Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a challenge for many Disney World visitors. The ride is about 9 minutes long, so there’s a solid payoff for the time you spent in line. It’s got some great animatronics and show scenes, the kind of dark ride that Disney makes its bank on. And … it has a 50-foot drop, with rapidly falling boats full of shrieking people displayed for all the world to see as you approach the entrance. If you are a ride chicken like me, that can be a little off-putting.

Hopefully my experience can help you decide whether or not this ride is for you. This article is mostly spoiler-free, for a full review see: Review: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Is a Joyful Celebration for Everyone.

If You Definitely Won’t Ride

If you know that you won’t ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – for whatever reason – that doesn’t mean everyone in your group is going to skip it right along with you. Some of you will go along in line no matter what the queue is like, just to be companionable. There is a chicken exit at the end; you can go through the entire queue without getting on the ride. Follow the signs when you reach the loading platform, or ask a Cast Member to direct you. But if you need a bit more to make a group wait worthwhile, there’s plenty to look at in the beautifully designed queue.

Tiana is prepping for a party, and there are a couple of big set pieces where it’s easy to grab pics like the one above. But there are also several smaller items to build the ride’s backstory. You’ll find framed keepsakes on the walls like photos from the past, clipped newspaper articles, and awards. If you love the “10 years later … ” bits during the credits at the end of some movies, you’ll think this stuff is fun. And it’s a nice look at how Imagineering builds information into the queue so those who haven’t seen the movie still understand the ride.

If You Aren’t Sure About Riding

I’ll call out different triggers individually below. Because we’re all nervous about different things! Also, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has reused the track and ride vehicles from Splash Mountain. If you visited Disney World before it was transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you can safely draw on some of that experience.

Ride Vehicle

Your log is as easy to get in and out of as most boat rides with a bench seat. You will have to step up and over from the platform – which can be a challenge for those with balance issues – but you can step on the bench and from there into the seat. The one thing you’ll find is that there’s not as much space for your knees as on many other rides. Longer-legged people will fit, but they’ll notice it. Since it’s a straight seat across, girth won’t matter as much except to anyone seated beside you.

Drops

The famous 50-foot drop that you can watch from outside is not the only drop on the ride. But the rest are smaller – much smaller. There’s one little “surprise slip”, but the others are all well-telegraphed with a lift hill in front. If you’re OK with a short slide and simple sploosh at the bottom, these few little ones won’t bother you. They’re not likely to induce any motion sickness unless you’re extremely prone to it. Even then, they are well-spaced; there’s plenty of time to recover your equilibrium between them.

I don’t usually reference other Disney World rides in ride chicken guides because first-time visitors may not have ridden them. But if you want a good gauge of the smaller drops, Pirates of the Caribbean has a single drop that is not too different. You can try that before Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

OK, so those are the smaller drops. Then there is the big one. You know the one I’m talking about. The one everyone sees as you’re walking up to the entrance. You won’t be truly vertical because it’s only 45 degrees. But it’s vertical enough that it feels like you’re going straight down. And it is FAST. If you’re used to similar drops on roller coasters, I felt that this was even more intense: it feels faster and there is no friction from the track. It is definitely steep enough to make your stomach drop, but the bright spot is that it’s so quick it may be over before you notice it. All that said, you’ll feel like you’re close to freefall for a hot second, so if that’s a dealbreaker for you … then this is not your ride.

Heights

In a couple of places, you’ll have views of the Magic Kingdom rooftops as you’re floating along. However, your log is securely in the flume, and there’s plenty of theming and a wall between you and the view. You’re high up, but it won’t feel like “heights”.

Still, there’s no getting around it. When you go over the 50-foot drop, you’ll feel that you’re high up. And there is a bit in the middle where you will not be able to appreciably see any ground (or water) immediately under you. Your saving grace may be that there’s enough spray to make it hard to see, or you could choose to close your eyes. But if you’ve got a significant fear of heights and closing your eyes for this tiny portion of the ride won’t get you past it, you’re likely going to have a problem.

Smoothness

For the most part, the motion on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is smooth; you’re floating along a water-filled track. It can be a tiny bit jerky as you move up towards any of the drops. You might also nudge the sides here and there as you move along the flume. But unless you’re inclined to get motion-sick the instant you step off the dock onto a boat, you shouldn’t have a problem with the floating on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Darkness

Very little of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is truly dark. It’s not brightly lit, but there are show scenes that provide lighting even when you’re inside. There are a couple of places where there’s no show as you go up a lift hill, but these are still more dim than dark. It’s most noticeable in the lead-up to the big drop, but even here there’s a small spotlight shining toward you from the top to keep it from being pitch black.

Speed

Except when going downhill, the ride is sedate. You’ll notice that the current is moving you along, but it’s not zippy like a flume ride at a water park might be. It’s faster than a lazy river attraction. But not much.

Spinning/Direction

If you aren’t a fan of spinning, good news! There’s no spinning. You’re always pointed straight ahead in your log, although there’s plenty to see and you may turn your head to see it.

Length

Most of the time, when we talk about length it’s because of motion sickness. Being nauseous through a 3-minute coaster is a different ball of wax than if you’ve only got to make it 45 seconds before you can get off. On Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, motion sickness isn’t as likely to be an issue. But the length is still worth mentioning.

Even if you’re nervous about the big drop, this ride is long – about 9 minutes. The drop lasts a few seconds. The rest of the time, you’ll spend floating gently through the scenery. The indoor portions tell the story. And outdoors, the bayou theming is lovely and relaxing. It’s worth taking that balance into consideration when deciding whether to give it a try.

If You Decide to Ride

One of the biggest questions people ask about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is how wet you’ll get. That’s not really a ride-chicken thing, because a rain poncho can make it a non-issue. But the answer is that you can be anywhere from completely dry to pretty soaked. Most riders will come off either dry with maybe a few sprinkles, or damp. You are most likely to get really wet in the front two rows, as these take bulk of the splash at the bottom of the drops.

The drops on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure can cause motion sickness, but it’s not typically an issue for riders. Most are small, and the big one is over quickly. But if you’re very nervous about the big drop, it can affect your enjoyment of the ride, especially since some of the smaller drops have big-looking lift hills.

As a casual visitor who only went to Disney World every few years, I could never remember how many drops there were on the ride and which one was “the big one” when this ride was themed as Splash Mountain. A change that I really enjoyed on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is that the final large drop is very well telegraphed. When you hear Mama Odie talking about the size of the splash you’ll make, you’ll know that it’s time.

Have you ridden Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Does the drop make you nervous? Let us know what you thought in the comments.