After having our fill of the breakfast buffet, hugging Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet, and paying our bill, we headed out into the Florida sunshine. It was a very gorgeous 28°C, which made me happy as I was worrying about it being cold in December!
We went in the direction of Adventureland, which is the land we pretty much always start in. It was very busy – a lot busier than I was expecting to be honest with you – but we made our way to Jungle Cruise for our FastPass+ time. For Christmas, this ride gets a overlay with decorations strew throughout the ride, as well as a seasonal script for the Skippers. It also gets called Jingle Cruise. I don’t think any other ride at Walt Disney World gets an overlay (I am sure they do more at Disneyland) so I knew we had to get on this ride!
The 10 minute river journey is an exotic adventure! You drift past a canopy of green trees and flowering orchids along the South American Amazon. Then you’ll see a camp overrun by curious gorillas, and maybe even a massive python along the African Congo! Along the River Nile there are bathing elephants, hippos and hungry lions! Beware the tribe of headhunters that have been spotted in the area! Baboons, cobras and other wild creatures call an old shrine their home on the Mekong River.
Your trusty Skipper will navigate you safely through, while regaling you with stories of the surroundings and several jokes. Look out for Trader Same as your journey comes to an end.
This ride is Classic Disney – it’s very tongue-in-cheek, and the jokes are groan-worthy, but it’s a fun ride, and we enjoy it. Some Skippers are better than others (a bit like Kilimanjaro Safaris), and I think your ride is made a whole lot better when the Cast Member has their script down pat. And if they talk loudly through their intercom. Some we’ve had have been really quiet, that the jokes don’t land.
Plus-Size Rider Guide: Bench seats, no restraints. You will need to step down into the boat, as well as step back out. You can hold onto one of the poles to balance if needs be – or a friendly Cast Member will help you if required.
While in the area, we also popped into the Enchanted Tiki Room, because that is one of my favourite things to do in Adventureland! No photos as I just wanted to enjoy the show for a change instead of trying to figure out if I have my camera settings right! Dark rides are still on my things of learning how to do with my camera list. However, let’s all sing!
🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room
All the birds sing words
And the flowers croon
In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room
🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