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Now I’m about to describe to you the ride as it appears today. But for your enjoyment,
I decided to use visuals from the original attraction when it opened, long before the
changes were ever made. After all this is a tribute, is it not? So sit back and enjoy
this rare and timeless footage.
As I said earlier, Disneyland’s version is found in the park’s New Orleans Square
district, so naturally guests disembark on their journey right in the middle of a Louisiana
bayou. Upon boarding the boat, guests travel past worn-down houseboats to the left and
The Blue Bayou restaurant to the right. The passengers are taken underneath an archway,
being warned of their journey by a talking skull and crossbones, voiced by none other
than Xavier Atencio. As the boat passes under the archway, the sound of a waterfall can
be heard and suddenly the boat plunges down a 54 foot long drop into a dark cavern. The
boat then descends again, this time a smaller 37 foot drop, and guests begin to encounter
the remains of dead pirates scattered about. A
cloud of mist appears with a projection alternating between either Davy Jones or Blackbeard. Both
ask the passengers whether they are brave enough to face the perils ahead. The boat
then enters a lagoon where a battle scene is occurring between a ship called the Wicked
***, which is being led by Captain Barbossa against the forces of a nearby fortress. The
boat then enters a populated cove as guests reach the village of Puerto Dorado on Isla
Tesoro, which is being ransacked and pillaged by pirates. Guests witness a menagerie of
pirate characters including Captain Jack Sparrow as they travel through the town’s waterways.
As the boat travels deeper into the town, guests are exposed to the acts of a few inebriated
pirates who are threatening to inadvertently destroy the village by inadvertently igniting
the explosives around them . After leaving that scene, the boat then descends up a waterfall
and arrives in the unloading zone.
The attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park, is located in the park’s Adventureland
section, inside a building inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro. Instead of the Blue
Bayou restaurant, this version replaces it with the Pirate's Cove which turns into a
scene in the grotto. Unlike other versions, the Walt Disney World attraction has no treasure
room scene. After the boat drops down the waterfall, which
it only does once instead of twice, the remainder of the ride is similar to Disneyland’s,
with the exception of the drunken pirates finale. When the ride is over, however, riders
don’t return to ground level when unloading; instead, after leaving the boat guests exist
the attraction by a moving floor platform.
The Tokyo version is exactly identical to that of Disneyland’s, with the exception
of the second drop.
The Paris version is unique in that it is the only version not to feature characters
from the film series. This version has the boats explore a bit more of the fortress that
is under siege. Guests leave the fortress and drop into the village by a waterfall.
The town scenes are similar to the original version. When the boat enters the arsenal
ignition scene, an on board photo is taken of the passengers, the first for any of the
attractions incarnations, and the boat drops a second time, drifts through the grotto sequences
and stops at the the unloading zone.
Despite the differences in all four of the attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean is nevertheless
one of the greatest Disney attractions ever to exist. As a product of Walt Disney’s
profound imagination, the attraction has certainly made its mark in history. From developing
longtime devotees to inspiring a film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, unlike the replicas
of wealth it boasts inside its walls, is a true piece of treasure.