Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Opens This Month at Disney World — and We Were Among the First to Ride

12.06.2024 - 20:21 / travelandleisure.com / Louis

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially opens at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park on June 28, and we were among the first guests to experience the attraction this week.

Disney first announced that Splash Mountain at both Disney World and Disneyland would be transformed into a new “The Princess and the Frog”-themed ride in 2020. Nearly four years and a complete overhaul later, Disney World’s version of the ride is “almost there,” just a couple of weeks out from its grand opening — and it’s a Mardi Gras-level celebration of the fan-favorite princess and New Orleans.

“Tiana was our inspiration because Tiana is everybody’s princess,” Walt Disney Imagineering’s Charita Carter said during an event celebrating the new attraction. “She comes from a real place in America, she wasn’t born into royalty, she has a working mom, she has military ties, and there’s so much about her life that is relatable.”

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The previously orange, rocky mountain covered in briar patches has been transformed into a lush interpretation of the Louisiana bayou, complete with colorful flowers and fireflies. And rather than retelling the film’s story, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure picks up where the film leaves off, with many of the original voice actors, including Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie.

The bones of the ride system haven’t changed much from Splash Mountain as the log flume attraction still carries guests through twists and dips and they sail through different scenes before reaching the 50-foot drops and festive grand finale moment. But beyond the physical movements, the ride feels brand-new with 48 all-new audio-animatronics featuring beloved characters Tiana, Louis, and 19 adorable, musically gifted critters, and a delightful soundtrack featuring songs from the film.

The ride also features a catchy original song, “Special Spice,” made especially for the attraction.

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As the story has it, after opening her restaurant, Tiana’s Palace, the princess-entrepreneur opens Tiana’s Foods, an employee-owned cooperative housed in a former salt mine that creates all kinds of local food products, from hot sauce to pecan oil.

Riders enter the queue and pass through Tiana’s office and kitchen, where she’s cooking up some of her tasty beignets (you may smell them before you see them!).

The ride takes place during the Mardi Gras season of 1927 and Tiana is hosting a party to celebrate, but she needs guests’ help because Louis hasn’t booked a band for the event yet. That means it’s time to board your log and go to the bayou with Louis and Tiana to round up some musicians. Cute critter bands playing zydeco, rara, and Afro-Cuban