There’s ONE WEEK Left to Ride Disney World’s Jungle Cruise Before 2-Month CLOSURE

There are rough waters ahead for an iconic Disney World attraction.

Refurbishments are a part of life at Walt Disney World, with at least one of the resort’s premier attractions down at any given time, with recent examples including the just reopened Peter Pan’s Flight at the Magic Kingdom and the ongoing reinvention of Test Track at EPCOT. In one week, a Magic Kingdom staple will be joining the 2024 closure list.

On August 26th, the World Famous Jungle Cruise will be closing for nearly two months, with a reopening currently scheduled for October 17th as per Disney World’s calendar. The refurbishment will be the first large-scale one for the opening day attraction since 2017 and will keep it from being available during the majority of the 2024 run of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

We expect the ride to reopen as its normal self in October and then receive its traditional Christmas-themed Jingle Cruise holiday overlay in November as usual.

If you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom during the closure and still want to scratch your Jungle Cruise itch, we’d recommend a meal at the Skipper Canteen restaurant. This Adventureland eating establishment is themed to the ride, specifically, the idea that the “same skippers who guided your steamer down the Nile, Amazon and Congo Rivers have opened the doors and kitchens of their tropical headquarters to fellow adventurers and famished families like your own!”

The restaurant’s dining room and menu are filled with references to the ride, and the overall S.E.A. mythos that Disney has integrated into rides and attractions around the world.

The Jungle Cruise has gone through a fair share of changes over the years. Early on, the original Jungle Cruise at Disneyland — an opening day attraction at Walt’s first park — was played completely straight as it were, presenting a “serious” trip through nature. In the early 1960s, noted Imagineer Marc Davis brought humor to the attraction, integrating comical scenes and the “dad joke’ script that have become the Jungle Cruise’s most famous elements, and were already a major part of the attraction when it opened in Florida along with the Magic Kingdom in 1971.

Both the Disneyland and Disney World versions of the ride went through major storyline changes in 2021, when Disney removed some problematic story elements including the “headhunter” party as well as the Trader Sam “head salesman” character.

At the time, Carmen Smith, a creative development and inclusion strategies executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, explained the changes in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying: “As Imagineers, it is our responsibility to ensure experiences we create and stories we share reflect the voices and perspectives of the world around us. With Jungle Cruise, we’re bringing to life more of what people love – the humor and wit of our incredible skippers — while making needed updates.”

The Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise will be closing August 26th — ONE WEEK from today — for a near-two-month refurbishment. Stay tuned to AllEars for further updates on the Disney World calendar.

Marc Davis: The Imagineer Who Crafted Modern Disney Parks

Are you heading to the Magic Kingdom during the Jungle Cruise’s closure? Will you miss the iconic attraction? Let us know in the comments below.

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