This week, Disney unveiled media previews for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, the newest ride at Magic Kingdom Park, the company's latest theme park addition in Florida. With its formal launch on June 28, the ride replaces Splash Mountain in the Frontierland area of the park.
With a fresh interpretation of the Princess and the Frog tale, the experience honors Disney's first African American princess. The narrative of the attraction continues roughly a year after the movie concludes, with Tiana throwing a Mardi Gras celebration in the bayou.
Disney has a long-standing relationship with New Orleans, and the ride is true to that city.
In addition to the physical elements, such as an Avery Island, Louisiana-inspired setting, the ride honors Leah Chase, the proprietor of Dooky Chase's Restaurant, one of New Orleans' most recognizable eateries that functioned as a hub for community gatherings and provided inspiration for the ride's atmosphere.
Some iconic New Orleanian figures were also drawn to the ride's soundtrack, including Grammy-winning musicians Terence Blanchard and PJ Morton, who are both from the city. Although the ride includes a few songs from the movie, Morton co-wrote and produced Special Spice, the attraction's unique theme song.
What else has Walt Disney World added recently?
With Tiana's debut and everything else coming to the parks and cruise line, Jodi Bainter, vice president of domestic leisure sales for Disney Destinations, told TMR this week that this is "maybe the most exciting time" in her lengthy Disney career.
"Listening to what's in store for me as a cast member this morning makes me feel so proud. It's quite unique," she remarked.
What then is on the horizon? As part of the $17 billion investment plan, Disney is bringing a lot of new items to its Orlando resort, aside from the June 28 opening of the Tiana Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom.
The recently redesigned EPCOT, a long-term project that changed the park and ultimately saw "walls come down" this week, was especially mentioned by Bainter.
With the debut of Portraits of Courage at the American Adventure Pavilion, the new CommuniCore Hall, and ¡Celebración Encanto!, a sing-along musical based on the 2021 film that will run at EPCOT through September 26, the park now boasts a plethora of new features.
Disney is preparing to open the redesigned Country Bears show in the Magic Kingdom in other locations. This week, executives revealed that the show will debut on July 17 with an entirely redesigned visual identity, along with a new soundtrack featuring beloved Disney songs that honor the rich legacy of country music.
Disney Studios is bringing another new entertainment to the resort. Executives said this week that The Little Mermaid—A Musical Adventure will premiere "later this year." With a totally new graphic look and a script that focuses on telling the class story from Ariel's point of view and delving deeper into the character's psyche, the show is a major overhaul over its previous incarnation.
Disney Dreams that Soar is a brand-new drone show that will be available at Disney Springs through the end of the summer. It has eight hundred drones that combine to form 400-foot-tall images of some of your favorite Disney characters from Star Wars, Toy Story, Coco, Dumbo, and Peter Pan. From May 24 to September 2, 2024, it will operate every night.
Smaller changes have also been made. Disney's Typhoon Lagoon's H20 Glow Nights will return on some nights through the end of August. A customer favorite, the Disney Dining Plan is returning this year for visitors. "We were ecstatic to bring it back," Bainter continued. "It has travel advisors excited."
Other Information Travel Advisors Should Know
Disney Destinations' senior vice president of sales, Javier Moreno, told the trade press during this week's preview that "our travel advisors have become fundamental." "Our goal is to make this real for the advisors and then real for their guests."
Disney frequently invites agency owners and advisers to Orlando as part of Tiana's media preview, Bainter told TMR. This is done to help "bring things to life for advisors."
In addition, the Disney team is organizing summertime on-site training; advisors interested in learning more may contact one of the more than thirty local Disney Business Managers (BDMs) in their area.
The Disney travel agent platform, which houses the College of Disney Knowledge, is the best place for advisers who are new to the company or the business to start learning everything there is to know about the team and the products. Any of those new advisors should start with that, according to Bainter.
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