Board a trusty tramp steamer for a 7-minute guided tour of jungles from around the world, brimming with exotic animals and lush tropical foliage. Keep an eye out for potential perils - and stunning beauty - as your daring skipper navigates untamed waters with a skilled hand, a brave heart and a clever joke. Welcome to the world famous Jungle Cruise!
Depart civilization from a forgotten Victorian loading dock. Crossing continents and oceans, you'll explore exciting rivers around the world - including the Amazon of South America, the Nile of Africa, the Irrawaddy of Southeast Asia and the Ganges of India. Experience up-close encounters with animals both beautiful and savage. Discover giant butterflies, growling tigers, hissing king cobras, snapping crocodiles, majestic elephants, mischievous gorillas, proud lions and angry hippos.
The attraction simulates a riverboat cruise down several major rivers of Asia, Africa and South America. Park guests board replica tramp steamers and are taken on a voyage past many different Audio-Animatronic jungle animals. The tour is led by a live Disney cast member delivering a humorous scripted narration.
The attraction was in the opening day roster of the park, and has remained open and largely unchanged in theme and story since then. Aside from alterations and maintenance changes, four completely new show scenes have been added to date. In 1994 the river channel was rerouted to make way for the queue buildings and entrance courtyard of the Indiana Jones Adventure.
While the current version and most previous instances have made use of a comedic spiel, filled with intentionally bad puns, the original intent of the ride was to provide a realistic, believable voyage through the world's jungles. The original spiel had no jokes and sounded much like the narration of a nature documentary.
Ride Experience
The queue and station are themed as the headquarters and boathouse of a River Expedition Company, located in a (presumably British) colony of the 1930s. The queuing area is cluttered with appropriate props, such as pinned insects, an old radio on top of a bookshelf, and a chessboard with miniature animals and decorated shotgun shells replacing the pieces. The extended queue winds upstairs, underneath an Audio-Animatronic hornbill, and then downstairs again. Big band music from the 1930s plays overhead, punctuated by jungle-related news bulletins, helping to reinforce the setting and threading together the show scenes and boat.
Once aboard the boats, guests are introduced to their skipper and they head into the jungle, allegedly never to return. The first rivers simulated are the Irrawaddy and Mekong rivers, representing tropical Southeast Asia. The boats sail through a dense rainforest inhabited by large butterflies and a pair of toucans and then glide precariously under the first of a pair of stone arches severely damaged by an earthquake centuries ago. These are part of the ruins of an ancient Cambodian city where just a crumbling temple and shrine have managed to avoid tumbling into the river. Here passengers see a Bengal Tiger, giant spiders, king cobras and crocodiles. Passing a statue of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha, the boats pass under the second arch and enter the Sacred Indian Elephant Bathing Pool. Here a large herd of Indian elephants frolic and squirt water at the passing vessels.
The theme transitions to the rivers of Africa, and riders see a family of baboons, and a safari camp that has been overrun by gorillas. The boats narrowly avoid the dramatic waterfall, Schweitzer Falls, and turn down Africa's Nile river where they pass between two African Elephants, and large termite mounds. A tableau of the African Veldt follows, showing zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes watching a pride of lions feasting on a zebra beneath a rocky outcropping. Beyond the lion's den, an angry rhinoceros has chased a safari party up a tree. Antelope and hyenas watch from nearby. The skipper then pilots the boat into the Congo river disturbing a pod of hippos that signal their intent to attack the boat. Armed with a gun filled with blanks, the skipper fires into the air to frighten them away.
Drums and chanting are heard as the boats come to headhunter country. The vehicles pass a native village before sailing into an ambush by natives wielding spears, the sound effects for which are usually provided by the skipper.
The boats now pass behind Schweitzer Falls (referred to as "the Backside of Water") to enter the Amazon River. Skeletal animal remains and warning signs featuring pictures of dagger-toothed fish forewarn the next show scene, where the boats encounter a swarm of leaping piranha. The guests then pass a pool of water buffalo, and meet shrunken head dealer Trader Sam ("who will trade you two of his heads for one of yours") before returning to the dock.
Touring Tips
- The area outside of the Jungle Cruise gets quite congested because it's right next to both the Indiana Jones attraction and the Fastpass machines for the Indiana Jones attraction. Except on very busy days the line for the Jungle Cruise usually isn't too long, but as with most attractions it is shortest in the morning.
