Walt Disney World is a place where fantasy becomes reality and you can escape from the outside stress and happenings so that everything can be happy. Well, there is a darker side to Disney as well, and it is up to you whether or not you want to believe some of the ghost stories that have been passed around…especially that of George the Ghost from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Those that love POTC, know that it is extremely fun and exciting, but it has moments when it can be quite creepy. That especially holds true for the first portion in the caverns. You may know all there is to know about the famed Disney attraction, but do you know George?
As the story goes – George is said to be the ghost of a Disney Imagineer (Cast Member) who died in the early ’70s while working on (welding) a piece in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction so it could open in the Magic Kingdom.
This sad story has changed a bit over the years, but that is the general gist of it.
Some say he was crushed. Other versions of the story say he fell from the top of the attraction’s burning city in one of the final big scenes. It varies.
From this point on, Cast Members have said to have seen a ghostly apparition on ride monitors in Pirates of the Caribbean, but nothing ever in real life. They’ve also heard mysterious footsteps or phone calls from the control room when no-one is in there.
Cast Members also make sure to do something every single day. Every morning, someone tells George “good morning” and in the evening, someone tells George “good night” over the PA system.
Seems rather silly, eh? Well, there are reasons for those actions.
SEE: Disney Rides of Change – The changes of the Pirates of the Caribbean over the years
It is said that if George is not told “good morning,” the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will have issues throughout the day with breakdowns and more. If George isn’t wished a “good night,” the attraction has been known to come on overnight and certain parts be running the next morning.
He’s not a vindictive or mean ghost. George just want people to recognize that he is there.
Cast Members at Pirates of the Caribbean aren’t the only ones that can be affected or visited by George.
It’s been said before that guests complaining about the attraction or making fun of it or looking for it to be over quicker…well, they’ve often been the victim of a breakdown while riding it.
Appearances or experiences with George have been said to have been felt or seen all throughout Pirates of the Caribbean.
There is one spot in particular though…where George is said to hang out more than others and it is indeed in the final big room with the burning city. He is said to often make guests feel his presence or a chill when they are next to Pirate Pig and almost underneath the drunken pirate with the hairy leg.
Many have reported instances with George and even claim to have captured something on camera too.
An online forumer known as marlyng posted this photo from mid-2013 of herself and her brother. It was taken in the first set of caverns as you go through the mist flowing down with Blackbeard’s image on it. She said she captured a “spirit” sitting between them.
Personally, I don’t see much from this pic, but it’s interesting to see and think about. The forumer said she went back and asked Cast Members at Pirates of the Caribbean about it and they simply said, “It was George.”
Others have said to have captured images of ghostly orbs in the attraction, but who knows what those could be?
As a former Cast Member, I have experienced the morning and evening wishes to George a Pirates of the Caribbean.
As a guest, I’ve experienced some things going wrong with the attraction, being stuck on it, and the chill near the hairy-legged pirate.
Was it George? Does he still wander around the halls and waterways and scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean? Is the tale even true?
You’ll always get mixed responses or different stories when attempting to find out the truth. Either way, it’s a tragic tale, but one that has a playful ending which hasn’t quite yet ended.
Good night, George.
DISCLAIMER: Now, please know that this is a story that has been passed along over many, many years. It has changed, been supposedly debunked, been proven, and so on. Not claiming it to be true, but one never knows…so let’s leave it at that.
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