"So what's this great idea of yours? " Mary Ann asked as she did her best to keep up with Gilligan.

"We'll get one of the other passengers to switch tickets with you. I'm sure someone wouldn't mind," Gilligan asked. Mary Ann wasn't so sure. She felt awkward walking up to some stranger and saying, "hey, you wanna trade tickets?"

Gilligan looked around to see who he might ask. He knew he couldn't ask Mr. and Mrs. Howell. They came together. That left Professor Hinkley, Miss Grant, or Miss Cooper. He was a tad bit hesitate to ask the Professor. He was afraid he might still be angry about Gilligan spilling all of his belonging. He had to try anyway. Gilligan didn't want to risk the chance of never seeing Mary Ann again. He still needed to find a way to thank her for all of her help trying to get things picked up and put up in a timely order. Besides that, it was more than the help. Mary Ann had been sympathetic and kind toward him. When he had felt the most foolish, she had made him feel like he had someone he could count on for a little bit of morale.

Gilligan approached the Professor. He cleared his throat before he began to speak. The Professor was reading a book about native island tribes. He had been deeply engrossed and rubbing his chin as he read. His head snapped up and the sound of Gilligan's voice.

"Excuse me, Professor Hinkley, sir," Gilligan started out a little bit timidly.

"Yes, what is it?" The Professor replied.

"I'm... uh... I'm sorry about knocking your crates over. I don't think anything is broken. Are the pages of your book ok?"

"Thankfully, yes. Coincidentally they seemed to have scattered in a somewhat consecutive order, page wise that is. Besides that, I had a little help," The Professor glanced over his shoulder. The redheaded actress was checking her hair-do in a compact mirror. The blonde was popping bubble gum, looking at her watch impatiently.

"Well, I was wondering. Would you like to upgrade your cruise to a first class ship?" Gilligan said, pointing to the grand S.S. Dynasty that was docked just to their left. "All you have to do is trade tickets with this nice lady over here." He pointed to Mary Ann, who was holding up her ticket to show the Professor. The Professor raised an eyebrow. It was a strange request. Why did the young girl in front of him want to trade her ticket if the Dynasty was indeed a great ship?

"No, I'm sorry I can't," he said, then explained to Mary Ann, "you see, I'm leading a Botany seminar over on Oahu Island. This is the only ship that is making a stop there today. Besides that," he said looking over at Gilligan, "my things are already boarded on the Minnow, safe and sound for now. I don't dare run the risk of my things being unloaded by a first mate who is in too big of a hurry."

"Well, ok. Thank you anyway," Mary Ann said. She and Gilligan began to walk away. She turned to Gilligan and spoke, "Well, it was worth a shot, I suppose. I didn't really think he would trade his ticket."

"We can still ask Ginger Grant and Bunny Cooper. Come on," Gilligan said, pulling Mary Ann by the hand again. If Gilligan had just realized how much hand holding he had been doing in the last five minutes, he would have fainted. He paid no attention to that, though. He was a man on a mission.

"Gilligan!" The Skipper shouted, "What in the devil are you doing? We ship out in ten minutes! Leave that girl alone and help the passengers board!"

"Not now, Skipper! I'm busy," Gilligan said, not even looking at his boss. He hurried past the Minnow, with Mary Ann in tow, and made his way to where Miss Grant and Miss Cooper were standing. The Skipper's face turned beet red with anger. Insubordination! That's what it was. Out and out insubordination. The Skipper ripped his hat off his head, realized that Gilligan wasn't in hitting distance, and slammed the cap firmly back on his head. Gilligan was lucky indeed. Had the Skipper been down there with him, he likely would've done something to send that boy to the hospital.

"Look, there they are," Gilligan told Mary Ann, as he pointed toward Ginger and Bunny. "Ladies... excuse me ladies!" Both girls looked up to see the Minnow's first mate and a woman dressed as a little girl running toward them. When Gilligan reached them, he was breathless. He began to pant and try to catch his breath before he tried to speak.

"Is there something you wanted?" Ginger asked, looking strangely at the pair of them.

"Would you at all be interested in trading boat tickets with Miss Summers?" Gilligan asked.

