Progress on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has gained steam in recent months and now Disney has announced an opening timeframe for the attraction. The Princess and the Frog themed ride takes over for Splash Mountain and will open this summer at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and later in 2024 at Disneyland. In this post, we’ll dive into the news and add a little commentary.

As for the opening date, summer has generally meant anywhere from May until August for Disney ride openings. In recent years, late June has been the most common occurrence. Any guess I make is strictly conjecture but I do think that June timeframe is the most likely. If that’s the case, I’d expect a firm date from Disney around April. As for Disneyland, “later in 2024” likely means November or December.

Here are a few more details on the ride.

Disney released a special sneak peek of the Tiana audio animatronic that the attraction will feature. It looks amazing! This figure will use the same technology that Hong Kong’s new Frozen ride uses as well as Tokyo Disneyland’s Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. All of those animatronics look fantastic and so does the one in this video.

Speaking of new friends: the bayou will be getting a whole swamp full of new neighbors with friendly critters joining the adventure with Tiana. Not only are they musically talented, but they’re also resourceful – they built their own instruments from natural materials they found in the bayou.

With those instruments, there’s music to be played! Imagineers are collaborating with industry legends PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard on new original music for the ride, alongside some of the tunes from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film “The Princess and the Frog.”

Along with the animatronics and new music, there’s still the iconic drop that Splash Mountain had. A 50 foot drop is still there and I’m guessing the wave of water washing over guests will also be there.

A little bit more of the story for the attraction has been revealed, as well. This ride will be all about Tiana after she made her own dreams come true and how we all have the potential to make our dreams a reality. In Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, she’s throwing a festive party during Mardi Gras season to thank her family, friends and the entire community for all the support they’ve given her as a successful business owner.

Commentary

This announcement eases a few concerns that I had about the attraction. For months, all we’ve had to go by is how the outside of the attraction looks as they do this makeover and, well, the mountain lost a good amount of what made it recognizable. Lately at Walt Disney World, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has gotten prettier with flowers popping up all over the mountain. That also has eased some nerves, although I still think it’s a little odd that they took the top off of Splash Mountain for this new attraction.

What I really had hoped to see was an emphasis on animatronics and this announcement scratched that itch. The Tiana animatronic shown above looks incredible and will be among the best we’ve ever seen in the states. Along with that, there seems to be an emphasis filling the ride with these figures much like its predecessor.

That should give the attraction life, much like the old ride. I’m hoping and guessing that this makeover won’t include many screens and will stick to physical sets which also appeases fans like me.

Finally, I’m impressed by the turnaround time. After seeing how long Tron and other projects took to open, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is on pace to be open less than 18 months after Splash Mountain closed. Naturally, it helps to already have the ride system in place. But they’ve made progress quickly and steadily.

Part of this is probably because there aren’t any other big projects set to open this year at either resort. Having something to sell does matter and now both coasts should in 2024. That’s especially true for Walt Disney World, where summer attendance has dropped in the last several years.

I’ve met any news about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with cautious optimism. Splash Mountain was one of my favorite attractions but I understood why it was being replaced. I was, and remain, hopeful that the new attraction could come in and still offer a really fun ride with quirky characters. With today’s announcement, that optimism grew a little more.

Are you excited for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Let us know, along with any questions you might have in the comments below! Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help you along the way! We’ve also got discount tickets to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. Thank you for reading Wandering in Disney.  Please subscribe to the blog and like our social media pages, all of which you can do on the right side of the page. Have a wonderful day!