|
There are many thrills
at Disneyland
and many different adventures to embark on. The many different
rides at Disneyland
each send you on a different journey and take you to a different
place. Often some classic rides are overshadowed by the bigger
thrill rides. One of these unnoticed classic rides is The
Jungle Cruise. Everyone knows the
Jungle Cruise,
and some groan at the mention of it. But behind the well known
jokes is a classic ride, one Walt was proud of creating.
 What
is it about the Jungle Cruise
that makes people shy away at the mention of it? Perhaps people
don't realize the magic and history behind the Jungle
Cruise. Let's shed some light on
this infamous ride. The Jungle
Cruise is the original Disneyland
ride, and being such it has a lot of history behind it. As one
of the first rides ever at Disneyland,
the Jungle Cruise has
been showing off its animals for almost 50 years. Also, did you
know the boats on the Jungle Cruise were inspired by the boats
in the movie "The African Queen" starring Humphrey Bogart?
This ride was Walt's dream, although his original dream included
real animals! The original Jungle
Cruise was actually supposed to
be connected to the Rivers of
America and include orange trees
as part of the jungle vegetation.
 Here
are some other interesting bits of information on the Jungle
Cruise.The waters that run through
the Rivers of America
and the Jungle Cruise
are actually clear, but dyed to a green color to help conceal
the workings that go on under water. The guns on the Jungle
Cruise are infamous, but they also
reportedly have a hidden purpose behind them. Not only a way to
keep the hippos a safe distance away, the guns are also used to
signal emergencies during a trip. The firing code* is as follows:
1. Two shots = All clear
2. Three shots= Mechanical difficulty
3. Four shots = Medical or security emergency
4. Six shots = Boat derailed
*While this information could be found in several different
locations, it is not officially confirmed (but very interesting
nonetheless).
The ride experience on the Jungle
Cruise is completely different than
any other ride experience in the park. How much fun you get out
of the cruise all depends on one thing: your Jungle
Cruise Skipper.
Sure the animals are fun to see and the "jungle" atmosphere
is amazing considering your in the middle of Southern California,
but it is ultimately the cruise skipper that can make or break
a great ride experience.  The
best skippers, I find, are usually the ones
that interact with the tourists (oh my! Did I just call myself
a tourist?!) and stray a little from the "traditional"
jokes. The skipper's who use the skill of improvisation will make
a trip more memorable and more fun than a skipper that sticks
to the routine jokes. It's the little touches a skipper will add
to his or her routine that can make all the difference on how
you go through the ride. It seems that the skippers begin to get
freer with their jokes towards the end of the day, so it becomes
a better ride for adults than for children. Plus, the night setting
of the Jungle Cruise
is very eerie! The animals almost seem to be real which add's
to the spookiness!
There is a lot of history and a lot of love behind the Jungle
Cruise. Walt's vision and dream
of having an "animal attraction" came true and there
is no other ride like it at another park. Walt's dedication to
having this ride is evident with the story that he rode it to
make sure it was exactly seven minutes long. It is sad it will
be closing (shortly) for renovation before the big 50 Anniversary
but it will still be the same simple Jungle
Cruise we all love (even if for
some of us it is way deep down in our hearts ... WAY deep down).
|