25 Things You Didn’t Know About Jungle Cruise in Disney World

There are some Disney World rides that are just iconic. And among those is a true knee-slapping classic…the Jungle Cruise!

This ride was an opening day attraction at both Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom, and it features a ride through the rivers of the world, accompanied by a Skipper who tells jokes and makes plenty of puns along the way. The ride has its own backstory and rich history based in Disney lore, but we’re willing to bet that even the die-hard Jungle Cruise fans haven’t noticed ALL of these hidden details in the queue and on the ride!

You’ll actually find MOST of the best hidden details in the queue of the ride, so even if you’re waiting in a long line, don’t worry! You can spend that time checking out all the fun nods to Disney history and Jungle Cruise lore.

For starters, there’s an office set up in the queue right after you enter. In here, hanging on the wall, there’s a hat that’s made to look just like the one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wears in the Jungle Cruise movie.

And if you’re a fan of the movie, check out this telegram that’s on the desk in the office! Skipper Shaun sends a message to the Jungle Navigation Co., sharing that he can’t wait to pitch his Jungle Cruise movie idea to the bigshots in Hollywood.

You’ll find another reference to Skipper Shaun in the queue in the trophy case, where he was awarded first place for his movie called “A Bigger Bote.” This is a reference to a line from the 1975 film Jaws because Bob Mattey, who created animatronics for Jungle Cruise, also created the shark animatronic for Jaws.

If you look above the office, you’ll see that the proprietor of the Jungle Navigation Co. is Alberta Falls. According to the Jungle Cruise backstory, Alberta is the grandaughter of Dr. Albert Falls. If you’ve ridden the ride before, you know that Schweitzer Falls (where you see the backside of water) was named after Dr. Falls.

Also inside the office, we spotted an application for employment from Felix Pechman XIII (who coincidentally, is the Skipper who sunk the Kwango Kate in the hippo pool on the ride). Take a closer look at the application, and you’ll notice some great puns in the work experience section, including the following:

He used to work at an orange juice factory, but left because he couldn’t concentrate.
He used to work at a sardine factory, but he got canned!
He was a former employee of an ice cream parlor, but had to leave because he had a “meltdown.”

Moving on to the back room of the queue, there’s a door that says “Banana Troop 5571.” The number 5571 has some important significance — 1955 is the year that Disneyland opened and 1971 is the year that Magic Kingdom opened. Since Jungle Cruise was an opening day attraction, those were the first years of operations for the ride on both coasts!

Also on this wall, we spotted a sign sharing the Jungle Navigation Co.’s first-ever joke, made by Skipper Winston. This name is likely a tribute to real-life screenwriter and director Winston Hibler, who helped produce several of the True-Life Adventures films. Those films were the inspiration for Jungle Cruise and Adventureland.

We just KNEW there had to be a hidden detail somewhere on this Crew Shift Exchange board, and we were right! If you look at the last line, you’ll see that Col. Brody traveled to Placid Palms. According to Disney lore, that’s the name of a resort colony in the Blustery Bay that was affected by a terrible hurricane. After the storm, the land was turned into a tropical paradise, and renamed Typhoon Lagoon! (Yep, that’s a nod to Disney’s water park!)

One detail that’s not as hidden, but just as fun is this case on the back wall of the queue that says “break in case of party.” Inside, we could see hats, drink glasses, a bottle of some unknown beverage, and a tiara. Sounds like a big party!

As you get further into the queue, you’ll be able to get a better glimpse of the flags hanging above the Banana Troop door. These have references to a variety of Disney locations! Here’s what we found:

The S.S. Columbia is a reference to the Sailing Ship Columbia that you can ride in Disneyland on the Rivers of America.
Harambe is the name of the village in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom.
Bakersfield, CA is the birthplace of Marc Davis, an Imagineer (and one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”) who worked on Jungle Cruise.
Porto Paradiso is a fictional location in Tokyo DisneySea that has connections to the S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers)
Lost River Delta is also a location at Tokyo DisneySea.
Anandapur is the name of the fictional village in Asia at Animal Kingdom.

One of our favorite puns in the queue is the cabinet with both First Aid…as well as “Last Aid” supplies!

If you look inside the First Aid side of the cabinet, you’ll see the “Practically Perfect” multi-flavored syrup. It’s a “spoonful of sweetness” which is a reference to Mary Poppins!

As you get closer to the boarding area, you’ll see this rock with a reference to the film Casablanca. The film had a featured scene in The Great Movie Ride, a former attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But that’s not the only nod to the film in the ride! (More on that in a minute.)

When you’re getting ready to board your boat, make sure to look up and check out the menu. Each of the items listed is compared to chicken, and then on Friday, they actually get to eat chicken!

This is similar to a menu item at the Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant, Skipper Canteen. There, they serve the “Tastes Like Chicken…Because it Is!”

Who’s the employee of the month at Jungle Navigation Co.? E. L. O’Fevre! Say that a few times fast, and it sounds an awful lot like “yellow fever.”

While you’re loading on your boat, don’t forget to check and see what its name is! Each boat has a unique name, and they’re all jungle-themed.

One of the first scenes you come to on the ride is one where gorillas are trashing a camp. But who owns the tent? It’s a person named R.V. Laust. Get it? “Are we lost?”

It’s hard to see in the picture, but the Boats & Baits AND Bites stand is owned by Skipper Sully. This is a nod to Disney employee William “Sully” Sullivan, who wrote the book, From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend.

After you pass Schweitzer Falls (but before you go behind it), you’ll come across this crashed plane…but only the back half! The front half of this plane was formerly found in the Casablanca scene of The Great Movie Ride.

And finally, as you come to the end of the ride, you’ll spot a lost and found stand turned gift shop. Who runs it? Why it’s Trader Sam, the former “head salesman” of the jungle — you may remember him from the old version of this ride. And you can even spot his iconic hat sitting on the counter!

Once you disembark, the Jungle Cruise has a few last jokes for you before you leave. If you check out the Missing Persons board at the ride exit, you’ll find names like Seaum Yet and Al Belaite — plenty of puns to be found here!

So there you have it — a TON of Jungle Cruise details you’ve probably never noticed! Be on the lookout for these nods the next time you’re in the queue!