Tiana’s Grand Opening

June 28, 2024 Kungaloosh Radio

So after waiting all this time for the opening of ~~Splash Mountain~~ Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the big day had finally arrived. Now, unfortunately, since the ride was on virtual queue, and there were no guarantees of riding it, I didn’t put in any PTO at my work.

That meant I had to get there later in the day, and all the goodies were already gobbled up.

But before we start on our adventure, look at this little treasure I found while driving on I-4.

And a little gecko enjoying a later afternoon drink.

Okay, now onto the important stuff merch. Since I got there around 5pm, all the larger sized Passholder shirts were gone.

While I would love to show all the merch, it would blowup this page. So here’s a slideshow instead.

View Slideshow

After that, it’s time to try to new treats at Golden Oak Outpost. We ordered the Shrimp Gumbo with Sweet Potato Fries and Tiana’s Famous Beignets.

The gumbo was interesting. The flavor was great, but the texture was super slimy. Plus, the sweet potato fries were definitely a weird choice.

The beignets were good and came with honey drizzle. They were okay, but you can get better ones at Port Orleans French Quarter.

Honestly, those dishes were really bad, and it was starting to pour down rain.

So, since we were stuck, it was time for a little dinner at Pecos Bill.

Our favorites: plain beef tacos and the carnitas nachos. This is before they were loaded up with toppings.

I don’t plan on going to the park, so I didn’t grab a virtual queue, but that didn’t stop us from exploring the area and exit shop.

These neat little photo ops were located at the end of the ride.

No PhotoPass Cast Member, so it was take your own photos.

I’m a sucker for little details and props. This exit space was really cute, and you can find plenty of nods to Tiana and her cooking expertise.

Part of the story centers around Tiana trying to find a band for her party. You can see some of the posters of the local bands in the queue.

Some more details of the new Tiana area.

And a little background music…

Disney seemed to be pushing the light-up firefly containers. Not a lot of people were buying them. They looked cute, but what do you do with them?

We also checked out the new menu at Friar’s Nook. No more bacon mac and cheese tater tots anymore. 🙁

Now it time for a stroll. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was down and had the lights on.

Recently, someone pointed out that this was a nod to classic short, Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom.

A look at Casey’s Splash Pad at night.

And Tron Lightcycle Run in the dark.

But what wasn’t in the dark? Space Mountain. I remember when riding Peoplemover with the lights on was rare. Now it seems like an everyday occasion.

Capping off the night with the Carousel of Progress.

To end the night, we decided to get a sander at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlour. Can you believe that I have never had one in the Magic Kingdom? It’s only been 40 years of coming to the park.