We’re Spilling a HUGE SECRET About Pirates of the Caribbean in Disney World

Pirates of the Caribbean has been one of Walt Disney World’s most popular rides for the last five decades, becoming an intrinsic part of the Magic Kingdom for millions of guests, and defining the Disney experience for many who’ve never even been to the park.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Which makes it all the more surprising that the ride was never supposed to be built at Walt Disney World at all.

Pirates of the Caribbean was already a mythic Disney attraction before the original Disneyland version even opened. After years in development — initially as a wax museum — Disney Imagineers, led by Marc Davis, cracked the attraction, imbuing it with a sense of humor that undercut the pirates’ villainous deeds.

Concept art by Marc Davis ©Disney

In the lead-up to Pirates of the Caribbean’s 1967 opening, Walt Disney, who had been heavily involved in the attraction’s development, showcased it at length on the Disneyland television show. Meaning that when Walt died in December 1966, many saw the ride as his final artistic statement, and it became immensely popular upon its opening. So popular in fact that it was clearly going to be a headline attraction at the then-under-construction Walt Disney World, right?

©Disney

Well, not so much.

You see, during the planning stages for the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” Disney executives and Imagineers decided to cut the ride, feeling that Florida residents would be “bored” by pirates since they were already part of the state’s culture and lore.

This was fine by Davis, who didn’t want to repeat himself. He instead set his sights higher, designing a magnum opus attraction that was meant to supplant Pirates at the top of the Disney pantheon: A massive E-Ticket boat ride that was to feature hundreds of cowboys, Native Americans, and animals telling the story of the American West in Davis’s style of comedic vignettes known as the Western River Expedition.

Western River Expedition concert art,

Beyond a single ride, the Western River Expedition was meant to define the park’s Frontierland. Set to be housed in a gigantic show building known as Thunder Mesa, the entire complex was planned to be disguised as a mountain range, complete with a mine train roller coaster attraction on its exterior.

Initially planned as a 1971 opening day attraction, it was moved to the second phase of Disney World’s construction due to budget issues. That didn’t stop Disney from advertising the ride, though, as the Western River Expedition was included in promotional materials about the park, and a preview center of upcoming attractions.

Western River Expedition Postcard

However, something unexpected happened. Specifically, Disney didn’t count on how popular the Disneyland television series truly was, nor how nostalgically audiences viewed their times watching “Uncle Walt” and his “pirate boat ride.”

Disney had spent so much time thinking about piracy’s history in Florida that they ignored the fact that millions in the state (and up and down the east coast) had spent years wanting to see the ride for themselves. When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the #1 complaint received by guest relations was “Where are the Pirates?”

Pirates of the Caribbean

Acting fast — and some might argue impulsively — Disney announced that an East Coast version of the attraction would be built, which opened in 1973. This shortened version of the attraction lacked several scenes, animatronics, and effects, as well as having no attached Blue Bayou, as the ambiance of New Orleans Square was replaced by a Spanish-style fort facade in Adventureland.

©Disney

As far as the Western River Expedition? Well, it wasn’t officially canceled… at first. However, the budget for the Magic Kingdom’s version of Pirates came from the stockpile that had been set aside to construct Thunder Mesa, and despite a continued presence in some preview materials, the massive complex was never built, leaving Davis somewhat embittered about the situation for the rest of his life.

Pirates of the Caribbean

While Pirates of the Caribbean may feel like an irreplaceable element of the Magic Kingdom, the truth is that the ride was never planned to be built at the “Most Magical Place on Earth” at all. Stay tuned to DFB for more dives into Disney history!

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