Did you know that Walt Disney World Resort originally wasn’t supposed to have a Pirates of the Caribbean ride?
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the most iconic Disney Park attractions, inspiring the film franchise starring Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow). For decades, versions of the boat ride have entertained guests at Disneyland Park, Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
The attraction has undergone several changes throughout the years. In the 2000s, Walt Disney Imagineers retrofitted Captain Jack Sparrow animatronics into the ride as a nod to the beloved movie series it inspired. Years later, Imagineering updated a “bride auction” scene, transforming the female animatronics from objects-to-be-sold to independent pirates in their own right.
Walt Disney World Resort has clearly spent decades insuring the future of Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom Park, so much so that it recently announced a bar themed after the ride opening in late summer 2025. However, the Central Florida theme park initially planned on replacing the Adventureland ride with another unique attraction.
In the recent video below, TikToker @themouselets explained why Walt Disney World Resort originally said it didn’t “need” the Pirates of the Caribbean ride:
@themouselets Day 3 of Disney Factmas – this is why Disney didn’t want to build Pirates at Magic Kingdom! Comment a land for me to cover next! #disneyworld #disneyfactmas #disneyhistory #piratesofthecaribbean
♬ 热血交响上进励志自由 Pirate Theme Hollywood Caribbean Pirates Style – Ian Laurence
“When this attraction opened in the 1960s at Disneyland in New Orleans Square, it was a huge success,” the TikToker began. “But when Disney was building Disney World, they decided they weren’t going to include [it].”
Walt Disney Imagineers had other plans for Central Florida theme park guests.
“They felt like because Florida was so close to the Caribbean that guests wouldn’t really be interested in pirates in the Caribbean,” she continued. “Instead, they planned to have this huge, amazing attraction, kind of like a [Big Thunder Mountain Railroad] plus a Splash Mountain plus a Pirates of the Caribbean, called the Western River Expedition.”
The Western River Expedition would’ve been an adventurous boat ride in Frontierland. Plans for this attraction left Adventureland with just two attractions: Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, the Jungle Cruise, and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.
It also meant that the convenient walkway from Frontierland to Adventureland that guests know now didn’t exist when Magic Kingdom Park opened in 1971.
“Guests who were visiting Disney World came to Florida and were shocked and disappointed that there was no Pirates of the Caribbean,” the TikToker continued. “Disney heard all of the cries from guests, and they decided that they would build this ride.”
Scrapping plans for the Western River Expedition, Walt Disney Imagineers got to work modifying Disneyland Resort’s Pirates of the Caribbean for Adventureland in Magic Kingdom Park. The ride opened just two years after Walt Disney World Resort in 1973.
Which version of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is your favorite: Disneyland Park or Magic Kingdom Park? Let Disney Fanatic know in the comments!
