Changes

| duration=8:30

| type=Interior Boat Ride

|custom_value_2= Yes

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==Attraction History==

===Creation in Disneyland===

The concept for what would eventually become Pirates of the Caribbean began in the late 1950s, as an idea for Disneyland. Walt Disney himself began to toss around the idea of a pirate attraction for the planned New Orleans Square area, and he tasked Marc Davis with creating concepts for the attraction <ref> http://davelandweb.com/potc/ </ref>. Initially, Disney had planned on the pirate attraction being a walkthrough wax museum <ref> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/pirates-of-the-caribbean/ </ref>, which showcased various pirates from throughout history. Blackbeard, Captain Morgan and Captain Kidd were all to be included in the new museum <ref> http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/search?q=Pirates+of+the+Caribbean </ref>. As development on the attraction continued however, the idea of focusing on real life pirates was discarded. Instead, the attraction took its cue from pirates that were designed by Marc Davis. These characters were more “cartoony” then the historical pirates that were initially planned on <ref name= "DisneyInterview"> http://www.waltdisney.org/blog/marty-sklar-x-atencio-and-bob-gurr-talk-pirates </ref>.

===Walt Disney World===

When Walt Disney World’s [[Adventureland]] opened on October 1 1971, there was no Pirates of the Caribbean attraction to be found. Instead, Disney had planned on building the Western River Expedition in [[Frontierland]]. Designed by Marc Davis, the Western River Expedition would have featured a boat ride (using the same ride design as Pirates) that would have taken guests through scenes in the Old West <ref> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/wre.htm </ref>. Disney initially planned on creating the Western River Expedition as opposed to Pirates of the Caribbean, because they believed that people on the East Coast would not be as interested in the subject (due to the fact that pirates were a part of Florida’s history and thus part of the local lore) <ref> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/wre.htm </ref>. When the Magic Kingdom opened however, one of the most frequent questions that guests asked was “where are the pirates?” Heavily promoted on the Disneyland TV series, Disney quickly realized that there was a high demand for an East Coast version of Pirates of the Caribbean <ref> http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/articles/rides-never-were-walt-disney-world-western-river-expedition </ref>. Due to this demand, Disney quickly authorized the construction of Pirates of the Caribbean Ride inside the Magic Kingdom. To do this, Disney scrapped its plans for the Western River Expedition and instead focused its resources on Pirates <ref> http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/01/all-about-western-river-expedition-part.html </ref>.

Following the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, Disney decided to add characters from the film to the attraction. In 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean was closed in order to facilitate these additions <ref> http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/429/Walt-Disney-World/Magic-Kingdom/Adventureland/Pirates-of-the-Caribbean </ref>.

During the 2006 refurbishment:

* The outside of the fort that houses Pirates of the Caribbean was slightly altered. New props and a new "black sail" entrance sign were added to the attraction. The [[Pirate Barker Bird]] that had previously talked to guests outside of the entrance was also removed <ref name= "dated"/>.

====Recent Changes====

To coincide with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Blackbeard (the main antagonist in the film) replaced the Davy Jones projection on the waterfall on May 20, 2011 <ref> http://www.themeparktourist.com/news/20110509/3757/blackbeard-be-added-pirates-caribbean-rides-disneyland-and-magic-kingdom </ref>.

On September 19, 2012, in conjunction with International Talk like a Pirate Day, Disney announced that they would be adding another tie-in to On Stranger Tides to the attraction. On October 19, ghostly mermaids were added just after guests go under the waterfall. As the boats float by, the mermaids can be seen in the water as Jolly Sailor Bold plays in the background. On the nearby beach scene, a mermaid skeleton was also added at this time <ref> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/09/ahoy-changes-are-afoot-at-pirates-of-the-caribbean-at-magic-kingdom-park/ </ref>.

===Ride Beginning===

In order to board Pirates of the Caribbean, guests wind their way through a Spanish fort. After reaching the loading area, guests board their boat and begin to sail into darkness. As the boat floats forward, guests are given two different warnings. First, that “there be rough waters ahead” and secondly, (and famously) that “dead man tell no tales”. After hearing the second warning, guests approach a waterfall which depicts Blackbeard (or Davy Jones) who answers the second warning by saying, “But they do. So says I, Blackbeard!”. After passing under the waterfall (which is actually just mist), guests find themselves in the middle of a hurricane. In the water next to the boat, guests can see mermaids menacingly swimming by, as “Jolly Sailor Bold” plays in the background. With the wind howling around them, guests then pass by a beach that holds a mermaid skeleton, as well as pirate skeletons which lay next to a dug up treasure chest. Based on their skeletons, it appears that pirates were killed while searching for treasure. On the other side of the water guests pass a skeleton pirate steering a pirate ship. With “dead man tell no tales” still echoing in the background, the boats then plunge down a small drop, before entering the next scene.

===Port Royale on Fire===

As guests enter the next scene, they immediately see that Port Royale is now on fire. A pirate band (clearly heavily intoxicated) sings Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me), as the town burns around them. Further ahead, all throughout the town the pirates continue to drink and sing in celebration. On the right, one pirate is so intoxicated that he is lying in the mud with the pigs (apparently having fun). As guests pass under a bridge, a pirate's harry leg hangs down above them as they continue onto the next scene.