Ahoy, me hearties! Today, one of the most beloved attractions in Disney history, Pirates of the Caribbean, marks its 50th anniversary at Walt Disney World Resort! And to celebrate, we’re diggin’ in our Blog archive full o’ treasure to spy a few classic photos of the attraction in Magic Kingdom Park and more.
As many of you know, Pirates of the Caribbean debuted at Florida’s Magic Kingdom Park in 1973 and was one of the park’s first significant additions after its 1971 opening. Look closely at the first rare photo from our archives and you’ll see what future Disney World adventurers saw – the chance to sail the high seas with pirates “Opening Christmas 1973.”
Behind the walls in the image above, history was in the making at the spot where riders would board a weathered barge for a treacherous voyage to the 17th century when rowdy rogues and rapscallions ransacked Caribbean seaport towns.
Once the attraction opened, Disney World guests would find themselves sailing past Dead Man’s Cove, navigating cannon fire between a Caribbean fort, singing along with pirates to their anthem, “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” and enjoying other unforgettable pirate experiences.
The first Pirates of the Caribbean attraction opened at Disneyland park in 1967. And as we shared here on the Disney Parks Blog a decade ago, it was one of the last attractions Walt personally oversaw the creation of back in the 1960s. It remains one of the most immersive attractions ever created for a theme park!
Of course, we’re just touching on some of the attraction’s history today but if you’re as big a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean as we are, then you’ll want to check out the Pirates of the Caribbean episode of the Original series “Behind the Attraction,” now streaming on Disney+.
The Disney+ episode explores how Walt loved adventure stories, especially those that featured swashbuckling pirates. It features interesting stories like a look at how the attraction was initially conceived as a wax museum but technological advances convinced Walt that a more sophisticated attraction could be created using state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics figures.
Also, there’s more to come at Disney World with a first-of-its-kind experience that’ll extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean. At Destination D23, we shared the exciting update that a special Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park.
