Posted by Mike and Chris Pettey on August 4, 2020
Category: Disney vs. Disney
Tags: Disney vs. Disney Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland Magic Kingdom Tokyo Disneyland

The Jungle Cruise is a boat attraction that takes guests on a slow adventure down jungle themed rivers filled with animatronics, props, and other special effects, piloted by a Cast Member known as a “Skipper”. The ride can be found at four of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every version in person.

Major Similarities & Differences

You can watch fantastic videos of all versions of the attraction online, so we won’t spend time re-hashing the details of each experience. Instead, we will just point out the major similarities and differences we feel are worth calling out:

All four Jungle Cruise attractions were opening-day attractions at their respective parks.
All four attractions are located in Adventureland within their respective castle parks.
In Hong Kong, the ride is called “Jungle River Cruise”; at all other locations it is called “Jungle Cruise”.
The Hong Kong version travels the route that the other parks would call their “Rivers of America”, around an island, which also houses Hong Kong’s Tarzan’s Treehouse attraction. The boats must coordinate their travel with the rafts that take people to the island to experience Tarzan’s Treehouse.

The Florida and Tokyo versions travel through a brief indoor section themed to a mysterious temple.
The California and Florida versions travel their route in a counter-clockwise direction, while the Tokyo and Hong Kong versions travel clockwise
The Hong Kong version has three separate queues, so that guests can choose the language spoken by their Skipper: Mandarin, Cantonese, or English.
The California and Florida versions reference Dr. Albert Falls, a member of Disney’s Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A.), a fictional group of characters whose backstories run through various attractions and lands across the Disney parks worldwide. References to the society are found throughout both the Adventureland areas in both parks.
In 2013, the California and Florida attractions debuted a seasonal holiday overlay called Jingle Cruise. California’s overlay ended in 2017, while Florida’s continues to this day.

The Rankings (from least favorite to favorite)

4. Jungle Cruise – Disneyland (California)

Once again, we’ve got an attraction where the original – while a classic – is the weakest of the pack. There is something special about every attraction that Walt Disney himself personally had a hand in developing, and California’s does have this feature. But this Jungle Cruise just doesn’t contain any of the extras you’ll find at the other parks. There is no indoor temple section, nor is there any real “wow” moment of special effects. The California Jungle Cruise does get points for its beginning, as it passes the queue and temple of the Indiana Jones Adventure. It also is the only version to contain the amusing piranha attack. And let’s not forget that ending where it journeys past the fantastic Tropical Hideaway. But all that doesn’t add up to much. It’s still great fun, but it is our least favorite Jungle Cruise in the world.

3. Jungle Cruise – Magic Kingdom (Florida)

The Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom builds on the California original, mostly when it comes to size. The queue here is larger, and more elaborate. The ride itself takes up a bigger footprint, and that works to its advantage, making the journey down the river feel more isolated and realistic, giving more time to pause between show scenes, and feeling less rushed than its California cousin. But where the Florida version really scores is with its indoor temple section, which fits into the attraction perfectly, and yet breaks up the rest of the journey with something different, new, and slightly eerie. There’s always something great about attractions that take you into a show building, and while it is only a brief part of the attraction, its enough to put this version of the Jungle Cruise in third place.

2. Jungle Cruise – Tokyo Disneyland (Tokyo)

At first glance, Tokyo’s version seems to be little more than a mirror image of Florida’s. But there are notable differences. First, the boats are equipped with a soundtrack that really elevates the experience. Second, the indoor temple section has been “plussed” with the addition of projection mapping and other special effects. Then, there are the Skippers. Any trip on any Jungle Cruise attraction is largely made or broken by the enthusiasm of your Skipper. Get a great one, and it can make the attraction one of the best of your day. Get a lousy one, and it's quite forgettable. Toyko’s Skippers consistently provide a ridiculous level of enthusiasm and passion for the attraction, to the point where it seems as if they really believe they are leading you on an actual river excursion into the unknown. This enthusiasm is absolutely infectious, and propels this version of the attraction to a whole new level. When coupled with that soundtrack and enhanced temple effects, the Tokyo version of the Jungle Cruise – and its incredible Skippers – land in a solid second place on our list.

1. Jungle River Cruise – Hong Kong Disneyland (Hong Kong)

At number one on our list (and it was very close!) is the newest version of the Jungle Cruise. Hong Kong Disneyland’s opening day roster was less than impressive – and that’s putting it nicely – but one ride that was given a chance with a true re-imagining was the Jungle River Cruise. The attraction is offered in three languages, and travels around what most parks would call Tom Sawyer Island. Riders will find all sorts of familiar props here, but also many new ones unique to the Hong Kong park. What’s more, these additions contain an eerie, foreboding element to them that works just wonderfully within the world of the Jungle Cruise. The spiders are creepier, skulls abound, the villagers “throw” their spears at your boat…it’s all slightly scary, and throws in just enough peril to perfectly balance out the attraction’s humor. The finale is the true highlight, with the boats being unexpectedly detoured at the last second into an ancient volcanic area filled with fire and water explosions. It’s the “wow” moment the Jungle Cruise has always needed. No doubt that Hong Kong’s Jungle River Cruise takes some bold risks, breaking the mold in several ways, but they pay off nicely in what is the absolutely the most exciting – and best – Jungle Cruise attraction in the world.

Written by Mike and Chris Pettey

YOUR THOUGHTS?

Agree or disagree with our rankings? Have you experienced any of these attractions – either in person, or virtually via the internet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

2 Comments

Lauren says:

August 8, 2020 at 12:56 am

Really enjoyed this post. I’ve only ever been on Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise and my favourite part of the attraction is definitely the temple. Hong Kong’s Jungle Cruise sounds amazing though!

Mike and Chris Pettey says:

August 8, 2020 at 11:09 am

Thank you very much, we are glad you liked the post! Hong Kong’s really is impressive, it’s hard to do it justice with words or pictures.

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Disney Vs. Disney: Ranking Every Jungle Cruise