View Full Version : Pirates of the Caribbean
We first went on this ride more than ten years ago when it was 'state of the art' and Michael Jackson had just installed a replica at his Neverland estate. We went on it again last year and though it is now a bit pedestrian compared with the likes of Spiderman, it is still a classic. Basically a boat ride in the dark, with no real drops or thrills (though even so my son still managed to lose his baseball cap which somehow blew off his head.)
The waterway meanders past scenes of pirate life with animatronic pirates doing what pirates do- drinking,looting, womanising and setting fire to things ( not the raping and pillaging bit as this is Disney!!) Oh and they sing and dance a lot and there is a repetitive 'Yo ho ho' song to sing along to. There is lots going on and you will never see everything in one viewing so there is always something new to look at each time you ride. The best bit is when you come out into the 'sea ' with the pirate ship. The space just looks enormous. But of course it is just a Tardis like visual effect.
Never very long queues now having been overtaken by later rides but still good fun.
Julie Carty
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
14-03-2002, 23:38
This is a family favourite - John first went on it when he was a teenager and it's just the same as it was then.
Had us singing yo, ho, ho to ourselves for the rest of the day!
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
Edited by - floridadreamvilla.co.uk on 14/03/2002 19:39:22
Actually, there is a slight change to Pirates since it opened. The story made USA Today. The scene where a pirate chased the woman now has women also chasing after the pirates. Equality of sexes, or something politically correct like that.
orlandobabe
18-03-2002, 22:28
when we first went on the ride about 12 years ago they used to use real fire. It was quite a shock when we went back a couple of years ago to see that they had replaced it with 'fake'.
Glad there's no drops on it though!
Orlandobabe
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
18-03-2002, 22:45
No drops Orlandobabe...must have been a different Pirates of the Carribean than we went on <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>.
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
There are just little drops ( not real drops like Splash Mountain). It was going over one of those that my son lost his baseball cap.
Julie Carty
tinkerbell
27-03-2002, 20:41
Have to say that little drop quite shocked me the first time! Even on my last visit in August (my 6th!) this ride still held its orginal appeal fro me, I hope it remains with the park in the future, I'm always poiinting out the real 'hair' on the pirates leg as he siots over you on the bridge!!!
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
28-03-2002, 02:44
We had great fun on this ride when I was about 14 years old. We told our parents they must go on it (we knew about the 'drop' in the middle of the ride - they didn't <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>).
I can still remember their faces as they came off the ride <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>.
John
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
honeybee
28-03-2002, 11:48
I must be the only person not to have gone on this ride. Is this the one in Disney. I just cannot place it.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
28-03-2002, 13:32
Yes, it's in the Magic Kindgom at Frontierland. It's very near to where Frontierland turns into Adventureland.
John & Sarah Rooke
Orlando Villas
Anyone seen the film yet? If not, I urge you to get down to your nearest cinema. 2½ hours of swashbuckling fun and drooling over Johnny Depp - surely his most OTT performance to date, and Orlando Bloom.
Is this the first time a ride has inspired a film?
Elaine311
18-08-2003, 14:40
We went to Euro Disney last year and tried to persuade my then-4-year old son to go on Pirates. Initially, he refused point-blank, as he thought it would be "too scary" (this is a child who went on Big Thunder Mountain without batting an eyelid). Eventually, with much reassurance that it wasn't scary in the slightest, he decided he would go on. First time round, he hid his head practically the whole way round. 2nd time, he peeked out nervously every 20 seconds or so. By the 3rd time, he was lapping it up. We ended up going on it at least 3 times a day, sometimes more. Don't talk to me about "yo ho ho-ing" all day....!!! Still, the song from Pirates is nowhere near as irritating as "It's a small world after all....." :D
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
18-08-2003, 14:58
We went on the Pirates Of The Carribean at Disneyland Paris a few weeks ago and thought it was a little deviod of pirates compared to it's Florida cousin. We did like the new water propulsion system and the few sudden drops as compared the the one sudden drop in Florida.
Overall I think we still prefer the Florida one best :D.
Did anyone else who has seen the film notice the amount of scenes taken directly from the ride ?
My favourite was the one with the three prisoners whistling to the dog holding the key to their cell !
In answer to Fiona's question, there's also a ride inspired movie called The Tower of Terror starring Steve Guttenburg and Kirsten Dunst (its not as good as the ride) and an Eddie Murphy movie due out later this year based on The Haunted Mansion.
I did get a feeling of deju vu every so often, but it's good fun. Rated very highly by the Sunday Times this week.
Elaine311
19-08-2003, 03:31
Oh no!! You mean the Florida one has even more pirates??? Oh heck, I'll NEVER get my son off of it..... :)
bellaepovera
19-08-2003, 18:14
I truely enjoyed the movie. WEnt to the downtown Disney theaters to see it the last day before I left. A must movie to see!!
Dreamblooper
15-09-2003, 23:47
I first went on the Pirates about twenty-five years ago - I think the park had only been open a couple of years (anyone remember Captain Nemo?). I then spent the next twenty boring anyone who hadn't been with its brilliance. When I finally returned (this time with a family in tow, youngest seven) they all sat in silence throughout, declaring it the second dullest thing in the park so far. (Country Bears Jamboree won easily). I still loved it's charm, but I have to admit that it's terribly dated now.
Yo ho
It IS very dated, it IS very dull, but its just got that something that keeps us climbing aboard the boat and setting sail to the place where "dead men tell no tales" !
See, the script is now embedded in my mind....."We wants the redhead !"
And who can forget the sight of poor Carlos being lowered into the well as his wife watches from the window above?
"Be brave Carlos !!"
Have I been on this ride too many times ??
I think so too !!!!!!!!!!
;););)
coombsyl
19-09-2003, 14:56
We love it too - can't explain why.
I just loved the film as it felt like you were riding the ride!! (I won't say any more as you might not have seen it and I don't want to spoil it)
sunshine state
19-09-2003, 16:25
Yes its a great film but i think the ride definately needs a bit of work, theres no way im saying get rid of the ride coz i love it but maybe a little work by adding some updates, those poor men trying to get the dog to give them the key must be tired out.
Interesting to read all the posts about 'pirates', and yeh we love it too. But we can't for the life of us remember a drop during the ride!Either it was too exciting or we fell asleep (but don't think so).
Where in the ride is it[?]
We also saw the film (twice) and agree that all the performance's were great (especially Johnny Depp)
Paul & Sheila
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
14-10-2003, 03:25
There is definately a dropin the Florida one - the commentry says something like "beware we are entering stormy waters now". The one at Disneyland Paris has at least 3 drops which is even better, bit does not hve that many pirates (unlike the Florida one which does :D).
Will have to look out for it when we go back next year. (only a year to wait)
Sheila
TotallyAngelic
04-03-2004, 15:15
This is my favourite Disney ride of all time, and I have been on both the WDW and the Disneyland Paris version. I just love the whole atmosphere of the ride, even the authentic smells which seem to hover around.
The Florida one is better as the cast members seem to get into the spirit a bit more than the French ones.
One way they could upgrade it a bit now would be to incorporate actual characters and scenes from the film into the ride, it would be great to bump into Capt Jack down there!!!!!!
We always go on this ride late in the evening when there ks not usually any queue when then go on about 5 times on the trot - we love it. I also remember Captain Nemo thought this was an excellent ride and was very dissapointed when it closed