The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (19 page)

If you like wholesome family fun and classic adventure films, you’ll love this excursion, with its special
Disney
accents (like a statue of
King Louie
from
The Jungle Book
).  Inspired by adventure movies,
Walt
’s river journey in South America, and
Disney
’s
True-Life Adventure
series, the boat ride is gentle enough for Guests of all ages, so it’s a good choice for the whole family.

The mechanical animals are in some cases alarming, like the relatively new and quite vicious
-looking piranhas, and in other cases frankly adorable, like the baby elephant in the elephant bathing pool.  In some cases the creatures are alarming and cute at once, as when a group of hippos suddenly rise menacingly from the water, their small ears wiggling.

When the nearby
Indiana Jones Adventure
was installed in the early 1990’s, the
Jungle Cruise
had to cede some territory and was reshaped, but it retains its rough banks, thick foliage, and sinuous switchbacks.  It also retains its sense (a real testament to the
Imagineers
’ showmanship) of being a thousand miles from nowhere in the depths of a lost world somewhere in the tropics of this planet.  You’d never guess how close you are to civilized
Main Street
, to the
Disneyland Railroad
, and to the
berm
.  How close?  Within very easy spitting distance of all three.  (Sharp-eared Guests just outside
Disneyland Park
, or near
Main Street’s City Hall
, can often hear the Skipper’s pistol shots ring out.)

Guests
who take this cruise should keep in mind that it’s no
Indiana Jones Adventure
.  The two attractions are apples and oranges, and each suffers by comparison to the other.  The
Indiana Jones Adventure
thrills.  The
Jungle Cruise
amuses and enchants and in its own way sends a primal
frisson
along Guests’ spines.  Short lines are a bonus. 
Did You Know?
  According to former Cast Members, there’s often fierce competition among
Skippers
to be funny and entertain Guests.  Although they can’t stray far from the approved scripts, expect your
Skipper
to put his or her own spin on the historic
Skipper
spiel!  In the early days, the
Skippers
used to compete to see how fast they could zip Guests through the voyage, and how many Guests they could rush through the experience each hour. 
Walt
was livid after a whirlwind cruise, and let it be known that Guests were not to be short-changed by being hurried through the
Jungle Cruise
. 
Did You Also Know?
  Many years after designing
Disneyland
’s
Jungle Cruise
,
Imagineers
finally solved the problem of coaxing animals to perform on cue. 
Kilimanjaro Safaris
opened in 1998 at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
at
Walt Disney World
.  It’s a 100-acre simulated savanna featuring real animals, including antelopes, crocodiles, lions, and zebras.  Your group’s mission?  To save a baby elephant from a poacher.  The animals
appear
to rove freely, usually within view of Guests.  Ingeniously devised, carefully landscaped barriers that are often invisible to Guests separate humans from animals, while hidden incentives (cooling shade and mist, water, concealed feeders, novel toys, and scents) attract animals to locations within Guest view. Guests are certain to see animals along the safari route, and it appears as if the animals are roaming as freely as if it truly is the African wild. 
Did You Also Know?
  One of the baby elephant figures from
Kilimanjaro Safaris
now stands with
Trader Sam
at the conclusion of
Disneyland
’s
Jungle Cruise
. 
Night Vision:
  Breath-taking and mysterious when you ride at night. 
FastPass:
  No, but except on very crowded summer, holiday, or weekend days, the line is usually relatively short. 
Kid’s Eye View
:  It’s boring, but restful. 
Teen’s Eye View:
  A very mellow ride … I find it a bit boring.  I think that kids will enjoy it, but it is one of those rides that you only will want to ride once and not over and over again like some!  It’s filled with corny jokes (some that will make you groan).  But overall it does sorta make you feel like you’r e on a real jungle cruise and is probably very exciting for a small child to see.

Tarzan’s Treehouse

[
FastView:
 
A 70-foot tall fantasy jungle treehouse for the kid in all of us.
]

Formerly the
Swiss Family Treehouse
, at over 70 feet tall this man-made tree delivers a great work-out for the fitness crowd, a perch with panoramic park views for the photogs in your group, and real charm for all who loved
Disney
’s animated
Tarzan
film and those that loved the black-and-white
Tarzan
films of the 1930’s.

The
Swiss Family Treehouse
opened in 1962.  As the story of the
Swiss Family Robinson
faded from popular consciousness, and in honor of the release of Disney’s
Tarzan
,
Imagineers
gave the structure a substantial overhaul, adding a suspension bridge and re-opening it as
Tarzan’s Treehouse
in 1999.

The treehouse entrance is located near the
door to the
River Belle Terrace
restaurant, at the border between
Adventureland
and
New Orleans Square
.  Narrow, rough-hewn wooden stairs lead Guests upward to a seemingly rickety plank bridge, and onward and upward to landmarks from the 1999
Tarzan
film, including the treehouse
Tarzan
’s parents built from their shipwreck, and the home
Tarzan
and
Jane
share.  The
Phil Collins
soundtrack from the movie plays softly throughout the attraction, and Guests are treated to an abundance of clever visual and audio touches, from baby
Tarzan
’s cradle (listen for his first signature yodel!) to the bone-chilling snarl of dangerous leopard
Sabor
.

