Post detail
3254.1 #11 (DL Qual #5)
March 18, 2013 6:00 AM
Good morning! This day in Disney history, March 18th,1967. The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction (my personal favorite) opens in New Orleans Square. The debut kicks off w/great excitement, as a group of surly sea-dogs, led by Wally Boag, takeover the sailing ship Columbia before bursting through the new attractions' doors w/a battering ram! (Pictured below) All the figures in the attraction are designed by Imagineer Marc Davis & the lavishly detailed sets are by artist & color stylist Claude Coats. It is the largest audio-animatronic project to date & the last attraction Walt Disney himself worked on extensively before his death. To watch a fantastic video about the development of the attraction & opening day happenings,
Part 1: http://is.gd/WeN47z
Part 2: http://is.gd/nLOa1A
(If the links aren't clickable, click on "detail" at the bottom of the post)
What is your favorite part of this attraction and why?
I don't remember my first ride on POTC, although I'm sure it was the year it opened (I was 10). It was my mother's favorite ride. She wouldn't do roller coaster type rides, or spinning, or drop rides. Yet she would giggle and scream during POTC's drops saying it was just perfect for her. The background story wasn't readily available, but my mom was a history teacher and used POTC to teach me about Lafitte, the era, and pirates in general. She knew the song by heart, and would softly sing it throughout the whole ride. Her last visit was in the Fall of 1997, but every time I go on it I can't help but think of her and how much she enjoyed it. It's not my absolute #1 favorite attraction, but it holds the most memories. - Gia
782.1 #119 2:26PM
::kneels down at your feet with a blankie and hot cocoa:: I could listen to your wonderful stories all day! Thank you for sharing them with us. They add so much to these posts! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:24PM
😂😂 Oh, Duchess! I love sharing them and I look forward to your posts for the times I can! - Gia 782.1 #119 7:12PM
What sweet memories! Thank you for sharing! That's what DL is about...families making memories together! - brittandkell 287.9 #682 9:49PM
My first visit to DL was in 1973. My then boyfriend (now hubs) took me to the park on a very rainy Sat morn. First place we went was Pirates. When we exited it had stopped raining and the sun was shining on ROA. After riding Pirates and seeing this beautiful park shining I was so overcome with emotion I'll never forget it. That was the moment I fell in love with Disneyland. - DisneyGrandma
336.9 #440 9:20AM
Awe, how romantic. 💏Thank you for sharing that with all of us! 😍 - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:00AM
Oh I LOVE this attraction. I love the queue how it's shaded, the ramps, the water fountains, the smell as you enter through the French doors, the paintings on the walls, seeing the bateaus round that curve, up the rap, TAP the bricks, standing on the dock, loading, the gentle drifting past people enjoying their meal, the fireflies, the warning, the DROP!! I love how the anticipation builds up to such amazing sites. Thank you, Duchess! - HandMeAChurroImmaFaint
1781.4 #42 7:13AM
Check out the early plaid in the top left. - MyPark 943.7 #91 8:03AM
The smell! 😍💗 you kinda just took me there in my mind my dear. Thank you for sharing that. But now I wanna be there, SO SO bad! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 9:51AM
Singing along to "Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirate's life for me!" c'mon...keep going HMACIF...you described it all perfectly I was enjoying the attraction! :) - MissAmericaSings 271.0 #814 10:08AM
@Duchess- me too!!! @MAS- that was one of my longest sentences EVERRR!! - HandMeAChurroImmaFaint 1781.4 #42 10:15AM
Lol...well, thanks for making me feel like I was there! :) (That goes to the both of you!) - MissAmericaSings 271.0 #814 10:21AM
ANYTHING I can do, I will 😂😂 - HandMeAChurroImmaFaint 1781.4 #42 10:33AM
I love how POTC excites everyone's senses the same way! Great description HMACIF! For 10 seconds I was there ☺ - Tigerlilly82 9.2 #7016 12:31PM
You are welcome Tl82, I could have gone on a bit more... 😂😂 - HandMeAChurroImmaFaint 1781.4 #42 12:32PM
I've always wanted to be part of a walk off at the scene where all of the gold and jewelry is. It'd be so cool to sit and bask in all of it and be able to touch all of the unique furniture in there. Oh and it may sound morbid, but I think it'd be interesting to see the actual human bones up close above the skeleton pirate laying in bed. This is one of the most relaxing attractions at Disneyland for me, I love it. - Jacqueline
