Disney has introduced the opening date for Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Disneyland simply in time for the Christmas 2024 season! This shares the most recent official information & particulars, plus preview predictions, gentle opening hypothesis, digital queue vs. standby line, Lightning Lane standing, and extra!
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Tiana’s Bayou Journey is a reimagining of Splash Mountain. The brand new-look attraction makes use of the identical trip system and is a log flume with an outside part, inside present scenes that includes Audio Animatronics critters, and several other smaller drops culminating in a single massive drop. Identical thought, completely different story and substance.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey picks up the story of The Princess and the Frog after the ultimate kiss, becoming a member of Tiana and Louis on a musical journey as they put together for his or her first-ever Mardi Gras efficiency. Throughout this celebration, friends hear unique music impressed by songs from the movie. Tiana is main the way in which and friends encounter previous mates and make new ones alongside the way in which as properly.
This opening date of Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Disneyland was introduced throughout the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation throughout the 2024 D23 Expo on the Honda Heart in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro provided a sneak peek at idea artwork for the longer term as well as and teased what was to come back in a couple of years. He additionally shared extra near-term information, like this.
In truth, there was a lot information throughout the D23 Parks Panel that Josh referred to as in mates Darren Criss and Skylar Astin for I assume what you’d name a rapid-fire montage tune of smaller-scale updates earlier than persevering with on with the present. The duo splashed by way of a singing medley of reports, together with the opening date of the reimagined trip at Disneyland this vacation season.
From that, we now know that Tiana’s Bayou Journey opens on November 15, 2024 at Disneyland.
Simultaneous with the debut of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Critter Nation will probably be renamed Bayou Nation.
Bayou Nation is located on the sting of New Orleans Sq. with shady timber, mesmerizing music and an unlimited assortment of enchanting surprises. Friends will uncover a land crammed with pleasant woodland animals, from a trumpet-playing gator and an lovely bear who craves honey to a musical solid of bears, frogs, and different critters.
Along with Tiana’s Bayou Journey, Bayou Nation would be the residence to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes, in addition to the newly reimagined Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, which has one of the vital scenic eating areas in all of Disneyland. And don’t overlook to seize your favourite merchandise from Ray’s Berets, and Louis’ Critter Membership, and candy treats from Pooh Nook.
Whereas some areas of this reimagined land might open earlier, Disneyland will formally welcome you to Bayou Nation when Tiana’s Bayou Journey opens on November 15, 2024. (Which means that the renaming is efficient on that date.)
Turning to commentary, our expectation is that Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh reopen earlier than November 15, 2024. The remainder of the ‘Nation’ land returning properly earlier than that looks as if a secure wager, as properly.
Though we’ve heard stories that bookings are “surprisingly” gentle this 12 months, October has been the busiest month at Disneyland lately, and that ought to stay true in 2024. A gentle October might be nonetheless busier than this summer season has been–however we may see September catching folks unexpectedly resulting from Halloween being pulled ahead and ticket offers drawing to a detailed.
The purpose is that these closures have largely occurred as a result of choices not being vital from an operational perspective, and that’ll probably change by mid-to-late September. As such, I’d hope that Disneyland may have at the least the trip and restaurant open by then. Hungry Bear’s reimagining will not be that concerned, so there’s actually no cause to delay past then. It wouldn’t shock me in the event that they’re open lower than a month from now, in reality.
Past that, work on Tiana’s Bayou Journey has been transferring quick in the previous couple of months, which is an efficient factor. That bodes properly for the reimagined trip making its November 15, 2024 opening date.
On a unfavourable notice, the model of Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Walt Disney World is now working–however has been suffering from issues. The trip suffers from intensive every day downtime that always is a number of hours. On prime of that, it has a bunch of little points with staging, set design, and extra. (See our Tiana’s Bayou Journey Journey Overview: Failure, Flawed or Unbelievable?)
Even past the reliability and downtime woes, we’ve been hoping that Imagineers can be given extra time to repair the plain points with the substance of the attraction. I’m unsure November 15 provides them the required time to do this, however perhaps it does. Both manner, it beats a race-against-the-clock opening to debut by fall break in October.
As for gentle openings or affiliation previews, I wouldn’t essentially wager on or towards them.
Disneyland doesn’t do these practically as typically as Walt Disney World. On the preview facet, that is probably as a result of there are a ton extra Magic Key holders than there are Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World. As such, Disneyland sometimes does Forged Member previews (and extra of them) as an alternative.
Typically there are gentle openings, however they’re extra ceaselessly for seasonal points of interest like Haunted Mansion Vacation, eating places, leisure or seasonal meals cubicles. And people normally operate as a launch valve to drag ahead some demand, so Magic Key APs don’t descend on the park all on the identical day.
The opposite key distinction between Walt Disney World and Disneyland is that, as a result of latter being extra of an area’s park, opening dates sometimes aren’t introduced as far upfront. Tiana’s Bayou Journey is definitely a giant exception to that, as its opening date is getting extra lead time at Disneyland than it did at Magic Kingdom.
That is probably resulting from a need to share the information at D23 Expo whereas additionally setting a date that coincided with the beginning of the Christmas season. Regardless, the reason being immaterial. Somewhat, it’s the truth that Disneyland set the opening date of Tiana’s Bayou Journey so early that’s noteworthy.
This implies one in every of two issues. First, that Imagineering is aware of ‘what went unsuitable’ with Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Walt Disney World and is assured the issue received’t repeat at Disneyland.
