On our trip to Disney World this year, Flik was quite excited to try the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We rode it once last year, but it was a little scary for him, particularly the part where the boat cruises into total darkness and then drops. This year, he told us repeatedly prior to the ride that last year he was only three-and-a-half and this year he is four-and-a-half, so he wouldn’t be scared. Well, he was right. He did hold me a little tighter when we entered the pitch-black, can’t-see-a-thing portion of the ride, but he seemed to recover quickly. This year he expressed greater concern that we would get hit by a cannonball as the boat drifted through a pirate battle. “What if one of the cannonballs hits us?” I assured him that Disney World was not in the habit of making rides where the boats sank. All in all, the ride was a hit. As soon as we got off, we got the very expected, “Let’s go again!”
On our second time through the line, which wasn't really a line and more a long walk through an empty building with zigzagging barriers that corral the masses during busy season, we paused a couple times to check out some of the props that line the queuing area. One of Flik’s favorite props was this:
This, as Flik will tell you, is a cannonball machine. You know, the machine that launches the cannon balls. (We’ve tried to explain that it’s called, simply, a cannon, but he’s not having any of it.)
As we left the cannonball machine and continued toward the ride, Flik asked me, “Mommy, why do the pirates have to fight? Why can’t the just talk about why they’re upset?” When I looked down at him and smiled, he added, “Why can’t they just say, ‘Pirates, no more fighting!’” How can you even answer such a sweet question?
I answered him with a hug. That was sufficient because then it was time to get on the ride again.
