New Orleans might be one of the most famous waterfront cities in the world. When Disneyland built a square paying tribute to the city in the 1960s, Imagineers had an impossible challenge. How do you build a waterfront city in firmly landlocked Anaheim? Well, one tiny visual trick came to the rescue: the Port of Orleans.
Welcome to the Port of Orleans. Looks like a passing ship is arriving to the docks.
When visitors to New Orleans Square hop off the train, or enter the square from the Rivers of America side, they might just notice a mast behind the square. The ship blends so perfectly that you almost don’t notice it. But wait…where on earth could Disney fit a ship?
The truth is, there is no ship. A partial mast tops one of the Pirates of the Caribbean show buildings, which happens to be the perfect location to pull off the illusion. With this visual trick, New Orleans Square becomes an oceanfront land, and Disney doesn’t have to sacrifice any real estate for an artificial shoreline.