The Pirates of the Caribbean standby line that has often slowed to crawl and snaked through New Orleans Square for more than a year should soon return to its quick-moving ways when Disneyland removes Lighting Lane access from the popular high-capacity dark ride.
Disneyland will remove the Lightning Lane line-skipping access from Pirates of the Caribbean on Tuesday, July 1.
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Disneyland added Lightning Lane access to Pirates of the Caribbean in January 2024 on what was supposed to be a temporary basis that ended up stretching for 18 months.
The temporary change to Pirates of the Caribbean was made to offset the extended closures of two nearby attractions — Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain.
The Haunted Mansion returned in July 2024 after a renovation of the outdoor queue area and the addition of a new retail shop themed as Madame Leota’s carriage house at the attraction’s exit.
Splash Mountain was transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with the refreshed water ride returning in November 2024.
Disneyland’s Lightning Lane pass lets visitors skip the standby line and jump on select attractions faster for an upcharge fee starting at $32 a day. Lightning Lane will offer access to 13 Disneyland attractions and nine Disney California Adventure rides after Pirates of the Caribbean leaves the system.
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The end of Pirates of the Caribbean Lightning Lane access should help shorten the standby queue and ease crowding in New Orleans Square.
Before the introduction of Lightning Lane, Pirates of the Caribbean was often a walk-on ride with wait times of 5 to 10 minutes.
The average wait time for Pirates of the Caribbean is now 30 minutes with max wait times stretching to 40 minutes, according to Thrill Data.
Adding the upcharge service to too many attractions has slowed rides without Lightning Lane to a crawl, according to MiceChat.
“The system has created a ripple effect, making the park experience less enjoyable for everyone, including those who pay for the service,” according to MiceChat.
Some Disneyland and DCA attractions simply don’t need Lightning Lane, according to MiceChat.
“High-capacity rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World historically maintained manageable wait times,” according to MiceChat. “Adding Lightning Lane to these attractions has created artificial bottlenecks with queues spilling out into pathways and wait times skyrocketing unnecessarily.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean queue can turn New Orleans Square into a “complete nightmare” when the standby line stretches all the way to the Haunted Mansion and clogs the main artery through the land, according to MiceChat.
“It’s simply unacceptable for a single attraction to disrupt an entire area of the park,” according to MiceChat.
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The Pirates of the Caribbean queue is expected to be redesigned to redirect guests through the shops at the exit of the attraction to further help reduce crowding in New Orleans Square, according to MiceChat.
The Port Royal Curios shop in New Orleans Square that once sold Haunted Mansion merchandise was transformed in May into a seating area for diners — likely a temporary use until the space can be repurposed as an extended queue for Pirates of the Caribbean.