Disney ParksSyndication
Forget George, Former Cast Member Reveals Everything About “The Ladies” at Disney World Attraction
A chilling report has been made regarding “The Ladies” of Walt Disney World Resort’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction–a tale that could rival George’s eerie spirit.
Pirates of the Caribbean is one of Disney’s most famous attractions. It is so famous, in fact, that an entire $4 billion franchise was spawned off the back of it.
The success of the movie franchise, which began in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, might have been helped by Johnny Depp’s charismatic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow—a character he has immortalized in the pop culture canon—but the catalyst remains the popular attraction.
Found in multiple parks worldwide, including Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Southern California, Disney World in Orlando, Central Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Disneyland Paris.
Located in the Disneyland Park/Magic Kingdom adjacent theme parks, Pirates of the Caribbean remains one of Disney Experiences’ (formerly Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) most popular attractions.
For some, it’s the smell of the water (or drinking it), and for others, it’s the music, characters, and lore embedded in the very walls of the iconic dark ride.
But what else is lurking in the caverns of Pirates of the Caribbean?
Many may know of George, the construction worker who supposedly died while helping build the ride and now haunts it, but has anyone heard of “The Ladies?”
Related: Disneyland Security Footage Once Caught “Walt Disney’s Ghost” Roaming the Park
According to former cast member and author Foxx Nolte, two women died in a freak accident while riding Pirates of the Caribbean and now linger inside the attraction, confined to their final resting place.
Describing the “downramp,” Nolte explains the mechanism of the attraction’s drop before entering Bombardment Bay, citing a metal mechanism that guides the boat into the next section of the ride. It is here where the reported incident took place.
“Legend tells us that for a few months, these raised metal guides were not present, which resulted in one particularly light boat hitting the bottom of the drop, hydroplaning out of the troth, and killing two women sitting in the front row,” Nolte writes, per the 2719 Hyperion blog. “Whether by George or by fate, “The Ladies” entered into myth and became perhaps the most feared inhabitants of Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Nolte describes an oppressive feeling when handling the mechanism: “The Downramp is designed so that the bottom of the ramp must be opened before the top; just like a playground slide, the bottom must be clear before the boat at the top can come down.”
They explain that the times waiting in the “downramp” area after the so-called “Transition Tunnel” “count as among the most miserable moments of [their] life.” Nolte adds that the walk to the “downramp” area was itself a horror.
The attraction’s water is still churning, and the chest-high waders that cast members wear to rescue stranded guests after breakdowns look like “a just-noticed figure or dead, limb legs jutting from the shadows.” They go on to explain the oppressive nature of the “downramp” area, complete with the loud narration of the ride pre-2006.
Nolte ends his tale of “The Ladies” by saying:
“The Ladies generally confine themselves to this small portion of the ride, and although the tunnel has been significantly relieved in atmosphere by the removal of those damned voices and the insertion of the upbeat Hans Zimmer soundtrack, I still shudder as I pass by the hidden exit point, and I know that those two women still linger.”
It should be acknowledged that Nolte prefaced their accounts with the following statement:
“So much of this tradition is unrecorded and so the reader may, as she chooses, read the following merely as an account of the superstitions and urban legends which circulate through breakrooms and utilidors. Those of us who worked there, however, will probably never be as sure…”
As some others have posited, there is no record of this incident, nor is there one confirming that a man named George died while constructing the attraction. That said, these eerie tales are now part and parcel of the Disney park experience, especially regarding Pirates of the Caribbean.
Pirates of the Caribbean can be found in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom.
While the ride has undergone many updates and changes over its 50-year history (scene changes and the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow, for example), a more recent change has happened just outside the attraction.
Disney recently closed the Tortuga Tavern dining location to make way for Magic Kingdom’s first-ever lounge, themed–you guessed it–around Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt Disney Imagineering Chief Chris Beatty officially announced the lounge at last year’s Destination D23 event, which took place at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
“A new Pirates of the Caribbean-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom Park,” wrote D23. on X (formerly Twitter). “This first-of-its-kind experience will extend the story of Pirates of the Caribbean. Imagineers are in the design process now—more details to come in the future!”
This notion of places extended stories of other attractions is something that Disney is particularly extremely good at. Synergy is a big part of the brand’s identity, and ardent fans of Pirates of the Caribbean will surely be intrigued by this upcoming location.
Similarly, Disney also updated its eight-decade-long Princess legacy, confirming that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure–the Splash Mountain replacement ride in Frontierland–is a direct sequel to The Princess and the Frog (2009). The divisive Disney World attraction will also be a canon event for the upcoming Tiana Disney+ series.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is just one part of a continuous conveyor belt of updates hitting Walt Disney World Resort. From Test Track’s renovation at EPCOT to the DinoLand, U.S.A. overhaul of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the surprising change to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Florida parks are in a serious state of evolution.
It will evolve, but as time goes on, the legacy and tales of the parks’ ghostly companions grow with it.
Have you ever witnessed anything supernatural while riding Pirates of the Caribbean or anywhere else at Walt Disney World Resort? Let us know in the comments down below!
