Those pesky pirates – always so politically incorrect. Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride reopened on June 8 after the newest “refurbishment” that removed the bride auction scene from the ride and replaced it with a regular auction scene – and the ride’s first female pirate who espouses that pirates really just want to drink.
The scene had a banner that read, “Take a wench for a bride” complete with crying women tied together by ropes. Now, the brazen Redd proclaims, “It’s the rum they want. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!”
And while the latest change in Pirates is just the most recent towards the politically correct, the ride still has plenty of not-so-kid-friendly moments, including public drunkenness, gun fighting and even torture (when a man who refuses to say where Captain Jack Sparrow is gets repeatedly dunked in a well.)
Several years ago a section of the ride that showed male pirates chasing women in a circle was changed to show the women chasing the men.
There are arguments that the Pirates ride shouldn’t be changed because pirates weren’t politically correct, but the reality is that the Disneyland ride was never focused on historical accuracy.
Some Disney traditionalists don’t like older rides being changed, but that’s always been the way Disneyland has operated. Walt Disney called it “plussing,” rides were always meant to be changed and updated to stay relevant. (It’s hard to miss the Captain Jack Sparrow additions that joined the ride after the movies’ success).
The small change is unlikely to affect the more than 50-year success of the swashbuckling boat ride, and with Star Wars Land opening in the park next summer, even more tourists should be filing through to see Redd’s auction.
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Pirates of the Caribbean had been closed since April.
