As Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Prepares To Open In Place Of Splash Mountain, See How Riders Are Reacting To A Sneak Peek

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.

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 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:

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.

ThrillGeek points out a military tribute in the line that shows the New Orleans princess with her father:

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.