Disneyland Pirates Closed for Refurbishment
Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is closed for refurbishment until early summer.
The attraction was officially closed on March 14 and no date has been suggested for the reopening at the time of writing this article.
Pirates of the Caribbean opened on March 18, 1967. It’s hard to imagine the park without this iconic attraction!
"Yo Ho!" On this date 55 years ago, Disneyland guests were introduced to a brand-new swashbuckling adventure with the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean. Pictured here is Imagineer Leota Toombs Thomas, adding finishing details to the face of a pirate. pic.twitter.com/O7qxCpyCno
— The Walt Disney Family Museum (@WDFMuseum) March 18, 2022
One guest recently shared pictures of the diseased trees from the middle of the queue being removed.
Those big trees in front of Pirates of the Caribbean are gone now. Looks so different! #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/L7scAnjCOr
— Guy Selga (@guyselga) March 24, 2022
Celebrating 55 years of Pirates
While the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean is under refurbishment, Disneyland is celebrating 55 years of the classic attraction with decorative panels throughout New Orleans Square.
Pirates of the Caribbean 55th anniversary decorative walls are up all around the attraction And throughout New Orleans square. #disneyparks #disneyland pic.twitter.com/uRy1ZkssnW
— Wonders of Magic (@wondersofmagic) March 18, 2022
As you can see in the tweet above, the panels include a number of the drawings by Disney Legend Marc Davis.
Disneyland Pirates history
Let’s go back to some history of Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland with the best teacher of all – Walt Disney!
In this video, Walt tells us all about the new land being worked on, New Orleans Square.
He explains to the first Disneyland Ambassador, Julie Reihm, that there will be an attraction in the Blue Bayou Lagoon that will take you on a boat ride then down a waterfall.
We meet Blaine Gibson working on a maquette of a pirate to be used in the attraction. The pirates will be animated, to carry on the story through movement and by talking – audio animatronics!
Photo: Disneyland
Later we meet Claude Coats, who is the imagineer in charge of the whole project.
There is a full-scale model of the attraction, with everything represented in miniature. Including the now-changed wench auction!
Photo: BRUCE CHAMBERS/THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER VIA AP
Maintaining Pirates
While the Pirates attraction at Disneyland is closed for refurbishment, it will undergo extensive maintenance.
But the attraction is maintained on a nightly basis. Here’s a video featuring Dave, who is a machinist who works on maintaining Pirates every night after the park is closed.
Dave tells us that Pirates has the most number of guests riding it in the entire park!
There are four maintenance cast members for Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean.
A Disneyland employee pushes a Pirates of the Caribbean boat so stranded riders can be evacuated on Oct. 31, 2021. (Brian Rokos/Riverside Press-Enterprise)
These cast members walk the entire length of the attraction – in the water – every night to ensure everything is working as it should be.
Disneyland Pirates refurbishment
If you’re planning a visit to Disneyland in the next couple of months, you’ll miss riding Pirates. It’s a good reminder to check the Disneyland app or website to see what attractions are closed when you’ll be visiting so you can plan your visit.
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