Disneyland Resort’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride experienced a rare malfunction on Sunday, December 7, temporarily halting operations and leaving guests with an unusual, eerie attraction experience. Nearly all of the pirate audio-animatronics malfunctioned, causing many of the characters to freeze in place, while the ride itself continued to operate.
Guests Experience Pirates with Motionless Animatronics
On Sunday, several Disneyland Park guests shared photos and videos on social media, showing Pirates of the Caribbean animatronic characters hunched over and motionless. In one video shared by user u/Illustrious-Bar4100, only the dog with the key and some smoke effects from the cannons remained operational.
Never seen this before lol
Never seen this before lol
byu/Illustrious-Bar4100 inDisneyland
“Most of the Pirates are sleeping on the job today,” said u/RDV78, who also shared a photo of a motionless audio-animatronic.
Most of the Pirates are sleeping on the job today
byu/RDV78 inDisneyland
“Very eerie,” they added.
Power Outage Likely to Blame for the Malfunction
Several guests speculated that the ride’s malfunction was linked to a power outage that affected several rides at Disney California Adventure Park on the same day. A few Disneyland Resort visitors overheard conversations about an electrical issue causing multiple attractions to temporarily shut down.
“In California Adventure right now and half the park is shut down,” said user u/AstralDragon1979. “Someone in my party overheard others saying that there was some sort of electrical/power outage. It seems like complete speculation, but it fits the observation that the park is cycling through attractions, keeping a significant portion offline to prevent a brownout or something.”
Disney Cast Members Respond to the Malfunction
As soon as the issue was detected, Disney cast members stopped loading new guests onto the ride. One visitor, u/Illustrious-Bar4100, wrote: “They weren’t loading people on when we were exiting, so at least they became privy to it.”
By the time of this article’s publication, Pirates of the Caribbean had returned to regular operations, and Disneyland Resort had not confirmed how long it took to resolve the technical issues.
What Caused the Issue and When Will It Be Fully Fixed?
It’s unclear how long the ride was offline for, but Disney has not publicly announced any long-term issues with the attraction. Pirates of the Caribbean continues to welcome Disneyland Park guests, and this glitch appears to be an isolated incident. Guests hoping to experience the ride during their Disneyland Resort visits can expect it to operate normally, barring any future technical difficulties.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve witnessed on a Disney Park ride? Disney Fanatic would love to hear from you in the comments!
