Countdown - 88 Days to Go!

Photo Credit https://dvcshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Jungle-Cruise-scaled.jpg

🛶 88 Days to Go: Jungle Cruise and the Ride That Came Before the Movie!

Some of Disney’s most beloved rides are tied to blockbuster movies—but did you know that in some cases, the ride came first? That’s right! Before Dwayne Johnson set sail on the big screen, guests were already cruising through pun-filled rivers and animatronic adventures.

Let’s hop aboard the Jungle Cruise, where the jokes are corny, the boat is rickety, and the history is surprisingly rich.

🌍 Jungle Cruise Around the World

Park	Opening Date	Notes
Disneyland (CA)	July 17, 1955	Original version—opened with the park!
Magic Kingdom (FL)	October 1, 1971	Another opening day classic.
Hong Kong Disneyland	September 12, 2005	Jungle Cruise was part of the grand opening lineup.
Tokyo Disneyland	April 15, 1983	Renamed Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions after a 2014 renovation.
Disneyland Paris	—	No Jungle Cruise here 😢
Shanghai Disneyland	—	Also missing this iconic attraction.

🎄 Fun Facts You Might Not Know

1. Jingle All the Way - At Magic Kingdom, Jungle Cruise transforms into Jingle Cruise during the holidays—complete with festive props and seasonal jokes!

   

   Photo Credit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m_I0HNNO4QI/maxresdefault.jpg

2. No Hands on Deck - Skippers don’t actually steer the boat. A hidden track beneath the water guides each vessel along its punny path. That murky water really is hiding something!

3. From Serious to Silly - On opening day, Jungle Cruise was meant to be educational. The puns came later—and thank goodness they did!

4. Movie Magic Came Later - The Jungle Cruise movie premiered on July 30, 2021, nearly 66 years after the original ride debuted. That means entire generations rode the attraction long before seeing it on screen!

   
   

🐘 Final Thought

Whether you’re cruising through Adventureland or watching the movie from your couch, Jungle Cruise proves that sometimes the ride is the main event. And with 88 days to go, who’s ready to be punned to death?

Sources:

1.       "Jungle Cruise." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Cruise. Accessed 10 Sept. 2025.

2.       “Jungle Cruise.” Disney Wiki, Fandom, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Jungle_Cruise. Accessed 10 Sept. 2025.

3.      Gallie, Jen. “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Disney’s The Jungle Cruise.” WhatCulture, 8 Aug. 2018, https://whatculture.com/offbeat/10-things-you-didn-39-t-know-about-disney-39-s-the-jungle-cruise?page=11. Accessed 10 Sept. 2025.

4.      Butler, A. (2025, August 20). 15 secrets of Disney’s Jungle Cruise you might not know. Mickey Visit. https://mickeyvisit.com/disney-jungle-cruise-secrets/