In Pursuit of Pirates ~ Part 1 Where My Disney Obsession Truly Began

Back in October, I ran a series of posts called Wishes Around the Web.  I invited some of my blogging friends to join in the fun and share their thoughts on Magic Kingdom's nighttime spectacular Wishes.  These posts ranged from photo tips to scrapbooking layouts to a Disneyland view.  This month I am very excited to say that we will be discussing Pirates of the Caribbean - my absolute favorite attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Throughout the month you will see several people joining in on the fun and sharing their unique perspectives on this classic Adventureland attraction.

In 1986, I arrived in Walt Disney World as a teenager having no idea what to expect.  My only experiences with "theme" parks incuded trips to northern New Hampshire to visit Storyland and Santa's Village.  These were places I had loved visiting as a child, though I soon realized they could not compare to what was offered at Walt Disney World.  

October 1986

Of all the amazing memories my family had that first trip, there was one thing that sparked my desire to know as much as I could about Walt Disney and how he created his theme parks.  It was my first ride through on Pirates of the Caribbean.  As we made our way between the battling ships, I was absolutely impressed by the set up.  I had never seen anything like this in my life!  But as we made our way further into the attraction, I could not believe what I was seeing.  I was amazed by the audio animatronics.  As a kid who loved to take things apart to see how they were built, I wanted to see how these figures were put together.  I spent the rest of the trip trying to figure in my head how these things were built, how they functioned and how could I get a job building these!  Of course, this desire to learn more was amplified by each and every attraction we visited that included audio animatronics.  Though each and every one of those attractions played a role in my desire to learn more, it was Pirates of the Caribbean that started it all.

I will say that this attraction truly catapulted me into full Disney obsession.  When we returned home from that vacation, any book I could find in our local library about Walt Disney or any of his parks, I just had to read.  Each subsequent trip to Walt Disney World, my obsession from knowing how they worked changed into appreciating every little detail in these rides and wanting to ride them several times to take everything in.  I did start my college path as an engineering student, though my true desire to work with children made me change my course and become an elementary school teacher. To this day, Pirates of the Caribbean is at the top of my Disney "Must Do" list, and it will always hold a very special place in my heart as being the attraction that peaked my curiosity and desire to learn more about this amazing world that Walt Disney created.

Which Disney attraction holds a special place in your heart?  I would love to know what it is!

Next Monday, Deb from Focused on the Magic will be sharing her photo tips for capturing the best shots of Pirates of the Caribbean.  Make sure you check back then to polish your photography skills before your next Disney vacation!

Here are the posts included in the entire series:

• Part #1 ~ Where My Disney Obsession Truly Began
• Part #2 ~ No Flash Photography Please! Dark Ride Photo Tips with Deb at Focused on the Magic
• Part #3 ~ Putting Pirates on Those Pages! Scrapbooking Ideas and Layouts with Mary of Capturing Magical Memories
• Part #4 ~ Stranded with Captain Jack Sparrow a Pirate Inspired Recipe with Kristen of Cooking with Mickey
• Part #5 ~ We Wants the Redhead! A Disneyland Perspective from Chad at Days in the Parks
• Part #6 ~ A Disneyland Perspective of the Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction with Amanda at Manda's Disney Blog