Jungle Queen Fort Lauderdale, Dinner Cruise, daily at 6 p.m.
In Fort Lauderdale, gray evenings are rare. Usually, the tropical paradise's bright and sunny afternoons break gently into the soft shades of sunset. But, it was a truly dreary, rainy evening when we approached the bright lights of the Jungle Queen Fort Lauderdale at Bahia Mar Marina. Once we boarded the Jungle Queen Fort Lauderdale (at 6 p.m. sharp!) for our dinner cruise, the night brightened up. The glowing lights of the riverboat and the excited energy of the other passengers -- groups of families, friends and couples -- pushed the gray sky out of our minds.
The riverboat itself offers old-fashioned American charm and the trip entails a bit of mystery -- what will we find when we arrive at this mysterious Tropical Isle? The prospect of diving into an "All You Wish to Eat" BBQ dinner also had an uplifting effect -- we were promised BBQ chicken and ribs as well as shrimp and "delicious" beans. The Jungle Queen crowd seemed a bit giddy, but that's not surprising. The sights, sounds and flavors of the Jungle Queen dinner cruise could disarm the grumpiest of traveling companions and engage the most unreachable of teenagers -- assuming you leave the iPhone in the car. The nearly 75-year-old tourism institution, which takes suggestions via postcards available at the end of the trip, has had plenty of time to hone its tour.
As the boat pulled away from the dock, we waved and said "good evening" to the diners (and drinkers) atBahia Cabana restaurant. Before long, we were cruising past mansions belonging to world-renowned entrepreneurs and businessmen, heiresses, actors, politicians and criminals, such as Al Capone. Our captain's narration was an entertaining mix of corny jokes, local history, and anecdotes about Fort Lauderdale's rich and famous inhabitants. The course along the New River brought us through the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, where we saw Stranahan House and other buildings of the town's historical area like the New River Inn (the city's first hotel), the nightlife complex at Riverfront and other popular waterfront restaurants such as The Downtowner Saloon, Briny Irish Pub and The Pirate Republic and Off the Hookah.
As we passed each of the city's drawbridges, we called out "hello" to the bridge keeper to ensure that we were on good terms and that they would open the bridge for us on the way back. West of the city's downtown area, we continued to pass beautiful private residences with a different character than the flashy megamansions we saw earlier; many of them were old, quaint houses with large yards and creatively-designed pools. We came across a huge yacht marina, with dozens upon dozens of enormous yachts. We also saw a nature preserve with sandy banks and indigenous trees that show what the New River looked like in the days before the area was developed and why the name Jungle Queen was, in the early days, such a fitting term for a boat that toured this river 75 years ago.
As we pulled up to the tree-lined dock of at the Tropical Isle, the captain told us to head straight to the dining room and start digging into our dinner right away. No problem! We headed past the parrot and monkey cages and the alligator pit to a long, lantern-lit wooden structure and filed in to one of several red-and-white checkered picnic tables that ran the entire length of the room. We sat down next to perfect strangers -- who ultimately became very friendly -- and passed around dishes with baked beans and cole slaw. As promised, waitresses carrying trays packed with BBQ ribs and chicken, Old Bay shrimp and peel-and-eat shrimp arrived at the table and allowed us to take as much as we wanted. I don't eat anything with more than four legs, so I can't vouch for the shrimp, but the ribs were fantastic and the chicken was very good. When they showed up with trays of chocolate cake, there was a dessert free for all -- again, as much as you wanted. Pitchers of water were on the tables, but soda, beer and frozen cocktails were available for purchase.
As it was a particularly dreary evening, few people left the dining area to stroll around the island to look at the animals or to purchase souvenirs and jewelry from the vendors. Also, the weather forced the evening's entertainment to the Tropical Isle's indoor stage -- it usually takes place outside. The interactive vaudeville-style dinner show featured a ventriloquist and a magician, who performed old-fashioned tricks with modern and universally-appealing comedic sensibility. The audience was engrossed, as were we.
After you've seen the sights of Fort Lauderdale's waterways, eaten whole trays of BBQ and watched live vaudeville, it's time to unwind on the Moonlit Ride home. The lights go off and light popular music comes on as the riverboat retraces its route, allowing you to get a second look at the highlights of your trip. The Jungle Queen Riverboat dinner cruise departs daily at 6 p.m. sharp. Tickets: adults $39.95, kids $21.75. Jungle Queen also offers two daytime sightseeing tours, which leave the dock at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
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