In this post we give an overview of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a log flume ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ. Read on to learn more!

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Basics

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a log flume ride at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The ride

has a 40 inch height requirement
offers rider switch
is a Tier 1 ride on Lightning Lane Multi Pass
does not have a single rider line
is not a part of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom
is about 12 minutes long

Where is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Located?

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is located in Frontierland, near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Entering the park, you’d go down Main Street and take a left at the hub. Through the first gate on the left is Adventureland—you can go to the end of Adventureland (Pirates of the Caribbean) and take a right to get to Tiana’s. Alternatively, you can go through the second gate on the left of the hub, into Liberty Square. Pass through Liberty Square and you can’t miss seeing Tiana’s in Frontierland.

How to Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

If you have Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is one of three good picks for your initial Tier 1 pick (the other two are Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan’s Flight). Tiana’s Bayou Adventure tends to have the worst availability at the start of the day, making it a good option for pre-booking. If you don’t book it with your initial pick, you might get lucky and grab it later on, but you’ll also want to consider riding it via standby.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not a part of Early Entry, which means guests without Early Entry will be able to be among the first on the ride if they head straight there when the park opens. Guests with Early Entry who finish their initial plans can also join this group.

Generally, the choice for rope drop on this side of the park comes down to Jungle Cruise or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Both are long rides (about 10 minutes), which makes them less than ideal for rope drop, but until Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens there isn’t a better strategy over here.

The prevailing trend is to head to Jungle Cruise first and then Tiana’s (if the wait makes sense), so it makes sense to do that as long as you’re at the front of the crowd. This also makes sense given the potential for ride closures. While Tiana’s is relatively stable now, Jungle Cruise very, very rarely is closed to start the day, and geographically you’d much rather get to Jungle Cruise, see it’s closed, and then go to Tiana’s than the opposite.

If it doesn’t fit into your rope drop strategy, just keep in mind that Tiana’s demand will be somewhat weather-dependent. If it’s going to be 80 degrees all day long, you’ll see long waits all day long. If it’s a cooler day, avoid the very popular 12PM to 4PM window.

Goin’ Down The Bayou

Conceptually, it helps to think of Tiana’s as two rides—the dark ride and the drop. The drop makes it all worth it. It offers a great view and then a big splash—what more can I say? I don’t want to oversimplify things, because there’s always a lot to say about the layers of any good ride. But I just think this one moment predominates so much that it answers all questions about whether the ride is a “must do.” It is, because it’s got a great drop.

As a dark ride, Tiana’s is hit or miss. There’s an over-reliance on screens, and the pacing is a bit awkward. While the animatronics are great, Disney didn’t really do much with them, and their presence is often awkwardly marred by nearby screen effects. The storyline is also maybe a bit thin—you’re helping Tiana put together a band.

Despite those flaws, the whole package delivers. The real winner (other than the drop) is the great music, which does a great job of carrying you all the way to the top of that hill. The screens, story, and animatronics are nice touches along the way, but it’s the music that’s really at the heart of the journey.

FAQ

What did Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replace?

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replaced Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain closed in 2023, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened in 2024.

Do you always get wet on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?

You should expect to get wet and be willing to get soaked if you ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. While I’ve had some rides when I came out relatively dry, those are rare.

All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered

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