A Closer Look At - The Jungle Cruise

I really do like The Jungle Cruise. I should give it a little more respect though. Too often a trip on The Jungle Cruise becomes an afterthought, something to do when you are waiting for your Indiana Jones fast pass time to open up, something to do just because, well, except on very busy days, the line is generally short.

But The Jungle Cruise is much, much more. I've probably got more pictures of my Jungle Cruise excursions than almost any other attraction in the park (the Mark Twain and the Rivers of America is right up there as well with photos). The ride is an original going back to opening day 1955.  It's actually a ride that is not based on a Disney movie but rather the Humphrey Bogart classic - The African Queen. Over the years, the jungle canopy is so developed that it is its own eco-system. There is very little landscaping maintenance required in the expanse of the jungle. And the ride itself is usually an employable trip even if you have seen the same sites and heard the same lame ol' jokes a hundred times over.

Notice I used the word 'usually'. Occasionally, you can get a clinker of a trip. Sometimes when its crowded I swear the skippers have a side bet going on about how fast they make the round trip through the jungle. The boats seem to fly with barely a second to take in some of sites. Then there is the skipper himself or herself. Some are better than others. The sound system on the boats generally isn't very good. If you have a skipper that doesn't have a clearly defined voice, then the muffled sound is sometimes difficult to hear as you try and catch the jokes. A few years ago I think I wrote in a forum that females tended to make the worst JC skippers because there voices just didn't seem to be as clear or forceful. I've dropped that sexist remark from my observations. I've had plenty of male skippers who have dropped a dud of a trip as well.

But if you get the right skipper, one that really does enjoy his or her role, then The Jungle Cruise is one of the most fun things you can do in the park.

A few more random thoughts about The Jungle Cruise. We will go on the ride at least once and probably twice on every trip we make. Someone said if I wanted to enhance my Jungle Cruise experience, go on the ride at night. I did. It was kind of the same only dark.

And as many times as I have been on that ride, I didn't know the bird in the cage above the entrance to the ride was real until the last year or so. Always something to learn. A Jungle Cruise movie starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen has been in serious discussion for quite some time. That sounds like it would be a winner.

Anyway, I have The Jungle Cruise as a solid D-ticket attraction and an absolutely must do on every trip to Disneyland. Here are a few more Jungle Cruise pictures followed be an Asianjma123 YouTube video that takes you through the whole ride.