When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, Imagineers thought Floridians wouldn’t care about pirates. They planned a massive Western River Expedition instead. But guests had other ideas, and within two years Disney rushed to bring one of its greatest attractions east.

In this episode of Main Street Stories with Eric, we set sail on the full history of Pirates of the Caribbean, Walt Disney’s last personally supervised ride, the California legend that redefined Imagineering, and the Florida version that fans demanded.

We’ll explore the fortress queue of Castillo del Morro, the eerie skeleton caverns, the raucous pirate towns, and the technology and music that made Pirates timeless. From the “Yo Ho” song to the dog with the keys, from Marc Davis’ humor to Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow, this is the story of how Pirates became more than a ride, it became a cultural icon.