but a half hour that sticks in his mind was the pirate mini-golf. Something beguiling about these Johnny Depp-style swashbucklers you see, not so much with their modern counterparts, the machine-gun toting Somalis with their outboard motors and offshore accounts….
With the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films, led by Depp’s quirkily accented villain/hero and Dodgeball’s Steve (who thought he was a pirate – inspiration for the Talk like a Pirate guys perhaps?), these seafaring buccaneers remain a prime source of inspiration for themed and gaming developers in the theme park and attractions industries.
A fine time, then me hearties, to talk about "lubbers" and "hornpipes" and "bung holes" and highlight just a few of the great piratical (that a word?) adventures currently sailing the seven seas…
Alton Towers Merlin’s Staffordshire theme park launched Mutiny Bay in 2008 (right) and also have a monorail train decked out with pirate insignia and treasure (see Sarner gives Alton Towers’ Monorail a Creative Facelift).
Magic Kingdom Disney’s The Pirates League is a buccaneer adventure featuring makeovers that turn theme park guests into savvy swashbucklers (below).
Pirates of the Caribbean: stars a comical cast of rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves, and sends Magic Kingdom guests of all ages on a rollicking boat ride (below) to a Caribbean seaport under siege by a swashbuckling band of pirates. Furthermore Disney’s Enchanted Adventures Parade features a 39-foot-long pirate ship…
There is also an entire pirate themed hotel and casino complex in Treasure Island in Las Vegas (where else?) where one can “ get enchanted by the beautiful Sirens of TI® as they lure a band of renegade pirates into their cove with powerful and captivating melodies”. The image below shows a luckless traveler being captivated by his captor’s medlodies.
And finally, the experience which so enchanted my 4 yr old; Orlando’s Pirate’s Cove mini-golf. With over two dozen locations in the US , they provide “innovative hole designs, lush landscaping, and entertaining pirate theming” across the US.
So, enjoy your pirate’s day, shiver your timbers and mind that cutlass!
*(at least, according to their website and a band of devoted followers, including one of our own contributors, Carolyn Collins Petersen)
You might also drop anchor at these dastardly links:
The Dark Side of Themed Entertainment
Themed Entertainment: A UK family with three children visits Orlando
Amusement Parks: Writing about Orlando’s Major Attractions
4D Theater: Pirate’s Plunder, the latest treasure in the Alterface catalogue
