Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Preview Dates & Info (Virtual Queue & Downtime Updates)

Walt Disney World has announced the process for previews of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom. We have the details and how to register for the FREE Annual Passholder preview (which is still open!), recommendations for increasing your chances of success, and speculation about soft openings. (Updated June 14, 2024.)

Let’s start with the Annual Passholder previews for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This will work differently from all previews since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, so read carefully! (It seems like a lot of APs are missing exactly how this is going to work given park reservation availability.)

This June, be among the first to experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure—a new attraction in Magic Kingdom! As a special thank you for being an Annual Passholder, you’re invited to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure before the attraction opens to the general public on June 28, 2024.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Annual Passholder Preview Dates – AP previews will take place at Magic Kingdom on June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 and 20.

About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – Embark on an enchanting musical journey inspired by the Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog! Tiana’s Bayou Adventure brings you into the next chapter of Princess Tiana’s story. Join Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis on a voyage through shimmering bayou waters as they prepare for a spirited celebration during Mardi Gras season. Along the way, you’ll see familiar faces, make new friends and plunge into fun—while enjoying toe-tapping tunes that will transport you to a lush Louisiana marsh.

Park Reservations & Virtual Queue Required – A virtual queue will be in place for Annual Passholder previews of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Here’s how it works!

• First, make a park reservation to Magic Kingdom park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 7:00 AM virtual queue for that day. Or, you can make a park reservation to any theme park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 1:00 PM virtual queue.
• On the date of your reservation, request to join the virtual queue by using the My Disney Experience app. There will be 2 opportunities to join each day of previews.
  • The 7:00 AM virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to Magic Kingdom park for that day.
  • The 1:00 PM virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to any theme park for that day. As a reminder, Passholders must enter the theme park where they have a reservation prior to visiting Magic Kingdom. Or, on June 13, 14, 17, 18 or 20, they can enter Magic Kingdom park without a reservation after 2:00 PM.
  • Passholders do not need to have entered a theme park when they request to join the virtual queue.

Planning on riding TRON Lightcycle Run or Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind? Not to worry, you can hold a virtual queue for one of those attractions and for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Passholder preview at the same time, when available. This special perk is only offered during Passholder previews.

Important Information

• Passholders must have a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass with valid admission on the preview date. Applicable pass blockout dates apply. Park reservations are limited and subject to availability.
• Each Passholder can request to join a virtual queue no more than once per day.
• Passholders may hold boarding groups for the preview virtual queue and an attraction virtual queue at the same time, when available.
• Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the preview. Boarding groups for a virtual queue are limited, subject to availability and are not guaranteed. Not all boarding groups may be called to return, based on availability of the attraction. Learn more about virtual queues.
• Offering, dates and hours are subject to change or cancellation without notice or liability.

June 14, 2024 Update: In an unexpected turn of events, boarding groups for the 7:00 a.m. drop during Annual Passholder previews did not fill up immediately. On the first day, spots in the virtual queue were still available for over an hour. It wasn’t as long today, but they still didn’t go immediately.

For whatever it’s worth, the virtual queues for both TRON Lightcycle Run (also in Magic Kingdom) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (at EPCOT) both filled up faster. Granted, those VQs are open to all park guests, whereas this is only open to Annual Passholders, but still.

This is undoubtedly going to be used by detractors of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to “prove” that it’s unpopular, but that is not our point. Rather, that it should be pretty easy to score a spot in the VQ so long as you have a Magic Kingdom reservation. And, perhaps conversely, that it could be a lot more difficult during the 1 p.m. drop. (We’ll be monitoring and keep you posted.)

Honestly, this is actually a bit concerning, as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure hasn’t exactly been reliable during previews. There were widespread reports of downtime during Cast Member previews, and it took some people several attempts over multiple days before successfully riding. During the media event, we didn’t experience anything that extreme–but downtime did occur, as did other issues. As such, I would’ve expected Walt Disney World to play it conservatively with boarding groups…but what do I know!

I originally wrote the above before AP previews started, and like clockwork, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has since experienced extensive downtime to start both days. We expect this to continue, as there are reportedly issues with the logs triggering the action in the show scenes, along with backups in certain spots. (The track and ride system is the same as Splash Mountain, but how it syncs with show scenes is different–and a lot more complex.)

As for this proving popularity (or lack thereof), just keep in mind that anything new and exclusive is popular with Annual Passholders and locals. Even most of those who have been vocally opposed to the ride reimagining likely want to experience it at least once to form their own opinions, confirm their hate, or whatever.

This could be a return of Stitch’s Great Escape and APs would flock to it at first. So I think this boarding group availability has more to do with the allocation of Magic Kingdom park reservations for APs and virtual queue slots than it does anything else. But again, what do I know!

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is still availability for the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Annual Passholder previews. Granted, that’s because there is no registration for the ride sneak peek itself, but rather, you book Park Passes for a chance to ride. Hence the air quotes.

Nevertheless, I’m guessing by the fact that Magic Kingdom park reservations were fully booked within an hour or so of the announcement and all 3 other parks still having availability, that a lot of Annual Passholders didn’t read the fine print.

