The venerable Jungle Queen, one of Fort Lauderdale’s longest running tourist attractions, has been sold to a Miami-based entrepreneur who pledges to keep the venerable riverboat operation running.
“I have a deep love and appreciation for historic businesses like the Jungle Queen,” Miami businessman Bill Fuller said in a Monday statement announcing the acquisition. “These places become part of a community’s identity. They hold memories that span generations, and with that comes a tremendous responsibility. My goal isn’t to reinvent the Jungle Queen — it’s to honor its extraordinary history while investing in its future so families will continue making memories here for generations to come.”
Fuller told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday that he intends to add features to the attraction that focus on the Fort Lauderdale area’s history, including educational programming for children.
“There’s a great backbone and legacy here,” he said. “As a steward, I have to make sure I keep everything intact and don’t do anything radical.”
Michael Faber, the company president and member of the family that owned the business since 1958, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Fuller, whose projects include the restoration of the MAI-KAI Restaurant & Polynesian Show in Fort Lauderdale, has acquired both the riverboat and the business’s Tropical Isle, a waterfront destination that has welcomed millions of visitors since 1935. The sale terms were not disclosed.
Fuller is co-founder and managing partner of Barlington Group and Mad Room Hospitality. Besides serving as managing partner and a co-owner of the MAI-KAI, he is co-owner of the landmark Cuban restaurant and bar, Ball & Chain, on Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana.
The Andrews Avenue bridge opens to allow the Fort Lauderdale Jungle Queen to pass through in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 17, 1979. (South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
FILE – The original Jungle Queen boat, shown with an added top deck published July 2, 2002. (Judy Sloan Reich/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Jungle Queen tour boat, shown packed with passengers in June 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, has been sold to a Miami-based entrepreneur who intends to keep the decades-old franchise running. (South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
FILE – Jerry Faber, owner of the Jungle Queen, stands aboard the boat his company cruises up and down the Intracoastal Waterway on July 2, 2002. (Judy Sloan Reich/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – A passing Jungle Queen boat helps extinguish a fire with its onboard hoses after a small cabin cruiser caught fire on the New River near Shirley’s Shirt Tail Charlie’s restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale. (Lou Toman/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Jungle Queen boat passes by the proposed Riverwalk area along the New River on May 1, 1985. (Joe Willis/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Steven Gonzalez gives passengers a guided tour aboard the Jungle Queen Riverboat on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Hula dancers interact with the audience during the Jungle Queen Riverboat island experience on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Steven Gonzalez gives passengers a guided tour aboard the Jungle Queen Riverboat on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The Jungle Queen passes by the railroad drawbridge on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The tour boat company has been sold to Miami entrepreneur Bill Fuller, who led the redevelopment of the city’s MAI-KAI Polynesian restaurant on Federal Highway, (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
FILE – Hula dancers perform during the Jungle Queen Riverboat island experience on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Ribs are served as a part of the Jungle Queen Riverboat island experience on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Astrel Tima proposes to Sheyraya Marseille during the Jungle Queen Riverboat island experience on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – Passengers wave to bystanders from the Jungle Queen Riverboat on Sunday, June 2, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Jungle Queen boat pulls into the dock at the island. Tourists and locals enjoyed the night cruise, which included dinner and a show. (Michael Francis McElroy/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Jungle Queen boat pulls into the dock at the island to unload its passengers. Tourists and locals enjoyed the night cruise, which included dinner and a show. (Michael Francis McElroy/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Jungle Queen cruises down the New River during the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
FILE – The Jungle Queen passes under the Southeast Third Street bridge during the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011. (Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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The Andrews Avenue bridge opens to allow the Fort Lauderdale Jungle Queen to pass through in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 17, 1979. (South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
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Decades of river tours
For more than nine decades, the Jungle Queen ferried generations of visitors through Fort Lauderdale’s scenic waterways, serving up sightseeing cruises, dinner excursions, and evenings at its proprietary Tropical Isle. The company says it has entertained 18 million visitors since 1935.
The Jungle Queen operates from the Bahia Mar Yachting Center at 801 Seabreeze Blvd. near Fort Lauderdale beach. Passengers can opt for a 90-minute sightseeing cruise along the City of Fort Lauderdale’s New River and waterfront “Millionaire’s Row.” Or, they can take a four-hour evening journey that includes an all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner and tropical island variety show that features a Polynesian fire act.
Online reviews left with TripAdvisor during the months of May and June show mostly satisfied customers. More than 3,000 out of 3,700 river cruisers rated their Jungle Queen experiences as “excellent” or “good.”
More recently, the Jungle Queen hosted more than 1,000 members of Scotland’s famed Tartan Army, “whose colorful traditions, music and celebration transformed the riverfront into one of the largest international fan gatherings in Fort Lauderdale ahead of Scotland’s FIFA World Cup match against Brazil,” the news release said.
Signage is posted at the Jungle Queen Riverboat sightseeing cruise dock in Fort Lauderdale beach on Monday. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The business was launched in 1935 by Capt. Al Starts, and sold in 1958 to Earl Faber and his wife, Mary, a former Ziegfeld Follies performer. The couple developed the business into one of the state’s more prominent tourism brands.
“I often say that ownership of a legacy business is simply the passing of a baton,” Fuller said in his company’s acquisition announcement. “The Faber family carried that baton with distinction, and I am honored to carry it into the next chapter. Our responsibility is to leave the Jungle Queen even stronger than we found it.”
In his telephone interview with the Sun Sentinel, Fuller said he plans to move slowly and deliberately as he invests in the business.
All of the features including the tropical island, which is actually a peninsula on the western end of the river tour, will remain intact, from the wildlife to the lush gardens.
“Then many more exciting additions will be brought on in time,” he said. Among the additions: a short film that chronicles the history of the city’s and river’s evolution over the decades.
“There is a lot to learn just by navigating the river every day,” Fuller said, adding that he wants to continue to attract successive generations of families from the Northeast, Midwest and elsewhere.
He also spoke of working in concert with the developers who are re-shaping the Bahia Mar area of the city, which has served as the Jungle Queen’s starting point.
“We are going to be a good partner with that project and the other projects that are coming,” he said. “I think there is a great working relationship. The boats and marina village are synergistic.”
“I’m agnostic to what type of development comes,” Fuller added. “We are going to be great stewards and partners with the municipality and our neighbors. We’re going to do a lot of community outreach.”