The second risk is that Disneyland doesn’t actually know when Tiana’s Bayou Journey be prepared and are simply erring on the facet of warning and setting a conservative opening date. One which coincides with Christmas does make sense from an operational perspective. They’ll want the capability.
My wager–and hope–is the previous. I don’t suppose it makes a complete lot of sense to set a date till potential reliability woes have been addressed. Tiana’s Bayou Journey has acquired a lot unfavourable consideration and phrase of mouth that it’s in all probability generated far more badwill than buzz at this level. (And it value some huge cash, as well!)
On prime of all this, there’s a two-week hole between the top of the Halloween season and begin of the vacations. Throughout that point, which incorporates the extremely standard Veterans Day vacation weekend, it may additionally make sense to to have the additional capability and pull ahead some demand. All a long-winded manner of claiming that I feel Tiana’s Bayou Journey is the uncommon case the place every week or two of soppy openings really would possibly occur at Disneyland.
Once more, a part of that is what I’m hoping occurs. I’ve already “lived by way of” one opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey and it was not fairly. The issues with the Walt Disney World model haven’t even been totally addressed, however that’s largely as a result of it’s already operational, so it’s not as if crews can work across the clock on it. Greater than something, I don’t desire a repeat of that at Disneyland. So I’m actually hoping the issue has been preemptively addressed at Disneyland, or was a difficulty unique to Florida. However me hoping one thing doesn’t make it so.
In any case, we’ll preserve readers posted if/when previews of Tiana’s Bayou Journey are introduced or gentle openings quietly start. You may subscribe to our free e mail publication for fast alerts.
Subsequent up, whether or not Tiana’s Bayou Journey will probably be a part of Lightning Lane Multi-Cross or Single Cross at Disneyland. For reference, it’s a part of Lightning Lane Multi-Cross (LLMP) at Magic Kingdom, which is similar standing that Splash Mountain had on each coasts. Nonetheless, it’s not essentially a foregone conclusion that Tiana’s Bayou Journey will probably be LLMP at Disneyland. In any case, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway wasn’t, though it was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
However, it’s actually exhausting to think about Disneyland giving a distinct standing to Tiana’s Bayou Journey than LLMP. The extra arguments towards Tiana’s Bayou Journey getting Lightning Lane Single Cross standing are that it’s a reimagining moderately than a brand-new trip and the truth that water rides merely usually are not as standard at night time or when the climate is colder. And California is colder from November by way of March.
There are nearly no good arguments for Tiana’s Bayou Journey opening with Lightning Lane Single Cross standing save for Disney wanting more cash…so don’t rule it out! Nonetheless, we’d say there’s at the least a 75% likelihood that it’s LLMP. Actually exhausting to think about the identical trip opening in the identical 12 months on each coasts and having a distinct standing. However by no means wager towards Disney’s greed…therefore the 25% risk.
One other massive query is whether or not Tiana’s Bayou Journey will use a digital queue. Ugh. We hope not.
If Tiana’s Bayou Journey makes use of a digital queue at Disneyland past its opening weekend, it’ll be as a result of the trip is unreliable. Even with vacation season crowds, there’s no different cause for that transfer. Once more, California’s chilly winter climate all the time made Splash Mountain much less standard this time of 12 months, so crowd management isn’t a compelling cause.
Regardless of Disney indicating that the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Magic Kingdom would solely be used within the preliminary opening interval, it’s nonetheless utilizing a VQ over a month later throughout the early fall low season due to downtime. The digital queue makes it simpler to pulse demand and never have annoyed friends who wait in a bodily line for hours on finish whereas enduring breakdowns.
The underside line is that I may see a digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey for that first weekend and perhaps by way of Thanksgiving no matter whether or not it has issues or is working easily, but it surely is not going to use one indefinitely except it’s unreliable. And I can’t predict whether or not that’s the case. Once more, I hope it isn’t!
In the end, we’re trying ahead to experiencing Tiana’s Bayou Journey opening on November 15, 2024 at Disneyland. The reimagined trip will probably be one of many prime 3 hottest points of interest within the park–even in colder climate because it’s new and Disneyland diehards love all issues new–and assist absorb crowds. No matter how anybody would possibly really feel in regards to the reimagining of Splash Mountain, that’s pretty plain. The trip was standard earlier than and it’ll be much more standard because of advertising and it being new. That all the time occurs, so it’s loopy to count on something completely different right here.
That’s actually the core of the apple. Tiana’s Bayou Journey is more likely to be a crowd-pleasing attraction and one which’s standard as a result of 1) something new is standard for a interval, and a couple of) it encompasses a princess from a extra trendy film than what it changed. Earlier than we even arrive at whether or not it finally ends up being a “higher” or “worse” trip, these elements alone will make it a must-do attraction for a lot of friends. It’ll probably rival Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers as the preferred points of interest in all of Disneyland Resort…at the least till an actual chilly entrance rolls into Southern California!
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Suggestions for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site motels in our Anaheim Resort Opinions & Rankings. For the place to eat, try our Disneyland Restaurant Opinions. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, try What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, try our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seaside, and lots of different SoCal cities!
Your Ideas
Are you excited for the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Disneyland on November 15, 2024? Suppose it’ll have a digital queue or standby line proper at opening? What about gentle openings? Count on the trip reliability issues to persist, or will Disney repair the problems discovered within the Florida model earlier than opening in California? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
