February 1967 – spring 1980
LOCATION
New Orleans Square – the Pirates Arcade Museum hid behind a little façade on Royal Street. Visitors wandering the square found the attraction on the left side of the street, next to the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean. Today, this space houses Pieces of Eight.
BACKGROUND
New Orleans Square opened a year before Pirates of the Caribbean debuted in the park. Visitors anxiously awaited the arrival of pirates in Disneyland, so Imagineers saw an opportunity to tease their excitement. The Pirate’s Arcade Museum opened in New Orleans Square a few months before the Pirates attraction, officially launching the age of pirates in the park.
EXPERIENCE
The Pirates Arcade Museum never lived up to its name; visitors found no museum exhibit here. Instead, visitors wandered through a traditional arcade, with every pirate game players could want. Some of the popular games included:
- Cap’n Black
- Captain Hook
- Freebooter Shooter
- Pirate Shoot
And of course, visitors could seek their fortunes from the legendary Fortune Red, who still hangs out in New Orleans Square today. On their way out of the Arcade Museum, visitors often purchased postcards from a special vending machine, which sold concept art for Pirates of the Caribbean.
CLOSURE
By the end of the 70s, digital video games changed the landscape for consumers. Traditional, old-fashioned arcade games no longer drew in visitors the way they had in decades past, and Disneyland visitors typically skipped the Arcade Museum altogether. Disney finally closed the arcade in early 1980, adding a pirate gift shop in just a few months.
TRIVIA
The Pirates Arcade Museum looked like a pirate lair. The interior featured treasure maps, Jolly Roger models, portraits of famous pirates, nets, rum bottles, and gold coins.
Hate that the Disney Lands here and Florida are getting rid of arcades. But I guess the younger generation does not care for simpler games like these.