The Jungle Cruise is a classic ride in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and while it’s always fun, it’s become even more enjoyable for us as our daughter has grown up and been able to comprehend the puns, the jokes, and the hilarity of the experience. It’s now a family favorite, so we were very excited to hear that there was a new restaurant in Adventureland based on the ride, the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen Restaurant. (We’ll call it the Skipper Canteen.)

We were very excited to get to check it out on our Disney Tweens trip earlier this month, and it did not disappoint. It seems that all ages enjoy the restaurant, in part because the food is definitely not your usual theme park food, but we also loved the story and the humor woven throughout the restaurant, which I think make it an especially great option for families with tweens, teens, and older kids.

The Atmosphere

Suggestion: If you can ride the Jungle Cruise shortly before dining at the Skipper Canteen, do so. We did, and it was great because the background story was fresh so we could pick up on a lot of the call backs to the ride. It also helped make sure that we were in the mood to be punny, as my eighth grader likes to say. They’re right near each other so it’s not out of your way

The story is that the restaurant is run by Alberta Falls, granddaughter of Dr. Albert Falls, who founded the Jungle Navigation Co. You can read about her and him here:

Skipper Canteen is both beautiful and richly detailed. No surprise, Disney did a great job with the theming. There are three dining areas: the Crew’s Mess Hall, the Falls Family Parlor, and the Secret Meeting Room of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers  (also known as S.E.A.).

The Mess Hall is the largest area.

I love the stained glass parrots on the light fixtures in the Falls Family Parlor.

We were seated in the Secret Meeting Room of the SEA.

It’s worth a quick spin through the restaurant on your way out to see the different rooms and the gorgeous detail along the way, like this stained glass light.

My daughter really wants to return and sit at this table. I may have the same wish. Love the zodiac signs in the light in addition to the gorgeous butterflies.

And our waiter/skipper played his role perfectly. He was very funny, but not overly so, and the gentle ribbing never seemed too much. (Always good when you have tweens in tow, or just tired or overstimulated travelers who may be a little more sensitive than usual.) We may have the odd tradition in our family or trying to blow our paper straw wrappers at each other and he quickly applauded our use of poison darts. His comment has made me smile every single time we’ve had any occasion to use a straw since our meal at the Skipper Canteen.

There are a lot of great jokes that happen at your meal, but I don’t want to ruin them for you. Suffice it to say that me, my husband and my daughter laughed often during our meal.

The Food

The food at the Jungle Skipper Canteen comes from the rivers that make up the ride, so there are African, Asian and South American dishes.

To start, the bread and the dipping sauce are amazing. There was a joke at our table about how to say it, and in case you were wondering, no, there is no “z” in that. There is a fair amount of spice in both that make them unique and yummy, but not actually spicy, which is a good thing in my book.

There are a few fun drink options, and I love that there are images from the ride included on the menu.

We each got an entrée. I had the Char Siu Pork (our skipper/waiter made a great comment about me really pigging out). They were good, and the Chinese broccoli was particularly tasty. A delicious vegetable in a theme park? Yes, it is possible!

My daughter ordered the A Lot at Steak Salad. She thought it was very good and ate every last bite. While I enjoyed my meal, if I had it to do over again, I would order this.

My husband had the noodle bowl. He said that it was very tasty, but perhaps not the easiest to eat. My cousins dined at the Skipper Canteen a few weeks later and confirmed that the salad was a bigger hit than the noodle bowl with them as well.

The Skip’s Mac n Cheese, which is an Egyptian take on the dish and not at all like the kind Kraft produces, also got positive reviews.

Others with us got the arapas, an appetizer, and gave it two thumbs up.  My cousins enjoyed the Shu Mai. And I’m going to do a better job of remembering that appetizers for lunch are a really good way to go.

So how do you get in to the Jungle Skipper Canteen? Right now, they don’t offer Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) but you can make day of reservations on your phone. Walking up to the restaurant won’t work, they will tell you to make reservations using the My Disney Experience App.

We ate there for lunch. Given that we were were headed out to Space Mountain afterward and feeling pretty full already, we passed on dessert, but options include Kungaloosh and Sugar-Crusted Congee Pudding. That’s just a reason for us to head back to the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen Restaurant next time!

You may also like: My family’s 6 favorite things to do at Disney Springs

Prior post: Quotes about the month of April

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