Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean may be known for its immersive sets and swashbuckling animatronics, but yesterday, the only real adventure was figuring out how to get guests off the ride. What should have been a smooth sail through cursed treasure and cannon fire turned into an unexpected standstill, leaving visitors stranded in the middle of the attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland
Since debuting in 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean has remained one of Disneyland’s most beloved attractions. The boat ride takes guests through a richly detailed world of marauding pirates, burning villages, and buried treasure—so immersive, in fact, that it inspired Disney’s billion-dollar film franchise of the same name.
Updates over the years, including the addition of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, have helped keep it relevant, but its age has made occasional breakdowns an inevitable part of the experience.
Minor stoppages are common, with boats sometimes stacking up and leaving guests floating in eerie silence among the animatronic crew. These delays usually resolve quickly, but sometimes, the ride encounters a more serious malfunction, requiring manual intervention. That was the case yesterday when a breakdown left guests stranded longer than usual.
Pirates of the Caribbean Breaks Down at Disneyland
On March 18 (coincidentally, the ride’s 58th birthday), guests found themselves stuck aboard Pirates of the Caribbean for over 40 minutes as a ride malfunction brought operations to a halt. Multiple boats stalled back-to-back, leaving riders trapped with no clear indication of when they’d be moving again.
A video shared on Reddit showed guests stranded on the attraction, where only one cast member reportedly waded into the water to push three boats to a safe disembarkation point.
Pirates of the Caribbean got stuck for 40+ minutes
byu/ThaTrillKnight inDisneyland
Some guests were unimpressed with the response, deeming it inefficient. However, others defended the process, noting that strict safety protocols likely played a role in how the situation was handled.
“Only so many people are allowed to go into the water in waders and push boats,” one user claimed, identifying themselves as a former Pirates of the Caribbean cast member. “Some people have to stay on land and pull the boats with hooks (arguably harder than pushing in the water) and some have to manually release the brakes to allow boats to be pushed. Everyone has a specific job they need to do to get people out. Among the many reasons, some people have bad backs and can’t push boats. Others are too tall or can’t fit in the waders. Stop complaining about things you don’t know anything about.”
The ride’s extended downtime likely contributed to a longer-than-usual wait time throughout the day. Yesterday’s line for Pirates of the Caribbean stretched as far as the Haunted Mansion, an unusual sight even for a busy spring break season.
Disney Ride Evacuations
Ride breakdowns are part of the Disneyland experience, but not all evacuations are created equal. Some guests (it’s us, we’re guests) actually enjoy getting stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean, as it allows them extra time to admire the attraction’s elaborate details.
Other rides, however, present far less comfortable evacuation scenarios. Disney California Adventure’s Incredicoaster, for example, requires guests to exit while more than 100 feet in the air, walking along the coaster’s track to reach safety. Compared to that, a boat breakdown on Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t seem quite so bad.
Have you ever been evacuated from a Disney ride?
