Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a new attraction opening on June 28 at Magic Kingdom and later this year at Disneyland.

Announced on July 1, 2022, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replaces Splash Mountain at both parks. The old attraction closed permanently on January 22, 2023, at Magic Kingdom and on May 31 at Disneyland. It remains at Tokyo Disneyland. Read the complete history of Splash Mountain.

“The Princess and the Frog”

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a follow-up to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), a loose adaptation of “The Frog Prince” fairytale and E. D. Baker’s “The Frog Princess” novel.

“The Princess and the Frog” stars Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, Disney’s first Black princess. Tiana is an aspiring restauranteur in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1926. During a masquerade ball at the mansion of her friend Charlotte “Lottie” LaBouff (Jennifer Cody), Tiana meets a talking frog. The frog is Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who was transformed by Dr. Facilier (Keith David). Tiana kisses him, hoping to make him human, but instead becomes a frog herself. The two travel into the bayou to find Mama Odie (Jennifer Lewis), a voodoo priestess who can help them. They befriend Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), an alligator who plays the trumpet, and Ray (Jim Cummings), a firefly in love with a star.

Tiana and Naveen learn that the only way to fix their curse is for Naveen to kiss a princess. Because Lottie’s father is crowned the king of Mardi Gras, Lottie is a princess until the holiday ends. They battle Facilier and manage to defeat him, but Ray dies, becoming a star, and Lottie is no longer a princess by the time they reach her.

As frogs, Tiana and Naveen marry. With their first kiss as a couple, they return to human form — because when Tiana married Naveen, she became a princess. Tiana purchases space for her restaurant and opens Tiana’s Palace.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Background & Story

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes place in 1927, after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” Following the success of Tiana’s Palace, the princess founded the co-op Tiana’s Foods. The employees cultivate crops on the waters flowing through an old salt mine.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is set during Mardi Gras. Tiana is preparing a Mardi Gras party for the people of New Orleans. But due to a mix-up between Naveen and Louis, she’s missing a band. She and Louis venture into the bayou to find some musical critters to help.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Music

Grammy-award-winning New Orleans musicians PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard created the attraction’s soundtrack. Morton wrote an original song, “Special Spice,” which is available on streaming services. Blanchard, who provided Louis’ trumpet playing in “The Princess and the Frog,” provided music for the queue. They also used songs from the film composed by Randy Newman, including “Almost There,” “Down in New Orleans,” “Gonna Take You There,” and “Dig a Little Deeper.”

How to Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will use a virtual queue and Lightning Lane when it opens. It will not have a standby queue available but Disney expects to open one “soon after the attraction’s opening.”

Guests can request to join the virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app at 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. At the later time, guests must be in Magic Kingdom to request to join. If guests successfully join the virtual queue, they will be assigned a Boarding Group. When it’s time for their Boarding Group to ride, they will get a notification indicating how much time they have to visit the attraction. Guests can only hold one attraction virtual queue at a time. TRON Lightcycle / Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind also use virtual queues at this time.

Guests can also ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure by purchasing Disney Genie+ and selecting the attraction for Lightning Lane access. Genie+ pricing varies depending on the date. Check out our Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane guide.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure also offers rider switch for parties with guests who can’t or don’t wish to ride. One adult waits with the non-rider(s) in this shaded area while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When another adult returns, they remain to supervise the non-rider(s) and the waiting adult can board the attraction without waiting in the regular line. Read more about rider switch at Walt Disney World.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Facade, Queue, and Cast Members

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is located in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. At Disneyland, it will be in Critter Country, next to New Orleans Square.

The first piece of concept art for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (above) featured Tiana in her blue dress lounging on a boat full of Mardi Gras supplies, looking up at the swampy “mountain” with Mama Odie’s shipwreck home in a tree. The tree and ship on top of the mountain were later scrapped and Tiana appears in different outfits.

The Tiana’s Foods water tower is the icon of the attraction. It features a topper resembling Tiana’s lilypad tiara. On the back is a quote by Tiana’s father: “Never, ever lose sight of what’s really important.” The salt mine is covered in significant foliage and flowers. The old mill has moss growing over its roof.

