Walt Disney World’s Jingle Cruise – A look at Christmas on a Boat

MK-017During the Christmas season last year, Walt Disney World experimented with its first holiday overlay of a Magic Kingdom attraction. While Disneyland has holiday overlays for Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and It’s a Small World, the Orlando area had yet to see a ride get holiday’d. And so, in mid-November, Jingle Cruise was born to mostly great reviews from guests but feedback that more decorations and more consistent skipper spiels were desired. Fast Forward to November 7 of this year and the return of the Jingle Cruise. What’s in store for this year’s guests? Find out in our trip down the World’s rivers.

Walt Disney World’s Jungle Cruise is a campy ride down the rivers of the world filled with animatronic animals and cheesy-but-fun dialogue with the skippers who captain the boats on the journey. During the holiday season it becomes Jingle Cruise and Christmas theming takes over, starting with the signs.

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While it’s definitely a time saver to use FastPass+ for the ride, a great deal of the theming takes place in the queue. If you make it to the Magic Kingdom on a day that’s not too crowded, be sure to go through the standby line. You’ll see trees:

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Some office decorations:

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A tarantula with a Santa Hat and Beard:

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and various messages left for the Jungle Cruise skippers and crew.

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And just before your boat pulls into the dock you’ll get a glimpse of a “snowman” and a jungle hut all ready for the holidays.

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Don’t forget the boats themselves, which have been renamed with funny holiday names and themed signs.

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After you’ve boarded, down the river you’ll go with (depending on your skipper) a little joking, maybe some singing, and a lot of Christmas. You’ll see the plane that wrecked and dropped all the holiday decorations,

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encampments ready for the holiday season after finding all that scattered loot,

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parties in full swing,

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and even a fruitcake joke or two.

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You’ll see jungle residents ready for receiving

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and temple inhabitants readying for the holidays.

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And while you’ll have to endure that final sales pitch from Trader Sam, don’t worry; we’re pretty sure your holidays will still come out a-head.

The Jingle Cruise overlay runs between November 7 and early January this year at the Magic Kingdom.

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