Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, July 1969
All of the coolest people have beds that look like race cars. Steve McQueen. Marcello Mastroianni. David Bowie. And ME. Therefore, members of the jury, I have firmly established that I like things that look like other things. How about a restaurant that looks like a pirate ship? Sure, why not! Walt and his boys did it right, too, with plenty of detail and color. They got a deal on ropes over at Rope City, so the rigging looks completely believable. Next idea: a bathroom that looks like a 1970s Pizza Hut. You'll "go" over by the salad bar.
Notice Skull Rock peeking above the rail to see what's going on.
I always appreciate any photos that show the shady dining area behind the ship. Guests were protected from pesky coconut crabs (worse than pigeons!) by walls of coral from a nearby atoll, while trees and some spare sails keep the harsh tropical sun at bay. Did you know that tartar sauce was invented to help prevent scurvy?
"But ma, I don't like tuna fish". "Just think of it as chicken. A chicken of the sea if you will". I love those tables and stools, made out of plundered casks and barrels from dozens of Dutch merchant vessels that we've taken (our hold is full of valuable tulip bulbs - we threw the useless gold overboard). Van Eaton Galleries had one of the stools in an auction years ago, I needed it. But somebody else needed it more.
27 comments:
Wow! These are gorgeous photos of the Pirate Ship Restaurant. Love the colors. I have lots of memories of dining at those tables in Skull Rock Cove. This used to be my favorite place to eat in all of Disneyland back in my childhood and early adulthood.
Today's pics are extra cool.
Thanks, Major
I wish I had appreciated this area more when it existed. I have no memory of having ever eaten there ... nor having ever crossed the entry plank across the lagoon. I can remember many times cutting they the dining area starting near the Casey Jr. Depot side and passing the barrel tables and exiting through Skull Rock .... and the musty smell of water , chlorine and painted concrete baking in the sun. I know once a friend and I did run into the ship itself from the inner patio gangplank and seeing the food service counter and cold cases.
I wanted one of the keg chairs too .... but despite my high levels of want , it didn’t match the buyers high levels of wealth. There’s more out there as they are sold off at a castmember property control sale for charity! ...... but where are they all??
Somehow, "Skull Rock peeking above the rail..." looks both, funny and terrifying. Not sure how he manages to do that.
I notice an empty stroller in the bottom left corner; the mallards must have been at it again. Although there's no sign of a duck ruckus.
In #2, I love those Pirate trashcans. I wonder what that cage is for? (lower left) Coconut crabs, probably. Also, what is that thing embedded in the rockwork? (lower center)
Very colorful images today, Major. Thank you.
At this point, I probably don't need to say that I LOVE these photos....but I do love them.
JB, there is no sign of a duck ruckus, but we can't tell for sure if there has been a piranha brouhaha.
Hey....where has Chuck been?
Nothing says "Fantasyland" better than the Pirate Ship! Unless, of course, it's a sign saying "Fantasyland." You can't really compete with that. But the ship beats out any ol' sign with style points alone, so there's that.
I remember seeing the ship on my trip in the early 70s, but I don't remember actually boarding her. I wish my memory of that trip were better. I could go back now, but so much has changed I don't think it would jog any old memories at all. Except for Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm sure those memories would be fleshed out pretty well (even though it's changed too). Of course, once again, I've forgotten what I was talking about...Oh well.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the seating area before; I would have absolutely loved to eat my tuna sandwich there! Chock-full of atmosphere. I’m so glad you pointed out Skull Rick playing Kilroy - I don’t think I would have noticed it by myself.
I always HAD to eat there. The taste of the tuna was so good, I can still remember it. It had a special flavor, I wish I knew what it was.
Ahoy, mateys! Today’s offerings be a welcome sight to a weatherbeaten seafarer what’s just returned to his home port after a week of sailing the Spanish Main, seeking adventure and salty old pirates. ‘Twas many a night I stood watch in the wee hours of the morning upon the lonely deck of the Rosso di Sera, keeping a weather eye for the likes of the Jolly Roger, craving in secret for the carefree life of the buccaneer, burying tulip bulbs and gorging meself on the chicken of the sea. Yo ho! That’s the life fer me!
In this here likeness we sees the stern of the Jolly Roger awash in colors, unlike as can be from her earlier, golden hue. As Captain Hook told me hisself, the change betook itself after they began plundering the great Dutch Tulip Fleets, it bein’ more fittin’ to the lustre of their colorful booty.
Look yonder upon the sheltered cove, protected by Jay Gee’s Rocks. That the colors of the tabletops and the seats be mismatched in places should be sendin’ me OCD all a-flutter, but I’ve never seen such a pretty likeness of the place afore. Yarr, Major - that warms the heart of this salty old sea dog. I be thankin’ thee.
