All the people out there who talked smack about the Pirates of the Carribbean refurb can kiss my rear. It ROCKED like a rockin' thing. And here is my illustrated report to show it off!

richiied, sana_chan and I got to the gates around 7:45 this morning, and the line to get into the park was already almost to the center of the esplanade. By the time we got through the turnstyles at 8:15, the line for Pirates of the Caribbean ended under the train station.

On Main Street.

Yes, you read that right, the line went from the ride entrance, all the way back to nearly the park entrance, and here is the photographic proof. For those who have no idea how long that is, here is a map with the line traced out in red. I dutifully photographed our progress toward the ride, which was surprisingly quick. Note our horror at the line, as we waited in Frontierland. There were lots of detours set up in the park - at opening, the entrance to Frontierland was ONLY used as a queue area for Pirates - only those in line were allowed in. As we got closer to the ride itself, we could see that there was a lot of filming going on just outside the entrance. Lots of morning newscasts and such. But ZOMG, they had Pirate Mickey and Pirate Goofy!!! I totally turned into a six-year old. I also like the merchandise display table strategically placed right next to the line. I SO want PotC Monopoly. Now. I also wanted to conduct my own pirate raid on the media's craft services table that was placed tantalizingly close to the line.

Just under an hour after we got in line, we reached the front. FINALLY! Luckily for us, the people around us were just as psyched as we are. Hell, Crazy Old Lady in front of us was the first to start belting out "Yo Ho" when we got into the caves, and the whole boat immediately joined in.

LOVE the new stuff. Not a lot changed early on in the ride. I think they added some new music to the banjo stuff, 'cause the first time we went on it, it wasn't "Oh Susannah," it was something I'd never heard there before. The skull above the drop has been jazzed up. In the caves, "Yo Ho" still plays but they've removed the vocals on the verses. After the second drop, you now hear a very haunting song that's actually "Yo Ho" if you listen carefully. The skeleton at the wheel has some great new lightning effects behind him. In the weapon room, the skeletons playing chess (checkers? I don't recall) from Florida's queue are now there. The Captain's Quarters look a bit jazzed up, and there's a skeletal parrot by the organ now. But then comes what is quite possibly the coolest new effect. As you round the bend, you see a big waterfall ahead. The face of Davy Jones appears on the waterfall, and questions if maybe dead men DO tell tales. Of course, you go right through the waterfall! ...and stay mysteriously dry.

On the other side, Barbossa now commands the Wicked Wench, firing on the old fort. Much of his dialogue is actually the same as the old Captain's (re-recorded by Geoffrey Rush, of course), with a few added demands for the whereabouts of Jack Sparrow. The music here seems to be score from the films. In the dunking scene, the loud scream is now more of an "eep!"... but hiding behind a mannequin is Jack Sparrow himself! Look at him at the right moment, and he looks like he's wearing the dress. ;) The auction scene is unchanged. In the next room, the fatass pirate with the turkey leg is now looking for Jack Sparrow... who just happens to be hiding in the barrel behind him! The burning town and jail are unchanged. The rafters before the last room are swinging again! Where there used to be the two guys lugging the treasure at the base of the lift hill, there's now a hut... where Jack Sparrow is kicking back in a chair, amidst piles of treasure. Here, we finally hear him speak! And yes, Johnny Depp did do the voice for the ride. As the boat goes up the lift, Davy Jones remarks that "dead men DO tell tales." The old fiber optic "Pirates of the Caribbean" sign at the end (the one visible from the queue) is now a big treasure map, and the parrot has changed to a more realistic one.

Left Pirates, and stopped in Pieces of Eight. We were very bummed to see that the Aztec gold medallions had completely sold out since last weekend. Ah, well - will get them later. Also wanted to check out the Disney Gallery POTC exhibit, but it's not open yet. I'm glad they're bringing it back, though. God, I spent hours drooling over Jack's costume last time it was there. :P Stopped for breakfast at the Riverbelle, and I got me a Mickey Mouse pancake. As we were eating, I also noticed that Disney had a photographer walking along the line. Why? So that people can get their photo taken while in line for Pirates, then come back and buy it later. I kid you not, it was quite possibly one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen. People were totally going for it, though! More power to them. :P At that point, the line looked like this, with the rest of it continuing out to the Hub through Frontierland.

Checked the tip board in hopes of Jack Sparrow doing meet and greets - alas, not til July 7th. :'( But Pirates was listed as a 105 minute wait. By comparison, Splash and Space were each listed at 60. Go figure. Anyways, Pirates is what we'd come for, so we jumped back into line to go again! This time we started at the entrance to Frontierland and waited I'd guess 45 minutes or so. Not bad at all! Oh, and there was a baby ducky following us!

It was, however, the longest Pirates ride I've ever had. It broke down while we were next to the three singing guys and the donkey in the burning town. Eventually they shut off the audio, and we just watched and laughed at the animatronics as they clicked and hissed along. Luckily, we once again had the Boat of Awesome that kept everyone entertained by singing Yo Ho and cheering and joking around and such. When a CM finally came out to say they may have to evacuate us, we all teased her about breaking us down in the wrong spot (read: not by Jack) made her take our food orders while she was at it. ;) Hey, it kept her laughing in the situation, and that rocks. Finally, after 20+ minutes of sitting there, they got it back up and running. Truth be told, we were really bummed. We wanted to be walked off. :P Ah, well.

We headed out after that, but not without a stop for Aladdin love and a stop at World of Disney and 20th Century Music. Pics are all up here (SPOILERS!), although I linked to most stuff in this entry. The park was packed with AP holders and other Pirates fans and it's freakin' hot today (around 90), but it was so worth it. PIRATES ARE LOVE.

My overall opinion on the refurb? Love it! I think they did a great job of adding to what was already there, without making it look like they change everything. Yes, some stuff has changed, but not all that much. The Jack AAs are awesome - they're REALLY good likenesses (although I will admit the last one looks very slightly off to me), and they move very much like Jack Sparrow, even in something as simple as a turn of the head. As much as I'm a purist when it comes to Disneyland stuff, I give this one two big thumbs up. And judging by the number of boats coming up the final lift that were full of cheering occupants, I'd hazard a guess that there's plenty of others who agree. To any refurb-bashers out there: if you don't like it, then stay the hell away so the line will be shorter for me! :P