Jungle Cruise boat sinks at Disney World — insert joke here
Passengers left clinging to the side of a sunken Jungle Cruise boat at Florida’s Magic Kingdom had barely been rescued from the venerable Walt Disney World attraction when the jokes started pouring in on social media.
Disney World officials said everyone got off of the ride safely after a Jungle Cruise boat took on some water on Thursday, Feb. 27. The local Reedy Creek Fire Department was immediately contacted and responded to the incident, Disney World officials said.
The Magic Kingdom worked with the affected guests so they could enjoy the rest of the day in the park, officials said. The Jungle Cruise attraction reopened shortly after the sunken boat was removed from the winding river. The cause of the sinking was not revealed.
Reedy Creek Fire said no Jungle Cruise passengers were transported to the hospital, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Photos and videos of the incident that surfaced on social media showed passengers clinging to the sides of the sinking Jungle Cruise boat and standing on the boat’s bench seats in ankle-deep water.
Online video showed passengers being evacuated from the sunken boat known as the Bomokandi Bertha to a “jungle” island in the middle of the attraction.
Jokes soon flooded social media making references to cornball skipper comedy, the upcoming “Jungle Cruise” movie and former Disney CEO Bob Iger. The sunken Jungle Cruise boat inspired puns about truly “immersive” theme park rides and the “underside of water.”
Fortunately, the Jungle Cruise “river” is only a few feet deep with the bottom obscured by a color tint in the water.
In 2004, the Sankuru Sadie boat on Jungle Cruise ride at the Magic Kingdom sunk after taking on too much water, but was quickly returned to service, according to WDW News Today.
Image Source:*Mark Eades, Orange County Register/SCNG
Source:mercurynews.com
