We sometimes consider ourselves explorers. We rarely turn down a chance to travel or try something new. Travel without an itinerary? Of course. No cell phone coverage? O.K. Surfing classes? Yes please. We are huge Jungle Cruise fans! So the fact that Magic Kingdom now has a Jungle Cruise restaurant is such fun! Here you can find exotic foods, funny puns, jungle finds, and everything that we’d come to love from the Jungle Cruise riverboat. Surely if exotic cruises were departing daily, the food must be exotic! But, if you’re heading to the Skipper Canteen Restaurant, you should be ready for anything.
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Skipper Canteen Details
The Skipper Canteen Restaurant is located inside Magic Kingdom Park, right across from the Swiss Family Robinson’s Tree House in the Adventureland area of the park. A Table Service Restaurant, it’s always recommended that you make reservations for Skipper Canteen. Featuring storytelling from the Jungle Cruise ride, this restaurant includes references to Amazon exploration featuring the work of Dr. Falls and provides service with a side of puns. Let’s dive in, to everything you need to know about the Jungle Cruise Skipper Canteen Restaurant at Disney World.
Skipper Canteen Hours
Serving Lunch and dinner, the Skipper Canteen Hours are 11:00 AM- 9:00 PM, and since the Skipper Canteen Menu for lunch and dinner are the same, you can choose whichever time works best for you.
- Lunch: 11:00 AM to 2:55 PM
- Dinner: 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM
How Long does Dinner Take at Skipper Canteen?
Plan between 1-2 hours for a meal at Skipper Canteen Restaurant. While dining typically lasts about 1 hour at Skipper Canteen, busier times cause the meal to take longer. Additionally consider that if you have children, order dessert, or drinks, your mealtime may be closer to 1.5 hours, depending.
Do You Need Reservations for Skipper Canteen?
Yes. Reservations at Skipper Canteen are highly recommended. While we always recommend booking Disney Dining Reservations at the 60 day mark before your vacation, Skipper Canteen does not sell out as fast as other restaurants at Disney World. That said, you can check availability for Skipper Canteen in the My Disney Experience App. And if you can’t find any reservations available for your dates, just keep checking the app, as people’s plans sometimes change, and reservation times may open up.
Do You Need a Park Ticket to Eat at Magic Kingdom?
Yes. Any Dining Reservation at a restaurant inside Magic Kingdom Park requires a Park Ticket for the day of your dining reservation.
Skipper Canteen Atmosphere
Crews Mess Hall
The Jungle Room, Formerly Fall’s Family Parlor
A smaller side room, the Falls Family Parlor features the iconic tiffany style Parrot Lights and arched windows to match. This room has a cozy feel and is filled with Falls family heirlooms from their adventures along the Amazon, Nile and Congo Rivers. Traditional wood tables and chairs are usually lit by candlelight as it’s a generally darker room than the others. But cozy.
The S.E.A Room
Just off the Mess Hall area, you can walk through a bookshelf lined hallway to the S.E.A Room. This room was the “secret meeting place” of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers and features glassed cabinets flanking the central fireplace, tapestried chairs and intricate rugs. And if you’re looking you can see the Butterfly Cabinet at Skipper Canteen in the S.E.A room. By far one of the coolest things, you can see all sorts of exotic butterflies in glass here.
Dinner with a Side of Puns
Just like Jungle Cruise, the puns show up as soon as you enter! We learned after about 15 minutes of jokes from our server that this would not be the place to come if you had a schedule to keep. Because the jokes-they take some time! The jokes, much like the Jungle Cruise boat ride are obvious, ironic and fun. Classic Dad jokes if you will. Truthfully, as much as we love the ride, since this is a restaurant we also kinda just wanted to order our food. Awkward laughter anyone? Yep right here… ! The servers do help break up the jokes by allowing guests to wander around and take pictures. Which was pretty awesome.
