Lara B.
Yelp
We took our 3.5yo and 5.5yo daughters on the Black Dagger, and we had a blast! My husband even got in on the act (he "stole" the treasure map). We bought a Groupon that included a bandana and pirate flag, and you had your choice of colors (red or black bandana and traditional black or pink princess pirate flag), which was great. The price of admission includes a tattoo and face painting. You can purchase a Nerf-style sword for $5, and you can purchase bandanas and flags, too, but I didn't notice the price since they were included in our admission. There's a short lesson in pirate speak before you board the boat, then once aboard, they cover safety rules in a fun way. The entire event was about 90 minutes, and there were no lulls in the action. There was no opportunity to get bored! The staff was fun...and very patient with a couple of rambunctious boys. The kids seemed to love looking for the clues, and the captain circled around everything so kids on both sides of the boat got a chance to find the clues/take a shot at Stinky Pete. All in all, we were not disappointed. I would point out a few things... First, if you don't already know, it will cost you $6 to enter Sea Pines if you aren't staying there already. I hate when people use that as a mark against a restaurant or other business in Sea Pines. (They all point that out on their websites if you just read to the end!) Second, be prepared that it almost certainly WILL take you LONGER to get there than you expect. We did a dry run of the trip the night before, and it took 12 minutes. The next day, traffic was ten kinds of backed up trying to get to Harbour Town, and it took over 20 minutes. So leave yourself extra time to get there (and remember that you need to be there at least 15 minutes early). Third, parking is not as easy to find as the website suggests. Also, if you plan to park inside the Greenwood gate and ride the trolley, know that the trolley only runs every 20 minutes, so plan accordingly. Fourth, parents are asked to sit separately from the little pirates. This threw off a few kids on our trip, including mine. There are some seats for parents near the kids, but you just might want to talk that over with your kids beforehand if you think they'll be nervous about that. Finally, there is very little shade (NONE for the little pirates) and no water offered on the boat. Plan accordingly!