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Today is Splash Mountain’s final day in operation at WaltDisneyWorld. While we are excited for Tian’s Bayou, it feels like the end of an era. I was there when it opened at Magic Kingdom in 1992. I had never seen Song of the South, I didn’t even know what it was, but it didn’t matter. It was a wonderful experience! The music, the bright colors… I still remember how it made second grade me feel. It seems I’m not alone in that sentiment.
Credit: Disney Dining
People have flocked to the ride today to get one last “how d’ya do.” Line’s are beyond crazy. The My Disney Experience App has wait times currently posted at 200 minutes (3 and a half hours), but reports from inside the park are saying it’s closer to 4 and a half hours long!
Credit: My Disney Experience
A video has surfaced on Twitter showing absolutely suffocating crowds flocking to the beloved attraction. Guests are literally shoulder to shoulder, shuffling their way toward the rides entrance. We love this ride but it would be hard to justify wading through this crowd. My anxiety is through the roof just watching the video!
Oh my god…#SplashMountain pic.twitter.com/OnkIg9lYxs
— Theme Park Express (@ThemeParkExpres) January 22, 2023
We’ve also read reports today that Cast Members are helping Disney World guests preserve their memories of Splash Mountain’s final day with one dedicated Cast Member going above and beyond taking photos of each guest by the rides iconic sign!
Though this is an end to an era, the ride structure itself will remain the same. It is simply the ride’s theme that will be changing. When it reopens next year, it will do so with a Princess and the Frog theme as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Credit: Disney
Disney fans are divided about this change: some are celebrating the end of the rides divisive themeing and others are sad that an iconic peice of Disney nostalgia will soon be gone forever. Regardless of which side of that debate you fall on, “I hope you’re satisfied. But if you ain’t, don’t blame me…you can blame my friends on the other side.”
