We Tried It: Riding Disneyland's New Princess Tiana Ride, and Spending a Day On Her Bayou (Exclusive)

11/15/2024 01:28 PM

PEOPLE editor-at-large Janine Rubenstein shares her and 4-year-old daughter Ramey's journey to and through Disneyland's new attraction, Tiana's Bayou Adventure

On any given day if you ask my 4-year-old daughter, Ramey, she will proudly tell you that she is, in fact, Princess Tiana.

Sure, she's a pint-sized, sassier version who hails from California, not Louisiana, but in her mind, she's basically the real deal. So you can imagine her sheer delight when her Nana and I surprised her with a trip to Disneyland this week and headed straight on down to the park's New Orleans Square. 

Before I take you through our indeed magical day, which included getting early access to Disneyland's brand new Tiana's Bayou Adventure attraction, I must disclose that both Ramey and I have been on a bit of a wild ride with Princess Tiana for many years. 

I, too, am a huge fan of Disney's groundbreaking 2009 animated film Princess and the Frog, which gave the world its first Black Disney princess. In fact, I'm so much of a fan, that back in August of 2020 when I was pregnant with my daughter, my friends and family threw me a virtual Disney princess-themed baby shower to celebrate "Ramey's Royal Arrival".  

For the special occasion (held on Zoom, but no less fabulous) everyone dressed as their favorite princess and, you guessed it, I was Princess Tiana while my husband and son were big and small versions of Prince Naveen.

Related: Anika Noni Rose Gets Emotional About Disneyland's New Tiana Ride 15 Years After Film: 'The People's Princess' (Exclusive)

The running joke is that Ramey just had to be there, because just as we were wrapping up the festivities I went into labor and our own little princess was born that very night! All that to say, Ramey and Tiana go way back. 

It felt extra serendipitous that that same year Disney announced they'd be bringing Princess Tiana rides to their U.S. parks. In the years since, I've had the opportunity to write about the development of the attraction and the surrounding elements, so when we got to the park's New Orleans Square that day I was as excited as anyone to see the finished product.

Related: All About Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Disney's Upcoming Princess and The Frog Ride

We headed straight for Eudora's Chic Boutique, a merch shop fashioned in the spirit of Princess Tiana's mom's 1920s atelier, which my own mom, who's a dress designer, got a big kick out of. Ramey, dressed head-to-toe in full Tiana regalia (she'd wear it every day if I let her) and made a beeline for the books where she flipped through Tiana's cookbook to point out some of her favorite recipes. 

Then it was time to head to the ride. But as we walked past Tiana's Palace, the park's new restaurant full of savory and sweet New Orleans fare, Ramey started to see double. There, standing just at the restaurant's entrance, was full-sized Princess Tiana and my little version couldn't have been more excited.

They hugged and chatted about recipes and I nearly cried seeing the joy it brought Ramey to see herself, in more ways than one, represented at Disneyland. But soon Princess Tiana had to go finish preparing the restaurant for her guests, as she explained. It took some convincing but we were able to pull Ramey away and head over to the main attraction. 

Since we were getting a preview ride, there was no line, but we could tell that it wouldn't be a dull wait. The winding queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure is filled with pictures and stories from the character's life both before and after the film.

She's shown to be a young girl with ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit who goes on to not only open her own restaurant, as shown at the end of the film, but an entire company called Tiana's Foods. It was a joy explaining all of this to my wide-eyed toddler who asked if this was all going to be part of a new sequel. 

As the name would suggest, Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a water ride, and Disney aficionados know that it has replaced the Splash Mountain attraction, maintaining its same flume mechanisms, twists, turns and drops, but with all new Tiana-themed animatronics. After getting a tip from our friends at Disney, we draped ourselves in ponchos to protect from the impending splash and loaded in to the log-shaped vehicle. 

Related: Disney Execs Admit They Feel Pressure Replacing Splash Mountain, Creating Tiana's Bayou Adventure

This marked Ramey's first big thrill ride experience and ever-brave, she chose to sit right up front. That said, I could tell she was a little nervous by the way she gripped my hand. Her excitement outweighed it all as we traveled down the bayou getting a fun look at some of her favorite characters from the film come to life, including Louis the alligator and Ray the firefly. There were a few mini drops throughout that even caught me by surprise, but when it came time for the big one we were all pretty nervous.

Ramey and I held hands and our breath as we went up, up, up towards the ride opening that overlooked the whole park and then. . . the splash. The drop was indeed felt, but it was quick and thrilling and little Ramey handled it like a pro!

"That, was a blast," she told me afterward, though she wasn't sure she wanted to go again just yet. The ride ended with a festive celebration where the lifelike animatronics all danced and sang at a grand party hosted by a sparkling, singing Princess Tiana and her Prince Naveen. 

We ended our day on Disney's bayou by heading back to Tiana's Palace for some much-needed eats, including savory gumbo, a piled-high short rib sandwich, top notch macaroni and cheese and all the strawberry and lemon custard-filled beignets Ramey could eat. My mom even got a southern-style vegan and gluten free dish whipped up just for her. Princess Tiana is nothing if not inclusive.

With our hearts and bellies quite full we headed home. Needless to say, 10 out of 10, highly recommend. Whether you're 4 or pushing 40, Disneyland's new Tiana's Bayou Adventure and the immersive New Orleans world they've built up around it is a great time spent for the whole family.