A trip to LA is never complete without a visit to Disneyland. Even better than that, during my Pirates of the Caribbean press trip, I had the privilege to tour the Disney Archives. So much history wrapped into one day. I’m excited to share with you my day of sailing into the past with the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the Disney Archives.
On my visit to the archives, I got to learn all about the history of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, as well is take in a lot of the mementos since the park’s opening. Disney hangs onto EVERYTHING and it’s so cool to see what souvenirs they had in the past. I mean, check out that helmet – that’s what kids would wear before the Mickey ears came out.
In addition to souvenirs and trinkets, the Disney Archives holds several movie items and props, such as a Storm Trooper mask from STAR WARS, and the helmet Robin Williams wore in Bicentennial Man.
One of my favorite parts of visiting the Disney Archives was getting to hold an actual Oscar!! This was the first Oscar Walt Disney himself won. He won more Oscars than any other one person, and I felt honored to get to hold one. It’s heavier than I thought it would be!
I got to see some of the early souvenir maps and it’s fun to see how the park has changed, including the expansion of Pirates of the Caribbean. Did you know that the Pirates of the Caribbean ride was originally meant to be a walking attraction of a wax museum? I’m glad that changed because it’s pretty awesome now. This was the last attraction that Walt Disney himself supervised the construction of, before he passed away. Unfortunately he didn’t get to see the opening of the ride, but it’s lived on and was the basis for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise!
After learning all about the Pirates of the Caribbean ride’s evolution, we had to test it out, of course! This has always been one of my favorite rides, for one because it’s a nice chance to cool off on a hot day. My mom has learned all the words to “A Pirates Life For Me” and used to sing it to my kids, so we always sing along as we ride the ride.
With 630,000 gallons of water, 53 audio-animatronic animals and birds, and 75 audio-animatronic pirates and villagers in the attraction, there is a ton to see. I feel like I catch something new in the scenery each time I ride. This is definitely a must-see attraction while at Disneyland. The line moves pretty quickly too, since a lot of people fit in one boat.
Pop on over to Disney California Adventure Park at the end of the day and catch the World of Color. Pirates of the Caribbean even has a snippet in the show and it’s pretty fantastic!
Summer of Heroes
If you have the opportunity to visit Disneyland, now is the time, as they just launched Summer of Heroes at Disney California Adventure Park. The event was kicked off with the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, which took over the old Tower of Terror. Take photos with Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. During Summer of Heroes, you can also encounter the following:
- “Avengers Training Initiative”: Black Widow and Hawkeye assemble young recruits for a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Avengers.
- Heroic Encounter: Black Widow: Black Widow arrives on the scene several times throughout the day in an armored Avengers vehicle for her heroic encounter with park guests.
- Grab a Piece (or Bite) of the Action: Special themed merchandise, plus food and beverage items, will be available throughout Hollywood Land.
So, on your next trip to Disneyland, be sure to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean, and take in all that history, and have summer fun with Summer of Heroes. Don’t forget, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is now in theaters!
I was provided an all expense paid trip for the purpose of covering the new Pirates of the Caribbean and Bambi releases. All opinions expressed are my own.
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