A journey that started over 4 years in the past, when followers requested for Splash Mountain to get replaced, is now full. On November 15, Tiana’s Bayou Journey will open at Disneyland Resort. Will probably be the second model of the attraction to open, as Tiana made her debut at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom again in June. Having now ridden each variations, I even have a favourite, which is bizarre since they’re speculated to be the identical journey.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey is basically the identical in each locations. The story is similar. The superb music, together with the banger finale tune from PJ Morton, is similar. The unbelievable animatronics are the identical. And but, I believe Disneyland’s model of Tiana’s Bayou Journey is simply that little bit higher.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey Is A Nice Attraction At Each Parks
To be clear, after I say Disneyland has the sting, that’s not as a consequence of something that Walt Disney World did unsuitable. I’ve written about how a lot Tiana’s Bayou Journey impressed me after I skilled it. I used to be anticipating a easy re-theme of Splash Mountain. I believed the journey can be the identical and simply have a brand new coat of paint.
As a substitute, Tiana’s Bayou Journey is basically a special journey. It’s a log flume, like Splash Mountain, however that’s all the 2 have in widespread.
Disneyland’s Tiana provides you all that, identical to she does at Magic Kingdom. However Disneyland and Disney World’s two places are barely completely different, and that’s the place Disneyland truly builds a greater Bayou Journey.
Larger Isn’t At all times Higher
In relation to theme park points of interest, there’s a relentless race to set information. The most important, the tallest, the quickest; these are the issues points of interest need to be. After Disney constructed its first Splash Mountain at Disneyland, when it got here time to construct one other, in fact they made it greater.
Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom has an extended observe, and it consists of further drops that the Disneyland model doesn’t have. These are nice for those who’re using for thrill or to get soaked on a sizzling day, however Magic Kingdom’s model of Tiana doesn’t actually do something with the additional area or further drops on the subject of Tiana.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey has a enjoyable story. Visitors are becoming a member of Tiana and Louis on a visit by the bayou to search out musicians for an enormous get together Tiana is throwing. You then get shrunk right down to the scale of an animal by Mama Odie, earlier than being returned to regular measurement after being despatched down the large drop. Then it’s off to the get together.
That story is just tighter at Disneyland. It begins as quickly as you allow the loading space and you progress steadily from one scene to the following, with no wasted effort. If it was a screenplay, elements of Disney World’s journey would get minimize as a consequence of being pointless, irrespective of how a lot enjoyable they’re.
Disneyland’s Quicker Journey Enhances Some Results
Disneyland’s model of Tiana is a few minutes shorter than the one you’ll discover at Magic Kingdom. A part of the explanation for that’s the added size of the journey in Orlando, however there may be additionally one other issue: Disneyland’s log flume strikes quicker.
Whereas each variations of the journey prime out at about 45 MPH while you drop 52 and a half toes, the velocity of the water the remainder of the time is far quicker at Disneyland. This additionally aids the story’s focus, however moreover helps improve the results.
After I was in Orlando, the sequence the place visitors get “shrunk” by Mama Odie, whereas nonetheless enjoyable, didn’t wow me the way in which it did in Anaheim. The animatronics, an enormous frog enjoying drums, who had been regular measurement earlier within the journey, and an enormous display displaying Tiana and Louis looking for you, have been cool, however I simply didn’t join with that a part of the story.
At Disneyland, it was a really completely different story, because the shrinking component works higher. Close to as I can inform, that is because of the barely quicker velocity of the boat at Disneyland. Since you’re transferring quicker, you by no means fairly get your bearings. You possibly can’t cease and take into consideration the completely different story parts round you, you’ll be able to’t “see by” it. The impact of feeling small comes by higher.
If Tiana’s Bayou Journey Is The Starting, The Future Of Disneyland And Disney World Is Vivid
A journey retheme is much from an uncommon factor at Disneyland or Disney World. Quite a few rides have seen their tales change with out being changed through the years. If there’s a draw back to doing that, it’s that there are some core modifications to an attraction that Walt Disney Imagineering merely can’t make. This implies their creativity is inherently restricted.
And but, Tiana’s Bayou Journey, at each Disneyland and Disney World, may not be a revolution, however it’s an evolution of the log flume attraction. It’s as soon as once more among the finest, if not the most effective, variations of the sort of journey.
And if that’s what Walt Disney Imagineering can do when one hand is tied behind their again, think about what can be doable when the sky is the restrict. Main enlargement is at present deliberate at Disneyland, and main overhauls are additionally deliberate at Disney World. Whereas not everyone loves what we’ll be dropping at Magic Kingdom to make room for brand new points of interest in Frontierland, the upcoming Villains Land is totally an addition to the park.
Subsequent yr guarantees a Walt Disney animatronic that, based mostly on the outline, will make those in Tiana, that look superb, look dated. It’s going to additionally give us a model new model of Check Observe at Epcot, one other attraction the place the core of what it’s gained’t change, however that doesn’t imply we should always anticipate one thing actually spectacular to return.
I don’t know what’s coming, however my expectations are excessive due to what Imagineering was capable of do to, in Walt Disney’s phrases “plus” this attraction. Splash Mountain was by no means a “should journey” for me after I visited both Disneyland or Magic Kingdom, however now it’s at each parks, even when the previous’s is simply that little bit higher.