Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is having ANOTHER massive problem, and this time it’s actually kind of terrifying. Video footage that’s blowing up all over Disney social media right now shows the boats on the ride literally almost completely underwater, like SUBMERGED, with multiple logs stuck back to back because the whole thing flooded.
This happened around 7:30 PM last night according to someone who posted it in the Disneyland Annual Pass Holders Facebook group, and honestly when you watch the video it looks like an absolute disaster. The water level is so high that the boats are barely visible above the surface, which is NOT how a log flume is supposed to work, like at all. And here’s the thing that’s making this whole situation even worse: this isn’t just a random one-time malfunction.
Guests have been complaining for MONTHS about getting way too wet on this ride, about the boats already being filled with water before you even sit down, about the whole experience being a soggy mess compared to what Splash Mountain used to be. So now we’ve got this catastrophic flooding incident on top of all the other water management issues people have been dealing with, and the comment sections are absolutely going OFF with people saying “bring back Splash Mountain” and questioning whether Disney even knows what they’re doing with this retheme anymore.
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The Video Is Actually Shocking
Okay, so let me paint you a picture of what this video shows because it’s genuinely wild. Instagram account amagicaldisneyday shared footage that was originally posted by Christine Arquero in the AP holder Facebook group, and when you watch it, you’re looking at multiple ride vehicles just sitting there completely stuck with water levels WAY higher than they should ever be.
The boats are lined up back to back, which means the ride stopped moving and they’re all just accumulating in one spot. But the really scary part is how much of each boat is underwater. Like, these logs are supposed to float with maybe the bottom third submerged, keeping passengers mostly dry except for the splashes. In this video? The boats are almost COMPLETELY underwater. We’re talking about water covering nearly all the seating areas that should be well above the waterline.
The Instagram account made a joke about it saying “I feel like this is how wet I get every time I ride Tiana’s!” which honestly is kind of funny but also lowkey accurate based on what people have been saying about this ride. Even when it’s working “normally,” guests are reporting getting absolutely DRENCHED in ways that never happened on Splash Mountain.
There’s no word yet on whether people were actually in those boats when this happened or if they had to evacuate guests or anything, but either way, having your ride vehicles almost completely submerged is like, catastrophically bad from an operational standpoint.
People Are PISSED in the Comments
The comments on these posts are absolutely brutal, and they’re revealing way more than just reactions to this one flooding incident. People have been holding in their frustrations about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for months, and this malfunction opened the floodgates (pun intended).
One person left this really detailed comment explaining how much the ride has gone downhill: “This ride used to be so much fun, unfortunately now it’s just too much water. The boat log is already full of water before you even get in it. It also seems like the water is rushing so fast it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on, although they didn’t do a very good job with their storytelling. A ride that used to be a must ride is now only an afterthought if the ride is slow, it’s hot, and I will be headed back to hotel after.”
This is ROUGH, you guys. They’re saying the boats have standing water in them before you even board, which like, what?? That shouldn’t be happening. They’re also calling out the water rushing too fast to follow the story, which completely defeats the purpose of spending all that money on a narrative-driven retheme if people can’t even pay attention to what’s happening. And the fact that it went from “must ride” to “eh, maybe if conditions are perfect” is such a massive downgrade.
Then you’ve got the inevitable “Good! Bring back Splash Mountain!!” comments, which were always going to show up the second anything went wrong with Tiana’s. Another person asked “I don’t remember splash mountain having this many issues?” which is a fair question even if memories can be selective.
But my favorite comment might be the most savage one: “I mean the ride alone should be underwater. It’s the worst retheming I have ever seen.” YIKES. That’s brutal. They’re literally saying the ride deserves to be flooded because it’s that bad of a retheme.
Not everyone’s jumping on the hate train though. One person pushed back saying “Yall act like Splash never had a boat sink too, same shit happens either way,” reminding everyone that water rides have always had mechanical issues regardless of what characters are in them.
Why Is There So Much Water??
