It’s time — laissez les bons temps rouler! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World is gearing up for a big Mardi Gras season celebration. So grab your friends, family, and beignets because it’s time to share what you need to know before riding when the attraction opens on June 28!
As you might have heard, the biggest soirée on this side of the Mississippi has an exhilarating 50-foot drop. But, you should also know about the attraction’s story, Audio-Animatronics figures, music, and more. Here’s a special look at it all.
Dreams Do Come True in the Queue
From the minute you step into the attraction queue, the story begins!
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure takes place about a year after the events of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog.” Here, you’ll see first-hand where Princess Tiana’s life has taken her following the success of Tiana’s Palace, a restaurant she had dreamed up and worked hard to make a reality.
In the queue, you discover that Tiana has expanded her business with Tiana’s Foods. She’s combined her talents with those of the local community to transform an aging salt mine and has built a beloved brand of original hot sauces, seasonings, and other food products.
When you enter the garden area at the start of the queue, you’ll be treated to a broadcast of performances by New Orleans musical acts. The radio host shares that Tiana is hosting a celebration this very night, and everyone is invited!
He also mentions that Tiana needs your help with a very important task. There’s been a mix-up with the party preparations between Prince Naveen and Louis — nobody booked a band! Because it’s Mardi Gras season, a last-minute search for a band is proving tricky. So, Tiana needs help finding musicians for tonight’s party!
That’s where you come in – you’re going to join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis on an adventure through the bayou to help find the essential missing ingredient to a successful Mardi Gras celebration: good New Orleans music! After all, Louis is from the bayou, and he’s one of the best musicians around.
In the bayou, you see familiar faces and make new friends in the next chapter of Tiana’s story – including musical critters playing tunes from “The Princess and the Frog” in the styles of Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music.
With the help of Mama Odie’s magic, you dig a little deeper into the bayou as she shrinks you down to an itty-bitty size for a new perspective to search for bayou musicians. And when the talent search concludes, it’s Mama Odie who makes you big again and gets you to the joyful Mardi Gras season celebration at the home of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.
Advanced Audio-Animatronics Figures
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features some of Disney’s most advanced Audio-Animatronics figures, and with this new, advanced technology it makes you feel like you’re really interacting with them in the attraction.
Oh, and you can’t miss Louis. He’s one of the largest and most dynamic figures Imagineering has ever built – created with new materials that bring him to life like never before and in a way that only Disney can do.
As you may have seen in our “We Call it Imagineering” YouTube series, the attraction’s amazing Audio-Animatronics figures were created by first looking at the attraction’s story to determine each character’s role. Then, Imagineers used technology in support of the story in true Imagineering fashion. In total, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure includes dozens of Audio-Animatronics figures!
New Critters to See at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Disney attractions are known for incredible Audio-Animatronics figures, but it’s not every day we debut NEW original Disney characters. These new friends play an important role in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Creating original characters for our guests to interact with has long been a part of Walt Disney Imagineering’s legacy. In Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, there are 19 new critters – some are big, some are small, some are older, and some are younger. Each has a distinct name and personality. We hope that every guest has at least one they can make a connection with!
Music Brings Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to Life
You’ll be tapping your toes throughout Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with a mix of both new and familiar sounds. The music comes to a joyful crescendo as you approach the party at Tiana and Naveen’s home, where Louis is conducting a jazz band filled with all the critters you’ve met on your journey and more. They play an all-new, original song, “Special Spice,” with vocals by Anika Noni Rose, the original voice of Princess Tiana.
Imagineers worked with award-winning artists PJ Morton and Terence Blanchard on the music you’ll hear at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
A priority for creating Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been to represent all aspects of the New Orleans culture throughout the attraction, with an emphasis on the power of the city’s music.
Virtual Queue, Genie+ Service at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
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.
You can visit disneyworld.com/virtualqueue for more details about how virtual queues at Disney World work and what you need to know before visiting Magic Kingdom.
And Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also be included as a Lightning Lane entrance in Disney Genie+ service*.
Purchasing this service on the My Disney Experience app helps you get to some of your favorite attractions faster through Lightning Lane entrances and includes digital downloads of select Disney PhotoPass attraction photos taken in the park on the day of your purchase at no additional charge.
You can check the app on the day of their visit for pricing and availability. Please visit disneyworld.com/lightninglane for more details.
Looking for more to bayou in the know? Discover more about Tiana’s Bayou Attraction on the Everything Tiana page on the Disney Parks Blog.
We can’t wait for you to drop on into the bayou on June 28!
*Attractions with Lightning Lane entrances that are Disney Genie+ are limited in availability, subject to change or closure, may vary by date, are not guaranteed and may not be available at all on the date of visit or at the time you make a selection.