Skipper Stories

Book excerpt: In this unique oral history of Disneyland's iconic attraction, the World Famous Jungle Cruise, dozens of skippers, from the 1950's to the present, share harrowing, humorous, sometimes even horrific tales of their pun-fraught voyages and their behind-the-scenes hellraising. They Jungle Cruise is that most unusual of Disney attractions where the ride itself is secondary to the cast member. Once the boat leaves the dock, Disney no longer controls the experience; your skipper does. Former skipper and now history professor David John Marley presents the uncensored stories of six decoades of Jungle Cruise skippers. Their never before spieled tales include: Skipper Selection, skipper training, how the ride works, and no holds barred confessions of what life is like in the jungle Celebrity guests; the good, the bad, and the entitled, and one very public embarrassment, skipper style The rite of passage for new Jungle Cruise skippers; peeing in the river Drunken orgies, stand-u comedy, and a heist that led to one skipper's permanent expulsion from Disneyland Pranks and more pranks, from the comic to the cruel. with dickish skippers and unruly guests learning the law of the jungle. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...