by Cathy Salustri | May 12, 2023 | WDW Blog
We had the chance to be a part of Canoe Races of the World at Walt Disney World. Here’s what that is and why it’s amazing.
As the crow flies, it’s an easy route from my hotel room to backstage at the Magic Kingdom. But I am not a crow, although I am awake at 4 AM to head to C.R.O.W. at Magic Kingdom. What is C.R.O.W., you ask? Excellent question. In short: It’s a canoe race around Tom Sawyer Island at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom (and on Disneyland’s Rivers of America, too). Of course, there’s more to it than that – only cast members can compete in C.R.O.W. If you think that sounds amazingly cool, you’d be right.
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What is Disney’s Canoe Races of the World?
Photo by Abby Richardson
Canoe Races of the World (C.R.O.W. for short) started at Disneyland in 1963, and a decade later, the competition came to the Walt Disney World Resort. And yes, it’s for cast members only, but Walt Disney World invited WDW Magazine to watch the fun – and take a turn around the island ourselves. Since the races have to happen before the park opens (and with Early Theme Park Entry for hotel guests, that means they happen super early), Abby and I meet in the cast member parking lot before sunrise. We make our way to the not-yet-open but not-at-all-empty Magic Kingdom. Not-at all-empty because as some cast members move around to get ready for the rope drop by the Haunted Mansion, a crowd of wildly enthusiastic cast members cheer each other on as their team rows their boats around the island.
C.R.O.W. is no small competition, either. Of the 70-plus teams competing, it feels like many are here to paddle and cheer. They line the launch area (near Haunted Mansion), fanning out toward the Liberty Square Riverboat. We’re here for a qualifying day, meaning the fastest teams will stay in the next race.
Over the course of three weeks in spring, teams of cast members first practice (including some mandatory training), then qualify, then compete. Every round of qualification sees crews eliminated, and teams take the competition seriously. Two things become clear immediately: Everyone’s in it to have fun, but paddling the Rivers of America is pretty serious business. This year’s spring C.R.O.W. (they’ll have another in the fall) ends May 16th, and, at its completion, the winning team gets bragging rights (and a championship paddle). It’s pretty clear from the synchronized rowing and chants that accompany it that everyone’s having a blast – but it’s not entirely a pleasure cruise.
Photo by Abby Richardson
The boats (repurposed from Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, which closed at the Magic Kingdom in 1993) don’t look like any canoes I’ve ever seen, and I quickly learn why: Each of these 10-seater boats, made from a combination of fiberglass and concrete, weighs about 1,000 pounds. This is not a boat you would be able to throw on your Nissan’s roof racks.
They Can-oe It
The teams are well-worth watching, too. Any cast member can register, and teams need not come from the same area of the parks or even the same theme park. Among the team shirts, the “Canoe”-Nicators (part of The Walt Disney Company’s amazing PR team) make heavy use of puns (Public Oar-Fairs), but they’re not the only ones: We see shirts for W.E.T. Enterprises (“If You Can Dream It You Canoe It”), a riff on WED Enterprises, and a team dressed like the Wilderness Explorers from Up!
Photo by Abby Richardson
Of special note, the EnginOars (not to be confused with the Imagineers) invented an adaptive device for people with disabilities so that truly any cast member can compete in the Canoe Races of the World, bringing home how seriously not just The Walt Disney Company, but cast members, take the fifth key: Inclusion.
To learn even more about our experience with Canoe Races of the World, make sure to check out WDW Magazine’s July print edition. It’s only for subscribers, so subscribe today to get it delivered!
Thanks to Disney for hosting us for an opportunity to watch the Canoe Races of the World at Magic Kingdom, where we were able to conduct interviews and learn more about the exciting event.
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