MovieChat Forums > Jungle Cruise (2021) Discussion > I got to steer the boat on the Disney Wo...

I got to steer the boat on the Disney World ride in 1972 and tried to crash it into the shore


I was around 8. I wanted to see if it was on rails. It wasn't.
The distracted employee screamed an obscenity and grabbed the steering wheel just in time to steer us clear.
I have since gone back and see it is now on rails. I like to think I had something to do with that - LOL.
My Daughter got to steer it years later. I told her to try to crash it, but she wouldn't.

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Letting an 8 year old boy steer a boat that isn't in some restrictive channel seems risky.

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Exactly why it's a funny story. In years gone by Total Guaranteed Safety At All Times wasn't a hysterical mandate like it is today.

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Yeah, it was so much more fun when dozens died in house fires and rollercoaster rides crashes and killed people.

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Well, not as much fun as it is now when children aren't allowed out of sight of mommy for a minute. Thank god nobody dies in house fires or accidents anymore. That Jungle Cruise boat going three miles per hour might have killed dozens! We need more rules! More rules!

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Well hello there, little psychopath !!

oO

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I grew up to be quite normal. Just very curious as to how things work ;D

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haha, good call.

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Could it be... I mean, could it be the employee tricked you?

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I think someone was pulling your leg. The Jungle Cruise has always used a rail. Here's a photo of it under construction:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463842868731/

If you think about it, they'd be crazy not to. The boat 'captains' are basically college-aged kids who are hired based on their ability to memorize and deliver a script in a humorous way. And most of the time they're facing the passengers, not looking at where the boat is headed. So much potential for lawsuits and damage to the ride.

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I thought that ride was lame. Skipped it on subsequent visits. Space Mountain, Pirates were my favorites back in the day. I hate Disney now. They let in too many people. Paying hundreds to stand in line all day for 2 hours at a time for a five minute ride. Pass.

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Exactly. The last time my wife and I went to Disneyland cost us nearly $300.00, and we ate as cheaply as possible and didn't buy any souvenirs. The place was packed like a sardine can--shoulder to shoulder human bodies with never a moment of relief, worsened by hundreds of giant double-wide baby strollers everywhere. We spent about eleven hours in lines and a total of less than twenty minutes on rides. Never again.

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