The Pirates Of The Caribbean ride can be found at Disneyland California, Magic Kingdom Florida and Disneyland Tokyo. This review is based on the Disneyland Paris version which was the last to open (in 1992). The Pirates Of The Caribbean ride is a rather iconic Disney attraction which inspired the hugely popular Pirates Of The Caribbean films.

It can be found in Adventureland in the Disneyland park. It is situated nearby Skull Rock (which is hard to miss) and has a large sign outside made of a ship sail.

There is a fairly small queueing area outside, before you are taken indoors through the 'fortress'. Inside is very dim (too dim perhaps) and it takes your eyes a while to adjust. There is quite a walk until you reach the ride and the 'Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life)' theme song plays the whole time. You pass such delights as skeletons in dungeons before reaching the 'Blue Lagoon' area which looks as though you are outdoors at night time - strangely beautiful! My young daughter was quite nervous the first time (to be expected) but was fine after that. The queue then splits in two and you soon board your boat.

Every one of our visits to Disneyland Paris has NOT been in school holidays and the longest we have had to queue for this ride is about 10 minutes. However I can imagine that it gets very packed during peak times and unfortunately there isn't a Fastpass service available for this ride.

The ride takes place inside small boats. Each boat has 6 rows and each row seats 3 or 4 people. The boats move at a slow and steady pace. You start by floating through a tropical jungle. It seems quiet, calm and relaxing. You also sail past the Blue Lagoon restaurant where visitors dine among trees and lanterns! I have never dined here as they specialise in seafood and I don't eat seafood. It seems like a nice atmosphere though.

You then see a shipwreck and start to climb a hill. The ride starts to get more exciting as you glide down a small slope and get your first glimpse of the pirates. You are surrounded by sails and rigging as the pirates fight with the soldiers. One of the most memorable scenes is where a bunch of pirates behind bars are trying to get a dog to bring them the cell key - this was actually put in to the first Pirates Of The Caribbean film. You then hit a bigger slope and find yourself in the midst of the battle between pirates and soldiers. Cannon balls explode in the water around the boat. After the conflict you sail through the pirates town where the pirates are drunk on rum, chasing women and having sword fights - general pirate shenanigans. The town goes up in flames as you plunge down another drop (the ride takes your photo at this point - say cheese!). You are then brought out in a dark grotto where there is a shipwreck and the pirates have turned in to skeletons. The mood is lightened as 'Yo Ho' begins to play and you pass the captain (as a skeleton) in bed and a skeleton surrounded by treasure and another one guzzling rum!

This is where you exit the ride and can visit the gift shop. Photos can also be viewed/purchased here.

Pirates Of The Caribbean is one of my all time favourite Disney rides, I love it, as does my whole family. It is a ride that can be enjoyed by everybody. There is something to see everywhere you look. Most of the talking is in French but there is some English too. The characters are animatronic, most of them move - they look like waxworks and are rather scarily realistic! The ride lasts about 10 minutes in total, which I think is pretty good going. There are no characters from the films in the ride. The other versions of this ride have been updated to include characters from the films, but the Disneyland Paris version hasn't - I actually think this is a good thing because the ride originally inspired the films, not the other way round. If you catch the Disneyland Railroad past Adventureland you are taken through the last part of the ride and can have a peek inside the grotto.

I totally recommend this ride to everybody visiting Disneyland Paris.