Avast ye landlubbers! If ye come seeking adventure and trivia, ye be in the right place. To honor our brethren on “Talk like a Pirate Day,” we plundered the vaults to bring ye the tastiest bits of Pirates of the Caribbean attraction trivia. There’s always new and interesting things to learn about our favorite timeless attraction!
- In Walt Disney World, 750,000 gallons of water are used to fill the attraction floor. Interestingly, the water is only around three to four inches deep (doesn’t it seem much deeper during the Wicked Wench attack?).
- Audio-Animatronics abound in this attraction! There are roughly 66 pirates and villagers plus an additional 57 different animals for a total of 123 AA models. Some of the Audio-Animatronics were created by Sarcos — an American based company that specializes in “dexterous, tele-operated robotic systems for use in unpredictable and unstructured environments.”
- Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World host a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, but Disneyland has the longer version at nearly 15 minutes. Walt Disney World’s version is almost half the time in length coming in at 8 minutes. Which one is your favorite?
- The famous sea shanty accompanying our swashbuckling adventure was penned by X Atencio and George Bruns. These Disney Legends sought inspiration from a sailor’s work song in the classic piratical adventure novel, Treasure Island.
- The underlying ride system was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, a company already famous for developing the first tubular steel track coaster: The Matterhorn Bobsled attraction in Disneyland.
- Due to the need to create a new land to house the attraction, the Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean cost a pretty doubloon — $15 million for the creation of New Orleans Square and $8 million for the actual Pirates attraction. Remarkably, this is equal to the amount the United States paid for the real New Orleans as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
- The façade of the Disneyland attraction is partly inspired by the Cabildo building in Jackson Square, New Orleans. While the Walt Disney World Pirates of the Caribbean façade is inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan, San Juan.
- Keeping with the New Orleans roots, the ride vehicles for Pirates of the Caribbean are called Bateaux, which are flat bottom row boats generally used along rivers. Pretty fitting!
- Ever wonder how the marauding pirates are able to continuously dunk the mayor, Carlos, into the wet plaza well without ruining his AA figure? The costuming department ingeniously uses mineral oil to coat Carlos and his costume to perfectly mimic the wet appearance of water.
- Pirates of the Caribbean was the first attraction to exit into a gift shop!
We trust ye enjoyed these 10 pieces of trivia. Have a swashbuckling Talk like a Pirate Day!