Frontierland at Magic Kingdom will soon have a new attraction for visitors to enjoy. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is ready to enchant guests with music and friends, old and new. The landscape of Magic Kingdom will change quite a bit once this attraction with a large capacity is open again. Here we have a place where you can catch up on everything that’s been shared about this attraction at Walt Disney World Resort. You used to be able to just pop into the park and get in line to ride something new. It’s different these days. We have all the information you need to know to make sure you can ride.
Tiana Ride at Magic Kingdom: Everything We Know About The Bayou
Over the last few years, Disney has shared magical secrets about what we can expect from the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction opening this summer. This is probably the most exciting of what’s coming to Disney World in 2024.
What is the story of the Tiana ride?
When Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, it will be Mardi Gras every day. The story of this attraction picks up where the 2009 animated film The Princess and The Frog left off. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has a heavy food focus with the exterior showcasing the business Tiana’s Foods, an employee-owned business, on the water tower. Tiana and members of her community have transformed a salt mine and the surrounding area to grow foods and enhance her restauranteur dreams.
The story goes that Tiana wants to thank her loved ones and neighbors by hosting a party during Mardi Gras. There’s a missing ingredient and that’s where we come in. We can expect new, authentic music on this ride along with classic sounds from the film. There will also be dozens of new animatronic characters.
Everything is transformed to support this new story but, as far as we know, the track of the attraction remains the same.
Was Princess Tiana real? Who is Tiana based on?
Princess Tiana as we know her was not a real person. The idea of Tiana the New Orleans chef is based on a real person though. Leah Chase, a New Orleans chef known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine, was the inspiration for Princess Tiana. Chef Leah Chase passed in 2019 but her family has been involved with bringing the magic of Tiana and New Orleans to Disney destinations, especially her daughters. Stella Chase Reese is an honorary Imagineer and Leah Chase Jr., covers the Louis Armstrong song, “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” in the queue background music of the Tiana ride.
How long is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
Splash Mountain was a very large attraction and long at around 11 minutes in length. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has the same layout in the same building and should be similar in length.
Will Tiana’s bayou be a water ride?
Yes! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will still be a log flume ride. You may get wet! Depending on the time of year, Splash Mountain used to have additional water squirting at guests on the ride. We don’t know if this will still be part of the fun but the Tiana ride will still have the classic 50 foot drop. It’s anticipated that the track for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the same as it was for Splash Mountain.
Will the new Tiana ride still have the drop?
Splash Mountain originally opened in Magic Kingdom in 1992. Many visitors grew up with this attraction or enjoyed the big drop with their families over the years. The drop is still there on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! On the contrary, if you were never able to ride Splash Mountain because of the drop, it looks like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not for you.
Tiana Ride Opening Date: When in 2024 is Tiana’s bayou adventure opening?
Disney has shared Leah Chase’s family will be first to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World. A New Orleans website says the trip will take place mid June. There are also DVC Member, cast member, D23 member and annual passholder previews. More on that below.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has an official opening date of Friday June 28th, 2024.
Summer can start in early May according to Disney’s past offerings. We’ve seen Disney’s summer overlays start around Memorial Day weekend too. It can vary but Disney’s “summer” can mean much earlier than the actual first day of summer which is June 20th in 2024.
How to Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Does Tiana’s Bayou Adventure use a virtual queue?
Upon opening, the Tiana attraction will use a virtual queue. Guests with tickets can request to join the virtual queue for free via the My Disney Experience app. Based on what Disney says, it seems they do not anticipate using the virtual queue for an extended period.
Note that some guests still need Disney park reservations to enter the park and use a virtual queue.
What are the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queue times?
The virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Guests can use the virtual queue once per day. If you don’t make it in for the 7:00 a.m. you can try again for the 1:00 p.m. virtual queue but you must be in the park for this one.
Is there a standby queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
When it opens on June 28th, 2024, guests will need to enter the complimentary virtual queue or purchase Disney Genie+ and select the attraction in order to ride. The good news: Disney expects to open a standby queue soon after the attraction’s opening.
On July 24th, Disney Genie+ becomes Lightning Lane Multi Pass and can be booked in advance. Resort guests can secure reservations one week out. Others can book three days out. Similar to FastPass+, Lightning Lane Multi Pass has attraction tiers. Tiana’s is a top tier attraction at Magic Kingdom.
Does Tiana’s Bayou Adventure have an Individual Lightning Lane?
