Part 7c Jungle Troubles
The Jungle Cruise, located in Adventureland, due east of the Castle. Those still at the castle are headed now on a tour of the ground of the parks. PUSH the trashcan begins its own show as Wall*E gets to play with nearby trash and make cubes of it. The Current time was just after 1 in the afternoon
Jac thought but a moment before knowing the best place to start the tour of the parks. No doubt B.E.N. did not want to go near Space Mountain again for the day if he could help it. Perfect! She thought thikning of the Jungle Cruise, how else to start the tour of the parks then with a skipper that was even more insane then anyone else oin the party... Unless Pheonix was there, then she and the skipper would be in a really good mood. "Well, I promised you a tour, And I know just the place to begin it. Come with me. Genie BEN, see you guys at Epcot." Jac then mentally kicked herself, she knew that Genie would be on the boat or in the room nomatter where she went on the grounds.
Jason hands his stuff off to a Genie Belhop and follows Jaci. "Where are we going?" Jason asks in Puzzlement.
"You'll see" Jac said leading the way to Adventure land, where the Jungle Cruise was located. She had no idea Pheonix had commandeered a ship of the Junngle Cruise ride already, and was waiting for them to arive. Though she had met the Princess on several open park days. Just not long enough to consider her a good friend, as sometimes Royalty did little to please her. But Pheonix was a different kind of Royalty. The crazy kind. Shortly they arrived at the enterance of the ride, and using Jasons Dreampass they got directly in line and were then waiting in line for the next boat, the same boat Pheonix was in. "You'll love this ride Jason, i just know it. If you like humor, you'll like this ride. Listen." Jac pointed upwards at the nearby speaker where a Announcer, from somewhere, made really wacky annopuncements.
The Annouceer was saying something. "Your attention please, there will be no cutting in line, those guests found with scissors will be asked to leave, thankyou." The Bellhop Genie stood outside the ride holding the required items, pretty much still as a statue.
One of the boats of the Jungle Crusie pulled up to the dock, on it was someone that was of roylaty, in fact it was Princess Pheonix, and a small white cat, Marie, seated on her lap. A rather orante seathed sword laid across Pheonix's feet where she sat. The ship pulled to a stop to allow passangers to get on. just as the announcer in the line area said "Thank you for traveling on the world famous jungle cruise. When traveling with a party please tell the boat loader, the nubmer of people in your party. tell the boater 'we are total of four' and he will save you four seats, if you are traveling with eight people tell him "we travel with eight people" and he will save you four seats"
Jac was first to notice Pheonix on the boat they were about to get into. She nudged Jason and pointed towards the boat. "Looks who's on there, that's Princess Pheonix of China, she normaly stays at Baoding China though at her Palace, or in Hong Kong. She's rarely here though." Then she noticed the golden seathed swod balanced across the Princess' feet. What was she doing with a blade here?
When Jac nudged him, Jason stopped examining the air flow around the place and looked where she pointed. "I know. I met her on the train on my way to the castle." Jason replies. "She's very pretty." Jason adds. Jason notices the blade as well, but dismisses it as ornamental.
"You metnioned meeting her yes. But on the monrail that car is normally used for diginataries." Jac said, recalling that Jason mentioned meeting her in the monorail throneroom. That alone was odd. What was odder still was the pair of them were singled out and led to the hanicap entry, and allowed to get onto the boat where
Pheonix smiled as she noticed the same young man she had given the dreampass to on the Monorail. She held a white housecat in her lap, one that looked oddliy similar to Xias housecat appearance. But also purest white. When Jason and Jac entered the boat she spoke. "It is good to see you again young man. Shu wa jai" she said to Jason as she nodded towards Jac. Speaking a Chinese greeting no doubt to the Acrobat.
"It's good to see you again, too." Jason smiles charmingly and nods his head in respect after stepping on the boat.
