Venturing south from the vistas of the "Thunder Mesa" complex with the frontier town that morphs back into a colonial port from the early days of the American story, we reach a gate with a sign that reads: CARIBBEAN PLAZA. Here, we have made it. Within a few hundred feet, a person can walk from the Southwest and reach the Caribbean.
It's said that Caribbean Plaza was designed in a Spanish motif, but the architecture isn't exclusively Spanish. To someone who grew up in the Southwestern United States and is familiar with the Mexican borderlands, I am amazed at how the architecture of Caribbean Plaza resembles not only Mexican hacienda architecture, but Southwestern styles and even architecture I've seen in Southern California. However, I suppose WED's 1972-1974 wording really referred to the country of origin.
There are several Caribbeans based on the country of origin. There is the Spanish Main, the British West Indies, and the other versions of the golden age of piracy and colonialism. The Pirates of the Caribbean was always oriented towards the Spanish Main and the elimination of a New Orleans themed area must have made the Caribbean the only viable option for a land appropriate to a Pirates attraction. That's my assumption, but it's an assumption that can only be truly justified by the very Imagineers who designed the Pirates of the Caribbean for Walt Disney World.
Since we really can't gain that insight, we can infer that the addition of Caribbean Plaza, which makes the transition from Frontierland to Adventureland or vice versa, seem natural and like it was meant to be there. It seems too good to be true.
After all, the Pirates of the Caribbean wasn't even meant to open with the Florida park. I previously stated that the Pirates ride was quickly green-lit in December 1971 for a December 1972 opening. Could the Imagineers realistically build a copy of the Disneyland original within a matter of a year?
Let's look at what Walt did with the first one in California. In 1962, the Pirates Wax Museum was redesigned to be a ride and in WED literature in 1963 through 1965, a lot of stock is put into the fact that a boat ride would circle around the Blue Bayou Lagoon and that it would incorporate scenes from pirate lore. The idea took many forms, but the boat ride aspect was really designed and built between 1963 and 1966. In fact, the Pirates of the Caribbean was set to open alongside New Orleans Square in 1966, but delays in construction set it back to December and Walt delayed it further. As we know, Walt passed away three months before it opened to the public in March 1967.
FUN FACT: Walt did get to ride the Pirates when it was being tested in 1966 and it was about 80 percent finished by the time he passed away.
It took two-and-a-half years to build the first one, but then again it was their first time constructing an attraction of that magnitude, so ideally it would take less time should it be rebuilt.
Unfortunately, the site of the future attraction wasn't probably decided until the Spring of 1972, but actual construction began in September 1972 and it wrapped up in December 1973.
Interestingly enough, the May 1972 edition of "Eyes and Ears" (the official newsletter for cast members at Walt Disney World) confirms that the Pirates will be seen "behind the Jungle Cruise and the Tropical Serenade" and that the guests would travel "through the Louisiana Bayou" and "past treasure chests, slave auctions, and a city on fire" (I was somewhat shocked to see "slave auctions" on that page). They estimated that the opening was set for sometime in Summer 1973.
The October 1972 edition of the newsletter hinted at a Christmas 1973 opening date and the highlights of the attraction included "leaving a tropical bazaar", circling "through eerie swamplands", before plunging "down a waterfall into pirate caverns", and it concluded with the same brand of pillaging the town. However, the locale of the "tropical bazaar" was identified as "the Caribbean Plaza" and this gives an insight into the design stage of the attraction at this period in time.
Upon finally opening on 15 December 1973, the Pirates of the Caribbean became one of the most popular attractions at Walt Disney World and as proof of the magic the Imagineers were capable of, Caribbean Plaza allegedly won an architectural design award.
So then again, let's talk about tomorrow and what could've been.
Let's talk about the Walt Disney World that could have been. Let's talk about a day at this Magic Kingdom where guests could be able to ride the four major attractions that all share this amazing history: the Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (or Railway), and of course, the Western River Expedition. Certainly, there is more to be discussed on the topic of designing the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and I intend on continuing this conversation.
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