Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the highly anticipated retheme of Splash Mountain, debuted at Disneyland Park just weeks ago. While the attraction initially drew excited crowds eager to experience the transformation inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009), its early days have been marred by technical difficulties, guest complaints, and declining wait times, leading many Disney Parks fans to question its staying power.
A Promising Beginning For Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
When Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in mid-November, it marked the culmination of Disney’s efforts to reimagine Splash Mountain as a celebration of New Orleans culture and Princess Tiana’s post-film adventures. The grand opening was met with enthusiasm from Disney Park guests and The Princess and the Frog fans alike, who eagerly lined up to board the log flume ride.
Operational Struggles Emerge
Despite its promising start, the ride has struggled to maintain its magic. Since opening day, technical issues have plagued Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with guests reporting broken animatronics, non-functioning effects, and frequent breakdowns. On Reddit, user u/kjavatar described a particularly disappointing experience, saying the Bayou Country attraction was in a “bad state:”
“The first Tiana animatronic on the lift hill has a gash under her chin. Second Tiana’s mouth wasn’t moving, in the final scene Louis’s head was moving but his body was still, Tiana was completely still and just awkwardly standing there. Finally Mama Odie’s mouth didn’t move. Aside from ALL of that, the ride has broken down 4 times today so far. I understand new rides can have issues but this ride is a month old and it feels like it’s falling apart.”
Other Disney Park guests echoed similar frustrations in response, sharing their disappointment over the attraction’s state just weeks after opening. “My #1 goal yesterday was to ride Tiana for the first time and I got the closest before breakdown #3… honestly depressing,” wrote u/madqueenludwig.
“We noticed [Tiana] on the stage right before Mama Odie was off on the grand opening day,” u/Sea-Staff-79 replied. “We too enjoyed it but did notice somethings not working that well by our third day.”
Other fans blamed the ride’s issues on more significant challenges within Disney Parks, pointing to staffing shortages and budget cuts during the pandemic. “I still feel like Disney is suffering from laying off all their experienced maintenance and engineering staff during Covid,” said u/garrcha.
“My understanding is Iger really cheaped out on maintenance for the last decade,” u/Sorry-Letter6859 commented.
Comparisons to Walt Disney World Resort
The struggles of Disneyland’s version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure have drawn comparisons to its counterpart at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park. While the Florida version experienced similar issues during its preview and early days, guests report that operational performance has since improved. This raises hopes that Disneyland Park’s version may eventually overcome its initial hurdles.
Have you noticed technical issues on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Share your story with Disney Dining in the comments.
