Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tip Tuesday: Guest Jungle Cruise skippers

Guest Jungle Cruise skipper card

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

I've talked about "the magic" so many times on this blog that it sometimes surprises me when I notice another bit of Disney magic I haven't talked about before -- and that's just what's happened for this post.

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this little bit of personal magic before. What I am talking about? Well, did you know some of your little Disney fans also can be guest Jungle Cruise skippers?

That's right! Depending on the big skipper running the boat, they can bring up a younger guest and have them pilot your boat through that dark and scary temple toward the end of your voyage aboard the world famous Jungle Cruise. Best of all, your little one probably won't be telling some of the same bad jokes (although we all know one of the most charming aspects of the Jungle Cruise are those bad jokes - how many lines can you quote?).

child as a guest skipper

So how do your kids get to be a guest Jungle Cruise Skipper? Well, it all comes down to two things: the individual skipper and, well, luck.

First, not all skippers decide to offer the wheel to a child. The last couple of times I've been on the Jungle Cruise, the skippers decided to stay with the spiel and go through the temple. Other times previously, I've seen skippers let kids take the wheel (as you can see above). So it's up to the skipper.

The second factor is luck. Your child needs to be sitting at the front right next to the skipper (or pretty close). How do you get to sit up front? That's all a matter of where you are in the queue and where you end up sitting. There's no "waiting for the front" at most of Disney's attractions, so you'll just have to give it a try and see how you end up. Either way, you want to be the first to board the boat, either at the bow entrance (that's the front for you landlubbers) or the stern entrance (the back). Those boarding using the bow entrance will sit on the starboard side (landlubbers, this means right), while those boarding at the stern entrance will sit on the port side (left).

As I said, either way, you want to be the first to board in either line.

Should your mini Disney fan be selected to join the ranks of the guest skippers, they usually receive a special collectible card (see above). These are hard to come by - so don't loose it. You can't buy these, you can only get them from a jungle cruise skipper.

Well it's now time for the most dangerous part of our journey, your return to civilization and my attempt at ending this post. If' you've enjoyed reading this Tip Tuesday, then I'm Chuck Lionberger and this is the DisneyDaddy blog. If you didn't enjoy reading this, then my name's Len Testa and this is the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (ding!).

Have fun out there along those dangerous waters!

2 comments:

Raelynn said...

My son loves JC, but hasn't been picked. In fact, of all the times we have ridden it, I have never seen them do the guest skipper.

Aubrey C. said...

I got to do this when I was a tween in the mid-90s--still have the picture to prove it! (very awkward looking years though, so I don't think I'll share! lol)

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