Tiana's Bayou Adventure: How to ride the newest Magic Kingdom attraction

Tiana's Bayou Adventure will be opening soon but riding it will take some planning

Tiana's Bayou Adventure Opens June 28 at Walt Disney World - credit: Disney
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Opens June 28 at Walt Disney World - credit: Disney

Disney World wants you to ride their newest attraction, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and they are giving you tips on how to do so with a newly released plan of attack.

On June 28th, the attraction will open publicly, which means Magic Kingdom will be busier than normal, even if all of the guests can't get on the attraction. Why? Because Disney will use the Virtual Queue system.

The VQ system isn't new and anyone who has used it or tried to has found it both easy and rather heartbreaking. Guests will need to get up at 6:30 am if they are staying at an on-property Disney resort. For those guests not staying on-property, 7:00 am is the wake up call. Actually, you will need to get up earlier as the queue system opens promptly at those times.

Guests will need to open the My Disney Experience app on their phones and try to get a virtual queue spot. If they fail to do so, another opportunity will open at 1 p.m., but they must be in the Magic Kingdom to join. Disney is saying that the VQ system will be used for the initial opening but does not say how long that will be. A stand-by lane will not be available for the attraction until later.

Another way to get on board is to pay for it. Using the Genie+ system on the same mobile app, guests can get up early and purchase a lightning lane pass for the ride. These are limited and sell out quickly, and they can not be purchased ahead of time.

What can guests really expect to see on Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom?

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the opening of Tiana's new ride, but in reality, this isn't so much new as reimagined. For those familiar with the previous attraction, Splash Mountain, this re-themed attraction will still be the same ride. The theme will simply be different, more updated, and likely more well-received.

A line from Disney's blog says, "A 50-foot drop right before the grandest celebration this side of the Mississippi." Splash Mountain also ended with a huge celebration of music following the 50-foot drop. It will be interesting to see the new animatronics that bring this experience to life, and kids will love the atmosphere of a New Orleans-type Mardi Gras. There are also rumors that a smell of fresh bignets will be pumped into the area. We thank you for that.