Opening with the park, like Tokyo’s attraction, Disneyland Paris’ Pirates of the Caribbean opened on April 12, 1992, in the far back corner of the park. It is housed in a battle-scarred fortress and is much different than the originals. 
The ride begins as guests depart on boats from a landing and enter a lush lagoon at nighttime with the thundering of waterfalls everywhere. The boats pass through a shipwreck and enter an old fortress nearby. Inside gun noises and sword clanking are heard in the back as the boats climb up a large lift hill used to haul cargo throughout the fort. At the top flames are engulfing the fort and the shadows of fighting pirates and soldiers are seen. Up ahead the guests see the pirates in jail trying to coax the key out of the naughty guard dog.
The boats go down a waterfall in the side of the fort caused by a cannon ball and pass the bombarding-the-fort scene, where the soldiers and the pirates fire at guests. Entering the relative safety of the town, guests see all the original scenes from the Disneyland original except for a new pair of swordfighting men who duel for a girl in the chase scene. After passing the burning town, darkness fills the air and red flashes and hot air appears as the arsenal of the town has blown up sending the guests to Davy Jones' Locker. They pass all the grotto scenes from Disneyland and exit the boats after a parting thought from the skull and crossbones. It’s the only installment not to feature the movie characters.
When the attraction opened, the swordfighting duo (above),were the two most sophisticated figures in the history of Disney theme parks. In Disneyland Paris, it offers a great transition between Adventureland and Fantasyland, as the Pirates attraction is on the edge, and right next to Pirates of the Caribbean is Peter Pan’s Flight.
Pictures and Information from Jack Spence of All Ears Net and Pin Pics
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