Jungle Cruise Ride at Magic Kingdom (Everything You Need to Know)
Jungle Cruise is a classic attraction at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World. This fun-loving cruise sets off through the Amazon Jungle, where you’ll behold the magic of audio-animatronic animals.
Below, we’ll ride through the attraction and share our adventures. In addition, we’ll provide details for experiencing Magic Kingdom’s version of Jungle Cruise and a few tips for the best time to ride. Keep your eyes peeled because you might spot some new characters along the way!
Here’s a chart with quick details for this exotic boat ride.
| Jungle Cruise | Magic Kingdom |
|---|---|
Location: | Adventureland |
Height Requirement: | None |
Lightning Lane: | Yes, with Multi Pass (Tier 1) |
Early Entry: | No |
Extended Hours: | No |
Ride Type: | Boat Ride |
Seats Per Vehicle: | Around 20 guests per boat |
Rider Switch: | None |
Good For: | Everyone |
Scare Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Medium to High |
Perfect For: | All Ages |
Special Mention: | If you visit during the holiday season, you’ll experience the Jingle Cruise version. |
Accessibility: Guests may remain in a wheelchair or ECV. Additionally, sign language, assistive listening, and handheld captioning are available for this attraction. Details for those with mobility issues (e.g., wheelchairs and ECVs) can be found on Disney’s site.
Additionally, Jungle Cruise is one of a few attractions that offer sign language-interpreted performances twice per week. The schedule changes weekly. Guests can pick up a copy of the schedule at Guest Relations at any park.
Make sure to check our one-stop Lightning Lane Guide to plan your attractions.
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Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom
Jungle Cruise was an opening-day attraction at Magic Kingdom and an original Disneyland attraction inspired by Walt Disney. Initially, Walt Disney wanted to add live animals to the attraction. Unfortunately, adding live animals wasn’t possible at that time. However, that dream eventually came to fruition several decades later on the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise sits toward the back of Adventureland. It’s on the left side of the land, immediately past Swiss Family Treehouse. Jungle Cruise has a standby entrance and an individual Lightning Lane queue. This attraction often has long lines that build fairly early in the day. So it’s not the worst use of a Lightning Lane.
As the sign indicates, you’ll board a jungle boat to travel exotic rivers of the world, guided by a witty and experienced Skipper.
The queue for Jungle Cruise is relatively long and consists of two waiting areas, so it’s difficult to gauge the wait from the outside.
Here is the other portion of the queue you cannot see from the start of the line. When I took photos for this update, the wait time was 60 minutes. Many guests were walking away when they saw the posted wait. So I decided to try it and see. Surprisingly, this portion of the queue was empty, and I waited less than 10 minutes.
What I didn’t mention was that I got in line for Jungle Cruise around the time the Festival of Fantasy Parade had passed through Frontierland. Adventureland is partially blocked off when the parade begins, so fewer guests can enter the land. This causes waits at all of the Adventureland attractions to drop significantly. So, the best time to get in line for Jungle Cruise is immediately during or after the parade.
Jungle Cruise has several fun elements in the queue, like these life preservers with the boat’s name printed on them. Each boat has a fun name, like Bomokandi Bertha, Kwango Kate, Amazon Annie, Ucyali Lolly, Congo Connie, Garland Gertie, Molopo Marie, and more.
Each boat has a decent capacity, which helps the line to move continuously. Cast members load up to 20 guests per boat.
Your adventure starts on the Amazon River in South America. However, you’ll soon find yourself sailing down the Nile River and through a temple that comes out on the Mekong River in Asia!
As Disney puts it, “It’s a 10-minute, 10,000-mile journey that you won’t soon forget.”
As you set sail, you’ll notice that things have gone awry, including your Skipper’s jokes. Each boat comes equipped with a Jungle Skipper escort whose sole purpose is to share terrible jokes throughout the journey.
Seriously, don’t fall for that whole “in denial” or “in da Nile River joke.”
A group of gorillas has taken over a campsite. Did I mention you visit the Congo too?
An angry matriarch elephant is waiting to stampede.
You’ll see more audio-animatronic animals, including wildebeests and giraffes.
Here’s something you would never see on the safari at Animal Kingdom–a lion feeding her cubs. But you might see something like this on an authentic safari in Africa. Wouldn’t that be something?
Make sure to stay in the boat because you don’t want to end up at the bottom of a totem pole or, in this case, even on the pole.
After leaving this area, you’ll see waterfalls ahead.
Watch out for the crocodiles.
Soon, you’ve reached one of the seven wonders of the world–the backside of water! It’s a big deal on the Jungle Cruise.
When Jungle Cruise was last refurbished, this plane from the Casablanca scene in the former Great Movie Ride was added. You can expect a few jokes to crash land in this area.
Your skipper might also mention that a few hungry hippos are looking for dinner below you.
This shipwrecked boat is an example of what can happen.
It’s been taken over by primates.
At this point, you’ll enter a dark temple.
Unfortunately, it’s so dark I didn’t get any photos. But you’ll see a few snakes and tigers before you exit.
A fun surprise awaits when you exit the temple. A parade of elephants is bathing nearby.
Per the Skipper, they are all wearing trunks.
You can’t help but smile as they enjoy their bath. All the while wondering…
Is that one going to pop its trunk and douse you with water? Possibly, but don’t worry, it’s just a splash. They are only animatronics, so no elephant snot is involved.
Finally, we’ve reached the end, where a new scene replaced the former Trader Sam.
Trader Sam’s gift shop and photo opp is available. Those animals will do anything to make an extra buck or two! About this time, you’ll reach the dock, and you’re Skipper will ever-so-politely ask you to–Get Out!
Fun Facts
As if we had not already discussed enough fun facts about the Jungle Cruise, one more thing comes to mind. Each year, between mid-November and the first of January, the Jungle Cruise transitions to the Jingle Cruise for Christmas.
This holiday overlay provides a festive touch. Cast members decorate the attraction for the holidays, and the jokes get even worse! So, of course, you’ll want to plan to experience this unique version during your visit. Additionally, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star in the 2021 movie The Jungle Cruise, which was based on the Jungle Cruise attraction and the Society of Explorers.
The Resorts Gal Spin on Jungle Cruise
We give Jungle Cruise the red light! While you probably will want to ride it during your vacation, you do not want to wait 45 minutes or longer to ride. Check the wait times and return later in the day for shorter lines!
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Jungle Cruise is an endearing attraction that offers plenty of nostalgia. While the jokes are pretty bad, that’s part of the fun.
You might also enjoy these other Magic Kingdom Rides:
- Magic Kingdom Pirates of the Caribbean: This one is a must-do!
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin: Who doesn’t love a good spin now and then?
- Swiss Family Treehouse: The views from the top are worth the climb!
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Review: This one’s worth the wait, a long wait.
- Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid: This anytime ride is perfect for little ones and fans of The Little Mermaid.
- Tomorrowland Speedway: This attraction is a rite of passage for children.
At Resorts Gal, we prioritize the Walt Disney World Resorts, then the Disney World Characters, and then Disney Dining.
In the Comments
Are you a fan of the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom? Do you ride this attraction every time you visit? Leave a comment and let us know.
