It’s been a couple of weeks since previews of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure started at Walt Disney World, and it’s been…rough, to say the least.
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Related: ‘What a Disaster!’ Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Suffering Malfunctions, and It Hasn’t Even Opened Yet
Reports have surfaced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has continued to break down and malfunction during previews. According to one report, the ride has only appropriately operated for three hours in the last five days of operation.
During the last five days of previews, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has experienced several significant malfunctions, requiring guests to evacuate the ride.
The issue seems to be with the ride hardware. Like other recent Disney rides refurbished, Disney spent a lot of money creating animatronics but did not upgrade the ride hardware. As a result, there have been breakdowns and backups at all the drops in the ride.
https://twitter.com/kylelindsey100/status/1799434682569789715
Related: ‘It’s Those Damn Save Splasher’ Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Vandalism Blamed on Splash Mountain Fans
Some of these issues can be seen in the first-person video of the ride that Disney released last week, as the ride vehicles have to wait a short time for the drops.
And while guests who have tried out the new attraction have taken to social media to discuss their various opinions, Splash Mountain fans have been sitting back and laughing, a way of telling Walt Disney Imagineering, “I told you so.”
But it’s been more than just laughing. Splash Mountain fans have taken to social media and news outlets to gloat over Tianas Bayou Adventure’s downfall, and it hasn’t even opened yet.
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Jeremiah Poff wrote in the Washington Examiner:
One of the things that made Splash Mountain such a memorable ride was the eerie behavior of the animatronic woodland creatures that preceded the abrupt drop into a wet pool — and finally concluding in the triumphant “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Nowhere in the ride was there any racial element or undertone.
Even still, The Princess and the Frog had plenty of material that could have replaced that in an exciting and fun manner. For example, in the film, the nefarious Voodoo practitioner Dr Facilier offered some of the darkest and most memorable scenes that showcased some of the less savory aspects of historic New Orleans. He does not appear anywhere in the ride, nor does his memorable song “Friends on the Other Side.”
The remodel that no one asked for has turned into the remodel that no one likes.
Poff is not the first guest to long for a scene with Dr. Facilier to bring some evil to the new attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering chose to include Mama Odie, who had limited on-screen time in The Princess and the Frog (2009) but not the main villain.
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Related: The Crumbling Castle: Disney World’s Cheap Upgrades Falling Apart in Front of Guests
For now, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is due to open in late June, and it is too late to change the ride’s story. A delay in opening the new ride would embarrass Disney, so it seems unlikely.
Disney has not announced an opening date for the ride at Disneyland, so maybe Walt Disney Imagineering can make some changes there. But we are less than three weeks away from riders getting on for the first time at Walt Disney World.
Perhaps the Save Splash Mountain crowd will have the last laugh.
Have you got the opportunity to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? What are your thoughts on the new ride?
