Pirates of the Caribbean Wasn’t Supposed To Come to Disney World. That Would Have Been a HUGE Mistake.

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While Pirates of the Caribbean may be synonymous with Magic Kingdom now, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t originally supposed to come to Disney World at all.

Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom

But, if you ask me — that would have been a huge mistake. I may be slightly biased considering that this swashbuckling adventure is quite possibly my favorite ride in Magic Kingdom (though it’s often a toss-up between Pirates and Haunted Mansion ), but can you even imagine what Adventureland would look like today if Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t there? I shudder at the thought.

When Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, imagine the surprise of guests — who had spent years hearing Walt Disney himself plug Pirates of the Caribbean — when they found out that this attraction was, in fact, NOT present at Disney World. They started complaining to Guest Relations about the lack of pillaging and plundering, and a fast-tracked version of Pirates of the Caribbean was born.

Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom

Originally, Imagineers and executives didn’t think that Floridians and those visiting Magic Kingdom would want a pirate attraction, considering how close Florida is to the Caribbean. It was thought that the ride wouldn’t have the same allure as it did in California, so plans for the Western River Expedition (and Big Thunder Mountain!) were drawn up instead.

Pirates of the Caribbean

But, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and Magic Kingdom’s Pirates of the Caribbean opened on December 15th, 1973. Here’s where Disney went wrong with their initial thought that a pirate-themed attraction wouldn’t fit in the Florida park — Floridians love pirates. As a native Floridian who loves pirates, I feel particularly qualified to talk about this.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Florida and pirates go way back, with its location being so close to the Caribbean and many other trade routes. Pirates were active in several different coastal Florida cities like St. Augustine, Pensacola, the Florida Keys, and the Gulf Coast — even a pirate who was rumored to work under the infamous Jean Lafitte.

Florida is SO obsessed with pirates that every year, hundreds of thousands of people descend on the City of Tampa to celebrate the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which celebrates the legend of mythical pirate José Gaspar.

©Visit Tampa Bay

If Gasparilla sounds familiar, you might be thinking of Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, which is named after Gasparilla Island on Florida’s east coast — where Boca Grande is located. As Florida folklore tells it, José Gaspar had his base on the island and purportedly hid his treasure there. Oddly enough, the treasure has still never been found to this day.

Clearly, Pirates of the Caribbean belongs in Florida and in Magic Kingdom. And, this just goes to show that sometimes, Disney does listen to fans!

Gasparilla Island, Florida | ©Southern Living

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for the latest updates from Disney World and more. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog so you don’t miss any important news!

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Is Pirates of the Caribbean the BEST ride in Magic Kingdom? You don’t actually have to answer this one, I know the answer is yes.

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