Pirates Voyage sails back to Myrtle Beach as one of the last attractions to reopen
Acrobats flew, the ghost of Davy Jones haunted, fire danced and Salty the sea lion almost stole the show in the return of Pirates Voyage to Myrtle Beach this month.
But with the coronavirus pandemic still raging on both indoors and out, things did look a little different at the seven seas spectacle, whose billboards dominate much of the Grand Strand and surrounding region. After more than five months out of business, Pirates Voyage reopened Sept. 4 for Labor Day weekend, making it one of the last entertainment venues to return in Myrtle Beach amid the pandemic.
If it weren’t for the face mask and social distancing requirements for audience members and servers, Dolly Parton’s Pirates Voyage might not look all that different to the returning viewer. The masks worn by most of the performers fit seamlessly into their pirate costumes. Some of the pirates even wear masks matching the colors of their ship, red for Crimson and blue for Sapphire.
The entertainment arena, built for servers to walk between rows, is practically designed for social distancing.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster allowed theaters like Pirates Voyage to reopen Aug. 3, but several held off out of caution.
Two other “dinner and show” venues also waited until Labor Day weekend to reopen: the Carolina Opry next door to Pirates Voyage and the Alabama Theater in North Myrtle Beach.
Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament was one of the first Grand Strand venues to reopen, on Aug. 8. Movie theater chains including AMC and Cinemark followed during the second half of August. One of the only area theaters yet to reopen is Legends in Concert, which has not announced a return date.
Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach waited to reopen to ensure all of its safety precautions were in place before welcoming back guests, marketing director Leah Hicks said.
“We just wanted to make sure that all of our crew was as safe as possible, that we had all of the right measures in place and following all of the CDC guidelines and the Grand Strand promise,” Hicks said, referencing the pledge many local businesses have made in recent weeks to healthy and safe practices. “That’s why it took a little bit longer. We just really wanted to make sure that everything was perfect before we started welcoming guests back.”
Making a safe, but still enjoyable, event
Safety precautions include temperature and COVID-19 symptom checks at the door, controlling how many people come into the building at one time and keeping the venue at 50% capacity or less. And audience members must wear a mask until they get to their seats for the show.
One of the biggest changes, though, is the cancellation of Pirates Voyage’s pre-show. In the past, attendees could arrive to the venue as much as an hour and a half early and hang out in a cafeteria-style area for drinks or snacks and watch shorter performances before heading into the arena for the main show.
Because of issues with trying to maintain social distancing, Hicks said they got rid of the pre-show for now, and guests are only let into the venue about 30-45 minutes before the event.
After the show, the audience is dismissed in phases, and the venue also opens its emergency exits to reduce spread out guests as they leave. Nevertheless, a minor bottleneck still occurred at the conclusion of a Monday night show, but mostly once people were outdoors on the emergency exit stairs.
Hicks said all surfaces the audience comes into contact with are sanitized between shows, and the venue goes through a deep-clean each night.
Even having only been open for a little over a week, Hicks said business has been booming. She said the venue has reached its reduced capacity at almost every show so far. And the venue is prepared to add more shows each day as needed to ensure as many guests as possible can enjoy the swashbuckling escapades.
“Guests are excited to be coming back and enjoying some time with their family and with our family and having a meal that they’re not having to cook for themselves,” Hicks said. “So, it’s been really good.”
Pirates Voyage offers shows several times a week. Tickets and times can be found online at PiratesVoyage.com.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pirates Voyage sails back to Myrtle Beach as one of the last attractions to reopen."
