Here at Wandering in Disney our writers love to converse about everything Disney Parks related. Andrew recently came up with the idea for all of us to write a blog about our favorite attraction, and prove why our pick is the best! We hope you enjoy reading this series of posts about our favorite attractions! Here is our first installment, written by Cassie, and the second, written by Andrew.

Have you ever wanted to see animals in their natural habitat, but stay far enough away to not get eaten?  Ever wish you could travel on the worlds longest rivers, but don’t want to be bored out of your mind?  Have you longed to see some of the worlds greatest wonders without paying for the airfare? Well wait no longer. You can experience these and more all from the safety of our hilarious skipper steered cruises!  You don’t want to miss this exciting adventure!

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I don’t know about you guys, but if I read this advertisement somewhere, I would be sold!  You can experience all of this on one of the most iconic Disney rides and my personal favorite: The Jungle Cruise.

This attraction has been around since was on Disneyland’s opening day roster.  Even though the Jungle Cruise hasn’t had a lot of updates since then, I feel a trip to Disney is never the same without being able to experience this attraction.  I mean, who wouldn’t want a skipper steering your boat through three continents worth of rivers and telling awfully funny-punny jokes? It is literally a dream come true!

You start your journey by leaving the dock of a 1930’s British Explorer’s Lodge and make your way through major rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America. On your journey your skipper will entertain you with some lively jokes such as  being in “Da-Nile” while traveling down the Nile River…always one of my favorites.  There definitely isn’t a chance you’ll get bored! You also encounter an elephant bathing pool, hippos playing in the water, a pack of lions babysitting a zebra and so much more.  There is also no shortage to the thrill factor either!  If the lions didn’t scare you then the crocodiles attacking your boat might? If not that, then rhinos chasing you, gorillas destroying the camp, or the natives defending their territory will!  But not to worry – your skipper has a gun to scare them all away.  The only person you really want to watch out for is Trader Sam.  He always has a special going on that he will trade you two of his heads for one of yours…not that bad of a deal really.  Oh! And don’t forget the best and most important greatest wonder of the world – THE BACKSIDE OF WATER!

You end your trip back out the dock and really all that you want to do at that point is get back on and do it again!  This ride might not be as up to date and glamorous as Cassie’s favorite Radiator Springs Racers, but it does have the most character…and I’m always a sucker for those jokes!  And it may not have the live animals that Kilimanjaro Safaris does, but it uses the technology Walt was famous for and still has a life-like feel to is.

All in all – this is a great ride and will always be one of my favorites.  It’s always a completely different experience at night versus the day, so make sure to visit it during both those times!

Happy Adventuring!

– Melissa L.