Shining Days of Pirates Past

Our stepdad, Rod, seemed to want us to have fun, he was usually mean, so that meant the magic of Disneyland could even stop mean guys! Wow. He didn’t mess around either, he got us there so fast that morning, the gates were just opening.

Mama handed each of us a little book when we got through the turnstile. She looked at all of us grinning like we were about to actually go into a real, live magical world. This was a world where nothing bad could ever happen to a kid, where there was only fun and laughter. Truly the most magical place on earth, it was like finding Narnia!

“Remember, Kevin has his watch on, and you have to meet us in the town square for the parade at noon. Kevin, make sure your sisters and you get here. After the parade we’re all going to take a tram to the car to have a picnic lunch at the camper. I brought fried chicken and some other goodies you kids will love. I’m giving each of you $10 for a snack and a souvenir. It’s all you get for today, so don’t spend it all at once. The little books have tickets that match rides. I can’t give you more of these either, so make sure you want the rides you choose. See you at lunchtime”, she called after us as we scurried with our little booklets and the map Kevin had to see the wonderful world of Disney!

I saw the best ride first and clutching my E ticket, I looked over at Kevin and Donna and practically yelled “Pirates of the Caribbean!” and made off like a banshee toward the line that was already forming there, even though we’d just gotten to Disneyland when it opened!

Donna was the oldest, so she wanted to get in first, and we always made Kevin sit by himself because he was the only boy. He only agreed to ride this one and go into the Haunted Mansion because we promised to go on the Matterhorn, the little cars, and the Futureland area. Kevin said he didn’t care if he rode alone on some of the rides but I was the smallest so they could take turns with who I’d ride with that day.

There were about 20 people in front of us in the line that wound zigzag up to the entrance. We kept hearing the same ride catch phrase “Yo ho me hearties!” each time a group was let through, as we moved closer the phrase became louder and we wanted to ride even more.

At home we were bullied by the babysitter’s kids, some kids that lived a street over, and even by our stepdad, so it was a wonderful thing to be able to visit a place that we watched about every Sunday night and knew it as magical.

We completely believed in the magic of Disney, heck it still kindles wonder in my heart to this day. It is really only for children though as I did return with one of my nieces and my brother as an adult and it just didn’t hold that breathtaking wonderous magic that probably only a young person (i.e. 13 or younger) could feel, but it was still lovely and special – if a bit pricey these days.

Finally our turn came up. I raced in to make sure I got the sea side seat and in this ride, all 3 of us could sit on the bench together. I noticed that it was 50 times darker inside the ride than outside and it looked like it went on forever! When we were outside, it looked like a building no bigger than a house, inside it was as if quantum space had taken over and allowed a Snoopy-like experience where his doghouse is little on the outside but like a mansion on the inside. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was that, times 1,000!

All loaded up and the ride started to float toward to giant sailing ships. BOOM! BOOM! The cannon blasts from the ships at one another lit the dark sky in the ride. We loved it! We got a little wet with all the other kids, and some parents in the little boat. Laughing we looked at each other and felt like wee hearties.

As we moved into the swamp area, the fireflies were blinking on and off and there was a cool spookiness to the ride, it moved slow and allowed us to hear hurried plans of piracy on the high seas and other half whispered things.

The little boat moved again and although we heard the cannons blasting for a new group we were past that and into the little town. It was on fire, one of the pirates was chasing a wench, from floor to floor in the burning hotel, while three prisoners were trying to coax a terrier dog with the jailer’s keys to them so they could open the door and be free.

We soaked it in…and were led past that to the inner most cave. I wanted to and almost jumped out of the boat to grab some of the massive mountain of gold and jewels and things. I believed. With my whole heart, I believed and I knew if I could just jump off I wouldn’t have to go back to where the mean people were and I could be a pirate wench instead, but that didn’t happen, the ride went on toward the end. We went down the awesome (now gone) dip/dive into the final float back to the beginning.

I seriously wanted to use another E-ticket and stay on the ride, but I was coaxed by Kevin and Donna to go next door into the Haunted Mansion. I did, and it was fun, but my soul was left in that cave of treasure.