- The cruise takes on a whole different feel when ridden after dark - this is also a less crowded time to take the ride.
- This ride is appropriate for the entire family, though the jokes and puns will probably go over kids' heads.
- Disney Characters are typically not found in the Jungle Cruise, but Aladdin and Jasmine make frequent appearances at Aladdin's Oasis. Be sure to check the daily Times Guide for show times.
Facts
- The Jungle Cruise is an original Disneyland attraction and opened on July 17, 1955. In honor of Disneyland's 50th anniversary, one of the boats, the Congo Queen, has been painted gold.
- The first version of the Jungle Cruise was very serious, based on Walt Disney's True Life Adventure series. It wasn't until a few years later that the Jungle Cruise "skippers" began adding jokes and funny stories.
- Walt Disney originally wanted to use live animals in the attraction.
- There are 12 vehicles, with a maximum of 9 in operation at any given time. The boats in 1955 were painted as clean, idealized replicas, but have since been given a more realistic theming reflecting the grunge and wear of actual watercraft due to the addition of Indiana Jones Adventure and its ruggedness.
- The Jungle Cruise is an attraction located in Adventureland at many Disney Parks, including Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. At Hong Kong Disneyland, the attraction is named Jungle River Cruise. Disneyland Paris is the only Magic Kingdom-style Disney park that does not have the Jungle Cruise in its attraction roster.
- A studio recorded soundtrack of the Jungle Cruise was release in 1968 by Disneyland Records included as the B side of the album Walt Disney Presents The Enchanted Tiki Room and the Adventurous Jungle Cruise (ST-3966). The Jungle Cruise attraction has always featured narration by a live Disney cast member; for the release the narration was provided by Thurl Ravenscroft. This soundtrack was also used in Disneyland television features as early as 1964.
History
Jungle Cruise was one of the opening day attractions when Disneyland Park debuted on July 17, 1955. In fact, Jungle Cruise was one of the earliest attractions built, as Walt Disney wanted to make sure that the foliage had time to take root and flourish.
The ride was originally envisioned with a more serious and educational tone. Walt quickly decided to bring in a little humor and asked one of his most accomplished animators, Marc Davis, to sketch some humorous gags. The results were incorporated into the attraction starting in 1962.
Over the years, as the Jungle Cruise landscaping has grown, so has the cast of animals. Most recently, the piranha attack and other enhancements were added in 2005. These updates, along with the talented skippers, provide fun new surprises on every trip down the river.
Major Changes
- 1957 - Addition of rainforest, pair of menacing gorillas, native war party and dancing natives. Trader Sam begins offering his "... two for one deal'
- 1961 - Original two-story boathouse removed; open waterway between Jungle Cruise and Rivers of America filled in to create space for Tree House
- 1962 - Construction of Indian elephant pool and African veldt scenes (sans figures)
- 1963 - African elephants re-positioned on the Nile river section; removal of two original lions and pair of 'charging' rhinos
- 1964 - Addition of Indian elephants to bathing pool, African veldt animals, and trapped safari figures
- 1976 - Addition and enhancement of several scenes: crocodiles snapping at hornbill, Bengal tiger and cobras added to Cambodian ruins, safari camp overrun by gorillas, gorilla battling crocodile, baboons on termite mounds, lions feasting on zebra moved into new rock outcropping/den, python threatening water buffalo calf replacing gorillas threatening from the banks
- 1993 - Boats repainted and "weathered" in anticipation of Indiana Jones attraction
- 1994 - Addition of new two-story boathouse queue; attraction re-themed for 1930's era to support the coming "Indiana Jones Adventure," rerouting of river to accommodate the "Indiana Jones Adventure"
- 1997 - Replacement of the original ride vehicles
- 2005 - Various replacements and reconstructions including complete replacement of Schweitzer Falls; addition of piranhas; updates to safari camp scene including 'exploding' gasoline drums
- 2010 - After 55 years of growth and care Disneyland's man-made jungle is declared "real" and complete with its own ecosystem.
Hidden Mickeys
- A rusty Hidden Mickey is displayed on the cast iron frying pan found hanging aboard the Suwannee Lady.