Before we left for our recent visit to Shanghai Disneyland, there was one attraction that I was most excited to experience – Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure. This attraction was hyped as the next generation of the classic Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, and it didn’t disappoint. We’re going to take you through the queue and have a full ride-through video as we experience Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure together.
Location
Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure is located in Treasure Cove in Shanghai Disneyland. It is to the far left side of the land, as you enter from Fantasyland or the central Hub. Treasure Cove is the first pirates-themed land at a Disney theme park. From the battles with Davy Jones in the depths of the ocean, to a pirates themed restaurant, and even a pirates stunt show, the land is completely pirates themed. Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure.
Queue
Your journey commences as you wind through the Royal Navy’s former fortress. The queue is largely switchbacks through a variety of covered, open air areas of the fort.
One final turn and its across a bridge and into the long-abandoned fortress.
The theming becomes more elaborate as you pass a supply room, captains quarters, and a map room.
Then it’s onto the loading platform where your journey begins!
Ride-Through
We were lucky enough to be able to ride the attraction multiple times during our stay and we captured video and photos of the full ride. First, our full ride-through of Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure.
Of course, being in Shanghai Disneyland meant that the attraction is completely in Chinese. Here’s a description and some photos of the storyline.
As we set off on our journey, we sail past a talking skeleton head, past Barbossa’s Bounty, and into some eerie caves.
The lighting becomes darker as we enter the caves and find ourselves surrounded by pirates. We’ve been on enough Pirates of the Caribbean rides to know it doesn’t matter if the pirates appear to be long dead because…dead men do tell tales.
We love this updated take on a classic scene, it fits the storyline and mood perfectly.
As we turn the corner from the jail cell scene, the mood gets even darker before a flash of lighting and a skeleton coming to life – Captain Jack Sparrow! You get some instructions from Captain Jack, including that what was once going to be a team adventure, is now just up to you. Captain Jack doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, if he can avoid it. As your boat turns backwards, your sent “down” to the depths of the ocean to steal Davy Jones treasure.
It’s at the bottom of the ocean that we enter our first massive screen show scene. Imagine a Flight of Passage or Soarin-style screen, it’s huge! The water seemed to be filled right up to the edge of the screen, making your viewing experience as seamless as possible.
At the bottom of the ocean is the Graveyard of Lost Ships. It’s here that we get our first glimpse of Davy Jones’ crew, working along the ocean floor. One gets a bit too close to what turns out to be the formidable Kraken!
We retreat into some wreckage to avoid the beast, and end up in an undersea mermaid oasis. Seaweed floats above us as we get our first glimpse of what might be Sunken Treasure! The mermaids sing their Siren’s song as we get closer to the treasure. Two sailors in pillory fiercely stand guard over the treasure and deny its existence.
A hammerhead pops up from behind a pile of treasure and laughs while saying “The Captain be wantin’ a word with ye!”.
Through a dark corridor we find the lair of Davy Jones and find the Captain himself sitting at his organ. A sailors voice can be heard informing Davy Jones that Captain Jack Sparrow has stolen his treasure! Jones turns to us and tells us to let Captain Jack Sparrow know that if he wants his treasure, he’ll have to go through Davy Jones first!
A magical reveal puts us in another huge room with a screen. As we rise to sea level, we’re in the middle of a battle between Davy Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow. The iconic Pirates of the Caribbean theme from the movies plays as cannonfire erupts on either side of you.
Swelling water pushes you into the hull of a ship where you get to see a battle between Davy Jones and Captain Jack Sparrow up-close!
A cannon blows a hole in the ship and we’re sent through two backwards drops before we end up back at Fort Snobbish. We aren’t the only ones who made it back either…Captain Jack Sparrow is seen sitting with his riches. The question is answered in two alternate endings. One, Captain Jack Sparrow keeps his riches and in another his treasure is reclaimed by Davy Jones as a curse turns it all to seaweed.
Our Thoughts
Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure blew all of our expectations away. The first thing that stood out to us was the set design. From intimate spaces at the beginning of the attraction to absolutely HUGE sets in the last 2/3rds of the attraction, the sets are what make the ride. Yes, there are less Audio Animatronics than we’re typically used to seeing on a Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but the ones that are present represent some of the most convincing AA’s we’ve seen. The storyline seems to be pulled straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the attraction puts you in the action. Combine all of that with a wonderful score delivered via onboard audio and we can say, without hesitation, that Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is the best attraction we’ve been on.