The Rooms
Each stage inside Pirates has been dubbed a certain name. As you leave the world of the living and descend into a world of yellow-bellied landlubbers, you enter “The Grotto”, where brightly hued stones create a watery underground cave, and whispers of dead men tell no tale echo throughout the chamber. Around the bend is “Dead Man’s Cove”, where 3 pirates rot on the sand, the captain’s hat becoming a nest for seagulls. In the distance, bright spurts of light reveal a sunken ship. Peals of thunder boom while a ghastly captain navigates his boat and crew under the waves of “Hurricane Lagoon.”
Time begins to reel backwards as the “layer of fantasy” concept continues.
In “The Crew’s Quarters”, skeletons guzzle down rum in a homey chamber. The portrait of a certain red-haired woman with a patch over one eye and a tattoo on her thigh hangs above the bar. “The Captain’s Quarters” is a luxurious, if somewhat dusty room with a bed fit for a king. However, the satin sheets house the remains of a captain who is still inspecting his treasures. The haunting chords of an organ strike up a gloomy rendition of “Yo ho Yo ho…A Pirate’s Life For Me.” But the music takes a dramatic turn, and your eyes fall upon glittering gold and heaps of treasure, rubies, pearls! At the top of the “Treasure Cache”, a skeletal pirate lifts the gems in his hands, unaware that the treasure is cursed!
A narrow passage immediately following “Cache” travels under the Disneyland Railway and leads the boats out of the park and into a separate berm. A ship, the Wicked Wench can be discerned through a smoky room known as “Bombing the Fortress”, which is exactly what’s going on! Explosions fill the air, and cannons plop into the water with a rumble. A pirate resembling legendary buccaneer Captain Edward Teach (“Blackbeard”) waves his sword menacingly and commands his men to aim for the Spanish fort and “fire at will!”
After the fight, you come upon a town being looted by brigands and bandits.
Tied up men wait in line to be dunked in the well, just like the mayor Carlos in “Well Scene.” Be sure to pay attention to the detailed and realistic audio animatronics used, such as the man in line whose knees are shaking! Next, pirates are given the tantalizing offer of taking a wench for a bride in the “Auctioneer” scene. The beautiful woman in red is none other than the redheaded woman in the portrait hanging on the wall of the “Crew’s Quarters”, after she married one of the pirates. I wonder which one chose her…? The auctioneering pirate, with the flicks of his wrist and flowing body movement was the most technologically advanced figure of its kind.
Finally, the boat steers through “Burning Town”, where pirates are running rampant, and chug up a hill, concluding the journey!
"I’ve been afraid of changes…"
Pirates are known for their scandalous behavior, but was this lecherous ride too racy for Disney fans and families? Apparently so; many small changes have been made to the ride in recent times. During the “Chase”
scene, the men originally chasing women running on a bicycle action had their female victims modified by adding plates of food in the women’s hands, to keep it appropriate. They also added food to the “Pooped Pirate” sequence. Originally, the pirate was waving around some type of lacy undergarment, and a woman would periodically pop her head out from a barrel where she was hiding. Now, the pirate sits upon a bucket of food and waves a drumstick in the air, while a cat guarding a plate of fish rests upon the barrel. Additionally, during “The Arsenal” stage, before climbing up the hill, 3 of the 6 pirates holding guns and teetering on boxes of “dynamito” no longer aim for each other, but shoot “playfully” at other objects.
Getting Techincal
The approximate time of Pirates of the Caribbean, from the moment you load the boat to the moment you unload, takes 14.5 minutes to ride. It is 1838 feet long, and boats glide through 2 feet deep canals. The “night sky”, or ceiling, is 40 feet high, and a light under a plastic rotating disc creates the fluffy clouds. There are 46 small boats (or bateaux is Creole) that depart from Laffite’s Landing (the sight of departure).
Fun Facts
- There are 64 animatronic pirates and villagers on this ride, and 55 animatronic animals
- The passenger boats used to be named after southern belle women
- Rumor has it that the skull and bones mounted on the headboard of the bed in “Captain’s Quarters” are real bones that were given to Walt Disney!
- The Mello Men with Thurl Ravenscroft provided the theme song for Pirates of the Caribbean. This group also supplied the theme song “Grin Grimming Ghosts” for The Haunted Mansion
- A Pirates of the Caribbean souvenir book including rare sketches by Marc Davis was compiled in 1968, and is a prized collector’s item today
