Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open at Disney World before July 4 crowds

Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disney World.

Splash Mountain opened in Orlando 32 years ago, making headlines for the five-story plunge. The drop was wet and thrilling on what was, at the time, the world’s longest flume ride drop.

The heart of the ride remains the same for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Splash Mountain’s replacement that is officially open just in time for the July 4 holiday crowds for its first operational big operational test.

The splashy fall is just as daring as you remembered. The bones of the original ride are there, but gone are ”Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” Brer Fox and the inspiration from Disney’s “Song of the South” that had racist origins that were harder for Disney to ignore in modern-day times.

“I felt as long as I’ve been CEO that ‘Song of the South,’ even with a disclaimer, was just not appropriate in today’s world,” Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger once said in 2020.

Replacing Splash Mountain’s themes are Disney’s first Black princess, as well as dozens of charming animatronic animals trying to win Disney fans over on the 10-minute ride.

The ride takes place after “The Princess and the Frog” film ended, with Tiana now a restaurant owner. The plot isn’t key to enjoying the ride though. If you missed the movie, there is plenty of cuteness to admire. The ride feels whimsical and sweet, with Disney using projections and light to show fireflies in the bayou and create a few other surprises.

It’s hard to catch all the details — like okra plants wiggling in the garden or cute critters playing musical instruments — since the ride features about 20 brand new characters and nearly 50 animatronics in total. In some scenes, Disney plays with scale, making you feel small because the film’s Mama Odie shrinks ride-goers.

In addition to being more inclusive, Tiana’s is more family-friendly.

The ominous vultures who reminded you the plunge is coming soon have disappeared. Even the exterior of the ride looks different with flowers and lush landscape making way for the jagged rocks from the Splash Mountain days.

The ride relies on atmosphere since there’s no villain or tension.

Like most things, loyal Disney fans often fiercely debate the park’s every move. A new ride is no different.

“Disney once made a Haunted Mansion with 999 souls. They’ve now created an entire mountain without one,” said one of the nearly 10,000 comments on YouTube when Disney posted the full ride-through video of Tiana’s before the official opening.

“Without a villain or clear story pointing towards the climactic drop, this ride is basically a New Orleans jazz easy listening station on a log flume,” complained another.

Others praise the ride, calling it a much-needed improvement to the problematic Splash Mountain.

“It is, essentially, the first thrill ride designed to feel entirely like a party. One could call it a splashing success,” the L.A. Times’ Todd Martens wrote in his review.