Davy Jones is a marvel, translating one of the most complex CGI villains on the big screen into a fully functioning audio-animatronic with stunning realism. The size of the two immersive screen sequences are almost too big to comprehend, and when they show us sinking or (especially) rising to and from the bottom of the ocean, I had to check myself on my second ride to make sure we weren’t really moving up and down to a different level.

1 There are certainly many technical achievements, like the precise Pepper’s ghost illusion that allows a skeleton to transform into a fully dimensional Jack Sparrow in the flesh (or latex, as the case may be), even leaving many theme park professionals wondering for a second how they did it. The achievements on this attraction are manifold, and they far outnumber any specific detractions I could make. (If you’ve read this site for any time you knew I was going to go there eventually, right?)

Oh, shush! Let’s enjoy the moment a bit more before going there. Battle for the Sunken Treasure seemed to be the real deal. And perhaps more amazing is that, even after multiple re-rides (eight total over two days), that feeling of euphoria seemed to diminish much more slowly than nearly any other attraction of its class, suggesting it had real staying power. That this is the best dark ride designed for a major theme park (Disney or Universal) within the past decade is a claim I barely needed any persuasion to convince myself of. I had my skepticisms, yet by the end of my first ride I was left in near disbelief at what I had experienced.

Every element of the show works together perfectly in concert, sustaining eight minutes of ride time with near-continuous wonder, surprise, and thrill, and with a degree of seamlessness I’ve never before witnessed from a modern theme park attraction. Let’s just get that out of the way first.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure is an incredible experience.

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