Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise takes Guests on a grand tour of the world's most exotic rivers in Asia, Africa and South America, in Adventureland at Magic Kingdom theme park.

Set sail on a 1930s tramp-steamer tour in the untamed waters of the Mekong, the Amazon and the rivers of Africa. Will your vessel be Sankuru Sadie or Senegal Sal, and will she survive the 9-minute Jungle Cruise intact?

Mother Nature is at her wildest as you pass Audio-Animatronics animals including the Bengal tiger, king cobras, elephants, lions and hyenas in their native habitats. Whether they're feasting on their prey, scaring trespassing humans or splashing water, the animals will keep you on your toes.


As your skipper leads you ever deeper into the jungles past hare-brained explorers and ancient ruins, be prepared for some surprises along the way. Are there really hippopotamus and headhunters lying in wait? Your skipper's sure to regale you with humorous tales of danger.

Even while in line for your expedition, you'll see detailed Colonial artifacts and silly communications that make this tongue-in-cheek cruise a jungle-grade scream.

Guest Policies

• Handheld Captioning is available at this attraction. Please visit Guest Relations to obtain a device.
• Sign language interpretation is offered at this location for a specific show time on Mondays and Thursdays. To obtain a schedule listing the show times, contact Walt Disney World Resort Information or visit Guest Relations in the Theme Park.
• Guests with young children may take turns experiencing attractions. See a Cast Member for additional information.
• Assistive Listening Receivers, which amplify the audio, may be used at this location. Please visit Guest Relations to obtain a receiver.
• Guests may rent attraction translation device units at Guest Relations locations in the Theme Parks with a refundable deposit.
• Disney's FASTPASS service, a reservation system that reduces time spent in line, is available for this attraction.
  Guests may remain in their wheelchair, motorized scooter or ECV to experience the attraction.
  
  Fun Fact:
  The plane in the jungle is actually only half a plane. The other half is in the Casablanca scene in the Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
  
  The Jungle Cruise is an attraction at the following Disney theme parks: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland (under the name Jungle River Cruise). It is located in Adventureland. Disneyland Paris is the only Magic Kingdom-style Disney theme park that does not have the Jungle Cruise in its attraction roster, though an indoor jeep ride called Jungle Expedition was originally planned instead.
  
  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 animatronic jungle animals. The tour is led by a live Disney cast member delivering a humorous scripted narration.
  
  Sources of inspiration for the attraction include a 1955 True-Life Adventure about a pride of lions, and the movie “The African Queen”. Imagineer Harper Goff referenced the African Queen frequently in his ideas; even his designs of the ride vehicles were modeled after the steamer used in the film.[1] The project was placed on the schedule to open with the July 17, 1955 debut of Disneyland.
  
  When plans began to develop, Bill Evans, the Imagineer responsible for landscaping Disneyland (DL) and most of Walt Disney World (WDW), faced the daunting task of foresting an entire jungle on a limited budget. Aside from importing many actual tropical plants, he made wide use of "character plants" which while not necessarily exotic could give the appearance of exoticism in context. In a particularly well-known trick, he uprooted local orange trees and "replanted" them upside-down, growing vines on the exposed roots. The clean water was dyed brown to prevent visitors from seeing the bottom of the “river”, which varies between three and eight feet deep.
  
  Although Goff and Evans can be credited with the creation and initial design of the ride, Marc Davis (recognized for his work on venerable attractions such as the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean) added his own style to the ride in later versions and DL-version updates. The "Indian Elephant Bathing Pool" and "Rhinoceros Chasing Explorers up a Pole" were among his contributions.
  
  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 under glass, an old radio on top of the bookshelf, and a chessboard with miniature animals and decorated shotgun shells replacing the pieces. The extended queue winds upstairs, underneath an animatronic hornbill, and then downstairs again. Big band music from the 1930s plays overhead, punctuated by jungle-related news bulletins by the legendary fictional character Albert Awol, helping to reinforce the setting and threading together the show scenes and boat.
  
  Once aboard the boats, the 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 South-east Asia. The boats sail through a dense rainforest, and ancient Cambodian temple ruins where passengers see a Bengal Tiger, giant spiders, king cobras and crocodiles. Passing a shrine to the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha, the boats enter the Sacred Indian Elephant Bathing Pool where dozens of Indian elephants frolic in the water and squirt water at the passing vessels.
  
  The theme transitions to the rivers of Africa, and riders see a family of baboons, and safari camp that has been overrun by gorillas. The boats careen past the dramatic waterfall Schweitzer Falls, between two African Elephants, and large termite mounds. A tableau of the African Veldt follows, showing zebras, wildebeest, and giraffes watch 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 a large pool, 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 pass behind Schweitzer Falls (known 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 before returning to the dock.