With over 100 restaurants to choose from at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, picking a spot to have lunch or dinner on vacation can seem like an overwhelming task.
I’ve done my fair share of dining at Disney and while I tend to skip over counter service spots and go straight for Disney Signature Dining, the moderately priced and fairly new table service restaurant Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom is worth a visit.
Sure…there are many restaurants throughout the Walt Disney World Resort that are themed to Disney movies or characters, but the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom is different. Where else can you dine at a restaurant inspired by a classic Disney attraction?
Situated in an often underutilized area of Adventureland, the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen has breathed new life into a once overlooked area of the park. Catty corner to the Jungle Cruise attraction and directy across from Swiss Family Treehouse you’ll find this new eatery offering guests both lunch and dinner daily.
Check in for your table and take advantage of the open outdoor rotunda seating area on a good-weather day.
The Jungle Cruise theming continues on onside of the restaurant’s receiving room.
There are three distinct dining areas inside the restaurant which include the crew’s colonial-era Mess Hall, the Jungle Room, and the S.E.A. Room—a once-secret meeting place for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. This was the room where our group had the pleasure of dining on a recent visit.
I don’t want to include too many spoilers in this review but I will tell you that you can come to expect the same amount of quirk and snark that you would expect from a skipper on the world famous Jungle Cruise attraction. For example, we were seated across from a curio cabinet filled with flatware and it was described to us at the “Great Wall of China”.
Artifacts aplenty adorn the walls and tables and even hang from the ceilings like this homage to the birds from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
Let’s take a look at the eats shall we?
Sips and Bites
DRINKS
Our lunch service began with drinks of course.
Punch Line Punch
Tropical Fruit Juices | Mango Purée | Savory Spiced Rim
Which was followed by complementary bread service.
Bread Service
Spiced Bread | Honey Dipping Sauce
APPETIZERS
Shared Appetizers were then passed around the table.
House-made Arepas
Slow-cooked Beef | Black Beans | Tostones | Queso Fresco
Falls Family Falafel
Chick Peas | Garlic | Onions | Lemon Juice | Herbs | White Bean Dip | Tomato-Cucumber Salad
S.E.A. Shu Mai
Pork | Shrimp | Mung Beans | Spices | Gyoza
ENTREES
Grilled Lamb Chops
North African Berber Spice Blend | Green Lentil Stew
Rice Noodle Bowl with Chicken
Pho Broth | Jalapeños | Herbs
DESSERTS
Because I was dining as part of a media tasting we were offered a sampling of two of the most popular desserts here.
Kungaloosh!
Chocolate Cake | Caramelized Bananas | Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream | Coffee Dust
Coconut Bar
Coconut Bar | Pineapple-Basil Compote | Vanilla Cream
The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom is open daily. Lunch is served from 11 AM to 2:55 PM and dinner service starts at 3 PM and contuniues on until 9:30 PM. Same-day reservations are accepted only at this time. You can take a detailed look at The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen menu here.
Special thanks goes out to the Walt Disney World Resort for hosting me and a guest for lunch. No monetary compensation was received for this review.
