I Just Rode Tiana's Bayou Adventure Ride That Replaced Splash Mountain After Following Construction For Months (2024)

I just went on Tiana's Bayou Adventure for the first time at Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World after following this attraction closely for the last 5 months.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure is the reimagining of Splash Mountain, and the events of the ride are set after the events of The Princess and the Frog. The storyline for the ride is centered around a Mardi Gras celebration hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen at their home in the bayou.

After experiencing this attraction for the first time today, I want to offer my 100% honest thoughts and first reactions to the moment I've been dreaming of all year.

Warning: spoilers for the storyline and details of Tiana's Bayou Adventure are ahead!

Tiana's Bayou Adventure Background and Story

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen are hosting a giant Mardi Gras celebration, and the missing “ingredient” are the musical critters we are going into the bayou to find. The storyline starts off immediately when we first see Princess Tiana in the millhouse, as she tells us we need to find them! The main focus of the story is to gather these critters so they can perform in the finale scene, yet Mama Odie shows up to have a little fun with her magic. Before we are sent to the party, she makes us as small as frogs, and just before we are sent to the party, she turns us human size again so we can celebrate with Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, and all of the critters in the finale scene.

I have dedicated the last 5 months of my life to following every update and detail on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and is without a doubt the most excited I have ever been for an attraction. Today is my 54th visit to Magic Kingdom Park this year to document the attraction, and was for my first ride. I have taken over 1,000+ photos of the attraction during its development and have seen it come to life in real time.

My First Reaction to Tiana's Bayou Adventure

Today I rode Tiana's Bayou Adventure as part of the ongoing Cast Member previews. The attraction is still in previews and it has been breaking down during the past couple of days during the previews. During my experience riding it did not break down, but it has broken down at other times today. You can see details on how to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure when it opens here.

I can confidently say that my first ride on Tiana's Bayou Adventure was one of the happiest moments of my life, if not the happiest. I have been thinking about this exact moment for so long now and as I'm writing this article, it still doesn't feel real that I've been on it.

This attraction NEEDSto be experienced for the first time with your own eyes, and to that point, I am extremely disappointed that Disney uploaded a POV of this attraction beforehand. There are now millions of people who have watched a POV that is awful quality and have formed opinions of it as a result.

I avoided all videos and photos that I could, and I am so happy that I did. I always want to experience new attractions for the first time with my own eyes and feel that's the only way to experience something for the first time. I went into my first ride with an open mind and I firmly believe my experience was so happy due to every reason I listed.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure starts with a very fun “wow” moment, as there is an incredible next generation Princess Tiana Audio-Animatronics figure at the very beginning of the ride in the millhouse. She immediately welcomes us to the bayou and sets the story, as we are headed down the bayou to gather critters for the Mardi Gras celebration, which is the finale scene.

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The upper outdoor section of the attraction is the Tiana’s Foods garden, and this is where we first see Louis the Alligator. He is looking for critters, and after we see him, there are beautiful props Tiana and her employees have grown, and it fills the area perfectly. The props and details in the upper outdoor section of Tiana's Bayou Adventure before the first drop into the bayou are incredible as well, and I loved how alive it felt even before seeing the major show scenes.

I lost my mind after we dropped into the bayou, and the way this first scene is staged is GORGEOUS. As you turn the corner, the first Louis the Alligator Audio-Animatronics figure is revealed, and is without a doubt, a core memory for me. These Audio-Animatronics figures throughout the entire attraction are incredible in person, and I can't wait to appreciate the details on them with each ride.

We then encounter the critters of the bayou playing their instruments as Tiana and Louis listen and groove along to the music. The other big thing I noticed with the Audio-Animatronics figures is their scale. The scale and detail on every critter truly blew my mind, and can only be appreciated in person. The first two bands of critters are back-to-back, and I loved how each scene allowed for focus on them. These figures can only be appreciated in person, and I loved every single one of them.

The way that these scenes are staged feels very natural, as we encounter them in their environments. Each critter performance has its spotlight and I love that you can focus on each scene as you float by them. The unique thing about this attraction is since it's based around music, if the scenes were too close together, they would clash. The spacing and staging allow for each song to be heard clearly and effectively.

While I noticed the first indoor section of track was simple in some places, from a storyline perspective, it fits the attraction. When you first drop into the bayou, “Gonna Take You There” from The Princess and the Frog plays, which perfectly lines up with the scene. After you first encounter Louis the Alligator, Princess Tiana, and the first group of critters, there is digital media with fireflies that is undoubtedly a reference to when the song plays in The Princess and the Frog. It truly feels like you are “going down the bayou” here, and while I understand the story decision, I can see why not everyone will love it.

Rides are addressed during the ride as if we are part of the story, rather than “spectating” what is happening around us. Princess Tiana and Louis the Alligator directly address us multiple times in these band scenes, and it was extremely cool to see how the programming was timed to the logs passing by, rather than everything happening around us.

We encounter Tiana, who speaks to us and says that all of the critters are playing at the celebration but she wants to keep searching for even more music. A fun part of the story is when Mama Odie then shows up, and we are sent down a bunny hill drop, which makes us as small as a frog! This transition is done through the drop, and there is a fun flash of light as our logs exit the drop into the bayou scene where everything appears giant.

The frog Audio-Animatronic figures, the group of frogs Disney previously introduced that play Afro-Cuban music in the bayou, appear giant because we are the same size in the story as them. These are some of the coolest Audio-Animatronics figures ever done by Walt Disney Imagineering, and I love how their entire performance was carried out through the scene up to the 50-foot drop. Again, this isn't something you could appreciate from the video released.

In the story, the 50-foot drop is a shortcut we are guided to so we can make it to the Mardi Gras celebration being hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Mama Odie is seen as an incredible Audio-Animatronics figure at the top of the hill, and this is our transition back to human size as we go down the 50-foot plunge. The original rendition of “Dig a Little Deeper” on the drop was a ton of fun and I was singing along with it the entire time. This scene could have had additional decorations from the movie, such as more of Mama Odie’s bottle lanterns, but the scene goes by so quickly and riders are so focused on the upcoming drop that many additional details here likely would have been missed.

👉🏾 CLICK HERE to Read Our Prediction on When Tiana's Bayou Adventure Will Be Opening at Disneyland

The finale scene for this attraction delivers a beautiful capstone to this attraction with tons going on. This scene is packed with Audio-Animatronics figures, and the original song written PJ Morton, “Special Spice,” is a masterpiece. This scene is far and away my favorite part of this new attraction and the reveal does not disappoint.

Overall, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a fantastic addition to Magic Kingdom Park, and I believe it will be loved for decades to come. I hope everyone goes into it with an open mind and enjoys it as a result of that. The new ride has been judged too quickly on social media and deserves to be given a fresh chance by all riders. It really has to be seen in person to be appreciated fully.

Make sure to stay tuned to MickeyVisit.com, as we bring you even more from Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

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