Mouse Tales author David Koenig’s recent article, “Skippers Unspieled” (link), highlighted a recent stand-up comedy show that featured Jungle Cruise skippers. In the first set of letters in this week’s mailbag, David responds to questions and comments about the show.
A reader writes:
I wanted to compliment the nice job on your “Skippers” article. I wish that the majority of Disney bloggers had the journalistic skill and tact that you do, though they can’t all be career newspaper editors now, can they?
Reading the interviews today reminded me of the firings in the late ’90s. Your description in the second Mouse Tales casts a very dark cloud on a ride that always made me smile. I was a college student the first time I read your second installment. Full of vision and pride, I vowed to myself that I would never grow up to be a micro-managing dictator (names not required to compare) such as the ‘bloodthirsty villains’ you wrote of. Maybe my reaction was over the top, but I still feel the clinch in my shoulders when I think about the backstabbing and betrayal those skippers battled through in order to put on a show for the guests. In Disneyland?! How was that possible? After college I come to find that some managers will do anything to protect their personal assets with the company—turns out its a real harsh world after all.
I hate to date either of us, but that time seems like eons ago, does it not? What do you think now? Has the ominous chill dissipated, or is the new CM force so fresh that they don’t know any better than what management tells them to say and believe?
I’m sure the mood in the Jungle goes up and down, depending upon the current crop of CMs and managers. Remember, with all of the turnover at Disneyland, there aren’t a whole lot of employees left working the same place for the last 10 years.
David Levy writes:
Thank you for your article on MousePlanet. It was truly an honor to be interviewed by you and I hope you can make it to the show.
Again, thank you for raising awareness of this great night of comedy and God bless you in all you do.
Thanks for the kind note. I’m looking forward to the show, and hope I get the chance to say “Hi.” God bless you, too!
Fred Canfield writes:
Thanks for the information on the skipper stand-up night at the Maverick. I have bought my ticket and am looking forward to being there. I enjoy getting advance notice of some of the on and off site events that are not very well-publicized.
Thanks, Fred! Hope to see you there!
Heather D. writes:
I thought I should send a quick note to thank you for the article regarding the Jungle Cruise. I’m hoping to use part of it to convince my husband to try the ride on our trip this October. Do you happen to know if any of the current skippers were serving back in 1995? We had a bad experience with one of the skipper’s “off the cuff” comments that summer. Perhaps if I can convince my sweetie that all of those CMs have moved on, he might be willing to give it a try. Any information would be appreciated.
I don’t think any of the skippers date back that far. One did start in 1996. I’m almost positive that all those bad men from 1995 have left, and the jungle is safe once again. I hope your husband will join you in October; when skippered properly, it’s the best ride in the park.
Heather replies:
I’m relieved to hear that the cast has changed since we were last at the park. Normally, I wouldn’t go to such extremes. Unfortunately, the “bad experience” really stuck.
Perhaps I should explain… At the time, my father lived in the area and we were down for a visit. Nate and I had gone to Disneyland as a lark. Now, we’re a memorable couple; I’m 5 ft and pretty petite and Nate’s about 10 inches taller and has noticeably more mass than I. Also, we’re a mixed race couple; I’m a typical Dane—blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and Nate’s African-American. I’m used to people taking a second glance—I hope it’s because we’re so obviously gone on each other and I usually let it go at that. Anyway, we’ve had a few encounters over the last 15 years, but I don’t think either of us was expecting one at the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
We had just exited the Indiana Jones ride and I was enjoying the theming in a small area near the river. I’m about to point out something to Nate when a Jungle boat comes into view. Now, I don’t know if he was tired, out of good material, or if it was a quiet part in the ride, but the skipper decided to make an “off-the-cuff” about the two of us. He got on the microphone and cracked a few about a “Local ape performing for his exotically coloured mate”. Nate said something to the effect of “Hey, that’s messed up.” Then the skipper decided to make a bad situation worse by making another off-comment about “Angering the beast.”
I’m a little stunned. I know that the Indiana Jones ride is themed for a specific time period, but I didn’t expect a representative of the 1936 Olympics committee to float by and make stupid remarks! Next thing I know, I’m hanging on to Nate as he storms off to the ride entrance. We spoke with a few people at the dock and left. We weren’t able to speak with the skipper himself, probably a good thing looking back, so I’ll never know what he was thinking with those comments.
Needless to say, the whole experience was unpleasant and, unfortunately, quite memorable. Luckily, we had enough good experiences on that visit that we still have good will towards the park in general—we just have to work on the Jungle Cruise a bit.
Well, a few years have passed. Hopefully the skippers have figured out a way to entertain the guests without using hurtful and just plain stupid tactics. It sounds like this particular fellow is gone, so no worries. Now I just need to convince Nate to try it again!
Thanks, Heather. When the Jungle Cruise was made to pass by that section of the Indiana Jones queue in 1995, the spiel was rewritten to include jokes poking fun at the people waiting on the shore, likening them to jungle animals—though certainly nothing, absolutely nothing racial. Perhaps the skipper told the joke poorly. Or maybe he’s just a jerk. No matter, don’t let one bozo ruin one of the best parts of Disneyland for you!
