13 Things You Didn’t Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disney’s Newest Attraction
Updated: Jun. 13, 2024
Walt Disney World's new bayou water ride is making a splash!
If you’re looking for a dose of magic that transports you to a completely new world, there’s no place like Disney. And that’s especially true for its incredible themed rides and attractions. So when a new addition comes along, our mouse ears perk up with excitement. The year’s biggest unveiling at Walt Disney World is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based on the 2009 film The Princess and the Frog—and I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview.
Spoiler alert: It’s fantastic! The first marquee attraction in Disney theme-park history to be based on a Black character, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open to the public on June 28 in Orlando, Florida. Ahead of its eagerly anticipated opening, here’s everything you need to know.
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What is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a music- and animatronics-filled log-flume ride (note: not a roller coaster) in Magic Kingdom that’s packed with some of the most detailed and immersive design experiences I’ve seen from Disney. The ride is inspired by the animated film The Princess and the Frog, which is set in New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou. So it’s no surprise you’ll find lush, winding waterways, bayou critters, lively music and memorable Disney characters, including Tiana and her trumpet-playing alligator friend, Louis.
The attraction is also wonderfully long, and for the most part relaxing—most of the ride feels like a lazy river, with the exception of two quick drops and one massive 50-foot splash down (and yes, I got very wet).
It will also be opening later this year in Disneyland in California (but no date has been released yet). Here’s what else you probably don’t know about it.
1. The ride is replacing Splash Mountain
If the location and external shape of the attraction looks familiar, that’s because the core of this new ride is an old one: Splash Mountain. While the old ride was a classic, the 1946 movie it was based on, Song of the South, is considered both antiquated and racist. So Disney not only removed the film from its vault—it also decided to close the ride and create a replacement.
I’m here to tell you that the actual log-flume ride from Splash Mountain is at the core of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure—I had the same thrilling water-ride experience as before, but was dazzled anew by the high-tech details, including impressive audio animatronics and video.
2. It features Disney’s first Black princess
It’s also the first time a marquee ride has been based on a Black character. Tiana’s character in The Princess and the Frog is hardworking and ambitious, and she dreams of opening her own restaurant in 1920s New Orleans. If you haven’t seen the film, she meets Prince Naveen (who has been turned into a frog by evil Dr. Facilier), and things take a turn. He mistakes her for a princess and plants a kiss on Tiana in hopes of breaking the spell … but instead accidentally turns her into a frog as well. The two adventure through the bayou in search of a powerful voodoo priestess and with the hope of turning human again.
3. The ride takes place one year after the movie’s story ends
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s story picks up one year after the movie leaves off: Tiana and Prince Naveen have opened Tiana’s Palace, a snazzy restaurant and jazz club, and they’re about to have a Mardi Gras celebration. They need musicians, though, and we’re along for the ride as Louis—the trumpet-playing, jazz-loving alligator from the film—goes with Tiana from the Crescent City to the bayou to meet some new instrument-playing critters for the band.
Along the way, Mama Odie, the 197-year-old voodoo priestess, shrinks you down to frog size so you can visit the watery audition site too.
4. There are 19 new animal characters on the ride
Speaking of critters, Disney added a whopping 19 new characters to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. You’ll meet everyone from a license-plate-playing armadillo to a turtle, rabbit and bear cub.
5. The queue is filled with incredible story details
It’s hard to slow down when you’re excited to get on a ride, but the queue is filled with unbelievably detailed memorabilia from the movie, including pictures of Tiana and her mom and dad, recipes for gumbo, and letters to Louis from fans. Keep an eye on the “missing” posters too. Without giving away too many spoilers, I’ll just say that these are clues to details you’ll see later in the ride. (Tip: Look at the “instruments” the critters are playing.)
6. There’s a salute to the military here too
In the queue’s photo gallery, you’ll also see images of Tiana’s dad in his World War I uniform, along with other military tributes. Charita Carter, an executive at Disney Imagineering, who worked on the ride, said these were some of her favorite details, highlighting Disney’s admiration and respect for military members and their families.
7. Yes, you really are smelling beignets
I kept thinking I smelled something sweet and delicious when I was walking up to the ride, and sure enough, I was! As you walk through the queue, you’ll pass Tiana’s Test Kitchen, where a plate of powder-sugar-dusted beignets is sitting out. To immerse you in the spirit of New Orleans cuisine, you’ll be able to smell them as you walk by.
8. The food is based on real New Orleans recipes
Culinary legend Leah Chase, whose restaurant Dooky Chase is a New Orleans classic, was a pioneer in African American cooking in New Orleans, as well as a strong champion of building both family and community in her region. Her story served as an inspiration for Tiana, who values family above all else and shares her love through food too, according to Disney Imagineers.
Chase’s family members, including children and grandchildren, helped advise Disney on authentic recipes and food recreations for the attraction. You can even buy Dooky Chase seasonings in the gift shop—the only place they’re available outside of the Big Easy.
9. The music is original and authentic to New Orleans
Even though these songs are as catchy as anything you’ll hear in the Disney musical canon, the ride soundtrack is completely authentic to the music traditions of New Orleans, with a mix of Zydeco, Rara and Afro-Cuban music. (The tunes were created in collaboration with award-winning musicians PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard.)
10. There’s a never-before-heard song
And I can promise you won’t stop singing it. “Special Spice” is the song I’ve been singing most often since I rode Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The refrain, “It’s a joyful celebration,” couldn’t be more apropos for this ride. Don’t worry, though—the film’s classic tunes (including “Dig a Little Deeper,” sung by Mama Odie and voiced by Jennifer Lewis) are here too.
11. Disney Vacation Club Members can get an early look
If you’re a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member and want to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before the crowds start to build, you’re in luck! Members can visit the bayou ahead of the official opening on June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 and 20.
12. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is one of the longest rides at Disney World
Yes, waiting to get on a ride can be deflating, but it helps when you finally get on and can really take your time enjoying the experience. This ride clocks in at more than 9 minutes long, and that’s without your time spent soaking in those details in the queue.
13. You can meet Tiana in person
If the ride makes you want to give Tiana a big hug, you’re in luck. There are character meet-and-greets in two places at Disney. The first, Princess Fairy Tale Hall, is located in Magic Kingdom. The second is at a character meal at the newly refurbished 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.
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Originally Published: June 13, 2024
