We are fast approaching Summer of 2024 which means that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure should be opening soon! If you’re not sure what Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is, it is the new ride replacing Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom. This ride is based off the Princess and the Frog movie and characters and is sure to be so much fun! There are definitely signs that they are getting close and maybe even some Easter eggs hinted by Disney on when it might open. We took a little trip over to Magic Kingdom to check out the progress on the new ride and I thought I would share that and some updates from Disney that were recently released. Let’s dive into it all!
THE LATEST UPDATES!!!! MAY 2024
This week Disney made ALL the announcements for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! We got a look at the PhotoPass ride photo above and we got an opening date of June 28th for Magic Kingdom! And we got Passholder Preview announcements that seemed to get a little lost. In the past, pass holder previews have had a sign up day like registering for a race or other Disney event. This time around it will be a Virtual Queue system like the one currently in place for Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy. Preview days are June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 and 20th and if you are a pass holder you have to make a park reservation for the day you want to ride and then join the Virtual Queue at 7am. If you can’t get a Magic Kingdom park reservation for the day you want to ride, no problem! You just need to make a park reservation for any other park and you can try to join the queue at 1pm! I am unsure how I feel about this system, it feels like it may be hard to get on and feels like it deters non-local pass holders from trying to take part since there is no guarantee you will get to ride the ride like the old system had. But I guess we will see how it goes and hope for the best! Also, there is a D23 Preview event on June 22nd for $60 that includes some pretty fun things so if you are a member and can go, do it! We have some friends getting married that day so sadly we will have to miss this one! That’s all the news for now!
How’s It Looking?
While they have changed a lot on the outside, it still looks like the ride we know and love when it comes to that big drop. The biggest difference is that instead of being a Rocky Mountain, it is now covered in greenery and flowers and look so pretty! You can just barely see some hanging lanterns inside where you come out for the drop and I can’t help but think this has to be Mama Ode’s place and my dream of going over the falls to “Dig A Little Deeper” might come true!
When we went by the water was drained but we have seen videos of the ride being tested with Cast Members and Imagineers. It is so cool to see people going over the falls again and I can’t wait to be one of them! Tiana’s water tower with the tiara on top is looking good too, and fits in much better with the new greens cape and flowers on the mountain.
The construction walls are still up of course but in true Disney fashion they have fantastic decorations on all of these walls. There are posters for Tiana’s foods, Louis’ concert and more!
My favorite part is the giant mural on one of the construction walls where you can join the Mardi Gras parade band with Louis for a great photo opp! You can play the drum, tambourine, saxophone or carry the umbrella, it is so fun! Of course I made the boys take a picture with me.
Animatronics
Disney has released a bunch of pictures and videos of all the new animatronics we will get to see when the ride opens. They are amazing!! They look very similar to the animatronics you find in Frozen Ever After except they do not have the projection mapping for the faces. I personally think these look so much better as the projection mapping can looks strange and when it turns off is down right creepy. The Tiana’s animatronics look so cool and I can’t wait to see them all!
Characters
Disney has also announced that we will get to see some of the characters from the movie we know and love. These include Tiana, of course, Loti, Louis and Mama Ode (my personal favorite). On top of these characters, Disney has also released some photos of original characters we will get to meet on the new ride. My favorite part about these animal critters is that they seem to be a bit of a nod to Splash Mountain! There is a frog band that reminds me of Country Bear Jamboree and whole host of animals that sure do look kind of like the Brer animals we were friends with in Splash Mountain!
Gift Shops
Disney announced this week that there will be two get shops associated with the new ride. Where the Briar Patch shop used to be will now be the Critter Coop and is already so cute on the outside. The second shop is going to be called Tiana’s Bayou General and from my guess I am thinking it’s going to be where Splash Down Photos used to be located as you exit the ride. I have no doubt that both will be adorable and have so much great merch that I want to spend my money on! Dammit Disney! Hahaha!
So When Is It Opening?!
Well the truth is we don’t really know yet. Disney has only said that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in Summer of 2024. BUT, they might have given us an Easter egg hint in one of the photos of the new critter characters that will be in the ride. In the photo of Gritty the rabbit he is holding a license plate with the numbers 52872 on it. Could this possibly their clever way of telling us that previews will begin 5/28 and the ride will officially open 7/2?! Maybe, maybe not but I sure am hoping because that preview date is coming up quick! This is obviously just speculation but I think we all know Disney never puts numbers on something that don’t mean anything. Let me know what you think about these numbers.
Conclusion
I honestly cannot wait to go down the falls again. It looks to me like they have done a great job on this ride so far and it is going to be fantastic! I remember coming to Magic Kingdom on vacation as a kid when they were building Splash Mountain and being so excited for it to open. The cheesy commercials were the best, if you have not ever watched one google it, you will thank me later. Seeing it now as an adult being transformed again is pretty cool. I’ve had my mom looking for pictures of us by the construction walls as kids so I can do a side by side but no luck yet. If you have a trip planned this summer, I sure hope Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open when you come!
As much as I miss Splash Mountain and it will always hold a special place in my heart, I am truly excited for this new ride. Princess and the Frog is one of my favorites, especially the music, and I think they are really pulling out all the stops for this one. As always, thank you all so much for reading along this week, I hope it is getting you excited for this new ride. I hope you all have a magical day!
