(Updated 6/25/24) All of the news and details we have so far about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World:
One of my favorite Disney World attractions of all time was Splash Mountain. When they announced they were closing it, I was disappointed. But when they said it would still keep the basic ride structure (I love that drop!) and have a Princess and the Frog theme, I was actually excited! Princess and the Frog is one of my favorite Disney movies, so I think this new ride has the potential to be even better than Splash Mountain.
We are now very close to the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World, and I can’t wait to ride it. I won’t be visiting until September, but in the meantime I’ve been following all of the news and updates from Disney and gathering all of the details on the new attraction that I can find.
So here I’ve compiled all the information I could find on the ride story, music, characters, the queue, and more.
The basics: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World
Opening date: June 28, 2024
Previews: Cast member previews begin June 3; Annual Passholder previews begin June 13
Location: Frontierland, Magic Kingdom
Attraction type: thrill ride / log flume
Genie+ info: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be part of the regular Genie+ line-up
Other theme parks: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in Disneyland later this year
The queue
Your experience will really begin as soon as you enter the queue. A lot of care has been taken to decorate the queue in an authentic way, and tell some additional stories about some of our favorite characters.
The queue also sets the scene for the story you are about to enter. You’ll learn that Tiana is not only a restaurant owner but now a business owner with “Tiana’s Foods.” Part of the queue is decorated as a garden area, part is a kitchen, and more.
One centerpiece of the queue is a series of murals done by artist Malaika. These bright and colorful paintings will tell some of Tiana’s story, and her journey to create Tiana’s Foods. They also incorporate the things important to Tiana: family, friends, food, music, and art.
Tiana’s father will have some of his story told in the queue as well. Disney Imagineers were inspired by photos of “soldiers who served in the 369th Regiment, one of the first African American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.”
In addition to family photos, you’ll find other mementos as well, including Tiana’s recipes for gumbo and her beignets.
Like many great Disney attractions, there are lots of little easter eggs and tributes to imagineers and other important Disney people. For instance, a chalkboard in the queue with a “to-do list” gives tasks to people like Naveen, Louis, and Eduora – but also to Carmen (Smith, Senior VP of Creative Development) and Charita (Carter, executive producer of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).
And finally, because Disney is an immersive experience that really incorporates all of your senses – don’t be surprised if you smell beignets while waiting in the queue. Tiana’s busy cooking for the party, of course!
The ride
If you were familiar with Splash Mountain, it sounds like the structure of the ride itself hasn’t really changed. You’ll still be in logs, winding your way through several different scenes before the big drop at the end. There will still be an on-ride photo, and yes – you may still get wet!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Full Ride POV Video
Disney recently released a ride through video of the attraction, which you can watch on YouTube. I sort of skimmed through it quickly to make sure there was nothing major I was leaving out of this post – but I want to be surprised the first time I ride it!
The story
We know a number of details about the plot of the ride – like any good Disney attraction, it takes you on a story adventure and not just a thrill! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set about a year after the events in the film The Princess and the Frog.
We know that the ride starts off with the story of Tiana’s newest business venture, called Tiana’s Foods. She’s branched out from just owning a restaurant, and has started an employee-owned co-op. Tiana was able to purchase a nearby salt mine and they’ve revived it (and the area around it) to grow all sorts of vegetables and more.
Now they can create new products for her to use in the kitchen and to sell to others – like Tiana’s own hot sauce! Side note – is Disney going to bottle and sell this? Because they really should.
As the ride begins, Tiana wants to host a big Mardi Gras celebration for her community to thank them for their support of her business. According to Disney, “Princess Tiana is getting ready to throw a big party, but there’s been a bit of a mix-up between Prince Naveen and Louis. Uh oh — the princess suddenly finds herself in need of a band.”
It sounds like they will stay true to Tiana’s character and one of the major themes of the movie: we can make our dreams come true, but it helps to persevere, work hard, and believe in ourselves.
