Traveling to Disney World is an exciting time, but with all the different parks and all of the different sections it can be overwhelming to try and figure out which rides you want to enjoy; and which to hit first! That is why I am here! To help go over each of the rides, in each park, to help you better understand what is right for you and your group on your next Disney vacation! Today, we tackle Disney's Jungle Cruise.
Location:
Disney's Jungle Cruise is located at my favorite Disney Park, The Magic Kingdom! It is located in Adventureland in Magic Kingdom. To get to Adventureland, walk down Mainstreet USA and once you get to the end of Mainstreet and see the castle make a left! You can pass the Crystal Palace and you will see a sign guiding you into Adventureland. Once in there walk straight. You will see Aladdin's Magic Flying Carpets in the center of the bazar, go toward the left of them by the tiki shaped misters and you will see some small stairs leading down. Take those down and you will have reached Disney's Jungle Cruise!
(Please note that the original map was not my photo, I received that photo from Google, it is from WDW Magazine and can be found here: https://www.wdw-magazine.com/2021-magic-kingdom-map-walt-disney-world/ all rights to the original photo belong to them. I added the walking path information to show you the quickest way to get to Jungle Cruise from Mainstreet)
Lines, Wait Times & Genie Plus:
One thing to know about Disney's Jungle Cruise is it is a classic ride! It has been around since the beginning, or near there so it is a fan favorite. That means that the wait times are always long! If you find a wait time under 50 minutes I am seriously impressed, and if I am keeping it real the wait times are usually closer to 75-90 minutes. The wait queue always seems to be moving but that is because they have a lot of space and they snake you around and around and around. While there is a lot of decor to look at in this wait queue there isn't a lot to do, no interactive pieces here...so if you are with little ones or people who get bored easily this line will be rough for you. Luckily there are a couple ways you can beat the lines!
*Here is a behind the scenes look at what the lines look like, in the thick of it! This was us waiting in a 75 min line*
For starters, timing is everything! There are two good times to ride the Jungle Cruise, right at opening, or an hour before park close! One thing to know about Adventureland, it doesn't open for early hours at 8:30. Adventureland opens at 9am. So you can rope drop adventure land (which if you're wondering what that is, you literally stand behind the rope they use to close the section off, and as they drop the rope for opening you charge through with the speed of 10,000 galloping horses to make it to the ride you want before the crowds descend) and head straight to jungle cruise first thing. Or you can wait until about an hour before park close and hop in line then! Most people are waiting to see the fireworks at that time so the lines should be much shorter!
Or, if you are not someone who wants to rope drop, because you could be riding other things while you are standing there waiting, and you don't want to miss the fireworks; this is a great ride to use your Genie Plus for! If you have no idea what Genie Plus is or you're interested in understanding how the heck it works, feel free to check out my blog Genie Plus: Your Guide to Disney's Newest Fast Pass System.
What to Expect on the Ride:
What you will see when you first find the ride is a jungle themed wait queue. Think maps, compasses, hidden treasures and all types of jungle decor. It slowly leads up to a boat dock, where you meet your skipper and board your jungle cruise ship for the ride. The scenery really does look like you're boarding a small jungle boat in the middle of the Amazon, props to Disney for always making it look good! This ride is wheelchair accessible, they have certain boats that allow for that! Otherwise, there is a small step down into the boat and there is seating on both sides and in the center.
This ride is relaxing, a perfect one for all ages! You sit on the boat and enjoy a serene ride through the jungle. You will see various animatronic animals and your skipper will tell you punny jungle dad jokes the entire way! There is a waterfall, a hidden temple, and an elephant bathing pool! It really is one of the best rides in the Magic Kingdom! To see a video of behind the scenes of what it looks like you can check out my Instagram reel on it that takes you through the entire ride in about 60 seconds.
This is one of the longer rides in Magic Kingdom, I would say the actual ride time, excluding wait times, would be about 15-20 minutes long. So be sure to plan for that if you are stacking rides or for when you are planning the order of your day! But it is a perfect ride to take to escape the heat of the day! While you don't actually get wet on this water ride, being on the water makes it feel cooler, and there is a slight breeze as you cruise along the Amazon. Plus you get some shade in the hidden temple!
Ride Rating:
I would give this ride 4 out of 5 stars. I think it has great decor, the length of it makes it fun, and I love the story that goes along with it! This is one of those rides that really takes you on a journey and it is a classic that you just fall in love with! The reason that it gets a 4 instead of a 5 is because of two things; first that the wait times can get unbearably long, but there are ways around that! The main reason that it gets a 4 instead of a 5 is because the quality of your ride really depends on your skipper! If your boat captain is lively and fun, then that is how your ride is going to be! If your skipper is having a bad day, or isn't the best with their joke delivery the ride loses some of it's magic. So having that dependability prevents it from being a perfect 5 stars for me because I have had rides that I wish I could do again and again, and then I have had rides where I promised my companions we would try again with another skipper, because they didn't understand why I thought the ride was so great.
PROS and CONS:
PROS:
It is one of Disney's older rides, and it is a classic.
It is a longer ride, so it makes wait times feel worth it
It is appropriate for all ages, seriously babies have gone on this, so you don't need to leave anyone behind
It is wheelchair accessible
It adds humor along with a fun story
The decor and scenery is top notch!
It is a good way to escape the heat
CONS:
Wait times get long (think between 75 and 100 minutes long)
That wait queue gets hot!
The quality of your ride really depends on the personality of your skipper
There you have it! Everything you need to know about Disney's Jungle Cruise! I hope you found value here today and I hope you enjoy your ride :)
Until next time,
Steph!
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