Guests had a unique experience on Walt Disney World Resort‘s Pirates of the Caribbean ride when it broke down last week. They eventually made it out of the attraction, but not before their boats started descending backward.
Pirates of the Caribbean Controversy
The latest Pirates of the Caribbean breakdown comes amid years of controversy about the Magic Kingdom Park attraction. In the late 2010s, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort infuriated some Disney Parks fans when they removed the ride’s sexist bride auction scene. Instead of being sold to the highest bidder, the female animatronics are now swashbuckling pirates with independent lives of their own.
This wasn’t the first time Walt Disney Imagineers updated Pirates of the Caribbean. In the mid-2000s, Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom Park retrofitted Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) animatronics into multiple scenes throughout the New Orleans Square and Adventureland rides.
Though some Disney Parks fans protested changes to Pirates of the Caribbean, others believe Walt Disney Imagineering didn’t go far enough. Last year, multiple women spoke out against the “offensive” ride, arguing that they felt objectified by the male animatronics.
“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” one Disney Park guest said. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”
“It feels like we’re the entertainment for them and I do not like it,” another wrote.
“I always felt violated on this ride,” one Disney Parks fan commented.
Riding Backward
Last week, TikTok user @hi.imclover shared this video of their family trapped on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom Park. Disney cast members turned on the attraction’s overhead lights.
@hi.imclover Stuck on Pirates of the Carribean ride @Walt Disney World #piratesofthecaribbean #stuckatdisney #hilarious #waltdisneyworld
In the video, the family’s boat traveled backward down the ride’s track.
“We’re drifting backward…because we’re stuck on the ride,” a few of the young Disney Park guests said.
“Something happened, then it stopped, then the lights turned on, and now we’re going backward,” another guest added. “We’ve been here for ten minutes, and we don’t know what’s happening. They powered it down.”
The guest turned the camera to show multiple other Pirates of the Caribbean boats drifting backward.
“All these people are going backward,” she concluded.
It’s unclear if Disney cast members restarted the Pirates of the Caribbean ride or evacuated guests. The ride eventually reopened.
Have you evacuated a ride at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments.
The post “Offensive” Pirates of the Caribbean Ride Reversed, Officially Sent Backwards appeared first on Inside the Magic.