To reiterate, you do NOT need a Magic Kingdom park reservation to participate. That is definitely strategically advantageous, but you can still attempt to join the 1 p.m. virtual queue–which tends to have better availability, anyway, no matter which park you book. Not only that, but you don’t even need to have entered Magic Kingdom or any park to attempt to join the 1 p.m. virtual queue. It doesn’t work like normal–you can try your luck from the comfort of home!

Of course, the colossal caveat here is that competition is going to be fierce for spots in the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queue, and the other participants will have skills because they’re Annual Passholders rather than inexperienced first timers. So this isn’t anything like a normal AP preview, where you’re guaranteed a chance to ride at least once. To the contrary, the ‘success rate’ for riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure could be under 50%. Even though the attraction has healthy hourly capacity, we don’t know how long it’ll operate or how many APs will be competing.

To each their own, but if it were me…I’d probably make multiple days of park reservations to hedge my bets. I would want three cracks at the virtual queue, and since Magic Kingdom is no longer available (giving me two chances), I’d thus make 3 reservations–one for EPCOT, DHS, and DAK. That’s the smart play, and you better believe other Annual Passholders have the exact same idea. So perhaps the 50% success rate is overly optimistic. Maybe it’s closer to 25% or 33%? Either way, it’s probably not going to be as easy as the Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle Run VQs!

Next up is the D23 Gold Member preview on June 22, which is now SOLD OUT. During this separately ticketed event, D23 Gold Members will have the opportunity to be among the first to enjoy Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom. D23 Gold Members will be able to ride the attraction again and again, then take some time to enjoy the enchanting evening ambiance of the bayou with live jazz performances and tasty treats available during this celebration of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

In case you’re wondering just what might be on the menu for D23 Gold Members, here’s a look at this celebration:

• Festive Fun at Magic Kingdom Park: D23 Gold Members and their guests will have access to Magic Kingdom Park during the event hours and will be able to experience the attraction as many times as they wish. Members are invited to mingle and make some new friends with fellow guests as they snack on some tasty refreshments! After all, we’re on this earth to have some fun!
• Musical Magic with Live Jazz Performances: While all of y’all are welcome to make a splash on this adventure again and again, we invite you to take in the enchanting evening ambiance of the bayou all while enjoying live jazz performances! We took Tiana’s advice and made sure to book a band before the festivities got into full swing. It’s time to dust off those dancing shoes!
• Lively Lagniappe with D23 Gift: Guests in attendance will also receive a little “lagniappe” (that’s how they say “a little something extra” in New Orleans, in case you didn’t know!) with a D23-exclusive Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Commemorative Pin. We’re positive it’s going to bring your collection to a tantalizing simmer!

There’s also going to be a Disney Vacation Club preview, with DVC offering eligible members and their guests a sneak peek of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom before it opens to the general public. This is also now FULLY BOOKED.

Event Dates & Hours

• Wednesday, June 12, 2024
  • 1 PM to 4 PM Eastern Time
• Wednesday, June 19, 2024
  • 9 AM to 12 PM Eastern Time

Eligibility – Disney Vacation Club Members who are eligible for Membership Extras benefits. Must hold a qualifying Disney Resort reservation using their Membership. In order to attend, you and the number of guests on your resort reservation as of May 12, 2024 must have a valid theme park admission and a theme park reservation for Magic Kingdom on the day of the preview event (unless not required for your admission type).

Party Size Limit – Members may only make one reservation for themselves and the number of guests on their resort reservation as of May 12, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Other Important Information for DVC Previews:

• Advance preview registration is required for this event and walk-ups will not be accommodated.
• A valid Disney Vacation Club Digital Membership Card and photo ID are required at event check-in. The Member listed on the Digital Membership Card must be in attendance.
• Must have the Disney Vacation Club Digital Membership Card downloaded to a mobile device’s wallet to check in for the event.
• Offering and operating hours are subject to availability, closures and change or cancellation without notice. Entry to the preview is not guaranteed.
• Attendees younger than 18 years of age must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian.

Note that these previews begin almost immediately after the media event ends, with Cast Member previews prior to that. Interestingly, this still leaves about one week between the preview period and the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on June 28, 2024.

TRON Lightcycle Run had nothing scheduled for 2+ weeks between the end of previews and the official opening of TRON Lightcycle Run, which led us to speculate that soft openings would occur. And they did. In this case, we are not expecting general public soft openings of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure…but the door is still open for them.

That week of downtime is not nothing, especially given the more laid back style of these Annual Passholder previews. It gives Magic Kingdom the opportunity to start running Tiana’s Bayou Adventure if the park needs capacity–or if they want to sell more of the Genie+ service to everyone shut out of the virtual queue!

Regardless, we would NOT bank on there being soft openings. Possible does not mean probable. Aside from TRON Lightcycle Run, which was an anomaly since Disney clearly timed previews in such a manner to allow for soft openings during spring break, Walt Disney World hasn’t done soft openings for a major attraction in several years. It’s all been these controlled, pre-registered previews for select guests. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is even more of a ‘known quantity’ less in need of previews since the ride system is unchanged from its predecessor, Splash Mountain.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Were you able to make a Disney Park Pass reservation for the Annual Passholder preview date(s) of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World? What was your method of success (or failure)? If you have any questions, please read the stories of others and try to troubleshoot on your own before asking! Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!