Riding off into the weekend

This week, a WDW attraction that was never built.

Disney buffs know well that, when WDW opened in 1971, there was no Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The thought was that POTC was old hat to Floridians; why would they need imaginary pirates when they lived in the place that was already full of real pirates?

To which the public responded, What? No POTC in the Magic Kingdom? I demand to speak to the manager! How can you not put in this signature ride?

Also, exactly what pirates is Florida full of, again?

The Mouse had a different idea. They were going to build a Wild West ride every bit as elaborate and signature as POTC. But they never did. Instead, they quickly built POTC (in a down-and-dirty version that never did make much sense until they added Johnny Depp), and the various elements of the Western River Expedition were later worked into things like the mountains Thunder and Splash.

The whole story is well explained at Disney Park History.

Not long ago, D23, the Mouse's official fan club, had an expo at which they displayed a mocked up ride through of the none-existent attraction. It requires a little leap of faith on your part, but how often do you get to ride a ride that was never built?



Happy weekend.
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