In this post we give an overview of Pirates of the Caribbean, a dark boat ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to Pirates of the Caribbean, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in depth. The Magic Kingdom Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Magic Kingdom.
Pirates of the Caribbean Basics
Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark boat ride at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The ride:
does not offer rider switch
is a tier 2 ride on Lightning Lane Multi Pass
does not have a single rider line
is NOT a part of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom
is about 8 minutes long
If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with small children, Pirates of the Caribbean might be a good option because it has no height requirement. That said, the beginning of the ride is creepy and then BAM! intense before the more leisurely and whimsical dark boat ride commences. This was not a good ride for us during Zoe’s fearful age of about 15 months to 2 years.
Where is Pirates of the Caribbean located?
Pirates of the Caribbean is located at the far end of Adventureland.
Entering the park, you’ll head to the hub and take the first left over the Adventureland bridge. Heading farther into the land you’ll pass Swiss Family Treehouse, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and Jungle Cruise before arriving at Pirates of the Caribbean.
If you’re riding it first at rope drop, which isn’t typically recommended, you’ll wait with the group heading into Adventureland (better yet, wait in the hub and watch the welcome show because you don’t have to worry about crowds at Pirates immediately). Most everyone in that group is heading to Jungle Cruise, you’ll continue to Pirates of the Caribbean.
How to Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean usually has decent availability on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and you’ll ideally pair it with another ride or two in the part of the park. In terms of standby waits, I’ll usually head there once I’ve taken care of the bigger names on this part of the park. It’s long enough that you don’t want to rush here until you’re okay with wait times going up a bit while you’re on the ride.
Popularity aside, the Pirates of the Caribbean queue is pleasant and mostly indoors—I’d rather wait 30 minutes for this ride than most other rides in the park.
“A Pirate’s Life, er, 8 Minutes, for me!”
Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark boat ride that takes about 8 minutes. You start by passing by some scenes of pirate skeletons before a small drop. This small drop takes you into a relatively intense scene of a battle at a Caribbean fort. From there, you’ll pass through fun scenes of pirates and citizens battling for control of the town.
The ride is a cornerstone of Disney fandom, and it does a lot well. While it is a bit outdated, the scenes are still fun to watch and pacing keeps you spotting fun details throughout. It never gets boring. The 2018 updates to the Pirate Redd scene also brought some fresh vibrancy to that part.
There’s not as much tension here as there is in the Disneyland version of the ride. Instead, this version has been shortened for efficiency. It’s not the biggest loss, particularly because there’s plenty to be done in Magic Kingdom and never enough time to do it all! That said, theme park geeks may feel a little bit of the thoughtfulness of the original is missing.
As noted above, the indoor queue and leisurely ride experience make this ideal most any time of day. I won’t wait more than 30 minutes for it, but if I were lacking in must-dos and wanted to escape the midday heat, I’d definitely get in line.
You can watch a video of the ride here:
Pirates of the Caribbean FAQ
Was the Pirates of the Caribbean movie based on the ride?
Yes. While Jack Sparrow has been added to a few scenes of the ride, the movie was originally based on the ride.
When did Pirates of the Caribbean open?
Pirates of the Caribbean opened on March 18, 1967 in Disneyland and December 15, 1973 in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
How Wet Do You Get on Pirates of The Caribbean?
The one small drop isn’t likely to get you too wet, but guests—particularly those on the edges of the boat—can expect a small splash. I’ve never thought anything of it by the time I’m off the ride.
Is the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride Scary?
The ride isn’t altogether scary, but it does have scary parts, particularly near the beginning, and it’s a “dark ride.” This combination can make it tough for some kids to get through. If the ride kicked off with just the ride through the town then I don’t think our toddler would have ever had much difficulty. But the combined creepiness of the start, the small drop, and the intensity of the start of the town scenes made it hard to recover during their more nervous phase.
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