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Credit: Becky Burkett, Inside the MagicJust days after Walt Disney World Resort announced the October 16 reopening of the refurbished Jungle Cruise attraction, it revealed another update to the Magic Kingdom Park ride.
Jungle Cruise closed indefinitely on August 26, 2024. Initially scheduled to reopen on October 18, Walt Disney World Resort recently updated the Adventureland attraction’s reopening date to October 16, 2024.
On Monday, Walt Disney World Resort announced that Jingle Cruise, the beloved holiday retheme of the comedic boat ride, will return on November 2, 2024. Theme park journalist Scott Gustin shared the news on X (formerly Twitter):
NEW: Jingle Cruise returns to Magic Kingdom Park on Nov. 2. The regular Jungle Cruise reopens on Oct. 16.
NEW: Jingle Cruise returns to Magic Kingdom Park on Nov. 2. The regular Jungle Cruise reopens on Oct. 16. pic.twitter.com/XXoW6l5zGx
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) October 14, 2024
During the Jingle Cruise overlay, the boats don festive apparel. Even the ride’s residents get into the holiday spirit, bringing some Christmas magic to Disney Park guests’ 10-minute, 10,000-mile journey through South America, Africa, and Asia.
Unlike some Magic Kingdom Park Christmastime experiences, Jingle Cruise is available to all Disney Park guests throughout the holiday season. The overlay is not exclusive to the after-hours Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party event–though it’s popular among partygoers!
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t announced an official end date for the Jingle Cruise overlay. However, the attraction typically returns to normal sometime after New Year’s.
The Jungle Cruise
The Jungle Cruise isn’t just a ride–it’s part of Disney Parks history. Walt Disney first conceived the attraction for Adventureland at Disneyland Park as a living nature documentary. He even wanted real-life animals in the ride instead of animatronics, though he abandoned the idea when he realized they’d likely be asleep all day.
The puns guests know and love didn’t come overnight–the attraction slowly changed from a serious jungle tour to a whimsical, zany adventure over many years. But the change resonated with Disneyland Resort guests. The Magic Kingdom Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland versions of the Jungle Cruise attraction maintain the silly energy of the original.
Controversies
In 2021, Walt Disney Imagineering announced that it would remove offensive depictions of Native peoples from the Jungle Cruise. The change was controversial among some Disney Parks fans who believed original attractions shouldn’t be updated to reflect modern cultural values.
Similar changes echoed throughout the Disney parks. This year, Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort replaced racist depictions of Indigenous people on Peter Pan’s Flight.
Film Adaption
Walt Disney Studios first announced plans to develop a Jungle Cruise film in the early 2000s. After decades of preproduction and development, Disney’s Jungle Cruise (2021) premiered in July 2021—the film stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
What’s your favorite holiday experience at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments.