By BRODIE H. BROCKIE
It was December 2007. My wife (of four months) and I were heading to Disney World to visit friends and attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Little did we know there was a special Christmas surprise waiting for us... in the jungle!
It was nearing the end of the first Year of a Million Dreams at all the US Disney Parks. A promotion (actually lasting two years) during which all kinds of prizes were given away, mostly at random as selected by computer. The Dream Job trip I won to Disneyland was also part of this promotion, though that was a lot less random. The random prizes are given out by a group of Disney cast members called The Dream Squad.
Well, word got to the folks in the Dream Squad and (I think) from them to the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise staff that one of the Jungle Cruise Dream Job winners (me) was coming to town. I don't know the whole chain of events that went on, but someone arranged a special trip through the jungle for us under the skippership of a great former-skipper who is now a member of the Dream Squad. He was hilarious and we had a great time on his boat and then, and the end of the ride he turned to me and said...
So, for a boat full of my wife, several dream squad members, a few other skippers, and a couple of other Disney World cast members I know, I got to play Skipper Brodie again. I was a little rough around the edges considering that the route is very different from the Disneyland version and several scenes are completely different. It was also night, which makes it much harder if you don't know the route well.
Fortunately though, I had ever-so-slightly suspected that this could happen (mostly hoped, but not really thinking it would) and had prepared a little bit. It was also a much looser arrangement than the Dream Jobs shows and they really didn't care what I said, scripted or unscripted, so it was nice to relax a little more and just have fun with it.
One of the bits I threw in: "Maybe you'll come back here, 20 years from now after they've made the Jungle Cruise movie and you say to your kids, 'I remember when I rode the Jungle Cruise with Skipper Brodie before the real skippers were replaced with the animatronic Ben Affleck.' And your kids will say to you, 'you know what's wrong with the animatronic Ben Affleck? Too lifelike."
SKIPPER BRODIE AND THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
Christa and I with Cinderella's castle, lit for Christmas.
"...but I just can't let you go now without telling you that your Disney Dream job is about to continue! I'm going to drive us through again, but I'm handing the mic over to you!"
I think you can see I'm a little dazed here, as I put on the Skipper hat.
With the hilarious and very cool Skipper Tony.
It was an incredible surprise and really, really a blast. After I was done, I was presented with a Magical Moments certificate from the Dream Squad honoring me as an official bi-coastal Jungle Cruise skipper. I can't imagine there are too many others of those around.
I am deeply indebted and eternally grateful to those who were able to make this happen. They know who they are. Thank you so, so much.
At the entrance to the Jungle Cruise.
Saying goodbye to the Dream Squad.
