Jungle cruise question

[ploto]

Does anyone know if the boats on the Jungle cruise ride in MK are steared by the cast Member on the boat or if they are guided by an underwater track?

2003-offsite

2004-Pop Century

2005-Contenporary Resort

 

[maddhatir]

not that i know for sure- but i am going out on a limb and saying

UNDERWATER TRACK!

 

[seashoreCM]

Ride Jungle Cruise several times and observe how each skipper steers differently.

I believe that the boat is guided between two side rails that extend from the "river bottom" to just below the surface of the water but the rails can't be seen readily if you look down due to artificial coloration of the water.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[VacationDad]

Well, I saw the skipper of our boat turn the wheel to the right and the boat went to the left, so I would say the navigation is automatic with some sort of track.

 

[maddhatir]

Well, I saw the skipper of our boat turn the wheel to the right and the boat went to the left, so I would say the navigation is automatic with some sort of track.

nooooooo! thats what they like to call......disney magic!

 

[Caylin]

The boats are attached to tires by a piece of hinged metal. The tires ride in a trough at the bottom of the river. And the dye keeps most people from noticing!
I know a former jungle skipper and I'm a certified hippo-chondriac!

 

[ECU Pirates]

This past summer we took the VMK Quest Tour and the skipper just sat down and controlled the throttle. The boat steered itself.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

it's on a track.

i also found out the "secret" of the murky water from the CM who was "driving" the boat.....which was weird, i was surprised she was talking about it considering there were kids on the ride, but none of them were really in earshot.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Nah, it's steered by my son. At least a portion of our boat ride was steered by my son - the part through the dark cave. He did a very good job, too.

 

[LadyZolt]

My daughter got to steer and she was at that age (13) where it's cool to steer for a minute, and then suddenly it's not cool and someone she knows might see her. LOL! Anyway, she sat down and the CM didn't notice immediately. The boat made a turn without anyone steering. Now THAT's Disney Magic.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[seashoreCM]

Nah, it's steered by my son. At least a portion of our boat ride was steered by my son - the part through the dark cave. He did a very good job, too.

One time I observed a Jungle Cruise skipper spin the wheel like a fan for each upcoming turn. He could have but that time he did not say the steering was worn and loose and he had to turn the wheel a lot to get the boat to veer just a little.

Occasionally the Liberty Square riverboat captain lets a guest, often a child, steer the boat. On that boat, too, the steering wheel does nothing.

So many boats at WDW are guided by tracks that one unofficial guide, when mentioning the ferry between Magic Kingdom and the parking lot, "...this boat is free floating and does not run on a track..."

OT: In a book about trolley car history someone was quoted "When I was little the motorman let me stand up front and use a large (what he now knew as the parking brake) wheel to steer "us" down the street." He did not elaborate to say whether the motorman admonished him "Not too far, we have to keep the car going straight" so he would not apply the brake, which really worked, unnecessarily.

 

[Earstou]

So many boats at WDW are guided by tracks that one unofficial guide, when mentioning the ferry between Magic Kingdom and the parking lot, "...this boat is free floating and does not run on a track..."

I can attest that the ferry IS free floating as it ran into a bridge once when I rode it!!!
Oops! I think it was the boat to Discovery Island that hit the bridge! Looong time ago.