Three harbours, three sets of details: here’s how each city’s Pirates ship works.
In short: Before Pirates: arrive 15 minutes early and leave phones in the lockers. There’s no crawling or smoke and it’s fine for kids 9+. Sydney and Melbourne take wheelchairs; in Perth CBD the narrow inner door means a different room suits wheelchair users better.
| Perth CBD · Hay Street Mall | Sydney CBD · George Street | Melbourne CBD · Collins Street | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | The Basement, 712–720 Hay Street Mall, Perth WA 6000 | 630 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 | 259 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 |
| Players | 2–8 (4–8 on Saturdays) | 2–8 (4–8 on Saturdays) | 2–8 (4–8 on Saturdays) |
| Price | Monday – Thursday: $49 / $39 Friday – Sunday: $59 / $49 | Monday – Thursday: $55 / $45 Friday – Sunday: $65 / $55 | Peak or off-peak session: $59–65 / $45–55 |
| Ages | Recommended 9+ | Recommended 9+ | Recommended 9+ |
| Wheelchair access | No | Yes (1 per session) | Yes (1 per session) |
| Escape rate | 71% | 87% | 99% |
| Phone | (08) 6118 0286 | (02) 9173 8535 | (03) 7078 8118 |
Child = under 16. Holiday pricing differs by venue — see each venue's pricing note.
The first chamber of the Perth CBD ship takes a wheelchair, but the door into the second chamber is too narrow for one. Crews with a wheelchair user should pick another Perth CBD room, or play Pirates in Sydney or Melbourne.
The Sydney ship is wheelchair accessible and takes one wheelchair per session. A handful of puzzles are awkward from a seated position, which the rest of the crew can cover.
The Melbourne ship takes one wheelchair per session. Depending on the size of the mobility aid, one of the chambers may be hard to reach, so talk to the team when you book.
Pirates is played across more than one chamber of the ship, starting below deck and moving into the captain’s quarters. The door between the chambers is what makes the Perth CBD version unsuitable for wheelchairs.
No. Pirates is a swashbuckling adventure, not a fright night. It’s dark below deck and the lighting shifts, but kids aged nine and up love it, and younger ones can play with a parent.
Sixty minutes from the moment you’re locked in the hold. Arrive 15 minutes early for the briefing and allow another 15 afterwards, so a Pirates visit runs about 90 minutes.
No. Pirates bookings are always private. Your crew has the galleon to itself.
Nine and up is recommended, and seven- and eight-year-olds can come along as paying players with their family. Children aged nine or under need a paying adult in the game with them.
No, one reader is enough. Pirates needs moderate English reading, and the story and hints are spoken in English, so the crew can rely on whoever reads most comfortably.
In Sydney and Melbourne, yes, with one wheelchair per session (in Melbourne, check the size of the chair with the team). In Perth CBD, the narrow door into the second chamber rules it out, so Escape This suggests a different Perth CBD room.
Yes. There’s no crawling and no squeezing through tight spaces anywhere on the ship, so it’s a comfortable choice.
No. Despite the below-deck setting, Pirates has no confined spaces, and Escape This lists it as a good choice for claustrophobic players.
Only in the story. Pirates doesn’t use smoke or haze machines, so it’s fine for players with asthma or breathing conditions.
Well, with the crew’s help. Narration and hints in Pirates are audio, so teammates relay them, while the puzzles themselves are hands-on.
Each chamber of Pirates has a panic button, and the gamesmaster watching on CCTV opens up straight away. Everyone else can keep going.
Fifteen minutes before your start time. That covers lockers and the briefing, so no time comes off your hour below deck.
Definitely. Hook, Sinbad, Blackbeard and Jack Sparrow all suit the ship, and bonus points go to crews that stay in pirate voice the whole hour. Closed shoes, please.
Phones, smartwatches, cameras and anything else that records stay in the free lockers. And nobody plays Pirates after a session at the bar.
Book Pirates in Perth, Sydney or Melbourne. Two to eight of you, one ship, one hour of darkness.