K. Martinez, I was very happy to find these slides amidst the usual junk. I also love the colors, especially of those little cask/stools. Wish I’d eaten there!
Mike Cozart, I’m the same way, I don’t think I or my family so much as set foot on the plank gangway to the Pirate Ship. No idea why! Funny how aromas like the chlorine and the wet concrete get stuck in our memories so firmly, and then we always associate them with one thing even decades later. I’ll bet some of those cask/stools went for NOTHING when they were originally sold!
JB, it really does look like a giant skull is aboard the Pirate Ship. Something that we all see every day! Funny how we often see perhaps one or two strollers grouped together at most in old photos, and not the dozens and dozens that can be seen today. I didn’t notice the cage, maybe they had Paco the Parrot in there??
TokyoMagic!, I’m glad you love these! Can you have both a duck ruckus AND a piranha brouhaha at the same time? Chuck has been traveling, but he has sent me a few messages here and there.
Stu29573, I wonder if they knew how iconic that Pirate Ship was when they removed it? Or did they figure that nobody would notice? I always think that they expect a few weeks of grousing, and then it all goes away. NOT ON GDB!! If I could go back, I would definitely explore the Pirate Ship, at night and during the day, and I’d take plenty of photos.
Melissa, I wonder if there was an audio track that played back in the dining area? You’d also have the sound of those nearby waterfalls too. Sounds awesome!
Unknown, I remember reading an article in “Disney News” about the tuna sandwiches (which I like), and they sounded so good! And yet… we always got burgers in Tomorrowland. Creatures of habit.
Chuck, there you are! Welcome home. I was very lucky to be able to see some of your photos from your adventures, what a fun time you had. Memories! Rosso di Sera? That’s Spanish for “Dancing With the Stars”! Yes, I am multilingual. I am OK with the more colorful stern bas-relief, but I miss my Chicken of the Sea mermaid. Does she ever think of me? I hope so.
Sorry for the terse replies folks, I’m out the door for an all-day hike!
It was a search for photos like these that brought me to GDB years ago. Major, just splendid! Enjoy your hike!
I’m like Ken, this place was a must-do for lunch, and Mike hits the atmosphere just right. The sound and smell of the waterfalls made the grotto almost a secret place. Casey Jr runs right above the seating area, just behind the gap in the shrubs in photo 2, there were seats molded in the rock and you could hear and feel the train, but not see it, when it went by. Also notice the odd pebble paving, only one other spot in the Park had this as I recall, that is just outside the restrooms in the Tiki Room.
I’d love one of those keg chairs, if anyone is wondering what to get me. Chuck, thanks for the rock designation, I appreciate it. Awesome post BTW.
JB, I think the device in the rock might be a light to shine on the ship. Like most of Disneyland the grotto was special night with both hidden lighting and themed lighting like the lanterns and torch in photo 2 (white thing behind Mom). The cage is for the macaw parrot who is occasionally seen in other posts. He usually kept the ducks at bay.
Thanks Major, this is a wonderful post. Better than gold or tulips.
JG
Major-
It's [sorta] Primary Color Day at Skull Rock. Oh, the memories.
Thanks, Major.
I'll echo JG. It brings back the sights and smells of standing behind that waterfall on hot days. God knows what I must have smelled like after that cool-off...but it was a treasured place amidst all the swirl of Fantasyland. I remember in the Summer the Land to be quite warm and congested...except for in 'Pirates Cove' and the steps up to the Swiss Chalet.
Also got to thinking...in 1969 I was making tuna sandwiches at Hills Brothers Coffee House. The were selling for 65 cents. On a hamburger bun. Included a dill pickle and a handful of potato chips placed on paper plates for the waitresses to serve. Notice I said handful...not little individual sealed packages. My hands were clean, but in those days we didn't think of using gloves. Somehow we all survived just fine.
I assume the tuna came from Chicken of the Sea. As I recall, it was pre-made at the Plaza Inn kitchen. We picked it up in containers and brought a number of them to our location. Kept them in the fridge of course until each was was needed. KS
I've read that the pirate ship was slated to be part of the new Fantasyland, but didn't survive the attempt to move it (it wasn't a one-piece boat but a ship-shaped building). It was a glory to look at, but I remember being a tad disappointed it wasn't an actual ride or show.
A favorite old photo included a pirate captain -- a guy who looked like a grade school teacher but happened to be missing a leg -- and a very 50s vending machine selling pirate grog by the cup. Never saw either in person, but I love the anachronistic grog machine. It conjures a Loony Tune with Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam ("Ya got a dime, doc?").
DBenson, Daveland has a nice article on the Pirate Captain, he was a war veteran. There are several pictures of the grog dispenser too. They came up in my desktop slide show the other day.
I can't say that I remember either one for certain though.
So, if tuna is the Chicken of the Sea, then chicken must be the Tuna of the Barnyard, amiright?