Skipper Canteen Menu
Completely on theme the Skipper Canteen Menu includes loads of adventurous foods, adventurously named. Everything from the Handy Har Char Siu Pork to the “Not So Secret Secret Menu” was thoughtfully crafted to be on theme with the Jungle Cruise ride. Offering appetizers, entrees, desserts, a Kid’s Menu and Allergy Free options you can also grab beers and wines here.
Is there a Skipper Canteen Secret Menu?
Skipper Canteen offers a “Not So Secret” Secret Menu, which you can just ask for. Previously this menu had included the Pao de Quejo, Cup of Shrimp and a Sangria option. If you’re interested, be sure to ask your server when you arrive to see the menu!
Can you get Alcohol at Magic Kingdom?
Yes, Magic Kingdom offers alcohol at select table service restaurants inside the park. As such you can find a variety of alcoholic beverages at Skipper Canteen. On theme beverages include specialty cocktails like the Sunset Margarita and Jungle Bird, while Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale, and Dr. Loosen Riesling are also on the menu.
Skipper Canteen Appetizers
Appetizers at Skipper Canteen range from $10- $16 a plate and includes a variety of options. Falls Family Falafel is the showstopper that everyone likes and they are SO GOOD. If you’ve never had falafel they’re like hush puppies made with garbanzo beans instead of cornmeal. You only get 5 of these little falafel balls but they are a great way to supplement your meal if you’re thinking of trying a daring explorer dish you may or may not like. In addition to a soup and salad, you can also grab a few unique dishes to start your meal.
- Falls Family Falafel is a secret recipe of Chickpeas, Garlic, Onions, Lemon Juice, and Herbs served with House-made Edamame Hummus and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (Plant-based)
- Mess Hall Fried Rice is also good and includes a Spicy Chili-Garlic Shrimp served over Pork Fried Rice with Eggs and Peas.
- Orinoco Ida’s Cachapas are a favorite and includes house-made Corn Pancakes, Beer-braised Pork, Roasted Corn, Fresno Pepper Salsa, and Avocado Cream
Skipper Canteen Entrees and Sides
Ok, let’s get down to why you’re really here. The menu options. While they do have pork, shrimp, lamb and steak the seasoning and add-ons give these dishes significant flair that you or your family may not like. Thankfully there is a kids menu. Our not-too-exotic choices for dinner were also great. Prices for Entrees at Skipper Canteen range between $22- $38 each. To find your next exotic flavor, check out the whole menu for Skipper Canteen here.
Curried Vegetable Crew Stew
A nice vegetarian option here is the curried vegetable stew with naan and rice. Perfect for the rainy day we were escaping. Warm and very spicy, the bread and rice helped break up the “hot.” Plus, it was great to have a heaty plant based item on the menu; which is sometimes hard to find at Disney restaurants. This curry included Seasonal Vegetables and Pineapple Tofu in a House-made Curry Sauce served with Coconut Rice (Plant-based).
Dr. Falls Signature Grilled Steak
This extremely flavorful steak is fantastic and worth the almost $40 price point. A Marinated Hanger Steak Lomo Saltado-style with Roasted Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, and Aji Amarillo Aïoli, this combined both spicy and cooling flavors. It was also a great portion size.
“Tastes like Chicken” Because it is!
A staple on the Skipper Canteen Menu, the Chicken dish is very good. Crispy-fried Chicken with Chili-Soy Glaze, Jasmine Rice, and Pickled Vegetable Slaw. We like this one best when in the mood for something Asian. As an adult entree, it was also one that kid’s do well with. Especially if they get the mac and cheese on the kid’s menu. Then you can just give them a little chicken to go with it.
Other Entrees at Skipper Canteen include a Sustainable Fish, Baa Baa Lamb Chops, and Hardy Har Char Sui Pork. All good, you can count on adventurous flavors here like ginger lemongrass, harissa and coconut.
Skipper Canteen Desserts
We love finding great desserts at Disney World and the desserts at Skipper Canteen are some of the best. They reminded us of some of the desserts at another Disney Restaurant, Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge. These were equally decadent, with a beautiful presentation, an excellent portion size and tasty enough that we would come back just for dessert and tea. Yes, they were that yummy. Desserts cost about $10 each.
