Arabian Nights

We often stay at our timeshare Vacation Village at Parkway, which is on Arabian Nights Blvd. We actually pass Arabian Nights and the two parking lots are side by side. Last time we went we were given free tickets to Arabian Nights. We walked through the large parking lot and to the door. We went early and were given good seats in the third row. We watched the belly dancing pre-show and then went into the main arena. I was dressed really nice for an evening out and we had to climb down over our benches to be seated. It was really cold in the huge hall. We had all you can drink wine, beer, and soda. A salad awaited us and we had a choice of several meals. The prime rib was delivered in darkness and we only found all the fat on it by biting into it. The show was excellent and the horses excelled. However the overall experience was just okay. If we had had to pay $40-$50 a person I would have felt it had been a rip off. more

We love going to the different dinner shows in the central florida area. Arabian Nights is definately our favorite place. The food is good and they give you generous portions. Not 5-star restaurant food, of course, but a good tasty meal - after all, your main attraction is the show itself! Usually, your main entree choices are prime rib, chicken or pasta/lasagna - they do have a vegetarian option as well. Prior to the show, you wait in the huge 'lobby' type area. There is a large bar in the center of the room where you can get alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. They keep the entertainment going pre-show too --- we always love watching the belly-dancer!! During the height of tourist season, it may get a little crowded on a busy evening, but there is a lot of seating around the perimeter of the room. Just before the show, the 'sultan' will appear and carry on with the crowd a few moments - then they take everyone in to the main theatre. The show is phenomenal!!! If you like horses at all, you will LOVE this show! Your best bet - if you're going on a Fri or Sat night, go to the 2nd show of the evening! After the last show, they turn the horses loose in the arena & you get to watch them romping around & 'playing' after all their hard work entertaining you all evening! The story-line of the show is great - I won't go into details here so I don't spoil it for you! But you've got the Sultan, the Princess (his daughter), the Prince,the wonderful Genie, and then.... of course, the evil prince!! That's the human characters, but the horses are the REAL stars of the show!!! The overall top star is The Black Stallion!!! (from the Walter Farley books...) The world-class horsemanship displayed throughout the show takes your breath away, the stunts are amazing, the costuming is beautiful, and the horses themselves are just incredible!!! Ticket prices are on par with other dinner shows. I don't know of a full-blown dinner show attraction in this area that isn't somewhere in the neighborhood of $45-50 a person per adult. This one is definately worth every penny! Handicap accessibility & the way that Arabian Nights handles things for a wheelchair-bound person is great. Not everyone understands that it takes more than a ramp at the door & a bar in the bathroom. If we're paying to see a show, we don't want to be stuck in a far rearmost corner of the arena, behind obstacles that partially block our view, just because we're in a wheelchair! (And this HAS happened before at other places!) If you can only see ONE dinner show in all of central Florida, this is the one to see!!! more