POTC circa September 1969

Thanks to the recent acquisition of a batch of September 1969 Disneyland images, I can compare and contrast two scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. First up is the Captain's Treasure in the grotto area. Surprisingly, it appears that the ceiling has not really changed at all over the years. Even many of the items surrounding the skeleton have stayed in place. Shocking!



The Wicked Wench scene shows a huge change in its main character.



We have gone from Blackbeard to Barbossa. Still, the ship itself is very much the same.



See more vintage (and current) photos from Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at my main website.

Yo ho yo ho, Pt. 1

Come join me for my gajillionth ride upon the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland! It was a beautiful sunny day, as can be seen from the crow's nest of Tarzan's Treehouse, facing the exterior of the attraction building.

Here's a completely different viewpoint of the façade, looking up from the depths of the queue:



Commemorating the attraction's 30th anniversary back in 1997, this plaque/fountain has always been a favorite of mine:



Everyone now and then I attempt to update shots from my collection; it had been about 2 years since I'd taken any of the portraits in the queue. Sir Francis Verney got his refresh on this particular visit.



A group shot before we boarded our boats:



Hard to believe I had never shot this orange curtained window in the queue before:



The blue lighting of the bayou gets me every time:



The Jolly Roger is the perfect warning before the boat dips down into the audio animatronic magic of the attraction:



More of my favorite blue lighting, this time illuminating the caverns and waterfalls of the grotto:



Turning the corner I did my best for a closeup of the Marc Davis painting:



I have always wanted to crawl out of the boat to get a look at what the Captain is reading through his magnifying glass. Fortunately, good sense (what little I have) has prevented me from doing so.



I love the way the cool lighting of the grotto frames the warm gold tones of the Captain's Treasure:



Anyone care to tally up the riches on view here?



See more Daveland vintage & current Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my main website…ALL 4 PAGES!

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: More Grotto

Hope you enjoy these "flash-free" photos!





This poor feller is plum tuckered out; just needs a little rest. ETERNAL rest.



And one from my evil flash-photographing days before I reformed. As if a sword in the back wasn’t bad enough, now this poor feller has crabs.



Back to flash-free:





A few more recent shots taken in the mysterious grotto; love that blue lighting on the rocks and waterfalls. Most guests probably miss the skull & crossbone projection after the two drops.





See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: Dead Driver!

This has always been one of my favorite scenes from this attraction: the skeleton piloting the ship, with the wind and the lightning going like crazy. I captured this one back in 1993, using a flash. Obviously, this was before I repented and mended the ways of my youth.

This next shot I took in January 2003:



May 2007:



Now that I no longer use a flash, trying to capture this scene just as the lightning hits can be very challenging!





See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.