Frank Anzalone, MousePlanet’s extraordinary staff photographer and author of our photo tips series (link), answers some reader questions about how best to capture the Disney magic.
Craig Markley writes:
I have enjoyed your articles over the past few years. They have been very helpful with many great ideas. I have an Olympus SP-310 that I am not that familiar with. A problem that I have is taking photos during Fantasmic, night-time parades and dark rides. Is this camera capable of capturing moving images in a darkened area?
This may be a good topic to cover in future postings.
For a quick suggestion, I have noticed when you are zoomed out (a wide shot picture) and the greater part of the overall framed picture is dark, the camera will have a much harder time getting any image to come through; the bright spot (let’s say Mickey on the island in Fantasmic!) will be burned out. Zoom in close, cropping out much of the darkness, and you will have better results. Good luck!
Barry writes:
I know you are very busy but I am hoping you can help this Disney fan out with a photo question. My husband and I are going on our 14th trip to Disney World in December and part of our enjoyment of the trips is taking photos—lots of photos. We average about 500 pictures per trip over the past 15 years.
However, my husband has just now entered the digital revolution (kicking and screaming the whole way, I might add) and turned in his trusty film SLR camera for a Minolta Maxim 5D digital SLR.
My one request to him this next trip is to take some decent photos of the new Captain Jack Sparrow audio-animatronics in Pirates of the Caribbean. Can this be done effectively with our new camera and, if so, do you have any recommendations? I would greatly appreciate your help with this as I have greatly enjoyed your pictures on the MousePlanet Web site.
Just to let you know… I was extremely hesitant to jump into the digital world from my “film comfort zone,” also. When I originally bought my first real digital camera, I had a great 35mm SLR and the digital was supposed to be my “second back-up camera.” I bought that digital camera about a week before a WDW trip so I decided to take only that camera (to force me to learn how to use it)… and I have not touched the film camera since! It sounds like you shoot almost as many pictures as I do, and I am sure you have a certain filing system with your prints and negatives. With digital, it is a little easier to file electronically—it is just a different habit to get into. In our household, the big issue was making sure I made prints from the digital files for the traditional photo albums.
Regarding your question about attraction photos, although I am not familiar with the Minolta Maxim camera, just make sure you know how to adjust the “sensitivity” of the camera (like a higher ISO film equivalent). When you are in the ride, set it at the maximum your camera will go. Then, when you are on the ride, try to zoom in close to the subject, cutting out as much dark background as you can. This helps the camera interpret what little light is on your scene. The more light you have in the frame of your viewfinder, the less time your shutter will stay open—and hopefully your chances of getting a crisper image will increase. Pirates is one of the rides I have had the most difficulty with… It really is dark!
A couple of other suggestions: Make sure to have either your laptop computer to dump the daily pictures into so your chips are always ready for the next shots, or buy a couple of extra memory chips. Since you already shoot 500+ shots a vacation, my guess is you will shoot even more than that with digital. I think one of the natural effects of having a digital camera is that you tend to shoot more than you would with film. That way you can make sure to get your shot and then dump all the unwanted pictures.
Also, since you are going in December, all the holiday décor will be up. This is beautiful for dusk and evening photos there at Walt Disney World. You might think about buying a cross-star filter. Use this in the evening when the lights are all bright, and it will add a little “twinkle” to your photo. It is fun—but don’t over use it, either.
Thank you for the kind words about my pictures. If you have any other questions, feel free to write anytime!
Fey writes:
I have a problem with the pictures I take with my digital camera and I’m not sure if the issue is with me, or the cheap cameras I own.
I’ll set the picture up and it will look great in the viewfinder—but then when I pull them up on the computer they are a blurred, almost unrecognizable mess… I’m not sure why they look good in the viewfinder and so lousy once I try to print them or use them online. Help?
First… It would be helpful to know what kind of camera you have. But until then—check this…
Check the lens that the camera uses (this is different than the view finder in some cameras). Is it possible that it is not clean or has a greasy fingerprint on it? That would be my initial guess. The next item is possibly the old style digital (some are not up to the quality of today). Let me know more about the camera and the results… And I will do what I can to get you some answers. In the mean time—maybe save up some and get a new digital camera that has at least 5 megapixels of resolution.
Shawn Rapp writes:
I have a Minolta Maxxum 7000i that I have been using for several years. In the past, I have taken pictures in the park (Disneyland) and have used ISO 1600 with good results. Is this still the best recommendation or is ISO 800 advanced enough to use without a flash on the attractions? The challenge is low light and lots of fast action (as you know). I want to be able to capture the moments at their best.
The ISO 1600 is still the best for those dark, evening shots. The difference between ISO 1600 and ISO 800 is that the 800-speed film is half as sensitive; the same as the difference between a 30th of a second shutter to a 60th of a second. I am sure you have experienced the difference (in sharp steady shooting) between those two shutter speeds—it can make all the difference in the world!
Two main tips for evening shooting: First, if you can steady the camera on a trash can, pole, building etc. you will get better results with the slower shutter speeds. Second, if you are trying to shoot action in low light, move the camera with the action. Pan the camera in the direction of the motion as the parade moves past you, like you would move your head you are watching the parade.
These techniques will give you the best chances of capturing the action. Good luck and have fun!