Coconut Bar Cake
This signature dessert at Skipper Canteen is the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and covered in Vanilla Cream. This Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Coconut and Lime-White Chocolate Ganache is decadent and sweet. Fans of coconut and pineapple will love this. Very light. We like it best with black tea.
Kungaloosh!
By far one of the best desserts, Kungaloosh is an African-inspired Chocolate Cake with Caramelized Bananas served with Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream topped with Coffee Dust. Absolutely delicious, the caramelized banana takes things to a whole new level. The addition of the caramel and coffee flavors, really makes this a dessert worth trying, and ordering again and again. So good.
Other Desserts you can get here include the Panna-Connie’s Congo Lime Delight which includes the Lime ‘Panna Cotta’ served with Mango-Lime Sorbet and Fresh Fruit (Plant-based). This treat is VERY SMALL, and while delicious, may not be what you’re expecting in a $10 dessert. Another option is the Mango Float which combines a white chocolate mousse, with mango and graham cracker; Kalamansi Namelaka, Mango Crémeux, House-made Graham Cracker.
Skipper Canteen Drinks
There are a few notable drinks at Skipper Canteen that are worth grabbing when you visit. Both non-alcoholic drinks, and specialty drinks are available.
Enchanted Orange Dream
This specialty treat is a DOLE Whip® Orange blended with Vanilla Soft-serve and served with an Orange Candy rim. Perfect for grown ups, but we love it as a kid’s treat as well.
Teas
One of the things we love about Skipper Canteen are the tea options. You can get Golden Caramel Rooibos, Mint, Pure Sencha, Golden Tipped English Breakfast and Mango and Ginger Tea.
Specialty Cocktails
True to form you can get adventurous drinks here you can’t get anywhere else. The Jungle Bird Cocktail is a Gosling Black Seal Rum, Campari Liqueur, Cane Syrup, with Pineapple and Lime Juices. Or you can try the House-made Skipper Sangria with your choice of Red or White Wine blended with Juices, Spices, and Fruit.
Beer and Wine
And there are a few notable beers and wines on the Skipper Canteen Menu, ranging in price from $10- $23 depending. We love the variety of the list here, featuring a Nigerian Ale and local beers too. And the wines include the exquisite Iron Horse Fairy Tale Celebration Cuvée Brut and a Spice Route Chakalaka from South Africa.
Skipper Canteen Cost
While not as expensive as Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom, Skipper Canteen is also not as cheap as Liberty Tree Tavern. As such you can plan to pay on average about $30 per entree, $10 per dessert and between $5-$10 per drink, excluding alcoholic beverages. Plan about $50 per person for dinner at Skipper Canteen. If you’re getting the steak or adding alcohol, the price per meal goes up to about $60 per person, on average.
How Many Dining Credits is Skipper Canteen on the Dining Plan?
Skipper Canteen is 1 Dining Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. As such, if you’re hoping to grab the expensive things on this menu, like the Steak, then Skipper Canteen is a great use of 1 Dining Credit. However, as the entrees are actually on the lower end of the cost scale by Disney Table Service Restaurant standards, if you’re planning on getting the curry, the pork or the chicken, it won’t be the best use of a dining credit, as those entrees are all under $30 each.
Skipper Canteen Review
We liked Skipper Canteen a lot. It’s a unique restaurant experience with exotic foods you don’t usually see in theme parks. That said, most families with picky eaters, may be better off with the Thanksgiving Dinner option at Liberty Tree Tavern. Because who doesn’t love that restaurant?!?? For those of you, willing to take a walk on the wild side, then this adventurous restaurant is well worth the visit.
While Skipper Canteen doesn’t make our “Must Do Disney Restaurant” List, it is one that we plan to revisit, even if not regularly. Given that Magic Kingdom often struggles with offering good, budget-friendly restaurants, Skipper Canteen is a shining light in that department, and a good choice if you’re visiting the park, and looking for a decent sit down casual Disney restaurant.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
