As the name suggests, Adventureland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is all about brave voyages, daring explorations, and new discoveries. Whether you’re turning a shipwreck into an island home or facing down fearsome pirates, this area of the park gives you the opportunity for unforgettable adventures.
If you hustle through on the way to your next destination, you’ll miss your chance to truly experience everything this area has to offer. Take a moment to appreciate these fun little details throughout Adventureland.
1. The hull entrance to the Swiss Family Treehouse
The Swiss Family Treehouse entrance is made from a ship’s hull.
The Swiss Family Treehouse is constructed from bits and pieces of their wrecked ship. Nowhere is this more obvious – and more overlooked – than the very entrance to the attraction. Check out the awning as you enter the queue for this walk-through area and you’ll notice that it bears remarkable resemblance to an overturned boat.
Discarded oars form the walkway
Continue past the entrance toward the suspension bridge and you’ll see even more nautical details. Apparently this boat was well-stocked in oars, as they support awnings all along this walkway. The end of a broken oar also serves as the entrance sign. When you get to the suspension bridge, you’ll see where the ropes and riggings for the boat were creatively reused.
The suspension bridge features ship’s riggings.
2. The Magic Lamp in the Agrabah Bazaar
The Bazaar in Agrabah
If you’re familiar with the animated classic, Aladdin, you’ll instantly recognize that the gift shops surrounding The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are themed to the Middle Eastern markets of the fictional city of Agrabah. Head into the Bazaar and you’ll see a meet and greet area for Aladdin and Jasmine to the left.
If the duo isn’t there when you stop by, take a moment to poke around. You’ll find Aladdin’s magic lamp tucked away in the corner. Genie isn’t home right now, but you never know when he may pop up in the area.
The magic lamp of Aladdin.
3. The spitting camels
These camels spit!
The giant camels located around The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are a direct reference to the camels in the movie. Genie warns that “they spit!” and indeed they do. One camel will take aim at you on the ride while the other spits on guests in the street. These camels were originally used on parade floats at then-Disney-MGM Studios. While you can’t miss these oversized features, if you’re lucky you’ll miss out on this little detail about their personal habits.
4. The Orange Bird
Inside Sunshine Tree Terrace.
When Walt Disney World first opened, the Tropical Serenade stood where the Enchanted Tiki Room is now. This attraction was sponsored by the Florida Citrus Commission. As part of the sponsorship deal, Disney had to create an animated mascot for the citrus growers. The Orange Bird was the result. When the partnership ended in 1987, the Orange Bird went away, too.
In 2012, this iconic bird experienced a fresh new revival as part of Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary. Guests who love all things retro can’t help adoring this sweet feathered friend. You can spot the Orange Bird today perched at the back of the Sunshine Tree Terrace.
5. The poorly managed Packages at The Jungle Cruise
Handle with care…or not.
The Jungle Cruise is a busy outpost cluttered with incoming and outgoing luggage, packages, and shipping crates. Predictably, these packages rarely receive the care and attention they need. Check out the warnings and notices on these boxes and you’ll see fragile packages turned on their end, upside down animal crates reused as water fountains, and some boxes that don’t even know which way they should go.
A feeding hole gives an important clue about this package.
This box doesn’t know which way is up.
Most alarming of all in this area is the indication that many of these mismanaged packages once included live animals. You’ll see indications of an orangutan gone AWOL, and something with very sharp claws that’s been wandering about the live cargo area.
Something’s escaped from the orangutan crate.
Something with claws is lurking in the live cargo area
Not all the live creatures in the Jungle Cruise queue are gone, however. Keep your eyes open for one eight-legged inhabitant who hasn’t made a run for it…yet.
6. Deadly warnings in Caribbean Plaza
The message to pirates is clear in Caribbean Plaza.
It’s obvious that the Caribbean town that’s home to the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction is losing the battle against pirates, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to keep the streets clean. Signage warning pirates away is visible beside the entrance to the attraction, with some vivid examples of just what will happen to wayward pirates who do enter the town.
Pirate skull warnings.
The cannons atop the fort are live and ready to fire. The interactive pirate game will activate these cannons so you can set them off yourself if you want to see the action.
Cannons atop the Caribbean fort.
7. A clever nod to Disney’s interactive games
Clever nods to other interactive games in Tiadalma’s Shack.
Disney has several interactive games that you can play throughout the parks. A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasure of the South Seas is the most recent addition to the lineup. This game sends you on a treasure hunt throughout the area. While you’ll find many interesting sights on your adventures, one of the most clever displays is found in Tiadalma’s shack.
Look carefully in this basket and you’ll see trinkets that offer a subtle nod to Disney’s other interactive games, including what’s presumably a platypus skull wearing Perry’s hat, a piece of Kim Possible’s uniform, and the Master Sorcerer’s Medal.
Adventureland is filled with hidden gems begging to be discovered. This list only scratches the surface of what you’ll find when you begin searching.
