Tiana's Bayou Adventure
This flume meanders both outside and indoors of a giant mountain, and the ride portion, with its splashy 52-foot plummet near the end, is terrific fun. But the show portion, which recently changed, is aimless. From 1992 to 2023, this was the beloved Splash Mountain, packed with twittering robotic animals but themed to the problematic 1946 movie Song of the South. Disney eventually chose not to maintain a tentpole attraction that commemorated a movie it couldn’t even release in North America, so it retooled the ride to the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. Not only did Disney thin out the animal population and consequently the visual interest, but it also forgot to tell an interesting story—most of your 11-minute journey is spent as Tiana, in a singsongy voice, keeps popping up to tell you that she’s found another jazz musician for her celebration, making this the only amusement ride on the planet that’s themed to the thrills of party planning. You will get wet, especially from the shoulders up and particularly in the front seats, but are not likely to get drenched because boats plow most of the water out of the way. Note that the line can as much as double when the weather gets steamy. And mind how you raise your hands when you do the drop—it spoils the souvenir photo for whomever is sitting behind you. Lightning Lane priority: high
This flume meanders both outside and indoors of a giant mountain, and the ride portion, with its splashy 52-foot plummet near the end, is terrific fun. But the show portion, which recently changed, is aimless. From 1992 to 2023, this was the beloved Splash Mountain, packed with twittering robotic animals but themed to the problematic 1946 movie Song of the South. Disney eventually chose not to maintain a tentpole attraction that commemorated a movie it couldn’t even release in North America, so it retooled the ride to the 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. Not only did Disney thin out the animal population and consequently the visual interest, but it also forgot to tell an interesting story—most of your 11-minute journey is spent as Tiana, in a singsongy voice, keeps popping up to tell you that she’s found another jazz musician for her celebration, making this the only amusement ride on the planet that’s themed to the thrills of party planning. You will get wet, especially from the shoulders up and particularly in the front seats, but are not likely to get drenched because boats plow most of the water out of the way. Note that the line can as much as double when the weather gets steamy. And mind how you raise your hands when you do the drop—it spoils the souvenir photo for whomever is sitting behind you. Lightning Lane priority: high
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