Also followup from yesterday's post:
@Nanook and @Tokyo, after looking again, I agree that the blue light is the Goodyear sign (or the sign formerly known as Goodyear, depending) and the red light is probably the Inn at the Park. I never visited the Park in the 1980's and my compass is a bit off, definitely did not consider that a hotel would be that visible in the Park, other than the Grand, and I just desperately wanted to see the Character Shop sign again somehow.
JG
I’ve seen 1970’s photos of the Pirate dinning area and there were two bird cages with parrots in them. A Pirate-last CM is talking to two kids ... did the parrots perform? Was she there to just keep an eye on them?
Early blueprints for the area show a oval section in the center of the seating area and was listed as “dance floor”. And that’s vague as it’s unclear if it means for guests to dance on or for performers? Maybe both. I’ve never mentioned here before that years ago I had purchased a Tahitian Terrace wooden sign .... it was fairly worn .... but on the back side is a performance show time for what’s called THE PIRATE TRIO. Years later I’ve seen pictures of a small 3 girl pirate band performing at Skull Rock Cove. Because the Tahitian side of the sign is in better shape , I have a feeling the Disneyland sign shop reused the pirate trio sign for Tahitian Terrace .... or maybe at one time the Pirate Trio performed at The Tahitian Terrace!?
Early on in the design of Disneyland’s New Fantasyland it was evident the Jolly Roger structure was not salvageable , but a newer - slightly smaller version was planned in one of the phases as a ticketed play area with a juice bar. As the project and budgets changed - that concept was cut out.
Tokyo, or a swan swarm!
Melissa, I'm sure I wouldn't have spotted ol' Skully either.
Yay, Chuck's back! I've been wondering for several days, "Whatever became of Chuck?". I enjoyed your nautical patois. So THAT'S how tulips were brought to the New World! (Good to know.)
Major, JG, & Mike, Thanks for the parrot cage info, and the embedded light info. Maybe the light was actually a loudspeaker that played themed music?
JG, I’m so glad you found GDB! I wonder how long ago it was? The grotto must have been kind of secret, I don’t think I knew about it until after the Pirate Ship was gone. Bummer. Cool that you could feel Casey Jr. rolling by! All of that motive power (ha ha). It would probably be cheaper to somehow make a keg chair, but that’s no fun. I want one that is full of vintage Disneyland mojo. Good guess about the lighting, that would have never occurred to me. And yay, I was right (I guess?) about Paco the Parrot!
Nanook, you can’t go wrong with primary colors, that’s why you see them on so many toys for toddlers. They are just cheerful. Babies want to eat them.
KS, ha ha, I suppose after a long shift on a hot day, most of us probably would not be sweet petunias. I would expect a summer day to be busy, and it sure would be nice to find a place to sort of get away from it all - as much as one could. Sounds like the tuna sandwiches you were making over at the Hills Brothers Coffee House were just the same as the ones from the Pirate Ship. 65 cents probably seemed super expensive to guests! I’d be perfectly happy to deal with a handful of potato chips (though I would want a whole bag!). I think that after 1969 the tuna was not necessarily Chicken of the Sea, since that was the year they ended their sponsorship. They must have bought their tuna from “Al’s Discount Tuna”!
DBenson, I’ve heard that story too, though I always take things with a big spoonful of salt when it comes to Disneyland’s “official story”. I know what you mean about being disappointed that it wasn’t a ride - Skull Rock looked like it should “do something” too, but I loved it just the same. The photo you mentioned might be one of my photos of Captain Guy, the man with a genuine wooden leg.
JG, I definitely don’t recall Captain Guy, but as I’ve said, I never set foot on the Pirate Ship as far as I know. I should ask my older brother if he recalls going there to eat. The question about Tuna is one that philosophers have been discussing for centuries. No worries about the errant ID of the blue sign, I sure didn’t have any guesses worth sharing.
Mike Cozart, I wouldn’t be surprised if they needed a CM near the parrots to make sure that kids (or adults) would not abuse them by banging on the cage or doing some other heinous act. A dance floor for the dining area, that’s a new one to me! Very interesting. We know that the charming Pirate Trio performed there, you can find photos of them if you search. I have a pretty good one somewhere on GDB! Wow, I’d love to see your Tahitian Terrace/Pirate Trio sign. A ticketed play area sounds pretty lame, maybe it’s just as well that it was removed altogether.
JB, hmmm, the loudspeaker idea is a good one too! I’ve always wondered if there was some sort of soft music played back behind the ship, maybe some classic sea chanties.
These pictures are great!
I love seeing Skully peeking over the edge of the boat. Creepy-cool. Like when the Matterhorn peaks over the Main Street shops.
I'm trying to figure out how we can sneak a 'keg chair' out, in that stroller. Someone carry the kid, and we'll pile bags of souvenirs around it.
