Disneyland's World Famous Jungle Cruise!

Video by Tales From The Mouse House podcast



Where can you go to see some of the most dangerous animals in the world, all only feet from your tour boat, and get a good laugh along the way? Why, Disneyland of course! One of the most popular, and I might add, one of my all time favorite, attractions at the Disneyland Resort is the World Famous Jungle Cruise. Located in Adventureland, this attraction is without doubt one of the most entertaining in the Park.

The attraction opened in July, 1955 and was originally intended to be a serious attraction where guests could get a taste of what it would be like cruising through some of the most famous, and dangerous, rivers of the world. However, over the years, the Jungle Cruise Boat Skippers developed their "humor" and have actually evolved that into official "scripts" for the Castmember Skippers to follow! Which, quite honestly, is one of the biggest draws to this attraction. The jokes and puns are, well, not always the greatest, but, they'll always bring a smile to your face!

Over the years, the Jungle Cruise has seen it's fair share of famous Skippers. In fact, Robin Williams is said to have captained a boat, and of course, arguably the most famous, being John Lasseter from Pixar. Every time we ride the Jungle Cruise, I'm always paying close attention to the Skippers. If they're really good, funny and comfortable, I make sure I take a lot of photos and video. You never know who will make it famous some day!

So, on your next visit to the Disneyland Resort, why not head on over to Adventureland and stop in for a cruise? And if it's your birthday, be sure to tell the Skipper. They'll have a "special" song, just for you!

So, in closing, here's a heart warming farewell by one of our most recent Jungle Cruise Skippers:

"Crew, I just wanted you to know you were outstanding on the cruise today. Now, I need you outstanding on the dock. Seriously, leave!"

Until next time, make it a Mickey Day! ~~ Al

Mr. DAPS on Media Appreciation Day - Mr. DAPs

From time to time, we'll bring you some wonderful stories and pieces written by guest bloggers that love Disneyland, well, almost as much as we do! Please enjoy the following piece by a very talented guy by the name of Mr. DAPs who is very full of that wonderful Disney Magic. For more from Mr. DAPs and the entire DAPs family, visit him at DAPS Magic 

Mr. DAPs and Mickey Mouse!

"Disneyland and the media have a long relationship, going back to the early days. Walt Disney believed that if you treated the media well and let them experience Disney magic for itself, everything else would fall in place.

Fifty six years later, Disneyland still carries on this legacy. Last weekend, I had the honor of being invited to Media Appreciation Day at the Disneyand Resort. This is exactly what the name implies, a day where Disneyland shows the media appreciation. As the leader of DAPs Magic, I’ve been invited to this event for the last couple of years. Each time I have participated in this day, I have had a blast. This most recent event was no exception.

For Media Appreciation Day, I am allowed to bring three guests. This year I brought our code master for DAPs Magic, my buddy Francis Fairy Feather, and my partner in crime. We arrived late morning and found the check in table outside of the Main Gate at Disneyland and checked in. Once inside, we made our way to Aladdin’s Oasis where they had snacks, entertainment, characters, face painting, tattoo art, and games for our enjoyment. I’m pleased to report that our group experienced EVERYTHING that they had to offer except for the face paint. We were also given a ghost mickey popcorn bucket!


We grabbed some food (I’m partial to the pretzels) and soon found ourselves sitting at a table, playing name that tube. The DAPs crew is always very good at this game and this year was no exception. We did have a severe handicap as we were sitting about as far away as one could sit from the MC and had posts, spider webs, and a giant tooth between obstructing his view of us. Never the less, we had fun.

Throughout out stay there we were able to meet all the characters visiting that day. Mickey and Minnie were dressed in their Halloween best and were an absolute pleasure to interact with. Cruella, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Jafar also made appearances. Jafar was a bit of a trouble maker and tried to use his staff to hypnotize one of our group. Thankfully, his evil plot to disrupt our day was averted...perhaps through the power of MY imagination? I’ll leave that up to you decide on.

Francis was the good sport who got a new tattoo on his arm, it was amazing. He also played some of the games that they had out for the kids. It really is amazing at how much they cram into Aladdin’s Oasis for these events!

Once we had decided we had experienced Aladdin’s Oasis sufficiently, we made our way to Ghost Galaxy and then Haunted Mansion Holiday as we were offered fast passes for both of those (along with Tower of Terror and Star Tours). After experiencing our two rides, we decided we had enough fun for the day and it was time to head home. So we bid Disneyland a fond farewell and walked to our car with appreciation for Disneyland for appreciating us with another Media Appreciation Day." ~~ Mr. DAPs

Happy Halloween!

Pixie Tales - Once Upon A Time They Lived Happily Ever After...

 

“To all that come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

Happiness is defined in many different ways and different things bring happiness and joy to people.  My happy place is and always will be Disneyland. There is a special kind of magic that happens to me when I enter the gates of Disneyland.  It creates a kind of magic that some people understand and others just don’t get. If you have the magic in you then you can understand how it got the reputation - the happiest place on earth.

We have shared the story of Al’s first visit to Disneyland but this day also represented a sad day for me as my 19 year old son was being deployed to Iraq.  I was an emotional wreck so we made sure we would arrive on the day of his deployment.  

When I enter the gates of Disneyland I love the sights and sounds of the train station, and then Main Street USA.  There is just a joy that comes over me as I “Run” from ride to ride or just sit and absorb the details in each land.  

This is truly the happiest place on earth in my eyes and it will never lose the magic as new memories are created each time I visit..... ~~ Joyce

 

I Love Mickey! 

The Happiest Blog On Earth - Getting Ready

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's October already! I love Fall for many reasons, one of the biggest is we FINALLY have a chance at day time temperatures BELOW 100, and overnight lows far enough to start what we like to call, Fire Pit Season. We love sitting in our backyard, a cozy fire blazing in our fire pit, billions of stars above. But I think, what I love best about Fall is that it represents the anniversary of my conversion...to a Disneyland Fan! 


It was September of 2007 when Joyce and I made our first trip together to the Happiest Place On Earth. In the four years now that we've been making the trek to the Disneyland Resort, we've visited in just about every month, every season really. But by far my favorite it Fall, right around the end of September to the end of October. Truth be told, the end of October is my all time favorite because the weather is perfect and, well, it's our wedding anniversary time. So, why have I shared this with you? Because, my magical readers Joyce and I are heading off to Disneyland near the end of October to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary! 


We thought long and hard about where we wanted to celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage and both agreed there was only one place we wanted to be - Disneyland (ok, so it really took us about 15 seconds to decide!). Where better to celebrate the best day of my life but in my favorite place on earth, with my favorite person. Oh, and believe me, the Disneyland Resort IS the best place to celebrate anything. They go WAY above and beyond to make certain you feel special. Joyce and I have shared many things over the years, but the one thing that we share that has enabled us to spread magic to others is our love for Disneyland and Walt Disney. 


So, take it from me, if you're looking to find a place to celebrate your love, or your birthday, or that job promotion, or winning the big game...well, you get the picture, look no further than Disneyland. And if you're not sure, why not check out our latest video podcast. We've started a series we call "Through The Eyes Of The Mouse: Relaxing At The Disneyland Resort". In this series of special videos, we take you on a people watching-relaxing trip through the Disneyland Resort, and you don't even have to wear shoes! In this second of the series, we take you to Mickey's Toontown and Adventureland. If you'd like to see the first part, check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/talespodcast. And be sure to check out Tales From The Mouse House - Disneyland Podcast in iTunes, or at www.talescast.com. ~~~ Al 

Disneyland in the Fall