Tiana’s Bayou Adventure had its grand opening at Disneyland yesterday and, much like its Walt Disney World rollout, the West Coast debut of Splash Mountain’s replacement was plagued by endless technical issues that left the attraction down for most of the day.
Never mind the fact that this new water-based attraction opened in November on a day that saw temperatures peak at 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The biggest issue facing the attraction’s West Coast debut was once again extended down times that saw the long-awaited log flume down for more than seven hours on its first day in operation.
Opening day of #TianasBayouAdventure is off to an inauspicious start, as the ride is already down. #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/RXigptO0YS
— LaughingPlace.com (@laughing_place) November 15, 2024
READ: Nintendo Previews Universal Donkey Kong Land in Epic Video
According to sources in the park, the attraction was down for the first three and a half hours of the day. Disney then got the new ride working only to have it break down again for another extended period.
Felipe the Frog, Mayra the Frog, Isabel the Green Tree Frog, and Mondo the Frog inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
This is eerily similar to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s opening in Orlando this summer, where the attraction suffered from massive delays and downtime that often left riders stranded and in need of evacuation.
Splash Mountain is a ride in Disneyland based on the movie Song of the South. Photo Credit: Cd637 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Many hoped that Disney learned from its mistakes over the last several months, and implemented changes to prevent another Tiana Titanic.
But, alas, it seems as though history is doomed to repeat itself at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Adding insult to injury was the presence of Charita Carter, the project leader on Tiana’a Bayou Adventure. The imagineer attempted to ride the attraction on its official opening day at Disneyland and her big project broke down before she ever left the station.
Charita Carter just 10 min before TBA shut down after only being open for 90 min on OPENING DAY. Yes, her log got sent, yes it got stuck.@JonasJCampbell @wdwpro1 @VashSky pic.twitter.com/cKQsDtmsG3
— Get Over It (@GetOverIt1776) November 15, 2024
READ: Disney World’s Ludicrous Frontierland “Reveal” at D23 Leaves Experts Shocked at Incompetence
They were eventually able to send her log, but very soon after Disney evacuated the whole ride with her on it.
This is eerily reminiscent of an incident that happened at Walt Disney World during the press and professionals preview of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Jennifer Lewis, the voice of Mama Odie in The Princess and The Frog, got stuck on the attraction and started to lead a singalong of the film’s song “Dig a Little Deeper” with the rest of the stranded riders.
This is fantastic. Jenifer Lewis (Mama Odie) sings “Dig a Little Deeper” with guests while riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 10, 2024
There’s no word on whether Carter attempted to get others to join her in song during the extended downtime yesterday.
In another embarrassing moment for the House of Mouse, it seems as though Disney grossly overestimated demand for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure merchandise. The company set up a massive queue area for the debut merch with 10 registers and 18 switchbacks. However, this was the crowd at 4 pm on opening day.
-
- The empty queue for merchandise for TIana’s Bayou Adventure at 4 pm on opening day for the attraction at Disneyland – Photo Credit: Chris W
-
- Another angle of the empty queue for merchandise for TIana’s Bayou Adventure at 4 pm on opening day for the attraction at Disneyland – Photo Credit: Chris W
READ MORE: Dollywood Beats Disney & Universal To Win Award For Best Theme Park Customer Service
The attraction serves as a replacement for the beloved Splash Mountain log flume, an attraction dubbed “problematic” by activists and the Disney Stories Matter department. Stories Matter eliminates potentially offensive or insensitive elements from Disney+ and the parks.
This perception of Splash Mountain was due to its association with the Disney film Song of The South, which many believe contains outdated “racist” depictions of African Americans.
An image of Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland via WDW News Today YouTube
Described as a “necessary downgrade” by some in the Disney access media, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure features far fewer audio animatronic figures than its predecessor and a lot more technical issues. With Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open on both US coasts, the final Splash Mountain attraction remains in Tokyo Disneyland.
Will you ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with your family on your next vacation? What do you think the Disney Stories Matter department will go after next? Sound off and let us know!
UP NEXT: Bob Iger Avoids Snow White, Epic Universe, and Questions on Ideology in Disney Earnings Call Q4 2024
