The magic of Disney is absolutely beloved by millions of people around the entire world. Through movies, characters, and theme parks, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know at least a bit about the famous company created and built by the genius Walt Disney.
In 1955, Walt Disney opened his first theme park in California, which brought his wonderfully creative world to life for people to experience firsthand. While Walt had been making Disney movies for almost two decades at the time, this was the first park of its kind.
Although many people now know the Pirates of the Caribbean as an incredible movie series, the first film actually didn’t come out until 2003, more than 40 years after Walt Disney thought of the idea as a ride!
And within Disneyland, Walt created a ride he called “Pirates of the Caribbean.” It was the last ride he personally designed and oversaw before his death, just three months before it officially opened.
The ride was a favorite among park-goers; however, when Disney World, a much larger version of the original park, opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1971, the ride was not included in the layout.
The architects of the park thought that because Florida is so close to the actual Caribbean, the ride wouldn’t be quite as exciting for its residents as it was in California.
However, they quickly changed their minds, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened at Disney World on December 15, 1973.
The ride itself was and is an incredibly immersive experience into the world of 17th and 18th-century pirates sailing and fighting their way through the Caribbean seas.
Located in the Magic Kingdom park within Disney World, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride can be found in the Spanish fort in Puerto Rico, Castillo de Morro, and guarded by the watch tower, Torro del Sol.
Once inside, the line winds through skeletons, treasure chests, canons, and anything else you mind find on an old pirate ship. And when the ride actually begins, guests sit in a boat to enjoy slowly winding around the water and enjoying the show.
In only 8.5 minutes, the audience watches the story of Captain Jack Sparrow and his nemesis Barbossa with 125 audio-animatronics figures, with 65 pirates and villagers and 60 animals and birds.
Over the years, Disney has revamped the ride several times to keep up with the technology of the time, as well as the now very famous film series created based on the ride.
And overall, the ride is undoubtedly considered one of the favorites of the Magic Kingdom, as well as the Disney World park as a whole.
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