Starting Disney with our march to The Pirates of the Caribbean has been our tradition. Our tradition because we went there the first last time we were here a few weeks ago, and we are doing it today, first again, so it's going to be our tradition.
Mimie and I love The Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The atmosphere seems so natural. It truly is a magical ride that takes you back to a place in time and discovers a world other than the current one you are in, even if it is fantasy.
As you pass the squealing kids and heavy chatter from the hordes of people standing around Adventure Land. The music you recognize from the movies begins to reach your ears.
Violins and chellos being played at a rapid succession. The woodwind family joins in as the flutes, piccolos, and oboes intermingle with the string quartet. A ting of a triangle is played like the baseline.
It's fast and choppy, but it excites the inner kid in you because it indicates that the adventure is about to begin.
The boys and I arrive at the large mast, but there is no ship, just remnants of what is left from a shipwreck. The mast jettisons upward into the sky, where it marks the ride with an X, as in "X marks the spot." if you're using a map, that indicates you found the ride.
Attached to the mast is a tattered sail that you'd find on a sailing ship. Written in letters in the color of a sunset over the canvas material is the name "Pirates of the Caribbean." Placed on top of the mast is a crow's nest with a skeleton figure perched inside of it who's on the lookout, utilizing his spyglass, as he looks for guests daring to climb aboard.
The excitement rolls over us. The music is louder but slows down and dragged out.
The string quartet drags their bows across the strands closest to the bridge. You can envision the violinists working their fingers across the fingerboard as they hold the neck. The horn section joins in as the French horns interact with the strings, creating more music for your ears and the cymbals grabbing your attention.
The boys and I enter the yellowish-colored building built with Spanish architectural design. Above our heads were heavy lanterns attached to wood beams holding up the Spanish tile barreled roof. We passed through the smaller archways into a larger area, where dark grey, differently shaped tile flooring led us toward the grand entrance.
On either side of us were enormous, grandiose archways. The columns have a four-sided molding at their base that stretches up to about waist level, where it rounds into the rest of the columns and marries the wall. The wall then extends up, giving way to the arch, where it reaches the peak of the rounded edge and becomes a solid wall that proceeds upward until it becomes one with the ceiling. The edges are boxed out with decorated crown molding. Larger timberlands spread across the ceiling with heavier lanterns attached to them. As we walked the corridor, the music continued, bouncing off the walls and creating an echo that gave a surround sound music experience.
A snare drum sounds while the horns tune, lowering an octave, and more drums join as the string quartet gets louder. The trombone and trumpets play as the cymbals crash the glockenspiel thumps.
We walk towards the large wood doors with decorative steal black hinges across the planks. Thick bolts fasten the hinges in place. Above the entrance is a painted banner that reads, "Yo ho, Yo ho, A Pirate's Life For Me." I glance at it as we walk through the doors.
The violins play more vigorously. The horns interject and blare over the strings, but it sounds in perfect harmony. The drums, cymbals, and horns make a steady "dum, dum, dum dum" that allows you to picture Jack marching through the jungle or fighting in an epic sword fight.
The music sets the mood and prepares you for the adventure as if Jack Sparrow himself will come out to greet you.
Once we get inside, the lighting is low. Nico turns to me and wants me to carry him because he is frightened. I already have Christopher in my arms, so I lift Nico up in my other arm, and we walk down the winding hallways to our waiting boat.
The concrete walls have openings as you descend the old path, like picture windows. There are iron bars mounted inside like you'd find in a jail. As you peer through the bars, you will see skeleton remains that appear to have been trapped inside for an eternity.
The music plays, and the echo is louder as the music travels in a straight and enters your soul like a thunderous punch to the chest.
The music tempo picks up. All the instruments playing together. It's fast and deliberate, with fast beginnings and sharp ends. The cymbals crash harder and louder than the other instruments. The string section gets more intense as it plays a solo to the other brass and percussion instruments. Then, the horn sections join in.
The boys and I reach our boat. It feels like you're on a dock waiting for departure. The air is cool. You can feel and smell the moisture in the air. It smells like fresh rain. We get our spot in the front, with the three of us together, but we miss the important fourth one, Mimie.