The Skipper of the boat spoke on the boats PA system. "Welcome aboard have a seat. We'll be leaving dock shortly. please keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times as the skipper is not responsible for lost apendages" The boat pulled up to the main dock and allowed the more peopel to loaded on. Once everyone was loaded in and seated. the Skipper spoke again. "Annnnd we are off like a herd of tretles. Wave good by at the people on the dock, you might not see them again." The Skipper said before saying. "Welcome aboard the world famous Jungle Cruise, I'll be your Skipper, swimming instructor, alligator wrestler, snake charmer and navigator. lets get things off to a smooth start with some badsic knowledge of boating." The Skipper pointed upwards while speaking then down. "Top of boat. Bottom of boat. these are interchangible. If this happens hang on to the larger guests, they float better."
Jac merely smild to Pheonix and bowed a bit. then took a seat next to Jason, who was basically sitting between her and the Princess. She snickered when the Skipper spoke again. "We are now passing some of the worlds largest butterflys, whos wingfs can grow from tweleve inches to a whooping one foot. Ah we are coming up on camp... Ahh looks like a noshow gang, its empty. Wonder what coulda frightened them off." He said as the ship tuned towards a tree with a huge snake it in. The the Skipper did not notice it as he continue speaking. "Oh I don'y know, possibly pretty looking, maybe twenty four feet long. Oh hi Kahn, what's up. No these folks aren;t for eating this my crew, get your own." the Skipper said to the Snake as he passed, making many fo the guests on the boat laugh.
Pheonix stroked the white cat that was seated on her lap, she laughed when others did, many of the jokes were good, and some were old. But this was a ride that people would see so many times over it never got old. As the ship passed by the snake, unseen by anyone drifted off the tree. As if by magic. Amnd followed the boat and its supposed crew.
The cruise continued, "We are coming up on some of my favorite plants, let me point them out to you." The Skipper said, he pointed at a plant, then another, then a third, each time saying "that one, that one there, and that one up there." The boat went arounsd a curve. "OK folks we are coming up... uh oh, looks like we have trouble ahead. We got us a downed aircraft, so be very very quiet and don;t make any sounds like a marbel, these are antiaircraft hippos, and they are also hungry too." The Skppier told the group in his boat as the trolled through the water several hippos were seen. Jac was first to notice the snake following the boat. Jason looked to where Jac was looking, and saw the snake as well. "Uh. Is that supposed to be part of the ride?" He asked her.
Pheonix too turned to look back, and also noticed the snake. Hmmm. "It is poart of the ride yes, but it was never to remove itself from the tree. as it was part of the tree back at the empty campsite." She said quietly, allowing the Skipper to be heard by those around him. Not everyone took notice of what was going on, unless it was the cast members. In this case, Jac had noticed the snake first. Then a guest to the park as well, the same man who had ridden within Monorail Golds throneroom. Something was wrong, if the guest could see the sanek, like Jac was, magic must be at work.
"I see... Then, shouldn't somebody be doing something about it?" Jason asked, still watching the snake.
"They should." Jac said quietly, the Skipper noticed the look that she gave hiom, and he nodded, best to keep everyone focused on the front of the boat and himself ro the time being. "If by all accounts this is work of magical means, one of us has to get the things attention away from the boat." She said quietly. Not liking what she just sdaid, no doubt the Prin cess herself would either go into he water after the snake, or throw Marie into the water, knowing the cat hated water, that wouldn't work, so that left either Jac herself going into the water, or the Princess doing it.
The little jungle cruise ship entered the dark temple area, the sanke right behind. Pheonix leaned close to Jac and her charge, passing to her yhe white cat and at the same time picking up her sword that laid on her feet before lightly stepping off the boat into he darkness without a word. Apprently she wasn't gone long because when the ship came out of the darkness of the temple canal part of the ride she was talking to the skipper. The snake however was gone. After a heartbeat or two of talking to the skipper the Princess nodded and went back toher seat. her face looked... ashen.
