The world-famous Jungle Cruise has soft reopened to guests at Disneyland Park before its official July 16 reopening. The classic attraction has undergone a refurbishment with many cultural sensitivity changes. The reimagining is not quite complete, with final changes to be made before the official opening date. Let’s hop aboard and see what’s “gnu!”
We’re so excited to be back! We’ll never take this ride for “granite” again.
Some of the theming in the queue has been refreshed. The map with the Jungle Navigation Co. logo is a nice touch.
The map of the rivers now reads “Jungle Navigation Company LTD.” instead of “Jungle Cruise Trading Co.”
This art isn’t new, but we love Art Deco-style travel posters.
A vintage Zeno Chewing Gum cash box sits on the desk in the office.
Art by one of the new characters, Rosa Soto Dominguez, hangs in her studio space and on the wall. Rosa is a “celebrated Mexican artist known in the art world as La Rosa.”
Among the works displayed is a portrait of Alberta Falls. The same portrait can be seen in the Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom.
Schematics for the Jungle Cruise boats are on display.
A box from Hightower Industries can be seen in the queue — a reference to a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.). Harrison Hightower III is from the Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea.
A barrel of gourmet pickles seems to be serving as a seat for an ongoing chess game.
Another S.E.A. reference here alludes to Mystic Point at Hong Kong Disneyland, home to Mystic Manor and S.E.A. member Lord Henry Mystic (and his adorable monkey companion, Albert).
These books are being shipped from Mystic Point to Dr. Kon Chunosuke, another of the new characters. He is an entomologist who journeyed with Alberta Falls to pursue the legendary Myrmecoleon, a fictional insect referred to as “the lion of ants.”
It seems the Jungle Cruise Skippers are sending some packages of their own to Mystic Point, including this crate of beekeeping supplies.
This crate is coming all the way from Lost Delta India, courtesy of Professor Henry Jones (but you might know him as Indiana).
Here, a duffle bag belonging to another new character, Siobhan “Puffin” Murphy, is seen. She’s brought along some premium birdseed to help her in her search for exotic birds.
“Canoe” spot anything that might help us on our boat ride?
A schedule board can be seen tracking the arrivals and departures of the various Jungle Cruise boats. Some jokes here really nail the dry humor of the attraction, such as the arrival/departure schedule of “Today/Some Other Day” for the Orinoco Adventuress, or the “Boat on time, Skipper late” status for the Suwannee Lady.
There’s a lot to look at in this room, including a gift from Alberta to Rosa.
Some insect specimens are on display from the collection of Dr. Kon Chunosuke.
We’ve already spotted our first danger sign.
A bronze statue of a cobra looms above, treasure resting in its slippery grasp.
A statue has been removed and two more crocodiles have been added to the Cambodian scene.
Watch out, Ginger snaps!
The statue resembling the Indian deity Ganesha has been replaced by this bowing elephant.
An abandoned petrol drum is our next sign of danger.
Don’t worry; they’re just monkeying around.
Here we can see all the new characters trapped up the pole. From top to bottom, you can find Siobhan “Puffin” Murphy, Dr. Kon Chunosuke, Rosa Soto Dominguez, Dr. Leonard Moss, and Skipper Felix Pechman XIII.
If Skipper Felix didn’t know his cruise wasn’t going well, I think he gets the “point” now.
I have a sinking feeling something went wrong in this new scene.
Another new scene shows the Mekong Maiden “under new management.”
The monkeys have let some of Dr. Kon Chunosuke’s collection go free in this new scene.
It’s the eighth wonder of the world: the backside of water!
If you don’t fancy a “bite,” please keep your arms and legs inside the ride vehicle at all times.
Piranha warnings are painted on the rocks down the river.
The piranhas are so happy to see you; they’re jumping for joy.
Stop by Trader Sam’s Gift Shop to pick up something new-to-you. Trader Sam is conspicuously missing, though a sign claims he will return in “15 minutes.”
Say cheese! How can you not smile for the baby elephant?
Near the ride’s exit, the Cast Member station has some fun theming as well.
An anachronistic computer is running the Cast Deployment System, which coordinates rotations, including breaks for Cast Members.
A canteen labeled “Skipper Dan” is a possible reference to the “Weird Al” Yankovic song of the same name.
Watch a full video of the soft opening of the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland below.
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What would an Indian deity statue be doing in an ancient Indian temple?
Wow! Looks way better than I expected.