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Disneyland Resort recently shut down its Pirates of the Caribbean ride amid rising tensions among its cast members. Guests trapped on board were concerned that an impending strike could impact their rescue.
Thousands of Disneyland Park, Downtown Disney, and Disney California Adventure Park cast members rallied outside Disneyland Resort on July 17, 2024. The Walt Disney Company reached a tentative agreement with the union just days after cast members voted for what would’ve been the first strike in four decades.
Credit: Disney
Hours before the tentative agreement halted the planned strike, dozens of Disney Park guests were trapped on Pirates of the Caribbean after the attraction broke down. One guest, TikTok user @tg79sa, was scared that a sudden collective action from employees could leave her family trapped on the boat ride.
“Ok, we are stuck in the middle of Pirates of the Caribbean!!” the Disney Resort guest wrote. “Did the strike begin?? They just closed the ride.”
@tg79sa Omg the ride literally stopped and this is a water ride, so how do we get rescued?? lol #disney #strike #disneyland #stuck #ride #help #lol #foryou #foryoupage #piratesofthecaribbean #omg
The video shows multiple boats backed up in one of the largest rooms inside Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney cast members hadn’t turned on the attraction’s overhead lights, which they typically do when evacuating guests.
“I’m hoping that they did not go on strike in the middle of the ride,” the guest said.
Luckily, Disney cast members re-started Pirates of the Caribbean after about 20 minutes and didn’t evacuate the guests. When an evacuation is necessary, cast members put on rubber waders and pull the boats to safe exit points on the ride’s “shore.”
Credit: Ed Aguila, Inside the Magic
“Thankfully we were in the shade and listening to [Johnny Depp],” the guest joked. “…Only lasted 20 minutes.”
This is hardly the first time Pirates of the Caribbean has amassed attention on social media. The historic Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort rides have drawn criticism in recent years for their depiction of women.
In the late 2010s, Walt Disney Imagineers replaced a bride auction scene on Pirates of the Caribbean, turning the objectified female animatronics into pirates in their own right. However, some Disney Parks guests have called for a further overhaul of the attraction and the removal of male pirates that gawk at guests.
Credit: Disney
“I just think this is kind of a weird ride,” one Disney Park guest said in a viral video last year. “I don’t know… It’s just a little bit rapey.”
The Walt Disney Company has changed the presence of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise in its theme parks. Earlier this year, Disneyland Resort removed Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann from Fantasmic!.
Walt Disney World Resort recently closed Tortuga Tavern, a restaurant inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and temporarily moved the attraction’s gift shop into the location. Magic Kingdom Park reportedly plans to open a Pirates of the Caribbean bar somewhere in Adventureland but has provided few details about its progress.
Does your family ride Pirates of the Caribbean? In the comments, share your thoughts on the attraction with us.
