remind everyone to sit properly, not kneel or stand on the seats so that they wouldn't be able to fall through the railings above. The only thing to "worry" about would be to make sure you are seated, have a grip on a rail, or have a wide stance when the waves rock the boat - but even that wasn't bad at all!

Want to get in touch with us? Contact your publisher (Arianna) at mackidfortmyersbeach@macaronikid.com.

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