NEWS: Pirates of the Caribbean Turns 50 at Disney World

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!” Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney World is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Disney has shared some classic photos of the attraction and some fascinating tidbits. Learn more below!

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Thomas Smith:

Ahoy, me hearties! Today, one of the most beloved attractions in Disney history, Pirates of the Caribbean, marks its 50th anniversary at Walt Disney World Resort! And to celebrate, we’re diggin’ in our Blog archive full o’ treasure to spy a few classic photos of the attraction in Magic Kingdom Park and more.

As many of you know, Pirates of the Caribbean debuted at Florida’s Magic Kingdom Park in 1973 and was one of the park’s first major additions after its 1971 opening. Look closely at the first rare photo from our archives and you’ll see what future Disney World adventurers saw – the chance to sail the high seas with pirates “Opening Christmas 1973.”

Behind the walls in the image above, history was in the making at the spot where riders would board a weathered barge for a treacherous voyage to the 17th century when rowdy rogues and rapscallions ransacked Caribbean seaport towns.

Once the attraction opened, Disney World guests would find themselves sailing past Dead Man’s Cove, navigating cannon fire between a Caribbean fort, singing along with pirates to their anthem, “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” and enjoying other unforgettable pirate experiences.

The first Pirates of the Caribbean attraction opened at Disneyland park in 1967. And as we shared here on the Disney Parks Blog a decade ago, it was one of the last attractions Walt personally oversaw the creation of back in the 1960s. It remains one of the most immersive attractions ever created for a theme park!

Of course, we’re just touching on some of the attraction’s history today but if you’re as big a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean as we are, then you’ll want to check out the Pirates of the Caribbean episode of the Original series “Behind the Attraction,” now streaming on Disney+.

The Disney+ episode explores how Walt loved adventure stories, especially those that featured swashbuckling pirates. It features interesting stories like a look at how the attraction was initially conceived as a wax museum but technological advances convinced Walt that a more sophisticated attraction could be created using state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics figures.

Also, there’s more to come at Disney World with a first-of-its-kind experience that’ll extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean. At Destination D23, we shared the exciting update that a special Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park.

RELATED ARTICLE: 10 Facts and Secrets about Pirates of the Caribbean

by Kristin

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!  Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most beloved attractions at all of the Disney locations across the world.  It is a really fun and visually exciting attraction made utilizing Walt’s signature dark ride approach.  There’s just something about this swashbuckling attraction that keeps us all coming back time and time again.  Here are ten facts and secrets about this fun adventure:

10 – The making of this attraction was the last one that Walt personally oversaw.

Walt used to personally oversee the attractions as they were being developed and created.  Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland was the last attraction that Walt personally oversaw the direction for.  Walt died in 1966, and the ride opened in 1967.

9 – The Disneyland version used to have real human bones.

When the ride first opened, real human skeletons were used on the attraction.  Since then, the human remains have been removed, but there is a rumor circulating that one human skull has been left in the attraction.  This is definitely a rumor that hasn’t been effectively confirmed or denied.

8 – The cannonballs aren’t real.

This probably isn’t overly shocking.  The thought of cannonballs going back and forth over our heads would be quite frightening.  The effect is actually accomplished by using lighting, blowing air and water splash effects in the water.  Looks pretty real, though, huh?

7 – The ride used to be much more suggestive.

The pirates used to chase women around in a suggestive manner.  The audio track also included giggles and suggestive noises. There have been a few variations to change this up to make the ride less suggestive.  They changed the women over to carrying food so that it looked as if the pirates were going after the food.  The giggles and suggestive noises were also removed from the audio tracks so that it was a little more “family-friendly.”   Not every guest liked these changes to the more conservative side, so they nicknamed the attraction “Boy Scouts of the Caribbean.”

6 – You will hear the Haunted Mansion’s “Ghost Host”.

The actor who does the voice of the beloved “Ghost Host” is also the Auctioneer on Pirates of the Caribbean as well as the voice for the notorious line you hear on the attraction, “Dead Men Tell No Tales.”  The actor’s name is Paul Frees.  He voices several other pirates throughout the attraction, too!

5 – How they make the city look like it’s on fire.

The “fire” throughout the city is actually created using pieces of cloth, lights, and fans to make the cloth move.  It is a very realistic effect and really sets the mood for the burning city.  It is rumored that an Anaheim fire chief was about to shut the ride down because he thought it was real fire!

4 – The chess game just won’t end.

There is a scene when you are walking through the queue for the ride where there are two skeletons playing chess.  The pieces on the board are set up to indicate that the two were at a stalemate and died trying to make their next moves.  Talk about dedication to the game!

3 – One pirate was censored.

Do you remember the pirate that is rotund and sitting in front of a barrel holding a key, and Jack Sparrow pops up out of the barrel?  That definitely isn’t how this pirate used to be displayed.  In the original version of the attraction, he was holding a pink petticoat.  There was a woman hiding in the barrel, and the pirate was expressing innuendos and lust for the woman.  This was changed a couple of times, and then now has the focus on Jack Sparrow instead of lust.

2 – The ride inspired the movie, and then the movie inspired the ride.

The ride was built, and then the movie franchise was made based on the popular ride.  Once the movies became super popular, the ride was then revamped and refurbished to include popular characters from the movies like Jack Sparrow, Barbosa, Blackbeard, etc.  The ride inspired the movie, and then the movie turned around and inspired the ride so that we had a cohesive experience.

1 – It cost how much?

When the attraction was originally built, it cost a whopping $8 million.  This doesn’t include the money that has since been spent to make various additions to the attraction and complete scheduled refurbishments.