What’s in the Water at the Jungle Cruise in Disney World?

“Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle and remain seated, please.” We’ve all heard it a million times and can recite it by heart.

But yet, it’s so tempting to do the opposite of what we’re told. That might be especially true when we’re on a boat ride through the rivers of the world, scouring the jungles. The water always looks so fresh, so green, and so touch-able. The water on the Jungle Cruise looks good enough for a quick dip, but you probably don’t want to disobey the Skipper’s orders on this ride. Have you ever wondered what’s in the water at the Jungle Cruise? Well, we have your answer!

We learned lots of Jungle Cruise fun facts from the Disney show Behind the Attraction and some of those have to do specifically with the water! Thanks, to a kind Jungle Cruise Skipper and the show, we have a good idea of what’s in the water at the Jungle Cruise. Let’s head to Magic Kingdom to find out!

Animatronics

Did you know that it was Walt Disney’s original idea to use real animals in the Jungle Cruise? He wanted you to experience the animals of the world right in his original park.

Of course, there were several flaws with this “wild” animal idea. So instead, Walt and the Imagineers came up with a much more realistic idea to use animatronics. All around the ride, you’ll find animatronic animals such as rhinos, giraffes, lions watching over sleeping zebras, and more.

But it’s not just land animal animatronics on the Jungle Cruise. Hippos, elephants, crocodiles, and more hang out in the waters of the river(s). Unfortunately, we have to ruin a bit of the magic here — the animals are not full-bodied animatronics. 😱 Under the water, there are tons of electrical and mechanical parts that keep the animals working and moving.

Animatronic equipment is in the water at the Jungle Cruise, but what else?

The Ride Track

At the beginning of the ride, the Jungle Cruise boats were actually steered and driven by the Skippers. However, when the ride timing wasn’t standardized, Walt had clocks added to each boat so they could time themselves.

Over time, the boats were transferred to a track, which keeps every ride exactly the same (other than the Skippers’ jokes). It may look like the Skippers are in total control (or perhaps, lacking it), but those boats are self-driven right along a track under the water. (We seriously hope we’re not ruining Disney magic for you!)

Rust

Since we were so curious about what’s in the water at the Jungle Cruise, we decided to make a quick stop at the source — a Skipper, not the headwaters of the Nile River.

We asked a Skipper at Magic Kingdom what is in the water, and they shared with us that a cool rust-based dye is added to the water to give it the green color you see! It’s a natural dye that won’t harm any local, real wildlife (and no animatronic animals are harmed, either). The dye is added so you don’t see what’s under the water and to keep the magic of the ride.

When the dye is initially added to the water, it turns a pinkish, rust color but as it becomes mixed (which we’ll talk about in a minute!) it turns the green color. That’s some really cool science! However, back in 2022, the Disneyland Jungle Cruise waters ended up with a bit too much dye, and the water turned a surprisingly bright pink, which caused the ride to remain closed until it turned green (which took a really long time).

The Skipper also told us that if they get the water on their clothes it stains their costumes purple! If they have any cuts that get splashed with the water, it can burn really bad, as well. So we highly recommend listening to their “Keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat” spiel!

Last, but not least, how do you think the water becomes mixed and agitated enough to go from pink to green? THE BACK SIDE OF WATER!! Ok, but really, the famous waterfall on the ride is the mixing station for the dye! This gives us serious Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory vibes.

The waterfall agitates the water and gets the dye all mixed up so it becomes that green color so we aren’t traveling on pink rivers. It’s an ingenious system!

Perhaps, you’ve never wondered what’s in the water at the Jungle Cruise, but the magic of the ride goes deeper than what meets the eye. Disney attraction magic is just that, magical!

We hope you enjoyed these fun Jungle Cruise details. Be sure to keep following AllEars for more Disney updates!

13 New Things We Learned About The Haunted Mansion Ride When Watching Behind the Attraction on Disney+

Post a Comment