Nine years ago I quit the best job I had ever had. From 2003-2006 I was a skipper on the “World Famous Jungle Cruise” at Disneyland California. In those three years I went from a young silly kid who would do anything to get a laugh, I matured and become a training instructor on how to be fun (not funny) and eventually moving up to “Lead” a shift leader who ran the attraction. Leaving was one of the hardest things I have ever done. That time of my life was a huge pivot point from who I was to who I was going to be.
I got a job at the Disneyland Resort shortly after I moved into an apartment with my friends “The Nathans” in La Habra. I was going to school at Cal State University Fullerton (CSUF) AKA Cal State Disney. I had applied to Disneyland multiple times before but they always offered me other jobs like ODV and Foods which I had zero interest in.
The interview process was a cattle call. They took large groups of people and something I noticed even at the time, were just trying to weed out the bad ones. In my other interviews I was asked multiple questions, my thoughts were probed on what was the most important thing, its safety BTW, but not this interview. In Fact, the only question they asked me was “ If hired where would you want to work?” My immediate answer of course was “Jungle Cruise”.
The World Famous Jungle Cruise had a huge mystic for me growing up. As a child I had never really been on it much. As a kid who went to Disneyland at least twice a year, there were just other things that were more interesting. As I grew up however, it became the attraction I HAD to go on. In my late teens my grandmother got me a Disneyland pass for my birthday. I was living with her in Santa Monica while I attended Community College. If I didn't have school or work, I would make the drive to disneyland and just enjoy the day by myself. Many times doing my homework assignments at a table in the Golden Horseshoe or an outside table at a restaurant.
It was during these trips that I had decided that A, I wanted to work at Disneyland and B, the only attraction that would do would be Jungle Cruise. I was always good with people and infront of a crowd. So that's when I started applying.
As it turns out, that cattle call got me the job. It turns out the woman thought I wanted to work in Toon Town. I laughed and said “No I said, Jungle Cruise.” She then laughed and told me that she thought I would be great there and would make it happen. Even at the time this was weird to me since as I mentioned earlier, they had only asked me one question and she had thought my answer to that question was different, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
As I left that interview the woman came running after me and told me that my haircut was not regulation and would need to be shortened before I started. Now this wasn't something I was expecting. I had two-layer hair (which my wife maintains that we would not be together if I still had that hair when she met me), which was pretty popular in the late 90s and mid 2000s and I was a stupid kid so what did I know. Of course I went out and got it cut. I have pretty much kept the same haircut since that day 14 years ago.
Starting at Disneyland was something I don't really remember all that well. My training partner was a older man by the name of Steve. He had been working in theater and had told me that its his significant others time to make money and his time to have fun, which was just the best reason to work at Disneyland. We met our trainer a Jungle Cruise staple name Randy. Randy had been doing the Jungle Cruise for over 15 years when we started, which was impressive to us and he was going to teach us how to drive the boat and do the spiel. I asked him “Does it matter if we are funny?” . He just looked at me and said “No” anyone can do this job if they try. This revelation blew me away at the time. You mean that someone could work on the Jungle and not make people laugh? What kind of world is this? I would later find out that everyone is different and most of the people who stuck around the Jungle for more than a month were able to make it work.
I dont have many specifics memories about training. You learn a ton of information regarding boat procedures, line procedures, speil procedures, loading procedures, unloading procedures, and getting to know the rhythm of the ride. After three days of training I was put into rotation and taking boats out. This was in October 2003.
I was amazed to learn all the little facts and quirks that made the World Famous Jungle Cruise work. Most other attractions ran on a computer controlled rotation system, but because jungle trips were between 7 and 10 minutes Jungle couldn't really do it that way. On a easy day, you and two others were responsible for one boat, one dock position, and one non specific position. This third position is what we used to take a break, go to lunch, help out the queue, whatever.This meant that on any easy day you were probably only in the boat for 20 minutes every hour, which was a great way to keep fresh in such a high visibility position. It was also important that when on this third position you did not “MAX” or take longer than 15 minutes. Lunch was a special case and as long as you told your rotation what you were doing it was fine.
People who MAXED were not well liked. You learned quick that your actions could negatively affect those you work with and it was to be avoided at all costs. Infact if you MAXED too often, you were subjected to “Jungle Justice” which meant that you were left in a boat for a few hours. Being in the boat for 45 minutes was rough because after about 4 non-stop trips you were exhausted, but going for 2+ hours was killer. Those who did not learn to get along generally did not last.
On a busy day, you had four skippers in your rotation, two boats, one dock position and the non specific position. This generally meant that you were in the boat 30+ minutes out of every hour and was a much harder day. What was great with these types of rotations is that you learn to get along well with your fellow Cast Members and you bond very quickly. The friends I made in those first few months I still speak to on social media and still feel a connection via the Jungle that I do not think will ever go away.
A good crew, on a busy day, eight boats, good loaders, no one taking their time in the Jungle, you could be doing between 1800 and 2000 people an hour. This was always the goal during my time there and when we were able to hit it, everyone was overjoyed, because it meant that we were such a great crew that everyone was doing something right.
You learned that the Front loading position was the most demanding and usually only occupied by senior skippers. It was the last position to be given two boats and the first position to be downgraded from two boats to one boat. In the early morning and late night, the position was usually closed having load be done only from the rear of the boat.
Taking guests through the Jungle is a strange balance of enthusiasm, showmanship, exhaustion, and boredom. Someone could either do it, or they couldn't, there was not much inbetween because piloting the boat while being fun was just not an easy thing to do. Most skippers do not really get their show “good” till they have been doing it for months. Many cast members who come to Jungle did not last past the first few days of training when they realize that they are not only responsible for 30 guests in a boat, but that they have to be entertaining.
Because I was new I spent a lot of my time on Fantasmic and doing parades on main street, this is common with new people who have no seniority, it also helps weed out people who can not hack it. That New Year's Eve I had shift for the midnight celebration at entrance of Sleeping Beauty's Castle. My shift weirdly ended at 11:45 that night, but as I stood shivering in front of the Castle I had made a resolution. “2004 would be the best year ever and I would do whatever it took to make it happen. And as it turns out, 2004 was the year that changed my life.
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