Here’s what doesn’t make sense to me and what’s clearly bothering a lot of guests: why is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure SO much wetter than Splash Mountain was? Like, it’s the same ride system, the same flume, theoretically the same water management setup. But multiple people are reporting that you get absolutely soaked on Tiana’s in ways that didn’t happen on Splash.
Some possibilities: Did Disney change the water flow rates to create different effects? Did they mess with the pump systems during the conversion and accidentally create problems? Are the boats themselves different in ways that make them sit lower in the water or take on more water?
Whatever the reason, having boats that are already partially filled with water BEFORE guests board is a massive red flag that something’s not working correctly. That’s not a feature, that’s a malfunction that Disney apparently just hasn’t fixed yet.
And now we’ve got this flooding incident where the water level got so high the boats were basically sinking. That’s not normal operational variance, that’s a serious system failure. Either pumps failed and water kept accumulating, or drainage got blocked, or the control systems didn’t recognize the problem and shut things down before it got dangerous.
The Storytelling Problem Nobody’s Talking About
Can we talk about how sad it is that people can’t even follow the story on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure because the water’s moving too fast? Disney spent YEARS developing this retheme. They brought in creative consultants, recorded new music, built new animatronics, wrote dialogue and character interactions. The whole point was to create this immersive narrative experience through the bayou.
But if guests are getting blasted through scenes so quickly that they can’t process what’s happening, or if they’re too busy being soaked and uncomfortable to pay attention to the story, then what was even the point? The ride’s failing at its primary objective, which is delivering the Princess and the Frog narrative Disney wanted to tell.
This is especially frustrating because Splash Mountain’s pacing was pretty much perfect. You had time to enjoy the scenes, hear the music, see the animatronics do their thing. If Disney broke that pacing when they converted it to Tiana’s, that’s a self-inflicted wound.
What This Means for the Ride’s Future
Look, this flooding incident combined with months of complaints about excessive water and operational problems is NOT a good look for an attraction that’s supposed to represent Disney’s commitment to better representation and modern storytelling. The company invested serious money and resources into this retheme, and if it develops a reputation for being a soggy mess that’s always breaking down, that undermines the entire project.
Disney needs to figure out what’s wrong with the water management systems and FIX IT, like yesterday. Is it a pump problem? Drainage issue? Are the boats designed wrong? Whatever it is, they can’t just keep operating with boats that are partially flooded before guests even board and water levels that can apparently rise to nearly submerge the vehicles.
The storytelling and pacing issues also need addressing. If the water’s flowing too fast for guests to engage with the narrative, that defeats the entire purpose of the retheme. Disney needs to dial it back and let people actually experience what they built.
Real Talk for Anyone Planning to Ride
If you’re heading to Disneyland and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is on your list, here’s what you need to know based on everything guests are reporting:
You WILL get wet. Not just regular log flume wet. Like, potentially absolutely soaked from head to toe. Plan accordingly. Ride it at the end of your day when you’re heading back to your hotel, or bring a complete change of clothes.
The ride might be closed when you get there because of technical issues. This seems to be a recurring theme. Have backup plans and don’t make Tiana’s your whole day’s priority.
Your experience might vary wildly depending on when you ride and what the water systems are doing that day. Some people report normal rides, others say they got destroyed by water. It’s apparently a gamble.
Disney Needs to Get It Together
Honestly, whether you loved Splash Mountain and hate the change, or you’re excited about Princess and the Frog representation and wanted this retheme, we should all be able to agree that the ride needs to actually WORK properly. Having boats nearly submerged from flooding is unacceptable. Having guests sit in partially water-filled boats during normal operation is unacceptable. Having water flow so fast people can’t follow the story is unacceptable.
Disney, if you’re reading this (and we know you monitor social media): FIX. THE. WATER. PROBLEMS. This is getting embarrassing, and every new incident just gives ammunition to people who want to tear down the whole retheme concept. Get your engineers in there, figure out what’s broken, and make this ride work the way it’s supposed to.
And for everyone else: if you’ve ridden Tiana’s recently, drop a comment and tell us your honest experience. Did you get soaked? Were the boats already full of water? Could you follow the story? We need the real tea on what’s actually happening with this ride because clearly there are some serious issues that need addressing.
