Motor Boat Cruise, July 1976
I never get tired of seeing the wonderful old Motor Boat Cruise that was once in Fantasyland. Probably because photos of it aren't that plentiful, but even so, it's hard to resist the charms of a sleek, sporty motorboat moving of its own accord. Two sisters have just started their exciting (?) journey through some beautiful landscapes, passing below Monorail, Peoplemover, and Autopia tracks as well. At first I thought that the turbulence in the lower right was caused by another boat revving its 400-horsepower engine...
...but now we can see that there is actually an underwater volcano, or maybe the bubbles from an escaped hippo. It could be anything, really. Big sis is enjoying the warm sunshine and the sensation of that 5 mph wind, while little sis ("Steph") now realizes that she can steer the boat using her mind. No hands necessary.
20 comments:
Major-
"At first I thought that the turbulence in the lower right was caused by another boat revving its 400-horsepower engine..." Major, it's understandable how one could make that mistake, as the original 'power package' consisted of a 500-horsepower engine-! It required far too many guests to 'hold on to their hair', so the horsepower reduction was ordered. Wear your lifejacket.
Thanks, Major.
First pic, in the second boat we see Joe Cool in his cool shades, coolly resting his elbow on his oh-so-cool propped-up knee. He's got J.C. Jr. sitting beside him, not as cool as his dad, but getting there; he's piloting the boat, after all.
I wonder what the CM is writing? Probably meticulously chronicling who's currently on the boats in case there is a duck ruckus and somebody goes missing.
#2: Major, Steph's shirt actually says "staph" (yeah, it looks like an "E", but it's an "A"... just go with me here), short for Staphylococcus. You can see a microscopic representation of a staph bacterium just below the text.
You may ask, "Oh, but JB, why would a little girl be wearing a t-shirt prominently displaying the staphylococcus bacterium?" The picture tells the story: See, the two sisters had a little brother in the boat with them. They couldn't stand him because he was a booger-brained boy.
Anyway, the sisters spotted a phalanx of deadly mallards coming straight at their boat. Knowing that the ducks avoid staph bacteria at all costs, little sis wore her "staph" t-shirt for just such an occasion. Little bro 'accidentally' fell over the side of the boat just as the ducks got within striking range.
We see the resulting duck ruckus bubbling behind the sisters' boat. Note the smug look on big sis's face.
Either that, or Nessie just dipped below the surface. He/she likes to winter at Disneyland. But this is July, so it's highly unlikely that this is Nessie. I'll put my money on the duck ruckus being the cause of the violent upheaval of bubbles.
Either that, or Nanook's theory of reduced horsepower is the answer.
OK, for real; why are the bubbles bubbling?
Thanks for the pics, Major.
- Jail Bait (another conversation heart expression)
OK, for real; why are the bubbles bubbling?
JB, the bubbles were created by the live piranhas that inhabited the waters of the Motor Boat Cruise. Staph and her sister, Sepsis, just happened to be there at feeding time, when the cast members would throw an entire side of beef into the water.
Those bubbles are caused by the "farting" sea serpent who was a cousin of the "silly" sea serpent in the nearby Submarine Lagoon. He preferred hanging around in the Motor Boat Cruise waterways. Apparently, his diet consisted mainly of sea cabbage.
Gotta love the Motor Boat Cruise. And I actually rode it many times when it existed. Thanks, Major.
Now that I’m seeing that violent turbulence, maybe it’s best that I never rode the Motorboat Cruise after all. I might not have lived to tell the tale.
When the boys were little, every time we saw water bubbling I told them it was Godzilla getting ready to surface after a scene in Godzilla vs. Megalon, which we had watched together. I still remember the odd looks we got at the zoo when the youngest (who was probably four) pointed at a bubbler in a lake and yelled “Look, Daddy - Godzilla!”
Ok, these are all wonderful, fanciful ideas, but I have the truth:
This is a UGM-27 Polaris missile being launched by a rougue Sub from the lagoon. This was intended to be a preemtive strike against an anticipated Universal theme park build up. Unfortunately, the mission was unsuccessful as the missile took out the "Islands of Industrial Siding" attraction just off the coast. This attraction is now never discussed and largly forgotten. R.I.P.
Nanook, just once I need to drive a vehicle that has a 500-horsepower engine. I’ll drive it slowly, but the knowledge that it *could* go really fast is enough.
JB, at first I thought you meant that Joe CAMEL was in that first photo. Joe Camel is my hero, and definitely not a crass attempt at appealing to children! The cast member is writing to Santa. It’s July, but you can never be too early. I’ve never seen a shirt that was a tribute to the merry Staphylococcus bacteria, maybe that’s what the kids used to be into, pre-Pokemon. I also had no idea that so many duck ruckuses happened all the time at Disneyland. I guess the press swept all of that stuff under the rug. There must have been an actual purpose for those bubbles, but I can’t come up with anything that sounds plausible.
TokyoMagic!, I always forget about piranhas. Frankly I’m amazed that the US rivers are not full of them, considering how people love to release invasive species into the wild. Brain-eating amoebae would fall to #2 on my list of water-borne worries.
