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

Mar. 15, 2025

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 newTiana’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.

Janine Rubenstein with husband Doug and son Reece.Janine Rubenstein

Janine Rubenstein

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.

The running joke is that Ramey justhadto 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.

Janine Rubenstein with husband Doug and daughter Ramey.Janine Rubenstein

It felt extra serendipitous that that same yearDisney 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.

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.

Janine Rubenstein and daughter Ramey.Courtesy Disneyland Parks and Resorts

Courtesy Disneyland Parks and Resorts

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.

Disney’s Princess Tiana with Janine Rubenstein, mom Donna and daughter Ramey.Courtesy Disneyland Parks and Resorts

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.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.Disney

Disney

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.

Rendering of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride.Disney

As the name would suggest, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a water ride, and Disney aficionados know that it has replaced theSplash Mountain attraction, maintaining its same flume mechanisms, twists, turns and drops, but with all newTiana-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.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.Sean Teegarden/Disneyland Resort

Sean Teegarden/Disneyland Resort

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!

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.

source: people.com