Attraction Spotlight: The World-Famous Jungle Cruise

The Walt Disney World Resort is one of the top vacation spots in the world. And with good reason. It is home to some of the greatest rides and attractions that any theme park can offer. Great rides like Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean, and shows like Wishes or IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth draw people out by the millions. But because these are so great, some other very enjoyable attractions can sometimes slip under the radar.

This is a spotlight on one of the attractions that gets overlooked, but is still great in its own way. This ride is a classic and still draws a crowd, but it just isn’t one of those top billed attractions. That’s probably because it’s not much of a thrill ride. Still, this family-friendly attraction produces plenty of reasons not to pass it up when you visit the Magic Kingdom. The spotlight is on Jungle Cruise.

It’s easy to walk past Jungle Cruise and move along to Pirates of the Caribbean or other nearby rides, but this “three-month” boat tour should definitely be a stopping point on your trip. Don’t worry, it’s not really three months, that’s just a joke the skipper likes to tell. And that’s one of the best parts of the ride: the jokes.

The skippers do a great job of entertaining their guests with silly animal humor and puns. For example, you’re guaranteed to run into crocodiles like Old Smiley and his girlfriend Ginger. “But be careful, Ginger snaps.” 

I won’t give away too many of their jokes, as that would spoil the fun. But of course there’s more than just the jokes of the tour guides. There’s also the use of Disney’s famous Audio-Animatronics. Now, these aren’t the most impressive of their creations, but they still invoke a sense of nostalgia. The simple robotics just bring an unexplainable happiness to riders. Like the group of poachers that include the skipper’s friend “Ahontas” and the rhino that is trying to “poke Ahontas.” 

Then there’s the setting of the ride. In true Disney fashion, they take you away from the middle of a theme park and transport you deep into the vast jungles of the world. The environment changes to the point where you believe you are actually in a different place. 

And that’s Disney’s goal with all of their attractions, to put you into the middle of an adventure that you could have never imagined. This particular adventure may not come across as dangerous and thrilling as some of the other journey you can embark on with some other attractions, but that’s not always the goal. The goal is fun, and Jungle Cruise delivers just that. 

So the next time you’re in the Magic Kingdom, stop and give Jungle Cruise a ride. If nothing else, you’ll get some good laughs, check out a cool environment, and get out of the sun for a little while. Plus, you’ll also get to check out one of Disney’s best attractions... “the backside of water!”