The new “Sink or Swim” pirate Spirit Jersey has sailed into Walt Disney World after initially being released at Disneyland Resort. We found the Spirit Jersey in Plaza Del Sol Caribe, the Pirates of the Caribbean gift shop at Magic Kingdom.
Pirate Spirit Jersey – $79.99
The Spirit Jersey is white with a cloudy gray design. The collar has a v-neck opening reminiscent of a tunic that a pirate might wear.
A black compass sits on the upper left chest.
The Spirit Jersey isn’t explicitly branded as Disney. It carries the generic Spirit Jersey tag along the collar but doesn’t have the characteristic blue Disney logo patch on the lower section that we’ve seen on other recent Spirit Jerseys. As a result, we’re unsure whether this is explicitly meant to be “Pirates of the Caribbean” or just pirates.
The back side has a far more elaborate design. The shoulders read “Sink or Swim” in a font commonly used for pirate-themed items.
At the very center is the mythical beast, the Kraken, swallowing up a pirate ship. This does in fact appear during the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise in the second and third installments — “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End.”
The bottom reads “Beware the Kraken.”
Pirates of the Caribbean
Walt Disney originally conceived of Pirates of the Caribbean as a walkthrough wax museum. The idea evolved to become a boat ride and it opened in March 1967, just a few months after Walt’s death.
The original attraction has 630,000 gallons of water, 53 animal audio-animatronics, and 75 human audio-animatronics. Blue Bayou Restaurant overlooks the beginning of the ride.
Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t an opening-day attraction at Magic Kingdom because the Walt Disney World Resort was so close to the real Caribbean, Disney thought it wouldn’t be of interest to Floridian guests. They were proven wrong, however, and opened the second Pirates of the Caribbean in 1973.
Versions of the ride have gone on to open in Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland.
The ride also spawned the hugely successful “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise, which began in 2003 with “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” There have been five films in total, with more planned.
Watch our Pirates of the Caribbean ride POV from Walt Disney World:
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.