Disney Announces Booking Dates for The Beak and Barrel Pirates Tavern at Magic Kingdom

wdwmagic10 days ago

Nope nothing new

MickeyLuv'r10 days ago

No update on the opening date? There was an announcement on May 12- later pulled- that bookings might start on June 12. Since that is tomorrow, I'm curious if anyone has any new information.

Ayla18 days ago

🤷🏻‍♀️

MisterPenguin19 days ago

Don't forget that hotel in DHS that got blasted by lightning and incurred significant damage!

DrStarlander19 days ago

Looking at all the mast-like posts poking up to the sky at Epic's Isle of Berk, it would seem possible to have ship masts.

Ayla19 days ago

Maybe they decided against ship masts because of lightning in FL?

DrStarlander19 days ago

Exactly. The ship masts that were originally intended for New Orleans Square (highlighted in the red box in Herb Ryman's concept painting) didn't get added to the land until the 1990s. So, that kind of thematic plussing is totally possible decades later, and if any area could use ship masts to evoke a port, Caribbean Plaza does.

Bocabear19 days ago

Totally agree... And back when it was built it didn't match the tone of the rest of Adventureland...It always felt like an addition... They have never really done much of anything to add to it except for the newer (relatively) sign. They could certainly do more... Things to make it feel as though the ships are moored right behind the walls of the building, A pirate village? why not? Anything to enhance the area and give it some real flair would be nice...

DrStarlander20 days ago

Fair, I get your comment. @UNCgolf is correct, I did say "I am kind of amazed at how un-themed this area of the world's most visited theme park is." To clarify, what I meant is how un-themed as in there's a scale of theming -- richness of story, immersiveness, creative ambition, detail, historical accuracy OR fantastical vision... in the world of theme parks, and on that scale, I am indeed surprised at "how" unthemed it is. Growing up in LA, it doesn't feel very themed. Maybe for someone from the midwest it is. Perhaps it's relative. For today's audiences and competitive context, I think it needs more layering of transportive (time and place) theming like scenic painting, weathering, historical signage, props, battle damage from pirate attacks such as crumbled walls, evidence of town animals like pigs, mules, and chickens, evidence of sailors and a working port like ship masts and docks, streetmosphere...to make it worth paying hundreds of dollars for. The buildings don't need to be torn down, they need to do a theme overlay. Fantasyland at Disneyland, which was designed by Walt himself in 1955 was totally re-built less than 30 years later. So, it seems reasonable Caribbean Plaza is due a thematic/cosmetic refresh over 50 years later. Interestingly, I'm not even sure the Imagineers were all that excited and invested in this area/project anyway...Marc Davis was fumed, he lost his Western River Expedition dreams to it. But after opening-year guests loudly complained that MK was missing PotC, Card Walker put its addition on a fast-track. They picked the location six months after the park opened in spring of '72 and construction was underway by the fall. Not sure this got the loving attention one would hope for. It was literally a rush job. According to the 1972 press release, the area was supposed to capture "the atmosphere of a port city in the days of Captain Kidd and Henry Morgan." Not sure it got there. But it could now. In reading more about this area, I did find some info that the Pirates building ("The Castillo") was supposedly inspired by the Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I've been to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and I can say there's no resemblance, so that's just a bit odd. I do think later PotC buildings (Paris, Shanghai) did take more inspiration from this battle-weathered fort though.

Bocabear20 days ago

I don't think anyone said it was un-themed...just not up to the expectations of a 21st century audience. It is relatively tame compared to the Adventureland area 50 feet away... It always felt a little less than...even in 1973 when Pirates first opened...And enhancing the area to feel more like an 18th century Caribbean seaport or Pirate village would add so much to the actual attraction... and also add more immersive shopping opportunities...along with what seems most important these days, Instagram-able photo opportunities... Look at photos of Shanghai Disneyland's Treasure Cove area...that will show you what they can do... if they wanted to....

UNCgolf20 days ago

Of course it's not perfect (or even close to it); I certainly wasn't suggesting that. I specifically said it could be plussed/improved, but it's still inaccurate to call it unthemed. It's also far more realistic than the Treasure Island example you used.

DrStarlander20 days ago

I don't think I'm just saying anything. Sometimes they really do have to update their theme parks to reflect new expectations in themed entertainment. Here's Peter Pan at Disneyland before and after the 1983 "New Fantasyland." I don't recall people complaining.

DrStarlander20 days ago

Central to my issue is that it is not historically authentic or good design. That Pirates of the Caribbean building has a flat roof. That's not how a Caribbean building's roof would be built centuries ago (just look at the California Missions to see how the Spanish built big buildings back then). Imagine tropical storms on a flat roof in the 1700s...how would it be built? What water-proof material would have been up there? It wouldn't. That flat roof is just like a supermarket from the 1970s.

eddie10420 days ago

Sometimes people are just bored and just be saying anything. If Disney decided to “plus” this area there would be endless complaints about how they ruined it and it’s not the same. Also how they miss the original design.