Many of the original voices in the film are back to lend their voice to new recordings for the attraction. Jennifer Lewis is back as Mama Odie, Bruno Campos is Prince Naveen, Michael Leon Wooley returns as Louis, and thank goodness – we have Anika Noni Rose back as Princess Tiana!
Audio-animatronics
We will see lots of new audio-animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – from old friends to new ones! Here’s a look at all of the characters and critters we know about:
- Tiana
- Prince Naveen
- Charlotte
- Mama Odie
- Louis
- Eudora (Tiana’s mother)
- Naveen’s younger brother Ralphie
But aside from our favorite friends, there are literally dozens of new audio-animatronic figures introduced in this ride. Many of these are the critters of the bayou, but they’re not just hanging around – they’re also the musicians who will help Tiana out when she needs a band!
The focus on music is one of the things that excites me the most about this attraction, and it seems like we’ll get a really nice variety with three different groups of critters playing different styles of music.
The first is the Zydeco musical group:
- Byhalia the Beaver – percussionist who also builds all of their instruments
- Gritty the Rabbit – Washboard player (also sorry, but I’m from Philly so I can’t hear the name Gritty and NOT think about the Flyers mascot!)
- Beau the Opossum – bass player
- Apollo the Raccoon – accordion
- Rufus the Turtle – harmonica
- Timoléon the Otter – fiddle player
We’ve also got our Rara musicians:
- Octavia the Bobcat – plays the vaksin, a single-note horn instrument
- Pawpaw the Bobcat – Octavia’s grandfather, who taught her how to play the vaskin
- Claude the Louisiana Black Bear – Horn player
- Bernadette the Louisiana Black Bear – the second horn player, and Claude’s mate
- Sebastián the Louisiana Black Bear – drummer and the cub of Claude and Bernadette
- Phina the Gray Fox – drummer
And finally, our froggy jazz band:
- Felipe the Frog – bandleader and piano
- Mayra the Frog – trumpet player
- Mondo the Frog – conga drums
- Isabel the Green Tree Frog – drums
And that’s not even the end of the new characters! A few others include:
- Gloria and Delores – Gossiping frog friends
- Lari the armadillo – a mischievous character who “seems to always show up where you least expect him to.”
The music
Since there were so many musical audio-animatronics listed above, you know music is going to be a big part of this ride! Here’s what we know about the tunes to expect.
We know there will be a mixture of new, original music, and favorite songs from the original movie. The first “critter encounter,” where our Zydeco group from above is playing, will be doing their own version of “Gonna Take You There” from the film.
The main new original song is called “Special Spice,” which Anika Noni Rose recorded for the grand finale of the attraction. The full version of “Special Spice” was just released by Walt Disney Records this past Friday across all streaming platforms.
The new music has been written by PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard (fun fact – Blanchard played Louis the Alligator’s trumpet parts in the original movie!). A variety of musical styles will be represented, including Zydeco mentioned above, Rara (a musical tradition from Haiti), and of course, jazz. These musical styles all have roots in or connections to New Orleans.
There will be new music playing in the queue as well to set the ambiance for the attraction. Terence Blanchard stated Disney asked him for about “90 minutes” of music for the queue and the attraction. Some of this will be newly written songs, and some will be new recordings of old favorites, like the jazz classic “Basin Street Blues.” I can’t wait to hear the ride’s soundtrack!
How to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World
When the attraction opens, there will be two ways you can ride it. It will initially have a virtual queue set up that you can join the day of your visit. The first virtual queue will open at 7am, and anyone with a park ticket can join the queue at that time. A second opportunity to join the virtual queue will open at 1pm, and guests who have already scanned into Magic Kingdom park will be able to attempt to join the virtual queue at that time.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World will also be part of the regular Genie+ lineup, so if you purchase Genie+ you will have the option to book Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. While we don’t know yet how quickly it will book up, since it is a new attraction we expect it to go quickly. If you are going to buy Genie+, make sure you are ready at 7am to try and grab a spot on Tiana’s first thing.
