Hold on, if this is their first trip to Port Royal, are they able to go back to the town to complete that loop? I can't remember how it works at any given moment. They may be locked in place by the plot. If that's the case, they may have to go back to Timeless River.
If you do have to go back to Timeless River, just go in a loop through the curtain-worlds. Cornerstone Hill, Mickey's House, Scene of the Fire, Lilliput, Construction Site, Cornerstone Hill. It's a good route for training Wisdom Form, while you're at it.
By the way, do you know you can use magic to manipulate the cursed pirates, even if they're in the shade, at least a little? Thunder will stun them, Fire will force them to move (to get them out of the shade) and Blizzard will freeze them (very handy if they're in the light!). Once they're in the light, the pirates are also weak against magic so it's not a bad strategy overall.