546.7 #204 6:32AM
Good choice! I think it would be neat to see those bones as well! And I agree, best place to rest those aching feet at DL. 😍 - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 7:28AM
Great post! This is one of my favorite attractions. But remember that this attraction was supposed to be a walkthrough wax-museum like thing, but Walt decided to use a boat system (the same as ISAW). And this will always be special at DL because this was the last attraction Walt worked on. - BaseballMickey_CM
2819.5 #16 10:10AM
Thanks buddy! 😘Yes!!! I'm so glad Walt decided to do the boats! A walk through just wouldn't have been as magical in my opinion. - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:13AM
Boats make it so much cooler!! Walt knew what he was doing! - meridafan 1034.3 #83 10:33AM
The Walt Disney Family museum has a story from Walt about the ride. Walt wanted to show his wife what he had been working on, but the ride was not complete and as a construction site, dirt was prevalent, but Walt laid down floorboards to allow his wife to walk through and not get her dress dirty. A dreamer, a genius, and a gentleman. - campy
13.6 #5889 9:54PM
😍😍😍 - meridafan 1034.3 #83 10:34PM
This is amazing, Duchess. Can you imagine being there on opening day? - LaPearleNoir
571.9 #192 6:23AM
::goosebumps:: oh how I would have loved that! 😍 - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 6:41AM
This is one of my favorite attractions. Thank you for posting the links to those videos, It is nice to watch Walt talk about his plans. He was so excited about his plans for entertaining his guests. I really enjoy the whole experience but one of my favorites is the treasure room. I remember going through there as a younger child thinking,"I can't wait to grow up and get my hands on all that gold!" Thanks again for the history and a great post. - GrumpyPirateDad
472.4 #253 6:48AM
Those are my favorite YouTube videos about DL! I agree it's facinating to see Walts passion! Teehee, so have you had any luck with that gold yet?! ;) - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 7:56AM
I have yet to grow up apparently. I still have my eyes on that pile. I can almost...reach....it. Alas I have escaped the pirates curse.... for now - GrumpyPirateDad 472.4 #253 9:35AM
::giggles:: having flesh over your bones in the moonlight is overrated don't ya think? - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:02AM
We uses to pretend to grab for that gold, too! So much fun! - meridafan 1034.3 #83 10:39AM
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me. - GrumpyPirateDad 472.4 #253 11:34AM
Always enjoyed these factoids, thanks for that. My favorite section has to be the firefight at the end of the ride. Seeing all of the structure that is burning down and then the deflecting bullets.Really fun site to see. - MakilHeru
4.0 #13699 6:49AM
Youre very welcome! :) Excellent choice on a favorite section! That scene is very vivid! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 9:48AM
This is my favorite ride and my mom's favorite ride too! I sent her the links for the videos and it made her morning. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful facts. My favorite part is when the pirates try to get the key from the dog. - jlipstone
277.1 #751 6:57AM
Oh that's fantastic!! So happy to make you both smile! ::whistles:: "come here boy" good choice for a favorite scene! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 9:50AM
Hard to believe it's been around that long, yet each time I ride it, I see something new! Thanks SMK! - TinkPen
428.4 #292 7:15AM
Hi Penny! So nice to see you in here! Time really passes quickly doesn't it! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:03AM
thanks for the info this is one of my favorite rides very nice to relax too - Hendizl
1306.2 #62 7:37AM
😘 You have excellent taste my friend! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:34AM
I have very fond and early memories of this attraction. This was one of the first that I remember as a child being truly captivated by everything I saw. There are so many details in POTC, I can't begin to describe. To this day I still watch and try to take in everything as I drift by each scene. I never get tired of it. What I love most about it is that it is everything Disney in one attraction... Art, entertainment, story, and imagination. Such a great attraction! Thank you again SMK for a great Disney History! You're awesome! - MyPark
943.7 #91 8:00AM
I'll never get tired of it either! Disney magic at its finest! Thanks MyPark! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 10:35AM