The boat travels along the makeshift cave, but you can't tell between what's real and what's not. From above, rock icicles or stalactites are pointing down at us.
The boys are mesmerized as we approach an image shown on a smokey fog directly before our boat. It's Black Beard (they no longer do this feature), and he's warning us before we enter.
We pass through the smoke and hear a voice repeatedly saying, "Dead men tell no tales."
It can be scary for children the age of my kids. Christopher turns to me and buries his face into my shoulder.
We pass skeletons on a makeshift beach to our left. A clothed skeleton lays there with a sword through his oney rib cage chest. A crab stands close by, looking at us as we pass by. When we move past the beach, coming up to our right is a skeleton at the helm of his shipwrecked boat. It's beached, but he's still holding onto the wheel as the rain comes down hard. The wind is howling, and the thunder is shaking the boat. Lighting flashes illuminate the surrounding area, but the ship quickly moves into darkness. The boat slides down an unsuspecting waterfall.
We end up in the middle of a battle. Barbossa is taking on a Fort.
The boys squeal with excitement.
The Black Pearl is to our left (port side!), and the cannons are blasting at a fortified fort on our right (starboard side!). The wind blows by your ears as the cannon shots are fired. Misdirected shots land beside your vessel, causing the water to splash high and land in the water to the boat's starboard side. Barbossa stands in the middle of the ship, demanding those in the fortress to give up!
The boys love it!
I zone out and think about Mimie and our enjoyment of this ride. I look up at the dark ceiling resembling a night sky and hope she watches us have a good time.
Our boat moves past the battle and enters a Village where Pirates are taking over and harassing the good people there. The pirates may be automated, but they appear so real!
To our starboard side, the angry pirates repeatedly dunked a peasant, a son of a biscuit eater (in pirate talk), in a barrel of water, demanding that he tell them where to find Jack Sparrow. The pirate form of waterboarding back in those days; as we pass by, they dunk him again. But the fools need only look over the shoulder to spot Jack hiding behind a barrel, gazing towards the men.
The boat travels towards an archway. The Pirates are at an auction where they are auctioning off the women. Their carousers scream and shout while firing their guns and drinking their rum.
We pass through the waterway and enter an area where the Pirates chase the women for food. It's a wild scene. The boys are staring in awe.
Every time we passed this part, I would tell Mime how women's groups were mad that men were chasing the women, so Disney added the fruit so there wouldn't be any womanizing. I laugh to myself at that thought.
I look over to my empty seat to my right and imagine she is there with us. Nico sits on my starboard knee, and Christopher on my port knee. They are loving every moment of this ride. That's why I made this the first ride we went on.
We pass another drunk carouser who's resting against a wall harassing the scared kitties as the cats stand tall, their hair raised on their backs. We travel under another cobblestone archway where the effect of fire is glaring through broken windows as the burly man sings.
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We pillage plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho...
The pirate animatronics appear so life-like that I can't help but laugh as my children smile brightly. The action is lively and exciting.
...Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We extort and pilfer. We filch and sack. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Maraud and embezzle and even highjack.Drink up me 'earties, yo ho...
The fire looks so natural, as the red glare waves like the motion of a flame, giving the appearance that the building is on fire.
...Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We kindle and char and in flame and ignite. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We burn up the city, we're really a fright. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho"
It's hard to take it all in. The boys take notice of a drunk lying in the sloth of the pigs, spooning with them as he sleeps.
...Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. We kindle and char and in flame and ignite. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho. We burn up the city, we're really a fright. Drink up me 'earties, yo ho...
The boat moves into a tunnel, where we come across the iconic scene where the jailed Pirates are trying to coax a dog to them because he is holding the key in his mouth. The fire is making its way into the cells, their only hope.
We move towards the end of the ride as we pass Captain Jack Sparrow one last time. He's sitting on his throne in a room full of treasures as he sings the Pirate song. The boat docks, and the boys want to return as we disembark at the port side.
It'll be fun for the three of us, but we will always miss the fourth. Mimie and I had a lot of fun at Disney, especially on the Pirates of the Caribbean, one of our favorites.
...Yo ho, a pirate's life for me."
1,920 words
"Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirates Life for Me" Written by: George Bruns with lyrics by Xavier Atencio
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