After years of anticipation, we’re now only a couple of weeks away from Walt Disney World’s opening of the new ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The Southern-themed experience — which replaces Splash Mountain in both the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland — is inspired by one of Disney’s best animated features, 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, and in fact serves as a direct sequel to the movie. Guests will accompany Tiana down the bayou as she prepares to host a Mardi Gras party, and that sounds like a celebration I need an invite to. Previews have been running for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, so let’s see what people are saying.
The re-themed dark ride is set to open to the public at Walt Disney World in Florida on June 28, but guests visiting Disneyland in California will have to wait a bit longer. No specific date has been announced yet, but it is expected to open sometime in 2024. Video of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure elicited strong opinions from fans, so let’s see what people are saying now that they’ve actually gotten to experience it. CinemaBlend’s own Dirk Libbey was one of the lucky riders, and he confirms on X (formerly known as Twitter) you will still get soaked.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a more significant glow up than I was expecting. Beautiful new animatronics, but also screens that enhance the experience without drawing focus. Great music, both PATF classics reimagined and catchy original songs. And you still get soaking wet. pic.twitter.com/9zkEbfm6NvJune 10, 2024
Dirk Libbey also reports that the ride was operating smoothly, though there were a couple of hiccups to be worked out, including a Mama Odie animatronic that wasn’t functional on his ride.
Meanwhile, WGN’s Marcus Leshock thinks the best experience comes from the back of the log, where riders get a little bit longer to enjoy the animatronics. Overall, he is pleased with the retheming, as he posts:
The faces of a 50 foot splash!I have ridden Tiana’s Bayou Adventure @WaltDisneyWorld three times now. I love it. The ride experience is the same as it always was on Splash Mountain … but personally I think the new theming is great and the music is fantastic. I rode all over… pic.twitter.com/h4eKamqpdVJune 10, 2024
The WGN reporter also shows a video of one of the oft-talked-about dark rooms, saying the experience is more impressive in person than he expected it to be. According to his social media:
A lot has been discussed/criticized about the dark sections on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I like them so much better in person … I think they’re needed to make rooms like this one really pop. The more I ride this the more I love it. pic.twitter.com/jh21yUETUlJune 10, 2024
News about the revamped ride has caused disappointment in some, because The Princess and the Frog-themed experience won’t include the numerous animatronics that Splash Mountain was known for. Disney appears to be going with quality over quantity for animatronics on Tiana’s Big Adventure, and that's just fine with travel enthusiast Michelle McKnight. The fan shared some photos and video from her first go-round, posting that she loves the music, characters and everything else.
I loved Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The music, the characters…everything really!#thisismagic #waltdisneyworld pic.twitter.com/F8qLq4PWBzJune 10, 2024
ThrillGeek points out a military tribute in the line that shows the New Orleans princess with her father:
Be sure to keep your 👀 open for the Military tribute that Imagineers placed in the queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure featuring Tiana and her dad. @WaltDisneyWorld @DisneyParks #ThisisMagic pic.twitter.com/y3osciemV4June 10, 2024
The ride features The Princess and the Frog’s original voice cast, who reprised their roles for the dialogue played on the log flume, and riders will hear both songs from the movie and original music. In fact, New Orleans native and Maroon 5 member PJ Morton penned a song just for the occasion.
Park visitors in Florida don’t have long to wait before they get to experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for themselves, and hopefully Disneyland ticket-holders won’t have to wait long either. In the meantime, you can always re-experience the ride’s inspiration, with The Princess and the Frog available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