Louisiana master blacksmith Darryl Reeves and his apprentice Karina Roca created the weathervane atop the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure mill. The design is inspired by West African symbolism. The top of the intricate piece resembles a fern, representing endurance because ferns are resilient. Below the fern is a symbol representing the divinity of Mother Earth and the phrase “as above, so below,” which means there is more to someone or something than what you see. The bottom of the weathervane is the heart-like Sankofa, which symbolizes a bird looking back at its tail, symbolizing looking back on your past and ancestry.

To have a free hand to design and fabricate the weathervane for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure…that’s an honor.

Darryl Reeves

A Tiana’s Bayou Adventure sign positioned behind the wooden fence faces Frontierland. This sign is supported by two poles resembling tightly wound vines. Pink lily flowers at the top of the vines hide lights to illuminate the gn.

The sign is purple with gold and green letters reading “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.” A pink lily flower is pictured in the “o” of “Bayou.”

On and off the ride, guests can view flowers, reeds, lilypads, and other bayou plants around the ride’s track. Two frogs sit on a log near the beginning of the attraction.

The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure entrance is at the Frontierland Railroad Station. There’s another sign, similar to the first but supported by wood poles with regular lanterns instead of flowers. An arrow on this sign points guests to the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure entrance. Hanging below it is a “Frontierland Railroad Station” sign with an arrow pointing to the station’s stairs. The Lightning Lane and standby queue wait time frames are purple, green, and yellow with lily flower motifs.

Guests entering the queue pass under the train station. A safety information sign is mounted on a measuring stick. The ride’s height requirement is 40 in or 102 cm.

You may get wet!

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a turbulent flume adventure with high speeds, heights, and sudden drops and stops.

Warning!

For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravted by this adventure.

Expectant mothers should not ride.

Supervise children at all times. Children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.

Persons who do not meet the minimum height requirement may not ride.

[Wheelchair users] Must transfer.

In the outdoor queue, guests pass the children’s garden of Tiana’s Foods. There are blue lampposts and speakers playing jazz music.

A radio host tells guests they’re invited to Tiana’s party. He also mentions that Naveen and Louis failed to book a band and, because it’s Mardi Gras season, finding a band this last minute is tricky, so Tiana needs help. Guests will join her and Louis in searching the bayou for musicians.

A mural decorates two walls of the queue’s barn. Louisiana artist Malaika Favorite designed the mural, drawing inspiration from the murals and artwork of New Orleans.

The mural depicts Tiana’s professional journey and the creation of Tiana’s Foods.

Above the barn window is a Tiana’s Foods sign featuring a white lily. More lily flowers are featured on gates and pavement in the queue.

Before entering the barn, guests pass the Tiana’s Foods delivery truck.

Signs on the barn doors and throughout the queue remind guests of the ride’s 50-foot plunge into the water.

The room inside the barn is an office and storage space. Up a set of stairs is a pantry.

The hallway after the pantry features framed photos and memorabilia from Tiana’s life. There’s a photo of young Tiana embracing her father, James, dressed in his World War I uniform. James wrote on the photo, “Dream Big! Love, Daddy 1917.”

There’s also a photo of some of James’ fellow soldiers, who play music while he presents his gumbo. Written in the top corner is, “Daddy’s friends in the 369th. They loved his gumbo!”

Imagineers drew inspiration from the real 369th regiment. It was one of the first African American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI.

Another frame features a newspaper clipping. It includes a photo of young Tiana and James with the headline “23rd Annual Gumbo Cook-Off: Father-Daughter Duo Simmer Their Way to Victory.”

The above photo is of a display of this artwork from D23 Expo 2022.

Guests walk through a kitchen, where a plate of beignets sits on a table.

A chalkboard reads:

Don’t forget!

Celebration at my house, tonight!

Everybody’s welcome!

See you there!

Tiana

Guests then go down another hallway of photos and clippings.

These are from Tiana’s adulthood, including the above photo of Tiana’s Foods employees celebrating the tiara being placed on the water tower. There are also certificates and awards honoring the co-op.

