Walt Disney World’s Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride To Close May 11 Through Sept. 25, 2015
You might recall last year that a tourist decided to not listen to the rules at Walt Disney World and got their fingers chopped off while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. It now looks like Disney is making sure that doesn’t happen ever again: The iconic boat ride will close in a few months for upgrades, and it won’t reopen until well after the summer rush.
The problems seem to have started a few years ago, when the older boats began bottoming out in certain parts of the ride due to the increase in the number of, um, shall we say more “plump” tourists than visited the park when the ride first opened decades ago. New, lighter boats were added to resolve the problem, but their smaller design caused them to take on water. On top of that, the drop that used to provide a brief bit of excitement on an otherwise slow-moving ride was now soaking tourists when the boats splashed down.
Complaints about the boats were already mounting last year when two separate incidents made the news. One involved a 12-year old boy who had four of his fingers lacerated after dangling them off the edge of the boat. Then, a British guest in his mid-40s got two fingers completely cut off by doing the same thing. At that time Disney closed the ride for inspections but reopened it a mere five hours later with a new rule, which is still in effect now, barring anyone from riding in the last row.
wdwparkhoppers
WDW Parkhoppers are Parkhopper John and his wife, Parkhopper Sid and they love to share the magic of Walt Disney World. They can also be found at www.TeamParkhoppers.com, a non-profit organization that helps other non-profits raise money while also enjoying runDisney events. Living only 45 minutes from Walt Disney World, their lives are truly magical!
