We walked into the dense jungle of Adventureland. It was our intention to make our way over to The Pirates of the Caribbean, and so we just looked around as we kept on traversing the area. We made a mental note of where the Dole Whips were being sold so that when we came back to this area later, we'd grab a few. We also circled around the left side of the Aladdin Carpets - taking note of giant golden camel statues that would spit water at unsuspecting guests.

Around the corner, we found ourselves standing in front of the ride. The outside was intricately themed as a Spanish fortress of some kind, and really did a great job fitting amidst the lush greenery of the surrounding jungle. In a way, it almost seemed like an oasis hideaway.

(from Wikipedia:)
"The attraction, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico."





Excitedly, and because there still seemed to be no people in line for anything, we headed in.







The Spanish halls began to transform into fortified catacombs littered with various equipment left from pirates of a bygone area. It seemed as though they once stowed away here.









It was great not having to walk through it with anyone else, and seemed as though we had snuck into this dwelling and we weren't supposed to be here. It was a very long queue though, and even without a line of people, it seemed to take forever for us to reach the loading area. I think that in the end this queue is what made the ride. The moment we stepped into the building, we felt like we were being transported through time. I think we were both in awe of how well themed it was.

(for a detailed explanation of the ride, stay tuned for the DL vs. WDW comparison article).