Jungle Cruise
“Board a jungle boat to travel exotic rivers of the world, guided by a witty and experienced skipper.”
Climb aboard one of 12 steamer ships and set course on a journey that traverses four world rivers (Amazon, Congo, Nile, Mekong) and encounter myriad Audio-Animatronic animals along the way. Your vessel – which greatly resembles that of Charlie Allnut’s in The African Queen, is piloted by a wise-cracking skipper that delivers “Dad jokes” at alarming speed.
Each skipper is given a script containing a wide array of one-liners that can be delivered at nearly every point in the ride, though you’ll often encounter skippers who have created their own jokes often to the dismay of their managers. Though the quips you hear may vary, there are two mainstays that are so ingrained in the collective memories of guests, you would be forgiven for being disappointed if they weren’t included. (“Dr. Albert Falls” and “The Eighth Wonder of the World: the backside of water.”)
It is important to note that a skipper can make or break the attraction for you, though crummy ones usually don’t last long in their positions. Beware of pythons, lowland gorillas, long-necked cheetahs (aka giraffes), crocodiles, elephants and so much more as you enjoy a leisurely boat ride through the of trees and murky blue-green water that hides the attraction’s guide track. The lines can get long for this attraction, so keep that in mind when planning your itinerary.
Behind the Schemes:
From the very beginning, Walt Disney was insistent on Disneyland containing a jungle ride of some sort so he enlisted the help of Imagineer Harper Goff to make Jungle Cruise a reality. Goff would drive his vehicle through the excavated path of the attraction, paying attention to every detail including sight lines, river width, and feasibility of turns for the boat.
This groundwork allowed the Walt Disney World version to be constructed at a faster pace, and it is a
remarkable feat to be fully immersed inside the “jungle” as the surrounding areas are shut out from
view, including most of the sounds. (Can’t do much about that train whistle.)
In the last few years, Jungle Cruise had some refurbishments that both pleased some guests and irked others. Headhunters and pygmies were removed, as well as the jungle salesman, Trader Sam. Seeing as Jungle Cruise is launched from a British outpost, it appears that the powers that be came to the conclusion that stereotypes stemming from the British colonialism of African nations along with popular literature of the time might not be as humorous in the modern day. Very little of the attraction’s concept was lost due to the removals, but change is a hard thing to accept when one grew up with an attraction so near and dear to the heart.
Reality check:
Real pythons are not made of plastic.
There is no “Shirley Temple” found on any rivers in China.
Nobody on record has ever witnessed a lowland gorilla painting a Jeep in the wild.
Hippopotami are some of the most dangerous animals in Africa and are responsible for more than 3,000 human deaths annually. None have successfully overturned a Jungle Cruise boat yet…but it’s coming.