5 Things We Learned Riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for the FIRST Time in Disney World!

After years of waiting and growing anticipation, we FINALLY rode Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom!

While the attraction officially opens on June 28th, 2024, special previews have been underway and we were fortunate enough to participate and ride the attraction early! While the internet certainly has plenty of thoughts about this new Splash Mountain replacement, we’re here to give you our honest opinions and some things we learned about the new ride!

We were able to experience the attraction earlier this month, and we came away with five important takeaways that you NEED to know about before riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — let’s get into it!

1. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Splash Mountain have quite a few similarities

The change from Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has undoubtedly been controversial. However, diehard fans of Splash Mountain should take comfort in the fact that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure still has the feel of its predecessor.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure maintains the thrills with its drops (including the big one) and honors critters with its animatronics, effects, and ambiance. Overall, this ride doesn’t feel like the massive departure some were fearing it to be.

However, one unfortunate similarity between the two rides is the delay frequency. Splash Mountain had some really long stoppages and that hasn’t gone away yet with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Remember, the ride updates came in the form of scenes, while the ride system is practically the same.

The most consistent delay we’ve seen with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is in the same place as Splash Mountain where you may get stuck in traffic in the outdoor portion next to the waterfall before the final scene.

Another negative similarity is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has some dead space. However, like Splash Mountain (which also had dead space), this mostly comes at the beginning of the ride before any of the big scenes are introduced. It’s true that Splash Mountain had more scenes, but Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has bigger scenes with more animatronics.

2. The ride is not conflict-driven

One criticism of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is that it doesn’t have a story. This isn’t true. The attraction does have a narrative, it just isn’t conflict-driven.

The premise of the ride is that you’re looking for band members for the big Mardi Gras party and at one point you shrink down and experience the bayou as tiny, frog-sized passengers. There’s not a ton of conflict here — just a good time.

Could the ride have benefited from a looming threat and more of an adventure aspect in the narrative? Maybe, especially since the ride is lengthy. But overall, the story is clear and has an arc.

3. There are still some technical difficulties

We already mentioned the delays, but we did notice some other issues as well.

Evacuations have been pretty public in the early going of the attraction, which isn’t all too surprising for new rides. Still, the evacuations have been disappointing considering the ride system is the same as Splash Mountain’s.

Another issue we saw pop up frequently was the vocal track not lining up with the animatronics’ mouths. These are top-notch animatronics with articulate mouths, so when the sound doesn’t match, it’s pretty noticeable. This was the biggest tech issue we noticed during our ride-through.

4. The ride relies on a strong atmospheric presence and delivers

Once inside, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes riders through an atmospheric journey that lives up to the hype!

One of our favorite touches is the indoor bayou featuring wall screens with dancing fireflies and fireflies in the foliage in the ceiling glinting around. These small additions help set the atmosphere and keep a rhythm to the ride that matches the music.

Another big plus is the animatronics! This ride features even more animatronics than we were expecting — especially Tiana animatronics. The new characters are adorable and the animatronics are super impressive!

One of our favorite parts of the ride is a section where Mama Odie shrinks you down to the size of a frog and everything feels bigger, enhancing the ambiance.  We were also big fans of the section where Tiana and Luis find you in a little frog hole. It really helps sell the fact that you are small and we got a kick out of it.

The final showroom is also excellent. It’s huge and the screens make the room feel even bigger. Tiana in her new glitzy dress and her decorated home are the perfect end to a really fun ride. Overall, it’s easy to get lost in the bayou on this attraction!

5. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replaces fear with fun

Similar to how Disney California Aventure replaced Tower of Terror’s fear factor with the pure, party-like joy of Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!,  Tiana’s Bayou Adventure aims to remove the sense of dread with something more upbeat.

While the music keeps you engaged in a similar fashion as Splash Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is less ominous. This is only amplified with the final drop. Instead of vultures warning you about your impending doom, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure focuses more on the party aspect and turning back into regular humans with its big drop.

This change makes the drop feel less scary, which is a big plus for people who might have stayed away because of it. The ride really does substitute danger for fun, and we’re here for it.

Overall, we think everyone should give Tiana’s Bayou Adventure a chance! We really like it and can’t wait for it to officially open at the end of the month. In the meantime, be sure to follow us here at AllEars for the latest Disney World tips, tricks, news, reviews, and more!

SNEAK PEEK at an Exclusive Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Souvenir BEFORE Opening Day in Magic Kingdom

Have you ridden Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during the early previews? Share your experience in the comments below!

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