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Tag: roller coasters

  • Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens to the public at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

    Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens to the public at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

    The day is finally here. The general public will get to ride the new “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park. This is a complete retheme of the former Splash Mountain attraction. The ride system itself remains the same, but everything else is themed with characters from “The Princess and the Frog” movie. 

    The exterior of the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride at Walt Disney World, formerly known as Splash Mountain.

    I was at Disney World a few weeks ago for their official media preview and got to ride the attraction multiple times. Here are some things to know about the ride, along with my thoughts on the overall experience. 

    The Story

    Walking through the ride’s queue, you’ll be able to pick up the storyline of the attraction. It takes place a year after the events of the 2009 film. Tiana is following her dreams and running her own restaurant. She’s looking to have a big party but she’s missing a few ingredients to make it special … and guess what …. YOU are one of those ingredients! Here are some photos from outside and inside of the queue…

    The Ride Experience

    Like I said before, the ride system is the same as it was on Splash Mountain. You ride in logs with a few dips along the way, and the 50-foot drop remains as the ride’s centerpiece thrill. 

    To sum this up, the ride is one big party. Most of the music is from the film, re-orchestrated and recorded specifically for the ride. This was my favorite part of the attraction – there are multiple songs that get caught in your head as the colorful elements of the bayou come to life. 

    As for those scenes, Disney Imagineers have created some incredible animatronics of Tiana, the alligator Louis, Mama Odie and more. These characters do more then sway back and forth. They swivel their hips while turning their heads in lifelike fashion. It made me wonder about where this technology will be 20 years from now. Here are some shots from inside and around the ride, featuring those new animatronic characters…

    My Thoughts

    As you can probably tell, I really, really enjoyed this attraction. The ride is a party from start to finish, consistently building in energy along the way until you hit the large drop. Then you slowly float into a room with a giant celebration scene and a brand new song. 

    The music is the real star of the show, all throughout the ride. My favorite scene takes place just before the big drop as the song “Dig A Little Deeper” bumps throughout the bayou, as you are surrounded by glowing plant life. It’s just plain fun.

    There is no suspense in this attraction – and I LOVED that. Many have criticized the ride for not featuring a villain or something to bring some tension as you head up the lift hill before the big splash, but why can’t a big drop be fun? I love big drops. It was refreshing to have a ride that is a giant party from start to finish. This will work especially well for the younger kids experiencing a daunting drop like this for the first time.

    Of course, all of this comes with one big question…

    Does The Ride Work? 

    If you have been following reports over the last month or so, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has experienced quite a bit of downtime and riders have been evacuated off of the attraction more than a few times. It’s important to remember that this is during a time of technical rehearsal where Imagineers are consistently tweaking and evaluating the attraction. 

    But now the ride is open to the public. The people getting onto the logs are not castmembers or annual passholders who head to the park many, many times a year. Now, the guests getting on the attraction may be a family taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney World. This is when the ride needs to run consistently and efficiently. 

    There are significant challenges when you try to take new technology and apply it to an older ride system. Hopefully Disney Imagineers have worked through many of those issues and the ride will be able to operate on a regular basis with limited issues. Don’t be surprised to see some setbacks and breakdowns as Disney-sized crowds take in the attraction for the first time. I’m hoping they are able to figure these out and settle in on a system that works long term. 

    The ride is that good. I can’t wait to take it all in again, next time with my own family by my side. 

    My lonely, lonely first ride on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.

    I will have my full ride and review posted in video form soon!

    And don’t forget to follow me on social media! I’m on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. 

    Marcus Leshock

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  • All-new Fire In The Hole roller coaster opens at Silver Dollar City in Branson

    All-new Fire In The Hole roller coaster opens at Silver Dollar City in Branson

    A few months ago, we told you about a legendary ride closing its doors for good at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

    It was called Fire In the Hole. The coaster was a mainstay attraction for millions of families over the decades it operated at the theme park. Riders traveled through a town battling a fire, with animatronic characters on sets and a few dips along the way. Fire in the Hole was one of those rides the entire family could enjoy – and they did. I was there when it closed and met parents riding with their children one last time, remembering the times they were kids riding with their parents and grandparents.

    When the original Fire in the Hole was built, the park had no idea they would be operating well into a winter season. The building had no heating or air conditioning system. It was getting older by the day, making maintaining the ride a real challenge. Silver Dollar City made the difficult decision to say goodbye to the coaster – but not for good.

    The exterior of the new Fire In The Hole show building

    Instead, they spent $30 million to completely recreate the ride in another section of the park. The brand new building now has heating and air conditioning and is built to last. They hired Rocky Mountain Construction to build the coaster, but the ride is exactly the same as it was before, with the same pattern and the same dips.

    Some of the first riders leave the station on the all-new Fire In The Hole.

    But there are some changes.

    An entire new audio system has been added to the coaster trains. As you travel through the building and through the multiple set pieces, you hear new dialogue explaining the story and everything happening around you. There is a music score that drives the action. All of the sets were built in house by the staff at Silver Dollar City with incredible focus on detail. This is one of those rides where you will notice something new each time you ride it.

    For example, when a character named Bugs hisses his line of dialogue, you’ll hear the scurry of roaches all around you. Look closer at the walls and you’ll see those roaches covering them.

    A character named “Bugs” appears to drop bugs on passengers below

    The original Fire In The Hole featured a moment where you encountered a train car – it was just an old coffee can that spun around a light to give you the impression that a train was coming. This time? They built the actual train and it’s revealed just as you take the drop.

    The new train just before a drop on Fire in the Hole

    And finally, when you take the last drop, look for a lit fuse along the right wall that leads to an explosion as you hear a voice yell “FIIIIIRE IN THE HOOOOOOOLE!”

    The scene before the last drop on the new Fire In The Hole. Look for the fuse that lights on the right wall.

    There are so many little things like that throughout the ride, minor details that will likely be appreciated by longtime fans of this attraction. You can watch my full ride on Fire In The Hole in the video below, with and without commentary:

    Here is the official POV video from the park:

    The all-new Fire In The Hole is now open at Silver Dollar City in Branson. You can find more information about the park on their website here.

    This isn’t my first trip to Silver Dollar City. I’ve done a few stories on the park and their unique attractions they’ve added over the years.

    Here’s my ride on their launching, spinning roller coaster Time Traveler:

    And my first-ever Coastin’ the Country segment was on their roller coaster Outlaw Run:

    Marcus Leshock

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