In the fall of 2013, rumors began spreading over the internet about a seasonal holiday overlay coming to Disneyland’s version of the World Famous Jungle Cruise. In mid-October, we found out it would also be coming to Walt Disney World. In its current form, the Jingle Cruise is a fun holiday tradition at Magic Kingdom, but it didn’t start out that way. I not only worked the Jingle Cruise the first year, but the very first day of the first year, and it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.
No “official” source has confirmed this, but the Jingle Cruise was originally intended only for Disneyland. Bringing it to Walt Disney World was a last-minute decision. How do I know this? I remember getting the phone call asking me to come in early because they had to pull the trainers from opening the attraction so they could learn the new script so they could teach it to the rest of us. The original script was written for Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise and Disneyland’s alone. The two rivers are similar, but different. Each has scenes the other doesn’t, and somehow none of the Magic Kingdom exclusive scenes had jokes. The Imagineers decorated our queue, dock and boats, but there were no decorations to be found in the jungle itself except Trader Sam. California started with light jungle decorations and got more over time.
Photo by Chris Larsen.
So, on November 8th, 2013 I got to work to find tinsel and presents on the dock, but nothing on the ride itself. The boats were decked out, and the names had all been changed. Most noticeably, our queue music had been swapped out. Albert Awol was gone, and replaced by Nigel Greenwater, “That’s Nigel with no L!” (Say that out loud if the joke didn’t click.) Why get rid of Albert Awol? He’s exclusive to Florida. Thus, began my hatred of the song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”.
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Photos by Chris Larsen.
The boat names were at least fun. Generally speaking, Cast Members refer to the boats by the actual name, and not the river so I’m glad they had the good sense to change the rivers to Christmas items. So, we still called Amazon Annie the “Annie”, even after she became “Eggnog Annie”. Rounding out the fleet we had “Brrrrr Bertha”, “Wassailing Wanda”, “Yule Log Lolly”, “Reindeer Ruby”, “Mistletoe Mille”, “Candy Cane Connie”, “Garland Gertie”, “Icicle Irma”, “Poinsettia Sal”, “Noel Nellie”, “Orino-cocoa Ida”, “Sleigh Ride Sadie”, “Vixen Val”, and the infamous “Fruitcake Zelda”. I cannot even begin to tell you how much that particular boat deserved that name.
There was also a wardrobe change to go with this little festive endeavor, a burlap Santa hat. In Florida. Where even in November it is sometimes eighty degrees. Yes, it was as hot and itchy as it sounds, and wearing it wasn’t optional. (The Jungle Cruise hat is never optional, but normally it can be worn hanging from the strap instead of on your head.)
Photo by Becky Brown-Allen.
Halloween was barely a week ago, and guests are on a ride with no decorations and a Skipper that keeps alternating between her normal material and holiday jokes. All of the references were kept in the 1930s-1950s theming, and flew over most people’s heads.
No one laughed. Occasionally you’d get the sympathy chuckle, but for the most part no one laughed. I remember being at the Gorilla Camp, aka the “wrapping station” with the “great turnover rate”, and saying “Get it? Because the jeep’s upside down?”
A dad sitting near the front glared at me, “We got it. It wasn’t funny.”
Photo by Chris Larsen.
Two months of this, which I can only describe as soul crushing. Not every boat on the Jungle Cruise laughs at all the jokes, or even half of them, but I’d never had so few people enjoy themselves. It was better during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. People were in better moods then, and they were expecting the holiday jokes.
The only video I have ever found of myself on the Jungle Cruise is actually of the Jingle Cruise, and I find it hilarious because you can tell I’m angry about something. No idea what, but I was mad.
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The second year of the Jingle Cruise got better. We had a fully fleshed out script with jokes for every scene, and we lost the awkwardness of having to switch back and forth between holiday and regular material. They fully decorated the queue and most of the ride path with an integrated storyline. This year, the skippers were homesick so they made what decorations they could and ordered the rest, but unfortunately some ended up in the jungle. So the boats would pass decorated areas, and animals who had discovered parachutes full of holiday supplies to play with. It still wasn’t as funny as the World Famous Jungle Cruise, but at least it was an improvement.
By the third year of the Jingle Cruise, I had left for the Wizarding World.
One of my favorite additions to the Jingle Cruise was a complete and total accident. Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise has piranhas, and in the queue music there is a reference to “Piranhakkah, Festival of the Bites”. Disappointed that this was the only Hanukkah on the rides, a few Skippers (that I am proud to know, but will not name) figured out how to “light” the Menorah with oranges on top.
Photo by Chris Larsen.
A year after these particular Skippers left, the oranges were back anyway! When Imagineering took pictures to reference the next year, they assumed it was part of the official decorations, so now it is!
Happy Holidays! And if you don’t celebrate the holidays, Happy -insert day of week here-!
What is your favorite Walt Disney World Holiday tradition?
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