As of opening, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will not offer a standby line, so your only options to get on the ride will be the virtual queue or Genie+. Disney did say that they plan to offer standby “soon after the attraction’s opening,” though no date has been shared for when that might happen.
Virtual queue availability
Since we are still in previews, this could all change in a few days. But right now the 7am virtual queue has been open for at least 5 minutes each morning, and sometimes as long as 2 hours. It currently doesn’t seem like quite the rush that many anticipated. That being said, the 1pm virtual queue seems to fill up a lot faster. This is probably due to Disney releasing fewer boarding groups than normal thanks to the ride downtime they’ve been experiencing.
Ride problems
As of the time of this article update (June 25th, 2024), Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World has been in previews for several weeks and opens to the public in a few days. During previews, the ride has experienced a significant amount of daily downtime.
So far it hasn’t just been down here and there, it’s had downtime for 2 hours+. Until they get the kinks worked out, it may be more difficult to grab a virtual queue spot or a Genie+ for this ride. And even if you do, there is no guarantee right now that the ride will be running as it should be.
That being said, many Disney attractions have opened with issues and downtime, and most of them have been fixed and adjusted within a few months. Let’s hope they work to improve these problems quickly!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Merchandise
Of course merchandise will be available when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World opens on June 28th! On that date you’ll find all of the Tiana merch over at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom. Not long after that it will have a permanent location in Frontierland with two shops – the Critter Co-Op and Tiana’s Bayou General.
So what will be available? Here’s a quick overview:
- Spirit Jersey
- T-shirts
- Ears
- Plushies of Bayou critters
- interactive shoulder firefly
- Louis Cuddleez Plush
- water resistant pouch
- Loungefly backpack
- Tiana plush doll
- Collectible figurine
- Restaurant Fund Coffee Can
- Pre-packaged snacks (popcorn, chocolate bar, lollipops, and more)
- Themed spices
- Mug
- Hot sauce
- spice rack
- Throw pillow
See more details on the Disney Parks Blog with their merch preview.
Photopass will also be offering a collectible commemorative package to “celebrate the opening.” No word on how long this will be sold. This $32.95+tax commemorative print package will feature an 8×10 print of your attraction photo, two recipe cards, a note of thanks from Tiana and two specialty prints of Tiana and friends.
Themed Foods
With a ride all about food, you’d hope there will be some actual food nearby! After all, if they’re going to have the scent of beignets in the queue you know people will be craving it.
And beignets are definitely on the menu – starting on opening day you’ll be able to find them nearby at Golden Oak Outpost and over at The Friar’s Nook (in Fantasyland). Disney says they are for a limited time only, but I’m hoping they are able to get on the menu permanently.
Food locations that will have themed foods at opening:
- Golden Oak Outpost (Available June 28 through August 8)
- Pinocchio Village Haus (Available June 28 through August 8)
- Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (Available June 28 through August 8)
- The Plaza Restaurant (Available June 28 through September 6)
- The Friar’s Nook and Outdoor Vending Locations near Cinderella Castle (Available starting June 28, while supplies last)
- Main Street Confectionery (Available starting June 28)
I’d love to see them create an entire quick service restaurant based on Tiana’s. I do really like Peco’s Bill’s, but it seems the obvious choice. But who knows? If Disney truly is going “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” and going to extend the theme park, there might be a spot back there for a new restaurant! It just feels like if you’re creating an entire attraction about food, you should probably have some more themed food in the area, you know?
Photopass
We will also have at least one new photopass magic shot near Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. In addition, those who purchase Genie+ will have access to a new lens themed after Tiana’s Bayou.
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What do you think – are you excited for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World? What are you most looking forward to?
It sounds like a fun ride! I would go on it if I could get out before the big drop!
Maybe we could at least get you through some of the queue!