Disneyland Review: Pirates of the Caribbean

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: "Drink up, me hearties.  Yo ho!"

Cons: "Dead men tell no tales."

The Bottom Line:

Sail with these pirates

On a fun relaxing cruise

And find Captain Jack

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, This Pirate Ride's for Me!

I must admit, I am still a little baffled about the existence of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland.  When you really stop and think about it, this is a pretty dark ride with very little of the "wish upon a star" that Disney is best known for.  But whatever possessed Disney and his team to create this attraction, I love it.

The ride is located on the edges of New Orleans Square at the corner between that area, Adventureland, and Frontierland.  Depending on how popular the line gets, it can either snake out into the flow of traffic or you can almost walk on.  It seems to fluctuate.  One time I walk past it, the line is long, the next time it is short.  So if you don't want to wait, try back in a couple of hours.  I can't remember the last time I saw a line longer than 30 minutes, so even when it is long, it isn't as bad as some of the other rides in the park.

The boats you ride are designed to hold quite a few people.  It's a tight fit, but you can get four adults in one row, and there are about six rows per boat.  But riding with others is part of the fun of this attraction.

Things start off nice and tranquil.  You pass by the Blue Bayou Restaurant (yes, I have eaten there, and it was very good).  You also pass by an old man rocking on his porch while fireflies flit around and banjo music plays.

Just as you are starting to relax, you see a pirate skull and cross bones above you warning you that there be pirates ahead.  And he reminds you that the best way to repel them is to keep your hands and feet inside the boat at all times.  (That line always cracks me up.)  Just past him is the first of two drops on the ride.  This one is the longer of the two.  But the idea isn't to get you wet.  Yes, there is some splashing, but even on the coldest day, I'm always dry within an hour.  (The bottom of the boat can be quite wet, however, so you might want to hold any carry on items on your lap).

The middle section is the first time we hear the famous theme song of the ride, "Yo ho, Yo ho, a Pirate's Life for Me."  It plays as we visit scenes of pirate skeletons guarding their treasure.  Just before we drop again, we get a cool effect.  Davy Jones (from the movie version of the franchise) warns us about the troubles to come.  This is a movie broadcast on a screen of fine mist.

After the shorter drop, we get the main part of the ride.  This was updated in 2006 to incorporate some characters from the movies.  And it changes the story line slightly.  The scenes depict a band of pirates attacking and destroying a town.  In the first scene, Captain Barbossa demands that the citizens of the town give them Captain Jack Sparrow or be destroyed.  This scene is so cool because they use air and water guns to make us think we are floating through the middle of a battle.

As we proceed through the destruction, we get some glimpses of Captain Jack as he tries to find the treasure and get out of town.  But the poor townspeople are dangled in a well and the women are auctioned off as brides before their city is burned.  All the way along, animatronics figures depict these scenes for us.  There is some humor along the way, to keep things light.  In fact, the ride is much more fun than the destruction would lead you to believe it could be.  Yes, it is creapy and morbid at times, but it is fun.

And once again, it is the detail that makes this attraction.  A few times, if you look up, you will see clouds in the "sky."  Keep in mind you are under ground for most of the ride, so it's all an illusion.  And the first few seconds I am seeing the city burning, I fall for the illusion all over again.

The last few scenes show that all doesn't go well for the pirates.  Some of them wind up in jail, trying to coax a dog with the key in his mouth to come closer so they can escape.  Still others wind up fighting it out over your head just before you rise back to ground level to exit the ride.  And as you ride the conveyer belt, you pass Captain Jack one last time.

Nothing beats this ride during the heat.  It is over sixteen minutes long and is air conditioned.  Heck, if your feet are tired, it makes a great place to rest for a little while.

While the drops are long, they aren't that steep or scary.  The pirates themselves and some of the gun play may frighten young kids, however, until they are old enough to know the difference between make believe and reality.

Pirates of the Caribbean is usually an early stop on my Disneyland itinerary.  And I'll try to sneak it in again later in the day if I have time.  This is a classic theme park attraction you really shouldn't miss.