No, the Tiana attraction does not require the purchase of an Individual Lightning Lane. You can gain faster access to the attraction by purchasing Disney Genie+ based on availability.
Starting July 24th, 2024 Tiana’s Bayou Adventure becomes a top tier offering in the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass service which replaces Genie+.
Are there Tiana’s Bayou Adventure DVC Member previews?
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure DVC previews are just two dates:
Wednesday June 12th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday June 19th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Eligible DVC Members can sign up at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday May 16th.
To register, keep an eye on your inbox and the News & Alerts section of DisneyVacationClub.com.
Will there be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure annual passholder previews?
Those with a Disney annual pass have an opportunity to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before others. There are quite a few things you need to know. Here is the information from Disney:
“Passholder previews will take place on June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 & 20 and will use a virtual queue. Here’s how it works!
● First, make a Park reservation for Magic Kingdom Park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 7 a.m. virtual queue for that day. Or, you can make a Park reservation to any Theme Park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 1 p.m. virtual queue.
● Next, on the day of your park reservation, it’s time to request to join the virtual queue using the My Disney Experience app. There will be two opportunities to join each day of previews.
| • | The 7 a.m. virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to Magic Kingdom Park for that day. |
| • | The 1 p.m. virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to any Theme Park for that day. As a reminder, Passholders must enter the theme park where they have a reservation prior to visiting Magic Kingdom Park. Or, on June 13, 14, 17, 18 or 20, they can enter Magic Kingdom Park without a reservation after 2 p.m. |
| • | Passholders do not need to have entered a Theme Park when they request to join the virtual queue. |
Planning on visiting TRON Lightcycle / Run Presented by Enterprise® or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Not to worry, you can hold a virtual queue for one of those attractions and for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Passholder preview at the same time, when available. This special perk is only offered during Passholder previews.
Important Information
• Passholders must have a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass with valid admission on the preview date. Applicable pass block-out dates apply. Park reservations are limited and are subject to availability.
• Each Passholder can request to join a virtual queue no more than once per day.
• Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the preview. Boarding groups for a virtual queue are limited, subject to availability, and are not guaranteed. Not all boarding groups may be called to return, based on availability of the attraction.”
That’s a lot to take in! So basically you can visit Magic Kingdom on these dates and hope to gain access to a preview through the virtual queue. Park reservations at Magic Kingdom may be sold out for these days. However, based on this information, you still can attempt to access the virtual queue by having a reservation to another park.
Does the Tiana ride have a store?
There were two stores connected to Splash Mountain and both of them have been updated to fit the new Tiana theme. Out front, the store Briar Patch is now Critter Co-Op. Briar Patch was one of the most themed stores at Disney World. It has that same level of commitment with Critter Co-Op!
The store at the end of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is Tiana’s Bayou General. This replaces the Splashdown Photos gift shop that sold towels, clothes and photos from the attraction.
Is Disney World getting a Tiana restaurant?
There’s been a lot of talk about changes coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This includes adding on behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There’s also been some questions among fans about a Tiana restaurant. This is, after all, her dream and the entire point of the movie. It’s unclear at this point if the restaurant will have a big tie in on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction.
In February of 2024, Magic Kingdom introduced beignets at the Golden Oak Outpost but just for the month.
There is a Tiana’s Food quick service restaurant at Disneyland in California. Of course, gumbo is on the menu.
However, at Magic Kingdom in Orlando, no plans have been shared for a Tiana restaurant.
Beignets will return to Golden Oak Outpost, and will also be available at The Friar’s Nook, temporarily starting June 28th to celebrate the opening.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure FAQs
What is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure height requirement?
All riders must be 40 inches or 102 centimeters tall to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Height sticks are always in front of the attraction before you join the queue. There are usually also height measurement indicators before boarding. A Cast Member may ask little ones to step up right before riding.
When did Splash Mountain close at Disney World?
The Frontierland attraction Splash Mountain closed on January 23rd, 2023 at Disney World. With an anticipated summer 2024 opening, that means Disney Imagineers and Cast Members worked on this attraction for about a year and a half in the park. Surely much planning and building was done prior to the attraction closing for this complete refurbishment.
Over at Disneyland in California, the Splash Mountain attraction closed later on May 31st, 2023.
When was Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride announced?
The Tiana ride replacing Splash Mountain at both Disney World and Disneyland was first announced in June of 2020. Disney says Imagineers had been working on it years prior to the announcement.
What ride is Tiana replacing?
The Tiana ride is replacing the Splash Mountain attraction at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
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