There are lookout points where you can step aside, let other
Guests pass you, and savor the spectacular park and jungle views.  There are also bottlenecks where kids quite understandably love to stop to peer into the detailed and imaginative living quarters.  Oblivious parents and curious kids block the path of Guests in a hurry.

When you’re finished touring this attraction, y
ou descend into a camp resembling the hunters’ encampment in the animated
Tarzan
film, where the children in your party can climb ropes and happily clink and rattle pots and pans.  A walkway over a charming, tumbling brook returns you to the path which forks left to
New Orleans Square
(over the bridge) and right to the edge of
Frontierland
between the entrance to
Pirates of the Caribbean
and the rolling
Rivers of America
.

Tarzan’s Treehouse
is charming, but not an absolute must.  If you have the time to explore it, your kids will love it and you’ll enjoy a workout and some nice vistas. 
Did You Know?
  The character of
Tarzan
first appeared in the 1912 book “Tarzan of the Apes” by author Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Burroughs also created
John Carter
of Mars, whose adventures first appeared in “The All-Story” magazine in 1912; one hundred years later, in 2012,
Disney
released the live-action film
John Carter
based on Burroughs’ character. 
Did You Also Know?
  Do you have a
Tarzan
fan in your group who’s unable to navigate the steep stairs?  Ask a Cast Member about wheel chair access to the interactive area.  There are no Cast Members at the walk-through entrance to
Tarzan’s Treehouse
, but if you approach a Cast Member at the entrance of
Pirates of the Caribbean
down the hill, they’ll arrange for assistance.
Did You Also Know?
  Guests who miss
Disneyland
’s
Swiss Family Treehouse
can still visit the six-story tall
Swiss Family Treehouse
at
Walt Disney World
. 
Night Vision:
 
Tarzan’s Treehouse
is sometimes closed after dark, but it’s beautifully lit from base to crown with warm golden lamplight.  If the attraction
is
open after dark during your visit, I strongly recommend that you venture upward.  Climbing
Tarzan’s Treehouse
among the glowing lamps at night is an unusual and breathtaking experience.
FastPass:
  No, but since this is a self-guided walk-through attraction, no
FastPass
is necessary.  Except during peak times in summer and the holidays, the walk-through pace is comfortable and not too crowded. 
Teen’s Eye View:
  Although it was one of my favorite rides as a kid it is now something I never go on.  It’s not an actual ride but I remember having fun experiencing its likeness to the movie.  I now find it more childish because you pretty much just walk through it.

Adventureland
Gear and Grub

Gear:

Adventureland Bazaar

[
FastView:
 
Exotic and jam-packed with gifts for everyone on your list.
]

Adventureland
’s attractions (
Enchanted Tiki Room
,
Jungle Cruise
,
Indiana Jones Adventure
, and
Tarzan’s Treehouse
) are all located along the south side of the street.  By contrast, most of the shops and restaurants line the north side of the street.

The merchants of
Adventureland
offer some of the best shopping in the park, beginning with the easternmost store, the
Adventureland Bazaar
, with its constantly refreshed stock of casual and adventure-themed clothing, jewelry, toys, musical instruments, and knick-knacks.

Located just west of
Adventureland
’s entrance arch and the
Enchanted Tiki Room
, the
Adventureland Bazaar
was open for business on
Opening Day
in 1955.  The store’s thatched roof and its balcony decorated with exotic furniture, fabrics, and treasures evoke the flavor of mysterious lands.

For much of its history the
Adventureland Bazaar
was partitioned into a maze of small shops selling goods from around the globe.  Since 1994’s
Adventureland
re-imagining (when a certain
Indiana Jones
joined the park), it’s been one large shop.

Whether you like loud, Hawaiian-type shirts (preferably with
the
Enchanted Tiki
idols or
Goofy
on them!), T-shirts printed with vintage
Enchanted Tiki Room
or
Jungle Cruise
attraction posters, plush monkey dolls and Pillow Pets, animal print ear hats and clothing, exotic floral tops and anklets, pirate wallets and skull toys, or tom-tom drums and unusual percussion instruments, you’ll find something here to express your adventurous spirit, even if you only have a few dollars to spend.

Now that you’ve stepped through the curtain into mysterious lands where anything can happen, why not have your fortune told? 
Esmeralda
reads Tarot cards at
Main Street
’s
Penny Arcade
, and swashbuckler
Fortune Red
finds your future in
New Orleans Square
’s
Royal Courtyard
; here in the
Adventureland Bazaar
, it’s
Aladdin’s Other Lamp
(hidden away in a back alcove) that discerns your future for two quarters.