I love this!!! My favorite attraction and I had no idea this is how it's opening day went!! Awesome thank you - nurseclick
37.8 #4062 8:05AM
It was quite the production! Glad you enjoyed the videos! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 12:43PM
I love this particular show with Walt talking about Pirates and hearing him describe his ideas and his vision and then seeing it come to fruition!! This is also my favorite ride and I remember the first time I went on it, I was mesmerized! And riding it today I still feel like that little child full of wonder an excitement!! I learned during another show that they added the beginning part to get the attraction under the train tracks, and to me that is my favorite, it sets the tone and transports you! At WDW'S version the wonderful beginning of the ride is absent and it just isn't the same. Thanks so much for this!!! - adisneyfamily
471.2 #255 8:15AM
That's what I remember from the WDW version. You just get on the ride without all that wonderful stuff at the beginning while you are in line at DL! - meridafan 1034.3 #83 10:37AM
We were like, wait where is the first half if the ride??!! So strange! - adisneyfamily 471.2 #255 11:48AM
I find the videos fantastically interesting as well! Watching walt light up with excitement, and the pirates breaking down that door was so neat! I agree the beginning really gets you in the mood! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 12:48PM
Happy 46th Birthday Pirates!! - CadaverousPallor
263.5 #882 8:23AM
Yes! 🎉🎁🎂 - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 12:48PM
I must say some of my favorite parts of this ride when I was a child are some of the same things that have been changed. It is lovely to see the original. Anyone know what happened to the escaping pirate balancing between the dock and the boat? Also, I don't remember seeing the guy drinking with the monkey drinking on his hat. It was a model that Walt held up. I can't place it. - Zipadeedoodah
65.2 #3476 8:32AM
I'm sorry I don't know the answer to either of your questions. Hopefully someone here does. Thank you for your comment! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:13PM
It is a tradition to ride it first when visiting the park with my parents. I have continued it with my kids! - hairdog67
241.5 #1092 8:51AM
I love that tradition! :) - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:13PM
I had two sets of aunts and uncles, along with all the cousins, who lived in southern Ca when I was a kid. I wasn't there on opening day, but I know I was there that year, and was properly prepared for our first visit to this ride (as well as HM and IASW when they were new) by my cousins, who helped amp up the excitement for us all. This is still my favorite, after all these years, and is the favorite of my husband and our two girls! Long live POTC! - meridafan
1034.3 #83 9:32AM
Amen! It's the best! Thanks for all your support my dear! You really are awesome! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:15PM
My favorite part of the ride is actually the bayou. 😀I dig the fog rising from the water and the fireflies. - mightymike10
271.6 #810 9:37AM
Those fireflies are quite impressive! Wish we had them out here in our backyards! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:16PM
30awg wire
LED or rice bulb lights
Batteries and a little electronics know-how. 😁 - mightymike10 271.6 #810 10:13PM
Still going strong as is everything he made well most everything. - captainhooksm
4.5 #11549 9:39AM
One of our favorites for sure. I remember as a kid I was a little scared but I always had to go ony favorite part is battle scene. - RickChavez
2183.6 #30 9:42AM
Very cool post thanks SMK - spaceranger916
336.8 #441 10:11AM
Love POTC! Favorite part?..hmm...I love to soak it ALL in! My mini's favorite is the drop :) My hubby enjoys resting his feet ;) It's always the last attraction we enjoy before going home. - MissAmericaSings
271.0 #814 10:14AM
I remember seeing this footage being aired on the Disney Channel late at night when I was little. I miss that the Disney Channel has really gotten away from showing vintage Disney at night. I learned so much about Disney's history as a kid, that it made me love Disneyland even more and really opened my eyes to how fascinating history can actually be. - NotNKansasAnymor
174.0 #1944 10:17AM
I couldn't agree with you more. I used to love watching classic Mickey an Friends as a young girl. It cemented my love for Disney animation. - MetalMermaid 135.9 #2502 10:37AM
