The series detailing “Disney Rides of Change” usually has something to do with attractions that are “lost” and have now been replaced by other attractions such as Kitchen Kabaret to Soarin’ and If You Had Wings to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. This edition is going to be about an attraction that is still in place and probably will be for a long time, but there have been some major changes to it over the years.
That attraction is: Pirates of the Caribbean.
Some may not realize it, but a lot has changed for the attraction ever since it began operation on Dec. 15, 1973, in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom of Walt Disney World.
The most recent refurbishment of the attraction put in a FASTPass+ and fixed the lighting, paint-jobs, and other things in it. New and lighter boats were also put in to replace the older boats that were bottoming out.
But, there has been so much more that has changed over the years, so let’s get onto it.
Incorporating the movies and Captain Jack Sparrow
This is probably the most obvious change, and everyone knows it. Captain Jack Sparrow has been put in at different locations throughout the attraction (three to be exact), and the mist effect in the first cavern has seen Captains Davy Jones and Blackbeard speak. That mist effect is newer too as it wasn’t always there either. Let’s not forget last year’s addition of the mermaids too.
These are blatant though. It’s the changes that others don’t realize or notice that have really affected Pirates of the Caribbean.
Pirates chasing women to women chasing pirates
When the attraction originated, there is a scene you ride through that comes right before the city on fire, and it showed pirates chasing women in circles. After three or four of those, there was one overweight woman chasing after a pirate. Once the political correctness craze came about, numerous people complained about this scene and it ended up being changed to the women chasing the pirates, who were stealing pies and other food items.
At one point, it was changed back to the pirates chasing women, but this time it was because the women were holding jewels. Since then, things have changed back again and the women are back to chasing the pirates as the scallywags have stolen items from their homes.
The loss of the talking parrot outside of the attraction
He disappeared years ago, and he wasn’t interactive like Crush or Mike, but he was there and talking to guests. The talking parrot was stationed outside of the main entrance and on a small pedestal. He would sing a line or two from “Yo Ho,” and also whistle and say other pirate-type sayings. It’s not like he was an integral part of the attraction, but he was fun to listen to and added more to the outside view.
Last I had heard, Disneyland had added the talking parrot outside their version of the attraction as a living character.
The loss of skull and crossbones giving their warning to the fall
Another great loss to the attraction came when the talking skull and crossbones was taken out. As you rounded the corner by the skeleton pirate captaining a ship forever, there was a talking skull and crossbones that warned of the impending doom coming the way of the guests.
“Sit close together and hold on tight. Dead men…tell no tales,” it would warn everyone as they tipped forward into the darkness and plunged downward.
Smaller changes to Pirates of the Caribbean that not everyone may notice, but Doctor Disney has
- The addition of Captain Jack’s small boat
- Captain Barbossa being added to the main pirate ship in the battle scene
- The frightened wife screaming “Do not tell him, Carlos! No, no, no, no. Don’t be cheek-in.” Parts of this script are still there, but not in its entirety.
- The red light in the “redhead scene” has been changed to white.
- The Pooped Pirate in the “chase scene” no longer holds a lacy petticoat with a scared woman in the barrel behind him. He was originally changed to the “Gluttonous Pirate” and holding food while the scared woman in the barrel held some jewels. Now, the pirate holds a treasure map as Jack Sparrow pops up out of the barrel behind him.
- The final scene where Jack Sparrow now sits used to be one of my favorites as it had pirates drunk and sitting on top of one another with guns firing in random directions, gold all over the place, and barrels – with gunshots in them – spewing water.
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