Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

Walt Disney World has lowered the price for its pirate makeover experience at The Pirates League in Adventureland. The cost is now $29.95, with costumes, photos and other accessories sold separately.

I was transformed into Kate Darkgrin at The Pirates League shortly after it opened last summer, and my daughter and I absolutely loved this experience.

While the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is glamorous, The Pirates League was just downright fun. It is truly an experience — not just a makeup application. You are given a pirate name, taken to a secret room to swear a pirate oath and taught how to live the pirate life.

I recommend The Pirates League for all ages – not just the kids.

Along with the lowered price, there are new hours for this attraction starting today. The Pirates League is now open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. You can make reservations by calling (407) WDW-CREW.

The most popular Theme Park Mom photo on Flickr this year: "After" pictures from The Pirates League makeovers at Walt Disney World.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s a look at the most popular posts here on ThemeParkMom.com during 2009:

1. Walt Disney World fans were eager for news about The Pirates League, a new makeover experience inside the Magic Kingdom. Here’s my visit behind-the-scenes before The Pirates League opened: Ahoy me hearties! The Pirates League be openin’ soon. And here’s a look at my own transformation into a member of Capt. Jack Sparrow’s crew: Disney World’s The Pirates League, or just call me Kate Darkgrin.
2. Continuing the pirate theme, many Theme Park Mom readers were interested in my tour of the pirate rooms at Walt Disney World’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Live like a pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean rooms at Walt Disney World.
3. Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party appropriate for younger children? That’s a question many readers asked, so I went to check it out and gave all the scary (and not-so-scary) details: Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…scary? This Mom’s take.
4. A look at Princess Tiana was also high on the list of popular topics this year. What would Tiana look like in the Disney Parks? That answer was revealed this summer, when Disney showed off Tiana at a journalism convention in Tampa: Disney’s newest Princess Tiana character unveiled. And when Tyra Banks came to Florida to meet Tiana, my daughter and I had a front-row seat: A Fairytale Friday Night.
5. Theme Park Mom readers also like to eat, so news about two new restaurants at Walt Disney World was also high on the list. There was a new restaurant at Disney’s Boardwalk: Celebrity chef Cat Cora opens Kouzzina restaurant at Disney’s Boardwalk. And at the Kidani Village section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: Disney restaurant Sanaa offers ethnic fare for kids, too.

What would you like to see next year on Theme Park Mom?

Here we are: Kate Darkgrin and Beth Crestpeddler, just after taking our pirate oath at The Pirates League at Walt Disney World.

The Theme Park Kid and I have now joined The Pirates League at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

We recently had the chance to experience the new “pirate makeovers” in Adventureland.

The Pirates League is right next to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World. This band of pirates has taken over what used to be the East India Trading Company.

The first pirate we encountered on our adventure was Brenna, who told us that Capt. Jack Sparrow himself had chosen this location as a new pirate recruiting center. She led us inside, where someone had been a little careless with a cannon.

The first step in your pirate makeover is spinning this wheel to get your pirate name at the Pirates League.

The first step in our recruitment was to be assigned a new pirate name. I can’t let you in on all the secrets, but it involves spinning a ship’s wheel, dice and the month of your birth.

You may now call me Kate Darkgrin, and my little one is Beth Crestpeddler.

After receiving our names, we were led further inside The Pirates League, where the real makeover began.

Being lasses, we chose the “Empress Package” for this pirate experience.

There are several different looks for boys, too.

Our pirate masters twisted our hair and pinned it back to frame our faces. Then our nails were painted. We had a choice of hot pink or black polish.

Then came the makeup. (more…)

The Pirates League is now open at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It’s located right outside the Pirates of the Carribbean ride in Adventureland.

The new attraction offers a “pirate makeover” to boys and girls of all ages, but the experience goes well beyond the makeup and bandana.

From the moment you step through the door, you are transported to the East India Trading Company’s storeroom, and it’s been taken over by pirates! There is stolen loot everywhere.

The pirates milling about inside The Pirate’s League are the real deal, too. I was wearing a tiara when I toured the attraction, and I wasn’t sure (more…)