If you have an upcoming vacation to Walt Disney World planned and a visit to Magic Kingdom is on the agenda, we’ve got ten things you should know about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure prior to riding. This attraction opened in late June in Frontierland, and we think it’s one that everyone should experience at least once. I say this knowing full well that the 50-foot drop scares the daylights out of me, and I wish they’d have removed it, but I’m going to have to get over it and ride, even if it’s only once.
1. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure picks up after the events of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film The Princess and the Frog. You’ll see first-hand where Tiana’s life has taken her following the success of Tiana’s Palace, a restaurant she dreamed up and worked hard to make into a reality.
2. Expanding her successful business, Tiana purchased an aging salt mine and the surrounding land to create Tiana’s Foods. You’ll see vibrant art from local artists and sprawling gardens of vegetables, herbs and spices for her recipes.
3. Be sure to explore all the details in the attraction queue – smell the sweet scent of beignets cooking, see newspaper clippings detailing Tiana’s story, and find photos of Tiana’s friends and loved ones … you’ll even see the original gumbo recipe from Tiana’s great grandmother!
4. At Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you are ready to celebrate Tiana’s community at her Mardi Gras season party. When it’s revealed that Louis and Naveen forgot to book a band, you do your part and help find the “missing ingredient” – a band to play at the party! You search high and low – so low, in fact, Mama Odie shrinks riders down to the size of frogs to enjoy the stylings of amphibian musicians.
5. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has some of the most advanced Audio-Animatronic figures ever seen on an attraction. It features new and familiar faces like Princess Tiana, Mama Odie, Louis, Naveen, and three whole bands of musical critters.
6. All-new Disney characters were created for the attraction – the critters! Depicted as Audio Animatronic figures, these talented critters play instruments made out of natural materials and found objects around the bayou. You’ll hear Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music – all genres popular in New Orleans! – from all kinds of animals, including raccoons, rabbits, otters, bears, foxes, frogs, and more.
7. Top talent from different fields came together to bring the attraction to life! Many voice actors from the film reprise their roles, including Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis, and Jenifer Lewis as Mama Odie. Terence Blanchard, an original musical contributor to The Princess and the Frog soundtrack, returned to create new music. Award-winning musician PJ Morton wrote, produced, and performed in the finale song, Special Spice, along with vocalist Anika Noni Rose. Artisans from New Orleans like Sharika Mahdi, Malaika Favorite, and Darryl Reeves contributed to the art and inspiration behind the look of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
8. Riders should also know that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure uses a virtual queue. You’ll be able to request to join the queue through the My Disney Experience app at either 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. While a standby queue will not be available during the attraction’s initial opening days, we expect to open a standby queue soon after the attraction’s opening.
9. For an extra bit of spice, wear your MagicBand+ on your journey into the bayou. It will light up, vibrate, and interact with elements of your ride, creating a truly connected experience filled with the magic of bayou fireflies!
10. When you go down that thrilling 50-foot drop … you might get wet!