After a moment of the cruise continuing Jac spoke up. "Are you OK Pheonix? You look... pale. And a little wet." She said, noticing first and formost that the snake had disappeared. The Princess had taken care of it no doubt. Jason was a little dumbfounded at what just happened, and it clearly showed on his face. "What...?"
"I think the princess took a swim, But I am not sure." Jac looked towards Pheonix, had she taken a unwanted swim tro face the python that followed the ship for some time? She noticed the look on the skippers face when he got a radio call and passed the radio to her, it was the Genie, from where he was on the bus. They had found Mulan, but had run into trouble. Jac nodded and responded in chinese to Genie, who understood it well. And since Mulan was right next to him she could translate easier for him too.
She handed the radio back to the skipper. Who spoke to her in a low voice. Jac nodded, it was almost time to perform at Epcot. She turned to Jason. "Your ticket is a parkhopper right? Nevermind that. Don is going to let everyone off the boat, but then take it to the backstage area for repairs, though it will only be to get us back stage to meet up with Genie." She explained. "I think one of the cast members has a badge waiting for you, its temporary, but Genie said it will get you into Epcot faster then having to buy a ticket and wait in line to scan in." She said in a low voice so only Jason and Pheonix heard.
Jason pulled out his ticket, the one Phoenix had given him... "This thing? I thought this was called a 'Dreampass' or something like that. Isn't this like an 'All Access Pass' or something like that?" Jason says as he waves the thing around. Jason was still somewhat confused on what was going on. He didn't really expect a 'normal' trip to Disney World, but this was nowhere on his itinerary. In fact, almost everything up to date wasn't on his itinerary. The only thing that was, was 'meet Jac at the Castle'. Though that wasn't even on schedule, thanks to the Royal Express Phoenix let him ride on.
Jac's eyes widened at sight of what Jason held out. "Keep it hidden!" She hissed covering his hand with both of hers. "If anyone sees that there could be trouble." Thankfully no-one had. Jac then took a breath and tried to calm down. And tried to recall exactly how to explain the situation to her friend. She had invted him to the paarks to have a fun spring break, but instead things had gone really crazy. Frist with the thieves at the castle, but also before that, several people had come to the parks requesting to buy it from the people that ran it and controlled things.
So she said. "Several weeks ago, when we first met online, several men tried to buy the parks and the property here. Inteded on closing the place down no doubt. Genie had escorted trhe men away, but things have been happing since, three weeks after we first spoek online two men were injnured in a monorail accident. Two days latter at the American Pavillion in Epcots World Showcase one of the performers were poisoned by poorly made food." She looked a bit worried and fingered her keys to her apartment. There was a odd keychain they were on, that looked oddly like the key to Davey Jones Locker itself.
"To answer your question, yes, the Dreampass acts as a pass that also takes place of the Fastpass system. However it also acts as your roomkey as well to your resort hotel." Pheonix explained as they neared the dock to let the other people on the boat off. "However with a badge, you would need not have to worry about scanning in, Genie will escort us to the backstage area near the Chnia Pavillion." She said.
The boat neared the docks of the Jungle cruise, as they neared the last scene of the atteraction, the Skipper, Don, pointed to a fellow on the beach. "This heres Harvey, he's our head salesman. As you can see sales have been shrinking lately, but he's got a great deal going, two of his heads for one of yours... any takers? No? Ok moving on."
The boat moved a bit more forwards. "A note to everyone, when you step out of the boat and your shoes fill with water turn around and go the other way. Pay no attention to the dock on the left side of the boat, it is just a paradocks. Don't worry about the two guys on the docks, they're just a paradorks, and you remember those two ducks we saw back a ways? yeah those are a praraducks. Then again I'd ask why a duck when you could have tuna but then this is the Rain Forest."
The Skipper spoke up again as the three stood to leave. "Please watch your head and step as you exit the boat. And thank you for traveling with the world famous Jungle Cruise"