Guests turn into an older more cave-like hallway, part of the old salt mine. It features signs with warnings and reminders like “Shake off salt before leaving mine” and “High falls beyond this point.” Guests pass a TNT storage locker.

Mounted TV screens in the mine give guests safety information.

The loading station is deep in the mine. Towering over the ride vehicles is a crane lifting a pallet of supplies.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Cast Members wear a standard blue shirt and brown pants of Frontierland. Their accessories are a yellow hat and yellow, purple, and green ascot.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride Experience

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure utilizes the same track and ride vehicles as Splash Mountain. Guests ride logs from the Tiana’s Foods headquarters into the bayou, encountering various musical critters as they help Tiana find a band. They get a taste of Mama Odie’s magic, too, before returning to New Orleans for Tiana’s Mardi Gras party.

Just like Splash Mountain, riders will get wet. There are a few small hills and water effects that might get you. But if they don’t, the water at the bottom of the 50-foot drop will.

For a full breakdown of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure story and set pieces, read our scene-by-scene comparison with Splash Mountain.

Watch our full queue tour and ride POV of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure below.

Returning Characters

Tiana

Anika Noni Rose reprises her voice role as Princess Tiana. The ride features multiple Tiana audio-animatronics, most wearing her new adventuring outfit.

Guests can meet Tiana in this outfit during a meal at 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, next door to Magic Kingdom.

At the end of the ride, Tiana wears a green 1920s-style party dress.

Louis

Louis is also heavily featured in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The trumpet-playing alligator appears as several audio-animatronics. Michael-Leon Wooley reprises his role as Louis.

Mama Odie

During their adventures in the bayou, guests encounter Mama Odie. She and her seeing-eye snake Juju appear on two screens and as two sets of animatronics, including at the very end of the ride. Jennifer Lewis returned to voice Mama Odie.

Naveen

Naveen stays home while Tiana and Louis find a band, but the prince appears in the ride’s final scene. He plays the ukulele with the animal band. Bruno Campos also reprised his role as Naveen.

Lottie & Eudora

Tiana’s best friend, Charlotte “Lottie” LaBouff, and mother, Eudora, are in the final scene. They stand together on a patio.

Big Daddy & Naveen’s Parents

Lottie’s father, Eli “Big Daddy” LaBouff, appears alongside Naveen’s parents, the King and Queen of Maldonia. They’re portrayed via screens resembling windows in the ride’s final scene.

New Characters

Ralphie

Naveen’s little brother, Ralphie, makes his debut appearance at the end of the attraction, playing the drums alongside his brother and the animal band.

Lari the Armadillo

Lari the armadillo is a mischievous but quiet critter who appears “where you least expect him to” and tends to “borrow” things that don’t belong to him. His most obvious appearance is after the big splash and before the party scene.

Zydeco Band

The first band Tiana finds plays zydeco music. This group consists of Byhalia the beaver, Gritty the rabbit, Beau the opossum, Apollo the raccoon, Rufus the turtle, and Timoléon the otter.

Read more about the zydeco band critters.

Rara Band

The second band plays rara music. This act features Octavia the bobcat, Pawpaw the bobcat, Claude the Louisiana black bear, Bernadette the Louisiana black bear, Sebastián the Louisiana black bear, and Phina the gray fox.

Read more about the rara band of critters.

Afro-Cuban Band

The third band is a group of frogs that play Afro-Cuban music. They consist of Felipe, Mayra, Mondo, and Isabel the green tree frog. They appear as small and larger-than-life audio-animatroics.

Read more about the Afro-Cuban frog band.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Gift Shops

Magic Kingdom

In front of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom is Critter Co-Op, which replaces the Briar Patch. The Critter Co-Op sign features Rufus the turtle and Apollo the raccoon.

Lari the armadillo lives on the side of the building, as shown by the mailbox labeled “Lari.”

A poster in a Critter Co-Op window advertises The Bayou Community Band, which is the band Tiana, Louis, and guests assemble during Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Behind the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure queue will be Tiana’s Bayou General, which advertises groceries, housewares, dry goods, and more. It replaces Splashdown Photos.

