Thankfully, the angry hippos aren’t real.
Disney World’s Jungle Cruise ride, which takes passengers on a gentle tour through a river filled with robot animals, went awry on Thursday, when a boat full of passengers sank into the shallow, murky water.
Though Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is starring in an upcoming adventure film inspired by the ride, wasn’t there to leap to the rescue, Florida’s Reedy Creek Fire Department responded to the event, Disney World representatives confirmed to USA TODAY.
Every passenger exited the boat safely, and park officials worked to help wet guests enjoy the rest of their day.
Later that day, a passenger aboard the sinking vessel posted photos of the mayhem to his unverified Twitter account @synewaves.
“Our boat on the jungle cruise sank today,” the user wrote, adding a picture of passengers’ feet underwater. “Fun times!”
He added a picture of a man standing on the boat by himself with water nearly up to his waist.
“Our skipper was awesome, used a radio to get help, and we did not have wet feet or wet clothes on for very long,” the user continued. “I can rest easy being part of the best Disney metaphor of all time”
It wasn’t long before jokes about the sinking started coming to the surface.
“Imagine being a casual tourist on a Jungle Cruise boat and it just straight up sinks and you don’t know if it’s part of the ride or not,” wrote Twitter user @DisneyDweller.
User @theWillSource said evacuating a sinking ship adds to the Jungle Cruise adventure.
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“People claim they want more immersive, realistic experiences, but then complain when their Jungle Cruise boats begin sinking,” he wrote. “Like, that happens sometimes, k?”
User @themeparkjosh wondered how the skipper, who provides punny commentary throughout the ride, responded.
“God, I hope that Jungle Cruise skipper hammed it up while guests were being evacuated,” he wrote. ” ‘Well, if this isn’t a perfect metaphor for my love life: you’re all leaving and I’m left sinking.’ “
A video of the event earned a comparison to the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” with user @nahtanoJcimsoC sharing a scene of passengers evacuating the vessel as Celine Dion belts “My Heart Will Go On.”
User @WALTBACON jokingly pointed out how the ship sank two days after Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
