Pirates of the Caribbean is one of our very favorite attractions in Disney World. We ride it at least once time per visit, and if possible, we try to go more than once! We love everything about this ride – the sights, the sounds, and the smell!
Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Walt Disney World in 1973. It was one of the first major additions to the park after Disney World’s original opening in 1971. Every time you go on Pirates of the Caribbean there are different things to take in. We love learning the history and fun facts about our favorite attractions, so here are a few things to know about this classic Disney attraction!
Fun Facts About Pirates Of The Caribbean
1. The Last Attraction
Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction that was personally supervised by Walt Disney.
2. The Voice
Paul Frees, who says “Dead men tell no tales” is also the voice of the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion.
3. The Gift Shop
Pirates of the Caribbean was the first attraction that Disney made you go through a gift shop in order to exit the ride. Sorry Grandparents, there’s no other way out!
4. The Revisions
Pirates of the Caribbean went through many revisions until you get to the modern-day version. The very original idea was going to be a wax museum that visitors would walk through. As Disney’s team created It’s a Small World and Carousel of Progress for the 1964 World’s Fair, they discovered 2 important upgrades they would use for Pirates.
First, Disney discovered Audio-Animatronics when creating the Carousel of Progress, so they scrapped the idea of wax figures for moving figures. Next, Disney’s Imagineers decided on the boat instead of a cart to move people around the attraction, getting the idea from the success of It’s a Small World.
5. The Human Skeletons
The Disneyland Pirates used actual human skeletons when the attraction first opened. There is a rumor that one human skull still remains…it has never been confirmed or denied.
6. The Original Pirates
When Pirates of the Caribbean was first presented, it was much more…shall we say…inappropriate than it is in its present-day form. The Pirates acted more like Pirates instead of the family friendly guys we have today.
One example is the “Redhead Auction.” For those of us that visited Pirates many years ago, we remember the red headed lady as part of the ladies being auctioned off. Today she is a pirate auctioning off the stolen booty.
7. The Captain Jack Sparrow Insertion
Captain Jack Sparrow was not in the original Pirates of the Caribbean, but he is now. Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was the inspiration for the movie and the movie was the inspiration for putting Captain Jack Sparrow into the ride 3 times.
8. The Real Hair
Here’s a creepy one. The Audio Animatronics pirate you see dangling his leg over the bridge as you go under it…well look closely at his leg…do you see hair on it? That is real human hair the Imagineers added for realism.
9. The Skull Formation
When you first start the Pirates ride you come up to an area that has a skull formation out of the rocks. It’s easy to miss so keep your eyes peeled.
10. The Length
If you really want to get your money’s worth from the Pirates of the Caribbean, go to Disneyland’s Pirates. The attraction at Disneyland is 15 minutes long. The attraction at Disney World clocks in at only 8 minutes long.
11. The Voices
Have you noticed as your boat moves through the town scene that you can hear lots of different voices saying different things? That was Walt’s idea. One of the original writers, Xavier Atencio, was worried he had written too much dialogue for the scene but Walt said he loved it because it sounded like a “cocktail party”. It also gives you a chance to focus on different people if you ride it multiple times.
12. The Fire Effect
Everyone loves the fire effect in the town. It was created by Yale Gracey, one of the Imagineers. He used lights, cloth, and fans to capture the illusion. Be sure to notice the smell of fire as you ride through this section!
By the way, if you walk through the Haunted Mansion’s graveyard you will see Yale Gracey on one of the tombstones.
Pirates is a favorite of kids, adults and grandparents. Once you ride it, you will want to on it every time you visit! We highly recommend trying to grab a Lightning Lane for this attraction.
If you are looking for more fun trivia about this great ride, check out “Behind the Attraction: Pirates of the Caribbean” on Disney+. You might also enjoy “Pirates of The Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies.”