K. Martinez, Disneyland is a magical place, with flying elephants, taking mice, and farting sea serpents! I’m imagining a pre-taped sound effect playing as you passed the bubbles. You know what I mean. I feel like I rode the Motor Boats about three times, but I can’t say for sure. Wish it was more now!
Chuck, at a later point in the Motor Boat Cruise, the boats went through some scary rapids that would threaten to swallow boats, never to be seen again. Were your boys ever concerned about Godzilla bubbling beneath the surface? Or did they love him?
Stu29573, wow, so much intense drama going on at Disneyland that most people were unaware of. I can’t condone an attack on Universal Studios, I had too much fun there when I was a kid. And I sort of like that they are creating attractions that forced Disney to “up its game”!
Joe Cool, Jr., known to his friends as Joe Tepid.
Major, if my kids were concerned, it never showed. It kind of became a running joke. They loved the Godzilla movies. At that age, it's all about watching giant monsters punch each other in the face, without worrying about the collateral damage and civilian body count that would undoubtedly occur if a real kaiju battle tore through downtown Tokyo.
Melissa, I'm kind of lukewarm on that nickname.
Chuck, Luke Warm is Joe Cool’s brother-in-law.
Discussed the bubbling-water-as-Godzilla concept over lunch with my youngest, who is now 18 (it's a snow day at school). He confirmed that he never actually thought that Godzilla was lurking under the surface (whew! - one less scar imposed on the kid for a therapist to unearth in the future). He also told me he still thinks about it when he sees bubbling water.
Mellissa, SOME FRIENDS!
Chuck, when I was a kid, I knew Godzilla as the friend of children and protector of humanity, so I was always happy to see him in any movie. I feel a need to watch every Godzilla movie in the order in which they were released. But how? Glad that your boys appreciated Godzilla too!
Melissa, "Luke Warm", the worst action hero.
Chuck, ha ha, I love that your son still thinks about Godzilla when he sees bubbling water! I'm sure the idea makes him smile.
Recalling how carnivals and such had kiddie carousels with vehicles on a wooden deck and motorboats in a circular troth. Always with steering wheels for everybody, front and back seats. In retrospect I'm not sure if the boats actually floated or were held up by the support arms.
The glory of Disneyland's motorboats was that you felt like you'd been somewhere. Somewhere dull, but somewhere. Like the Autopias, with their overpasses and billboards.
In recent years have seen kiddie carnival rides that feature generic flying elephants and rudimentary spinning teacups. While there's barely even a hint of theming, the Disney influence is clear.
I'm watching The Spy in the Green Hat on Turner Classic Movies, and the opening sequence seems to be filmed at Pacific Ocean Park! I wouldn't have recognized it without GDB.
Tokyo, "Sepsis", haha! A side of beef, eh? Just like velociraptors!
Ken M., imagine the 'aroma' wafting through the Motorboat waterways... actually, I'd rather not. Occasionally, Old Farty would slide over to visit his cousin in the sub lagoon. No wonder they used so much chlorine there!
Chuck, with your ability to tell 'tall tales', I bet your kids got wise fairly early in life. ;-)
Major, "the press" has never found out about the frequent duck ruckuseseses. Disney has managed to keep that secret since the first occurrence, one week after opening day, 1955. (Quite an accomplishment, actually.) I'm sure several of our former CMs here can verify that. I don't make stuff up!
Perhaps the bubbling is to aerate the water to keep scum 'n stuff from forming? (Scum 'n Stuff was a failed series pilot by Sid and Marty Krofft.)
Melissa, haha! J.C. Jr. hasn't reached coolitude yet.
I don't recall what the cast member costumes were at the time, but I believe the guy writing something, is a Disney maintenance repair worker. He is most likely filling out a maintenance report. It looks like he is wearing his tool belt as well. ;)
-DW
The MBC was such a laid back ride. If you needed a break from the crowds, just hop on a boat for a quiet moment. They would get upset when you cut the line and tossed the kid in the lake, but it was quiet for a little while.
DBenson, I think that those kiddie motor boat rides actually did float, I used to watch my niece and nephew ride those at a place called Happy Hollow. I suppose the Motor Boats might have been dull, but the scenery looks beautiful in the photos I’ve seen, and the ride seems relaxing. Could be worse! Yes, you see fake Dumbos and teacups many places now, it’s weird.
Melissa, interesting, I wonder if Chris Merritt (author of THE book about POP) knows about “The Spy in the Green Hat”?
JB, I don’t think that local news could show something as graphic as a duck ruckus on television, so they just changed the subject to “gang violence”. I suppose the bubbles could be to aerate the water, but that seems not quite right! Who knows.
DW, that guy definitely has a wrench on his belt! Good eye.
MRaymond, YES, it was definitely a great ride to “get away from it all”, even if you had to throw a kid in the water.
The bubbles are the "deweeder" used to blow underwater weeds off of the boat's propeller. Occasionally we'd see a boat moving significantly slower than the others, and it almost always meant that the prop was fouled with weeds. The control panel had a switch that opened an underwater valve, and the compressed air would blow the weeds off the prop.
Anon, thank you for that great information! It makes sense! Love it.
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