"Why on earth would I want to do that?" Ginger asked.

"Well... um... oh yeah! You see, Miss Summers has a ticket for the S.S. Dynasty, but it isn't leaving for awhile. She has... an important prior engagement this afternoon. She'll miss it if she takes the Dynasty," Gilligan said. Gilligan was smiling on the inside. He was rather good at making up phony stories. Surely this one would work for sure.

"Not a chance!" Ginger said. Gilligan's face fell. "I don't want to wait around here some more. I've just done back to back USO shows for the men in green and the men in white. They may not have been in battle, but they sure were fighting over me. I"m exhausted and all I want to do is get on that boat and take in the sights."

"Green and white? What's she talking about?" Mary Ann whispered to Gilligan.

"Oh she's just done two USO shows. One for the U.S. Army, the other for the U.S. Navy," Gilligan explained.

"How about you, Miss Cooper? Will you trade your ticket?" Gilligan asked. The young blonde looked a little unsure. This time Mary Ann spoke up.

"Look miss, I didn't have to pay for my ticket because I'm waiting on my hotel room. I'm will to trade your ticket for mine, plus pay you whatever you paid for your ticket," Mary Ann offered. She wasn't quite sure why it had become so important suddenly that she be on the Minnow on that particular boarding, but she did feel an urgency. Perhaps it was because Gilligan was trying so hard to get her on board that she felt it was now priority number one to be on that ship with him.

The girl looked at Mary Ann with uncertainty. She pondered it, but then she caught sight of two very handsome Naval officers in their dress whites going aboard the S. S. Dynasty.

"Here," Bunny said, offering Mary Ann her ticket. Mary Ann graciously accepted it and handed her ticket over to Bunny. "Keep your money. I think being on the Dynasty with those two hunks are going to be reward enough." She left Mary Ann, Gilligan, and Ginger, heading straight for the Dynasty. She turned back, approached the Skipper and told him that she needed her bags. The Skipper looked confused. He was angry, thinking Gilligan was the cause of Miss Cooper wanting to cancel her trip.

Gilligan and Mary Ann hugged. "You did it! You did it!" Mary Ann shouted. Suddenly, their merriment was interrupted by the sound of shouting.

"GILLIGAN! GET OVER HERE NOW!" The Skipper was furious. Gilligan hung his head. He knew he was in for it this time.

"You go ahead and board," Gilligan told Mary Ann sadly, "I'll see you later... that is if I don't get fired." She gave him a sympathetic look. She felt guilty. She sincerely hoped that all the trouble he had went through for her wouldn't cause him to lose his job. Gilligan watched as Mary Ann made her way up the platform to the Minnow. He then slowly made his way over to the Skipper. He gulped as he gave a salute, his hand shaking the entire time.

"At ease, Gilligan," the Skipper said. Gilligan dropped his arm, "I don't know what's the matter with you today, but I will not, and I repeat, will not be talked down to by an inferior. Do you understand?" Gilligan nodded. "I out rank you, and don't you ever forget it! We are five minutes behind schedule, Mr. Howell is riding my tail about the itinerary, Professor Hinkley is upset by his scientific equipment being dropped, and now Miss Cooper requested her bags, saying she changed her mind about riding the Minnow. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Well, Skipper," he said, fidgeting with his hat. He kept twisting it round and round in his hands, "you see Mary Ann wanted to ride the Minnow, but the Minnow was full. So I thought it would be a good idea to find someone for her to trade tickets with. We asked Professor Hinkley and he said no, and Ginger Grant said no, but Miss Cooper said yes and now she is riding on the Dynasty and Mary Ann is sitting up in the Minnow."

"Gilligan! It's not that simple. We have a passenger roster, a listing of everyone's belongings They all signed liability waivers. You get her off this boat now!" The Skipper shouted. Suddenly, Gilligan had another idea. He grabbed the passenger roster out of the Skipper's hands and made a mad dash for the ticket booth.

"Gilligan, what are you doing now?" The Skipper hollered.

"Not now, Skipper! I'm gonna get this fixed! I'll be back in a few!" Gilligan shouted.

The Skipper threw his cap to the ground, mumbling a few curses under his breath. This just isn't my day! He thought.