Disneyland

In Disneyland Park, the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gift shops will be Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club. Ray’s Berets takes over the Briar Patch. Named after Tiana’s late firefly friend, the shop sells headwear, apparel, accessories, toys, and more.

The left-hand side of Pooh Corner will become Louis’ Critter Club while the treats side will remain as-is. Louis’ Critter Club is the home away from home for the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure critters. Here, guests can purchase apparel, accessories, home decor, and more merchandise featuring Tiana and her animal friends.

Ride Photo

The new on-ride photo depicts guests splashing down the ride in their log vehicle with Sebastián, Gritty, and a firefly around them. The Tiana’s Bayou Adventure sign is at the top. Guests can purchase individual photos or the Memory Maker photo package via My Disney Experience or the Walt Disney World website.

Guests will be able to view their photos at the end of the ride, outside Tiana’s Bayou General. They can tap a ticket or MagicBand to attach the photo to their account.

On opening day, a commemorative print package will be available for $32.95 at Tiana’s Bayou General. It includes an 8 x 10 print of your on-ride photo, two recipe cards, a thank you note from Tiana, two specialty prints of Tiana and friends, and a digital copy of the photo via the My Disney Experience app.

Magic Shots & Photo Ops

A Tiana’s Bayou Adventure PhotoPass Magic Shot will put guests next to Princess Tiana and Beau the opossum. There will also be a prop photo and a Disney PhotoPass Lens.

Merchandise

The first official Tiana’s Bayou Adventure merchandise was this limited-release pin. The pin is Tiana’s lilypad tiara sitting atop a magenta cushion. It comes on a card featuring Tiana’s Bayou Adventure concept art by Brittany L. Smith.

Though not focused on just Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a Walt Disney World T-shirt released in March features icons of the park’s attractions, including the Tiana’s Foods water tower.

Target released a Tiana’s Bayou Adventure-branded Louis Cuddleez plush.

Check out our full list with prices of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure merchandise coming to the Emporium and Critter Co-Op. Items include a Spirit Jersey, Loungefly backpack, two ear headbands, Mama Odie’s hot sauce, Dooky Chase’s seasonings, and a wearable interactive firefly.

Other new “The Princess and the Frog” and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure collections will be available at the Emporium and Critter Co-Op.

A Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Little Golden Book telling the story of the attraction is available for pre-order and will be released on September 3.

Anika Noni Rose wrote “Tiana’s Perfect Plan,” another children’s book seemingly inspired by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is available for pre-order and will be released on October 22.

Food, Beverages, & Souvenirs

Special Tiana’s Bayou Adventure food and beverage items will be available at Magic Kingdom from June 28 through September 6.

Golden Oak Outpost and The Friar’s Nook will have Tiana’s Famous Beignets. The light, sweet, and fluffy pastries are drizzled with honey and powdered sugar. A version of the beignets with strawberry sauce was available for a limited time earlier this year for Celebrate Soulfully 2024.

Golden Oak Outpost will also serve new Hot Honey Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and Shrimp Gumbo with Sweet Potato Fries. New “Princess and the Frog” popcorn variations will be at the Main Street Confectionery. Green Apple Gummi Frogs and Spicy Butter Toffee Peanuts will also be at the Confectionery and later at Critter Co-Op.

Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs will have the Over the Bayou Cake Bar through July 31. The Bayou Lavender Lemonade, Crisped Rice Cereal Treat Lily Pad, and Pecan Praline Caramel Apple will be at various locations throughout Walt Disney World Resort.

Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Co. at The Landing in Disney Springs and the Joffrey’s website will have the new Disney Tiana Bayou Beignet blend.

Read more about limited-time Tiana’s Bayou Adventure menu items.

The new Princess Tiana sipper will be at The Friar’s Nook and outdoor vending locations near Cinderella Castle starting on June 28, while supplies last.

The dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fare offers Tiana’s Gumbo. As mentioned earlier, guests also meet Tiana in her Tiana’s Bayou Adventure outfit at 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Stay tuned for further coverage of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

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