Walt Disney World Attraction Spotlight – Jungle Cruise
Starting this Sunday (and every Sunday after!), we will begin looking at attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort. In short, we will feature an attraction and look at 5 categories:
- Queue Line
- Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor
- Animatronics
- Overall Experience
- Nostalgic Factor
Each attraction will be ranked out a score of 100 points (20 for every category) and categorized against each other in the coming weeks. Be sure to comment below with your ranking of each category of this week’s featured attraction, as this column will be 100% opinionated. Let’s begin with a Magic Kingdom staple: Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise
WDW MK
Opened: 1971
Side-Note: By far, one of the most adored attractions in the entire Walt Disney World resort has to be the Jungle Cruise. As this attraction is based on Cast Member and park-goer interactions, I’m sure your comments below will range widely for the Cast Member Costume and Demeanor section. I’m certain all of us have experienced a plethora of different Skippers: from the “happy and giddy” Skippers in the early morning, to those Skippers who are just ending their shift at the end of the night. Let’s reflect on the “Best Skipper You’ve Ever Had” for the Cast Member section of your ranking.
Queue Line:
The queue line of the Jungle Cruise is one of the most detailed. From the radio broadcasts of Skipper Albert Awol to the expedition findings throughout the outpost. Much like (the now departed) Jaw’s ride at Universal Orlando resort, the queue path itself is rather just an extensive maze of winding sections.
Although the wait times for this attraction are usually 60-75+ minutes, this queue always gives you artifacts and signage to look at and try to build a story from, making that wait time feel like 15-20 minutes.
Next time you’re in this queue line, go ahead and try to pick out the Disney Secret’s hidden throughout the artifacts and radio broadcast.
Overall Queue Line Rank: 15/20
Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor:
This attraction prides itself on its Cast Member’s. The entire ride-through of the attraction itself is just one huge pun. I have to give credit to the Skippers that nail their punch lines in certain areas. Think of them as a stand-up comedian who has to put on a different show every 10 minutes. Sure, they reuse and recycle a lot of material, but every ride is different based on the Skipper you get assigned to. Let’s also not forget the tan-colored, British-era, exploration uniforms.
The costuming is 100% iconic to the attraction. Ask any Disney fan to describe a Cast Member’s outfit at the Jungle Cruise and I bet they could do it from straight memory.
Overall Cast Member Costuming and Demeanor Rank: 18/20
Animatronics:
Now, we all know this attraction is somewhat dated on the technology, hindering a rather high score in this category, but some of the animals look real (like the hippos and elephants)! I don’t think they themselves could save the score im going to give this attraction for the animatronics. Much of the Head Hunter’s movements and the animals near the “Lion’s Den” scene are static and just not convincing.
This could all be attributed to the Jungle Cruise not receiving any major refurbishment in recent years. [It’s rumored there is a huge refurbishment is coming to the Jungle Cruise in Disneyland this coming year!]
Overall Animatronics Rank: 10/20
Overall Experience:
As stated in the side-note, it’s all about getting the right Skipper and the timing of their punch lines. I think guests need to go into this ride knowing that it is not just a ride. The attraction pieces themselves are a means to correlate with the Skipper’s jokes. This is an attraction where we have to not only look at everything that is going on around us, but also open our ears and listen to what is going on around us. It has happened too many times where guests talk throughout this entire attraction, ruining it for others. Disney does a fantastic job immersing its guest into an attraction, and listening to the Skipper is an essential key of the Jungle Cruise.
Overall Experience Rank: 15/20
Nostalgic Factor:
I would consider Nostalgic Factor a main ingredient in any Walt Disney World attraction. By this category, I’m expressing certain questions: 1. “Does this ride make you want to ride it over and over again?”. 2. “Is this ride memorable?”. The Jungle Cruise absolutely has a near perfect score for Nostalgic Factor. Everyone remembers the witty humor that the Skippers have to offer us for each ride on the Jungle Cruise. Not to mention, you can ride this attraction 6 times in a single park visit and have it be a different ride each time. This fact alone makes it one of the most sought after attractions in the park.
Overall Nostalgic Factor Rank: 19/20
Overall Ranking for the Jungle Cruise: 77/100
Be sure to comment below with your own overall ranking of the Jungle Cruise (I am really looking forward to see where it ranks in the reader’s opinions!). Also, be sure to include in your comment, any suggestions for next week’s attraction spotlight.