Timing Tips for Your Reservation
What is the Restaurant Like?
Skipper Canteen is absolutely loaded with fun Jungle Cruise details. The dining budget will be a significant part of your expense for the trip, so you want to be sure that your meals are delicious and as enjoyable as possible. If you’re planning to visit Magic Kingdom during your next Walt Disney World vacation in Orlando, Florida, you’re probably wondering which restaurants should top your list. I was on a girls trip for a runDisney weekend and dined with all adults at the time, but the experience definitely shaped whether or not to bring my kids back during the next visit. To make the most out of your visit to the Skipper Canteen, you’ll definitely want to make sure you and your family ride the Jungle Cruise before you dine. Alternatively, you could prep ahead and watch the Jungle Cruise movie at home and then plan to do the ride after your meal. Either way, the theme of the restaurant won’t make much sense out of context but you won’t leave hungry! Reservations are strongly encouraged. However, if you’re traveling during a slower season you may have some luck as a last-minute walk up. The easiest way to make reservations is to use the My Disney Experience site. During a recent visit, we enjoyed an evening ride on the Jungle Cruise after sunset. If you schedule a very late dinner reservation, you may luck out with a shorter wait time for the ride and can do it in the dark. However, I believe a morning ride is the most fun, before things get too hot and while the sun is up so you can see all the detail of the ride. So if you plan to ride first and then have lunch after, your timing could work out much more easily. The restaurant is not available for guests outside of Magic Kingdom. It is right next to the Sunshine Tree Terrace, closer to the entrance to the Hub. You can check out the full Skipper Canteen menu here. While right in line with all of the Disney dining menus inspired by exotic locations, the actual item name maybe something that is new to you but they always include a plainer description in more familiar American vocabulary. Vegetarians will be able to select from a salad, vegetable stew, and falafel appetizer. All of the dishes incorporate vegetables, salsa, pineapple, and/or jasmine rice fill the plate. If you want to save a little money on the meal, you could order soup and salad from the appetizer menu for less than a single entree. Add an appetizer for the table and split a dessert to help round out your meal and allow you to sample a few items. Disney accommodates allergies and dietary requirements so well. Unsure of anything listed on your menu item? Simply ask and they’ll explain what it is to help you decide. But parents of picky eaters who want to dine someplace a little more fun and different will be pleased to know there is a super-safe mac and cheese option that was absolutely delicious, too. They’ve since changed that rule and now the table service restaurants do serve beer and wine with dinner. The Skipper Canteen goes farther with a specialty cocktails menu that includes margaritas, sangria, and the Jungle Bird. We were so excited for this change in policy! Quirky decor on display includes carved animal figures, tribal masks, adventure maps, and drums. The servers are all dressed and ready to hop on a Jungle Cruise of their own after helping you enjoy an exotic meal during your vacation. Not because I thought they wouldn’t like it, but because we could only dine at one table service restaurant during the visit to Magic Kingdom during our trip and we preferred another location. (You can see our favorite restaurant picks here.) Kids will enjoy the jungle theme of the restaurant, especially if they enjoyed the movie. The menu is filled with unique items, but the kid options are one of the better groupings available in the park if you want a healthy meal with lots of vegetables to offset the hamburgers/hot dogs routine of quick service. If the price fits with your budget and you’re excited to try something different on your trip, this could be an excellent choice for table service with kids.