Thanks, Major.
Pictures of the Pirate Trio ladies came up in my screenshot slide show today, pretty spicy black lace skirts and all. Definitely before my time. I wonder if they performed at TT?
Major, thank you! I’m glad I found GDB too. Quite a community you have founded here. I started reading in about 2009 I think, but didn’t comment till much later.
JB, there were speakers up on the ship, disguised as treasure chests, you can see them in other posts.
I’m glad they didn’t do a complex entertainment production here. The space was too small and intimate.I wonder if the French Market terrace opened instead to fill that program need.
Sue, when we get off the PeopleMover, let’s go rent a stroller and head over to the grotto to set your plan in motion.
JG
On my way. Let's rent a double-stroller.
The Galleon and Grotto did indeed have music. At one time I obtained about 50 Disneyland audio cartes ..... these were 8 track type cassettes radio stations used - a good deal of park music at Disneyland and Walt Disney World used these. Disney sound department customized their carte players for attractions and for area/ BGM. One of the cartes was from “ “PIRATE SHIP & GROTTO” . A friend of mine and a well known park collector and often Disneyland craftsman ; Tom Grace , has obtained jack wagoners personal audio collection that had been kept at his home studio. The collection was given to Tom via Don Dorsey - these included Jack’s masters for basically any audio produced by jack - announcements, back ground music , parade and show music. Tom had and also began obtaining additional sound equipment to record and transfer this collection digitally. It was very time consuming and very very expensive - many of the reel to reels had to have splices fixed and other repairs done - as well repairing and servicing the professional reel players ( these were not tape players sold in department stores but recording studio and radio station quality equipment . The audio collection was astounding!
Tom had this equipment and I had loaned him my cartes and reels to be recorded as well , although we determined Tom actually had some of the masters used to make the play back audio cartes in the park . Tom passed away during this project in 2007 - I was on business in Hong Kong at the time. After the services many people contacted Tom’s family regarding things Tom had in his possession Tom has many projects going and did have other people’s collection pieces on loan. Sadly since these were mostly all friend to friend projects - nobody had much of anything in a written contract and this overwhelmed Tom’s elderly parents . A family friend was asks to step in and help — but for whatever reason tons of Toms stuff was trashed as the house was prepped to be sold - and in that dumping were lost ( most ) of jack wagoners audio collection ..... even with some lists I had and some e-mail communication MY stuff was also supposedly tossed and I did not get any of it back . I speculate the accuracy of this story as some items from this collection have showed up on line and years ago for sake a Disney collector shows. That was in 2007 so we’ll probably never really know what happened to Tom’s stuff or the personal items of the other collectors.
Part of this great audio loss and my loss I rarely loan things of mine out any longer to be copied or transferred etc .....
Mike, that’s awful to hear!
Lou and Sue, as I’ve said many times before, Skull Rock - particularly at night - was one of my absolute favorite things at Disneyland. It just looked so cool! I love the idea of trying to smuggle a keg chair out in a stroller. IT COULD WORK.
JG, wow, you found GDB pretty early. I still don’t know how word got out, it sure wasn’t due to my hard work publicizing the thing. To this day I have people telling me ways to increase viewership, but I think I’m happy with the way things are. Interesting idea about the French Market filling the role that might have been originally planned for the Pirate Ship area.
Lou and Sue, if only they made strollers big enough for adults so that I could take a nap in the middle of the day. I see little kids sleeping and get so jealous!
Mike Cozart, oh man, that story is heartbreaking. I know things like this happen all the time, and preserving and transferring old media to newer formats is never-ending challenge, but OUCH. The thought of all that stuff being just thrown in the trash! I get that the people trying to deal with his possessions were probably overwhelmed, but still… it hurts. I’ve also very sorry that YOUR stuff was tossed, I can’t imagine how upset you must have been.
Lou and Sue, IT SURE IS.
Sue, about sneaking the keg chair out in the stroller, sounds like you've had experience in the field of skullduggery. ;-)
JG, and now you've been sucked into Sue's World Of Crime as well? Tsk, tsk.
Sue again, (sigh) Okay, there's no hope for you now. But maybe JG can still be saved from a life of crime... By the way, where did you say we'd meet up again? I'll bring the souvenir bags for the stroller.
@ MIKE-
Yeah - what The Major said. A tragedy for sure.
JB, haha! I do have a number of connections to the World of Crime, but I’ll only share one for now:
My one aunt (my dad’s older sister—who was also my cousin Stu’s mom) was a real fun character. She was rather pretty and popular in her younger years—and involved with a few gangsters. She drove their getaway car—when they robbed gas stations (and who knows what else!) in Chicago.
We’re meeting by the PeopleMover.
Sue, Wow, sounds like you had some really "colorful" characters in your family! With that kind of background, maybe we should try for two keg chairs!
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