Pirates of the Caribbean Under Fire Again After More Guests Offended by Ride

Disneyland Resort’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride is under fire again as some guests have been made uncomfortable by another aspect of the ride. The discussion popped up just weeks after Disneyland Park removed Captain Jack Sparrow from Fantasmic!, which recently reopened after a devastating fire.

Pirates of the Caribbean opened in 1967, 12 years after Disneyland Park. Walt Disney Imagineering has changed the Adventureland attraction multiple times in the decades since and replicated those changes in versions of the ride in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland.

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In the mid-2000s, the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise made its way into the ride that started it all. Walt Disney Imagineers installed Captain Jack Sparrow animatronics, modeled after Johnny Depp, throughout the attractions worldwide.

About a decade later, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort announced the most controversial change to Pirates of the Caribbean thus far. They changed a misogynist bride auction scene, turning objectified female animatronics into independent lady pirates.

Nostalgic fans were upset at the significant change, while some progressive Disney Park guests felt Imagineers didn’t go far enough. Last year, one woman went viral for claiming that she felt offended and objectified by the male Pirates of the Caribbean animatronics.

“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” she explained. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”

The Disney Park guest said she “loved” the ride but was uncomfortable with its implications for female guests.

Some Disney Parks fans agreed and called for the end of Pirates of the Caribbean. Others demanded the ride be left alone.

This week, another Disney Parks fan demanded that Disneyland Resort change Pirates of the Caribbean. This time, the guest claimed that the attraction is ruined in its current condition.

“The fact that boats are nose to tail disrupts the experience,” Redditor u/False_Celebration923 argued. “Bumping the boats in front during the jail/dog/key scene is a mood killer. They need to release boats less often, it’s a persistent issue.”

The Disney Parks fan added that Disney cast members must do more about unruly guests on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

“[I] can’t help but mention the numerous people that talk during the ride, it’s too high,” they said.

Other Disney Parks fans argued that slowing down the popular boat ride would do nothing but increase wait times.

“They don’t need to slow the ride down and make the line take even longer,” said u/tomandshell.

“This is how it’s been since 1968,” u/pquade added. “While some things have changed over the years, very little has changed to the actual flume or dispatch rates. There has always been a slow section with boats backed up starting at the jail and all the way to the lift. Boats have always been backed up there. At least at Disneyland.”

The historic attraction also wasn’t built to accommodate guests transferring in and out of mobility devices.

“Unfortunately older rides don’t have the special loading zones for guests that need to transfer so that just slows everything down,” u/trer24 explained. “And the way they’re built, there is probably no way to build them in. They didn’t foresee the number of people who use mobility scooters nowadays.”

“Same reason [Haunted Mansion] and [Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters] stop so much,” u/UnlikelyLeague8589 agreed. “Just a sign of the times as more people visit with a mobility device.”

Should Disney change Pirates of the Caribbean more? Share your opinion with Inside the Magic in the comments.