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Take a Voyage Around the World to Celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Park

Michele Himmelberg

by , Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort

Yo Ho, Pirates fans! This weekend you can celebrate the 45th anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean, the first indoor ride-through adventure to be built on such a grand scale at Disneyland park. It opened March 18, 1967, and was an immediate guest treasure.

We featured a fun video on last year’s anniversary about the making of the attraction and it sparked great chatter among mateys reading the Disney Parks Blog. Michael from Tennessee said it best: “Happy Anniversary me hearties! May your journeys continue to inspire and delight us for many generations to come! YO HO!”

This year, we’re sharing a video with scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at four Disney theme parks around the globe, plus some fun facts about the attraction at Disneyland park, Tokyo Disneyland, Magic Kingdom Park and Disneyland Paris (which was the last to open on April 12, 1992).

Did you notice the differences and similarities? Hope you enjoy this Pirate trivia:

  • Disneyland Paris includes the exciting dueling Pirates, swiping at each other with actual swords.
  • At Magic Kingdom Park, guests queue through subterranean passageways of El Castillo and emerge on the shores of Pirate’s Bay where they board their boats (Les Bateaux) along a rocky beachfront. In the queue, guests pass the famous gag of two skeletons locked in a cell playing chess, stuck in a stalemate.
  • At Magic Kingdom Park and Tokyo Disneyland, guests disembark after the Treasure Room and then take an escalator up to exit into the park.
  • At Disneyland park, the Blue Bayou restaurant also opened March 18, 1967 – an early forerunner of today’s popular “themed” restaurants.
  • Three Disney Parks include references to Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” films. All three include the smoke/waterfall effect with projections of:
    • Davy Jones and Blackbeard, alternately, at Disneyland park
    • Blackbeard at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World
    • Davy Jones at Tokyo Disneyland

Special thanks to the Disney Archives for research on this post.

Destinations: Take a Voyage Around the World to Celebrate the 45th Anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Park

Topics: Disney History

Comments

  • Pirates was one of my favorite rides at Disney World! I love the video of the dueling pirates. They look so real.

  • What I’ve always loved about Pirates is what has always given me goose bumps/scared me the most. Some of the pirates faces/eyes look sooo real. It’s almost as if a real person is there!! Love the ride and looking forward to riding it again in 2 weeks on our next trip to DL!

  • OMG i love pirates of the Caribbean rides at disney parks i just wish that the ride went back to the original way when it open back in 1967 with out the movie in the ride i like the new enhancements i like the old school way

  • The Walt Disney World entrance hasn’t looked like that in years.

  • Disneyland Paris includes the exciting dueling Pirates, swiping at each other with actual swords

    But hasn’t this not worked for months ?

    Apart from that I love the DLP version

    • “Ahoy, Robert, and thanks for your comment. The dueling Pirates at Disneyland Paris are on temporary hiatus from their swashbuckling. We’ll all be happy to see their return.”

  • Congratulations on 45 years of rollicking swashbucklers! I look forward to the day when the attraction at Disneyland is restored to something closer to its original glory! Perhaps for the 50th anniversary? ^_^

  • I love the attraction. And I for one, like the enhancements that were made. The attractions still has a classic feel. 🙂

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