The day has come — Splash Mountain is officially closing in Disney World.
Set to open in late 2024, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will take the place of the Magic Kingdom mountain and will feature a story following the end of The Princess and the Frog. We’re bringing you along on the closing day of a popular Disney World attraction, so let’s see what it’s like!
Overall Park Crowds
We got to the park around opening time and the crowds were not anything out of the ordinary near the entrance of the park.
As we made our way back towards Splash Mountain, there were huge crowds (as we expected).
Ride Crowds/Wait Times
The line stretched all the way into Frontierland and eventually made its way to Liberty Square near the entrance of Liberty Tree Tavern.
Take another look at the crowds at rope drop this morning.
Good morning from Magic Kingdom where we’re rope dropping Splash Mountain on its last day! pic.twitter.com/umvg5Tsj1s
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
If you’re trying to hop in line for Splash Mountain today, look for the Cast Member holding a “Line Starts Here” sign. This will continually move throughout the day as the crowds fluctuate.
The line would stop for a little while and then we would take a leap forward — this is because the line had to be cut off to make room for the walkway to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Cast Members actually cut off the walkway near Splash, so guests can only use the boardwalk (pictured below) to get over to the wildest ride in the wilderness.
As far as the wait times go, Splash Mountain was already up to a 90 minute wait time a half hour after the park opened.
But by 9:45AM, Splash Mountain’s wait time increased to 145 minutes!
Quincy and Breedlove officially made it into the queue!
We’re IN the queue! #SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/CrLPxTwr5x
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
The long outdoor queue was full of guests.
It just keeps going, and going, and GOING. #SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/vjSXz2RbEE
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
After a nearly two hour wait, Quincy and Breedlove made it on the ride!
And we’re off! #SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/PYW70NgeMj
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
It was time for one more spooky drop down the mountain.
Here we goooo! #SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/zKMxFNFExU
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
Whew, they made it!
One more time! ?? pic.twitter.com/fXuazNY5KE
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
Quincy and Breedlove both had a great time on their last ride, and once they were off the ride and experiencing the rest of the park, we checked back to see what the wait time was. As of 3:10PM, the wait time was at 220 minutes — nearly 4 hours!
It’s safe to say that crowds are NOT lightening up as the afternoon goes on…Splash Mountain is currently approaching a FOUR HOUR wait!? pic.twitter.com/SkXAHXYs2W
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) January 22, 2023
This post will continue to be updated throughout the day — check back for more updates!
What to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
The reason for Splash Mountain’s closure is to make way for a brand new attraction — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The ride will take over where Splash Mountain is in both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland in late 2024.
The ride will bring back several of the voice actors from the original The Princess and the Frog movie, including Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, Bruno Campos as Naveen, Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie.
The ride will pick up Tiana’s story from the end of the original film. Tiana, Naveen, and Louis are going on an adventure through the bayou as they prepare to host a “one-of-a-kind Mardi Gras celebration.” The ride will also feature original music inspired by the songs from the movie.
We already got a sneak peek at Tiana’s costume…
…a look at new characters coming to the attraction…
…and some details on what the ride will look like at night!
We got another look at plans for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! #D23Expo2022 pic.twitter.com/R3umowtUrr
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) September 11, 2022
We’ll continue to keep you updated on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure updates and we’ll be bringing you construction updates on the ride when Disney begins to work on it. Stay tuned to AllEars for more!
Learn more about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
Did you get a chance to ride Splash Mountain before it closes? Let us know in the comments.
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