Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf

After reading some of the other reviews, we decided to try Pirate’s Cove in the Lake Buena Vista area (Crossroads Shopping Center). It is right off of I-​4 and across from the Disney World Resort. There are a lot of restaurantsright in the same center (Pizzeria Uno, Johnny’s Hideaway, Sweet Tomatoes). We were told that the Lake Buena Vista location is newer than the other Orlando location, as well as somewhat larger. We’ve visited the Pirate’s Cove in Williamsburg, VA, in the past, and this one looked similar. Well, they probably all look pretty much the same (lots of tropical foliage, cannons, «pirates» lurking about, caves, water features — there are several Pirate’s Cove locations around the country, according to their website).
The course itself was very clean and everything was nicely maintained. We went at about 4 p.m. on Martin Luther King’s Birthday holiday and it was not crowded, although there were several groups there, so it wasn’t completely dead, either. There are two courses, with one being easier than the other; we chose Blackbeard’s Challenge which is supposed to be the harder one. It wasn’t too difficult but had enough of a challenge so that it was fun. If you are a real mini-​golf addict, you can play both courses (36 holes!) for an additional fee.
Beware if you have any trouble walking steps or if you have a stroller with you, because there are a lot of them, since the course is basically built on a hill — you will be climbing up and down stairs. The first few holes are situated right next to I-​4, making it pretty noisy — but as you get further into the course, you won’t be bothered by the highway. There are lots of waterfalls to drown out the noise and «pirates» hanging around to make it visually interesting.
The price was $ 10.95 per person but we found a coupon at our hotel, so saved a dollar each. And, my son got a hole-​in-​one on the «hole of the day» so he actually won a coin for a free game next time, with no expiration date! That was a great surprise — I guess the «hole of the day» changes daily, but he got it for #3.

Miniature golf is miniature golf. Pirate Cove has a great course with caves and slopes and packed with challenging holes. Since it’s close to Disney and a variety of restaurants, Pirates Cove offers a fun, yet less crowded adventure for any Disney vacation.