Earlier this year, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin opened in Adventureland. The above picture was taken as construction was nearing an end. In a way, this ride seems a bit out of place among the rest of Adventureland by having a desert environment in the middle of the jungle.

To help with the theming, some of the shops were remodeled to the Agrabah Bazar. New merchandise was created with some of the Aladdin characters, especially the Genie.

Across from the Magic Carpets is the Jungle Cruise, one of the Magic Kingdom's original attractions. This attraction is quite similar to Disneyland's version. This picture of course, is from the elephant bathing area.

Here at Walt Disney World, the Enchanted Tiki Room was called Tropical Serenade for some reason, although most guests still referred to it as the Enchanted Tiki Room. When the attraction was revised, it was named the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management, without any mention of the Tropical Serenade. The attraction originally had a "barker bird" outside, as the original at Disneyland once did, to entice guests to visit the attraction. Also like Disneyland, the bird originally had the voice of Wally Boag, who also voiced Jose in the show inside, as well as co-wrote the script. Somewhere around 1990 or so, the bird's voice was changed to a Jamaican-sounding man. When the Under New Management show was installed, the barker bird was removed completely.

Here's J.P. and the Silver Stars steel drum band performing in Adventureland, near the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean. Although they performed in Adventureland for many years, they apparently aren't there any more. I always enjoyed listening to them perform a few songs while eating at the nearby El Pirata y El Perico restaurant.

I suppose that just as Aladdin's desert oasis doesn't quite fit in with the overall Adventureland jungle theme, a Spanish fort in the Caribbean doesn't quite fit in, either. But at any rate, the Pirates of the Caribbean has long been one of my favorite Magic Kingdom attractions. Although the lines are not quite as long as they once were, I would think it is still considered one of the more popular attractions. I always enjoy the Audio Animatronic figures, the wonderful score, the classic voices, as well as the humor of the scenes.

This parrot serves as sort of a "barker bird" for the pirates, singing in front of the main entrance. Although it had been hugely popular at Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean was not included in the original plans of the Magic Kingdom. Stories say the Imagineers thought that Walt Disney World was so close to the actual Caribbean that most guests wouldn't be interested in the ride. But guests made their feelings known, and Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Walt Disney World in 1973.

- Story and Photos by Steve Burns
Posted

Steve is a three-time Disney Store National Trivia finalist and webmaster of BurnsLand, home of Steve's Disney Railroad Adventures.

E-mail Steve at steve@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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