It’s always exciting when we get a new ride at the Disney Parks and this summer Walt Disney World just welcomed their newest attraction! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened to the public on June 28th at Magic Kingdom park and guests have been loving experiencing the ride. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure had a lot to live up to as it replaced Splash Mountain; which was a fan favorite attraction at the Disney Parks. The ride track has remained the exact same as Splash Mountain but the theming and storyline are all new, making this attraction a brand new experience.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes you to a party that your invited to by Tiana herself. Along the way you head down to the bayou to help Tiana find the musicians for her party! With any good Disney ride there are always a couple of surprises along the way, such as when Momma Odie casts a spell on you to shrink you down to the size of frogs! And of course the attraction still features that iconic big splash as you drop down the mountain and make your way to Tiana’s party!
Let’s take a deep dive into some of the amazing details you can expect with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. One of the key points to know to understand the storyline of the ride is that the timeline of the ride takes place after the story of Princess and the Frog when we first met Tiana. The attraction takes place after Tiana’s movie once she got her happily ever after. When we see her in the attraction she is successfully running her restaurant and is married to Prince Naveen.
When you enter the queue line of the attraction you enter into a beautiful New Orleans courtyard out front of Tiana’s restaurant. You will see details as you get closer to the entrance of Tiana’s restaurant such as a children’s garden which was started by Tiana to give back to her community. You will also get to see her restaurant’s food delivery truck parked right next to the back doors of the restaurant. This spot makes for a great photo op!
When you then enter into the back door of the restaurant there is so much to take in during this part of the queue. You will see the timecards for Tiana’s restaurant employees along with food storage, newspaper articles and other mementos of Tiana’s. There are so many details in this area and it is sure to keep you very entertained while waiting in line. Once you head upstair in the queue you will get a glimpse of Tiana’s kitchen where she just made a fresh batch of beignets. You can even smell the scent of the delicious beignets in the air! Disney has done a great job of fully immersing guests into the story and world of Tiana. Another detail to look for in the kitchen is a note pinned to a bulletin board written by Tiana to her staff and friends inviting them to a big party at her house.
From Tiana’s kitchen we head down to the log boats to board the ride and head to the bayou. The whole time you hear incredible jazz music that transports you into the vibrant culture of New Orleans. You head inside Tiana’s Foods where you are greeted by the first animatronic of Tiana. She tells guests that Louis will greet us up ahead and we will head down to the bayou to search for musicians for her party. The technology and animatronics in this attraction are incredible and so well done. You head down the first small drop and your search for musicians in the bayou begins!
You meet along the way many adorable critters playing their instruments and with each scene Tiana is gathering more and more musicians to play at her party. As mentioned earlier every good story needs a surprise, Mama Odie appears and puts a spell on us to make us tiny. At this moment we go down another drop and are then shrunk down to the size of frogs. You feel small because the animatronics are all so large. In this scene we discover a frog band that also gets invited by Tiana to play at her party.
Everything builds up to the moment we get read to go up the lift hill to the big drop. Mama Odie appears again and this time puts another spell on guests to turn them big again so they “make a big splash at the party!
As you climb the lift hill you will even get to see an incredible animatronic of Mama Odie before seeing that stunning view of Cinderella Castle in the distance and dropping down into the bayou for your big splash! From there your log boat cruises over to the home of Tiana and Prince Naveen for the most incredible ending scene! You will see beautiful animatronics of Tiana, her friends and all the critter musicians she invited. The whole band is performing and Tiana herself is singing to guests!
When you exit the ride you will pass by the store that has the on ride photo that was taken of you dropping down the iconic splash hill. There are also some neat photo ops in this location. Don’t forget to stop in the Critter Co-op store to get all of your Tiana’s merchandise. Also, if this ride has made you hungry for Tiana’s famous beignets you won’t want to miss the Golden Outpost where these beignets are being serviced along with some New Orleans gumbo!
For more on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure check out our YouTube video review!
