So Long to the Redhead II

A few months ago, I published a blog post bidding adieu to the most sought after animatronic in all New Orleans Square, the famous Redhead in the auction scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  At the time, this was a guess.  I had pre-scheduled the post anticipating that Pirates might be shut down after the winter holiday season to have said auction scene be modified, as has happened in Disneyland Paris already.

It turns out that didn't actually happen.  But after this Sunday, Pirates of the Caribbean really will close down for a monthlong refurbishment to transform the redhead wench into a redhead pirate.  And instead of auctioning off people in Isla Tesoro, the pirates will be plundering their goods instead.

The change itself has sparked plenty of debate over the nature of political correctness, implications of revisionist history, and the extent relevant to preserve classic attractions.  But on the day I was photographing the scenes below, I was just glad that the ride was still open, so that I could take a new stab at it--this time using my recently purchased Nikon D750 body, which has better low light performance than my Nikon D610.  Waiting until this weekend to close allowed me to capture some great scenes that will soon be lost to Yesterland!

Approaching the auction scene, with wenches on one side and prospective bidders on the other.

There are plenty of wenches here, but people obviously are present for one particular one.

It's the Redhead!

Yes, and the pirates wants her.

Even the donkey seems aghast at the Redhead's beauty.

The rest of the pirates take turns bidding.

He seems especially focused on the task.

The Redhead certainly knows how to work her assets.

Whereas everyone seems morose about being sold off, the Redhead seems to revel in the attention.

Of course, she must contend with her neighbor and her superstructure first!