Changes

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)<rerf> 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>.

In order to incorporate Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt Disney World's Adventureland was expanded. The area Disney created, called Caribbean Plaza, stretched extended Adventureland so that it now touched Frontierland on its western border<ref> http://epcotexplorer.tumblr.com/post/38003275148/39-years-of-the-caribbean-dead-attractions-tell </ref>. Pirates of the Caribbean opened in Adventureland on December 15, 1973.

 No real changes came to Pirates of the Caribbean until 1997 when the scene that showed the pirates chasing the women of Port Royale was altered. Following the refurbishment, instead of the pirates chasing the women for nefarious reasons, the scene now showed the women chasing away the pirates<ref> http://extinctdisney.com/MK/potc.htm </ref>. The other change that came in 1997 was to the “Pooped Pirate”. The “Pooped Pirate” is a pirate located near the women who are chasing the pirates. Originally he told his dog how he was too tired to continue to chase the women, while a blonde woman hid in a barrel behind him. In 1997 his dialogue was changed so that he now told his dog about his treasure map ("This map says X marks the spot, but I be seein' no X's afore me”)<ref name= "dated"> http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id212.htm </ref>. Furthermore, the woman in the barrel behind him was given a small treasure chest, apparently trying to keep it safe.

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>.

* 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"/>.

* The final line of the safety spiel was changed from "Now, off with ya" to "Prepare to make sail!"<ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/contributors1/b/seth_kubersky/archive/2006/07/05/3655.aspx </ref>

* The talking skull with crossed swords that warned guests about the attractions drop was removed<ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/contributors1/b/seth_kubersky/archive/2006/07/05/3655.aspx </ref>.

* In the pirate ship battle scene, Barbossa now captains the Wicked Wench. The pirate captain declares that he is trying to find Jack Sparrow<ref> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/12/pirates-of-the-caribbean-marks-40-years-at-magic-kingdom-park/ </ref>.

* The cannons in the battle were also altered so that they fired smoke and compressed airairhttp: <ref name= "wdwmagic">//www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/pirates-of-the-caribbean/news/13jun2006-more-details-of-the-makeover.htm </ref>.

* In the subsequent room, when the pirate captain is shown dunking the mayor, he now demanded to know Jack Sparrow's whereabouts<ref name= "wdwmagic"/>.

* Jacks Sparrow was now seen nearby, hiding in a dress shop facadefaçade <ref name= "wdwmagic"/>.

* The Pooped Pirate was given a key and a treasure map. In the barrel behind him, Jack Sparrow could now be seeing eyeing both items<ref name= "dated"/>.

* The treasure room was completely redone, so that Jack Sparrow now sat on a throne, atop his treasure<ref name= "wdwmagic"/>.

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>.

In 2015 Pirates of the Caribbean was closed for a major refurbishment. During this time, the attraction was cleaned, repaired and relighted. Other changes that occurred during the refurbishment included the addition of Davy Jones back onto the attraction's waterfall (he now rotates with Blackbeard) and the Audio Animatronics including Barbarossa, Jack Sparrow and the Redhead, were given new costumes<ref> http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/pirates-of-the-caribbean/news/28sep2015-video---a-look-at-the-newly-refurbished-pirates-of-the-caribbean.htm /ref>. At this time a few new effects were added to the attraction including: new cannon effects, new lightning effects, the "drunk pirates" whiskey now being on fire, and new smells added throughout the attraction<ref> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/pirates-of-the-caribbean-attraction-reopens-at-walt-disney-world-resort/ </ref>. Backstage, the attractions ride system was also updated during the refurbishment.