I miss all the great classic stuff DC used to show too. I wish they would concentrate more on that rather than the silly new stuff they produce. - meridafan 1034.3 #83 10:41AM
I remember being very small and riding. I was terrified of the "giant" drop! I was in awe of the battle scene and overwhelmed by the smells (in a good way). Thank you Duchess! - ShariRenee
1505.2 #50 10:19AM
My favorite part is the first drop. Mads loves this attraction and I'll never forget her first time on there. - madsdad
1123.4 #73 11:32AM
This was littlelosts first ride at Disneyland!! - lostgirl7988
541.3 #208 11:56AM
awwww! 👶 - HandMeAChurroImmaFaint 1781.4 #42 12:17PM
LittlestSweets too!!!! Hope you got a pic! - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:17PM
Everything about this attraction is wonderful! My favorite! - DLandFanatic
4.5 #11699 12:16PM
Pirates is my family's favorite ride! On a family trip when I was younger, I remember being scared to ride because I thought your boat actually got sunk during the battle scene. I was so silly! 😊 - PrincessLadybug
202.2 #1593 12:33PM
How cool! Love the pirates ! - brguest85
15.1 #5642 12:34PM
I love it all but if I had to pick one part I'd say the beginning w/ the fireflies and the old man on his front porch. When I was a little girl I always told my parents his name was Vern, he just had dinner, and his wife was inside baking cookies for dessert....I had a vivid imagination! It always seemed so comforting to me. And that gentle music in the background... - Tigerlilly82
9.2 #7016 12:35PM
My little always says, "hello, grandpa," when we go by there. - meridafan 1034.3 #83 12:50PM
Aww, that's cute! - Tigerlilly82 9.2 #7016 2:01PM
My favorite part is the beginning. I love the fireflies and music. I also love looking at the people at blue bayou. When I was younger I thought they were part of the ride! - Autty40
4.6 #11266 12:54PM
When I think of 1967( I wasn't around yet 😂), I reflect on how our country was changing. The political and social issues of the day, defined a generation. Through all the upheaval of that time, I bet it was source of joy and calm for those who lived through a historic period. - RadiatorSprings4Ever
135.5 #2510 2:16PM
I wasn't around yet either. I agree with that. I feel strongly that Disney helps SO many people through difficult times. - Duchess_SMK 3254.1 #11 5:19PM
I love Pirates too! It would be neat tho to have another drop right at Davy Jones! - calidream1
383.4 #350 3:36PM
MY FAVORTE ATTRACTION AT DL!!! Love the entire history of this! - MagicalLand
378.4 #359 4:30PM
Thank u soo much for this! Love the old school pics-priceless... - missariel33
103.8 #2988 4:31PM
This is the only ride at DL that if it is scheduled to be closed I will move my dates I'm going to the park. - Kontorted
180.9 #1852 4:40PM
Love your posts and photos, thanks. - jacdanfan
2607.4 #19 4:41PM
ALWAYS a MUST! Thanks for sharing! - mrscttlemstr
236.9 #1142 4:42PM
thanks for sharing! we always learn something new! - OhanaPhoto
1413.9 #56 5:16PM
One of my favorite attractions!! Thanks so much Duchess, these pictures and video are amazing! 😊 - MinnieMousewife
570.0 #194 5:21PM
✨So many memories flood my mind with every smell, sound and sight of this favorite attraction! - piratelife4me
334.0 #451 7:12PM
I always want to get off and have a cigar w/ the old guy rocking puffing his pipe just before leaving the lagoon. - garrlusdland
52.2 #3700 7:32PM
we wants the red head! we wants the red head... It was years before i knew what they were saying - tinkertonnie
161.5 #2132 7:45PM
POTC is like home, a place to take a deep breath and relax. - PrincessDuckie
585.2 #187 7:47PM
The water smells delicious! - phx1sjc
16.1 #5512 8:32PM
As always Duchess... Great information! I love reading your posts! I always watch the pirate in bed with the magnifying glass and watch his teeth get big, than the parrot skeleton and then the harpsichord! - Boundin
424.2 #298 8:43PM
Tradition dictates that this is the first ride we go on during any trip to Disneyland. Although, it isn't the favorite for any one of my children , they always choose to ride it first. I love making memories! - fab5
10.4 #6610 9:06PM
This is my favorite ride, there is many things about it I love. The smell of the water when your in line, boarding the boats and the memories and excitement it brings. Most of all I love looking at the clouds move, over the whole attraction. - jakethecrazy
3.1 #25212 9:42PM
I taped many programs on the early Disney channel when they aired many of the WOC and other programs showcasing DL early days and have this debut on one of the VHS tapes. - splashphotoCM
880.9 #100 11:40PM
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