Thanks to the help of a couple of friends from UABMagic.com, Captain LeQuatte and I (Lady Killigrew) managed to gain entrance to an event held on February 23rd at Disneyland. Beginning after the park had closed, Cast Members along with their friends and families were allowed into a Pirates of the Caribbean themed charity event. At $25 a head you were given the opportunity to ride Pirates of the Caribbean non-stop, with a maximum of nine trips (5K).
Excitedly we trotted down Main Street, through Adventureland, and ended in New Orleans Square. As each person exchanged their entrance ticket for a lanyard they were guided through the queue and onto boats. We were given the instructions that every time you made a lap of the Pirates attraction you were to hole-punch your lanyard. Additionally, after each trip you were given a raffle ticket to fill out for a chance at winning some prizes.
So, riding Pirates of the Caribbean non-stop about 9 times sounds easy huh? It's not. The seats that are minimally comfortable for even one or two trips become nearly unbearable as you round up to numbers like four and five. The six of us in our party managed three trips before our rears and stomachs (it was dinner time) gave out and we had to travel ashore.
Heinies tingling, we meandered past a few tables and were egged into playing a game. The object of the game was to hit five islands and a pirate ship on a cloth map with a few velcro balls. Even if you didn't succeed you were entitled to some pirate booty, such as eye patches.
While games are fun, they don't do much for an empty stomach. So after buying food nearby we sat and watched event attendees and costumed entertainment meander around. We also listened, slightly unwillingly, to the executives doing karaoke. (I'd have paid a few dubloons to quiet a couple of the would-be crooners. Lucky for them it was charity.) Several bread bowls of clam chowder and steak gumbo later, we were ready to set sail once more.
Round and round we went, adjusting in our seats, determined to hold out. Some of the Cast Members that were in charge of each boat asked us trivia questions about the ride; and some were surprisingly difficult.
Q: How many boats--in their entirety or submerged--are in the attraction?
A: 14.
Q: What animals are featured in the attraction?
A: Chickens, donkeys, a horse, dogs, crabs, seagulls, goats, cats, pigs, fish, and parrots.
Q: How many animatronic birds are in the ride?
A: 35.
And this one from one of the Cast Members in our party:
Q: How many ride vehicles are there?
A: 44.
At approximately 17 to 20 minutes a ride, it takes a long time to make nine trips around. At last we were finished and we took our lanyards and raffle vouchers outside. The vouchers were dumped into a treasure chest, and our lanyards received one final stamp after we received our event gift. Tired but content, we took our commemorative 5K pins and headed home for some well deserved sleep.
But what became of the raffle? Well, we may never know, we didn't win.
Yo ho!
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