Yo ho, yo ho it is a pirate’s birthday for me!
Today, December 15th, 2023 marks a HUGE milestone for Walt Disney World! One of their most popular attraction– Pirates of the Caribbean, located in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom— turns 50! We’re celebrating this beloved attraction at AllEars today, and we decided to share the love with you.
The original Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland in 1967 and was met with a ton of success. However, when they were making plans for Walt Disney World, the ride wasn’t included. Imagineers thought that Florida was a little too close to the Caribbean, so parkgoers wouldn’t want a ride depicting something that was so close — and they were wrong.
Shortly after opening, guests were not happy that Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t included, so Imagineers got to work and two short years later, Pirates of the Caribbean officially opened to park guests.
Since then, we’ve been sailing the seven seas with some of our favorites like Big Red, the Auctioneers, and the chickens. We can’t forget about Capitan Jack Sparrow, but he wasn’t added until July 2006.
This ride has undergone so many changes throughout its 50-year lifespan but that is a post for another time.
Once Imagineers realized how much Disney World guests wanted their very own Pirates attraction, they went to work. Here, we can get a glimpse at the billboard that went up to notify guests that they were listening and that the attraction would be coming SOON!
We can see some of the construction happening here, with the same billboard we just saw posted on the construction walls.
The anticipation for this attraction must have been real!
Over time, Pirates of the Caribbean has cemented itself as a classic. It is widely considered an opening day attraction despite its late opening– and we see why. We can’t imagine an Adventureland without Pirates of the Caribbean.
If you want to learn more about the history of this attraction, check out Behind the Attraction on Disney+ to get an in-depth look at the creation of this ride across each of the Disney parks!
We’re looking back fondly on this attraction today, but we also are keeping an eye out for other news coming from Disney World, so keep checking back with us at AllEars for news, updates, and more!
How Many of These 50 Walt Disney World Must-Dos Have You Done?
What is your favorite part of riding Pirates of the Caribbean? Let us know in the comments!
I think it’s extremely outrageous how Disneyland in Anaheim, California can pull the Pirates Of The Caribbean theme out from the ride just to replace it with Peter Pan! Totally unacceptable!!!!!!!!!
Hi John! The ride isn’t being re-themed. The rumor is about Peter Pan replacing the Pirates of the Caribbean scene in Fantasmic.