Originally, Walt Disney wanted the cruise to feature live animals. Since many of his choices were nocturnal, they would be sleeping as the boats passed by, which wouldn't make for an exciting ride.
Walt kept live alligators in cages next to the line, but Doyle told Tech Insider that many guests thought the animals were fake and would throw popcorn at them. Allegedly, the gators would even escape into the park.
"Trainers would have to be called from the nearby Buena Park Gator Farm to retrieve the animals," Doyle told us. Eventually, they decided to nix the idea and use animatronic animals instead.