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Disney's Pirate & Princess Party
by Barry Hom, PassPorter Guest Columnist
Disney has a lucrative business with pirates
and princesses. The Pirates of the Caribbean movie series has made a
truckload of money. The ride that inspired the movie is as popular as ever and
recently has undergone changes with the addition of Captain Jack Sparrow. A
Pirate Cruise disembarks from different points at the Walt Disney World Resort.
A Pirates Lair recently took over the old Tom Sawyer's Island location at Disneyland.
For those who want to
experience the princess lifestyle, the Walt Disney World Resort offers the
Perfectly Princess Tea Party, the Princess Storybook Dining at Epcot,
Cinderella's Grand Feast, the Wonderland Tea Party, the Biddidi Bobbidi
Boutique, and special meals at Cinderella's Castle: "Once Upon a Time
Breakfast," "A Fairytale Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table," and the "Dreams
Come True Dinner." (Sorry, PassPorter friends, I am not having a
makeover at the Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique and writing an article on it. They
can't pay me enough to do it!) You can also experience rides and attractions
based on Disney princess, such as Cinderella's Golden Carrousel and Snow White's
Scary Adventures at the Magic Kingdom, and the shows "Beauty and the Beast –
Live on Stage" and "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
If pirates and princesses generate this much money and attention for Disney, why not combine these two
passions? These two Disney properties come together at the Pirates and Princess
Party at the Magic Kingdom. This hard-ticketed event began in January 2007, returned in summer 2007, and is again available in 2008.
2008 Dates: January 21, 26, and 29, 2008
February 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, and 26, 2008
April 1, 4, 6, 11, 16, and 23, 2008
May 2, 9, 16, 21, 26, and 31, 2008
June 4, 2008
I had visited the event on its last night during the spring on March 8, 2007. The event hours during
my visit were 7:30 pm to 1:00 am. On the select nights in August and September 2007,
the hours were 7:00 pm to 12:00 am -- these are the same hours for the 2008 dates.
2008 ticket prices for Disney's Pirate & Princess Party are as follows (prices include tax):
Pirates & Princess Party Advance Price:
Ages 10 and over: $46.81
Ages 3-9: $40.42
Pirates & Princess Party Day of Event Price:
Ages 10 and over: $51.07
Ages 3-9: $44.68
Advanced tickets can be purchased on
www.disneyworld.com or
by calling 407-WDW-AHOY.
The Pirates and Princess
Party follows a similar format to another hard-ticketed event, Mickey's Not So
Scary Halloween Party. The party has a parade and fireworks. Stations scattered
around the Magic Kingdom hand out candy. Nearly all the rides and attractions
are open, except for rides such as the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. Guests
are allowed, even encouraged, to come dressed in princess or pirates costumes.
On the night of my visit, one guest came dressed up as the red head from the
Pirates of the Caribbean ride!
With your Pirates and
Princess Party ticket, you can enter the park as early as 4:00
pm without regular park
admission. If you enter early, you can catch the rides and attractions not open
during the event. Additionally, during spring event times, you might be able to
catch the Wishes fireworks show before the Pirates and Princess Party (if Wishes
is scheduled during your visit). You can see two fireworks show for the price of
one ticket (assuming you've never seen Wishes before). Sadly, Wishes is not
scheduled for any of the fall Pirates and Princess Party dates.
When you enter the park,
you're given a small bag to collect candy from around 13 "Treasure Spots"
scattered around the Magic Kingdom. The bag is made of velvet, has the Pirates and
Princess Party logo emblazoned on the front, and is a little smaller than your
hand. The Pirates Bazaar at Adventureland has similar bags that you can stuff
full of "precious" stones.
The
Magic Kingdom laid out red carpets at the entrance. You really
feel like royalty when you walk on this carpet! Be sure to pick up an event map
to find your way around the park, to see the show times, to locate the "Treasure
Spots," and to see when other activities are scheduled through the
night.
The event has the two things
that Disney does best; parades and fireworks. The "Disney's Enchanted Adventures
Parade" begins at Frontierland and winds its way across
Liberty
Square and
down Main Street U.S.A. You can see royal knights on horseback, court
dancers, and Disney princesses such as Ariel, Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella.
The pirates' portion of the parade has a 39-foot pirate ship, a treasure float
with Jack Sparrow, and Peter Pan with his gang fighting Captain Hook and his
cronies. My favorite area for parade viewing is in Frontierland in front of the
Country Bears building. This area has enough light to videotape and photograph
without excessive problems. You can find other well-lit spots along the parade
route in Frontierland.
The fireworks show is called
"Magic, Music, and Mayhem." This show starts out with fireworks celebrating the
Disney princesses. Then the pirates attack and cause trouble for the princesses.
Don't worry, like most Disney attractions, it ends happily with a little help
from a "pixie-dusting" Disney friend. I've seen the fireworks shows at the Walt
Disney World Resort and Disneyland. They've all been spectacular and this show is no
exception. View this show anywhere along Main Street, U.S.A., facing Cinderella's Castle.
The "Dream Along With
Mickey" show is performed at the Castle Forecourt Stage in front of Cinderella's
Castle. Mickey Mouse and other Disney character friends invite guests to join in
to dream and have happy, adventurous exploits. On the night of my visit, the
show abruptly ended early due to technical difficulties. This show is also
performed during regular park hours.
You think that treasure
hunting, watching the parade, and admiring the fireworks show is enough to fill
your evening? The Pirates and Princess Party has even more fun! DJ booths in
Tomorrowland and Fantasyland allow you to dance the night away with such Disney
characters as Stitch and Sebastian. Watch break-dancing pirates and acrobats
perform their incredible moves. Meet Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella at the
Princess Pavilion in Mickey's Toontown Fair. Learn how to be a pirate in Captain
Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial. The Magic Kingdom is packed full of these smaller shows during the
event!
The best part of the Pirates
and Princess Party is experiencing the Magic Kingdom's rides and attractions with a short wait. FastPass
is not available during the night, but it's not needed. Most waits are 5 to 10
minutes. You will rarely find a long queue. The longest line I saw during my
visit was 15 minutes for Peter Pan's Flight. Still, the wait for this ride is
relatively short compared to its normal wait time during regular operating
hours. Since the waits are low, you can go on rides and attractions that you may
not experience during the day because of long queue times, like AstroOrbiter or
the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Sorry, the Hall of Presidents is not open during
the Pirates and Princess Party. You will have to find someplace else to take a
nap!
Figure out which princess
you want to be: Cinderella, Snow White, or Princess Leia. Decide on which
pirates you want to dress up as: Captain Jack Sparrow, Peter Pan, or a
Pittsburgh Pirate. Then go to the Pirates and Princess Party and have fun. You
will have a magical and memorable experience. Just remember to collect a bag of
"treasure" for me!
More Information:
Disney's official web site for the Pirates and Princess
Party
PassPorter's Festivals and Celebrations E-Book
Disney Party Information and Strategies thread on the PassPorter Message Boards
Related Links:
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Return to PassPorter.com |
Ask a Question on the PassPorter Message Boards
Updated 02/21/2008
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