Splash Mountain was my favorite ride, but I was sympathetic to the reasons for the retheme. I thought the original attraction did a great job preserving the good aspects of SOTS while leaving behind the bad, but I also thought it was fundamentally odd to have an attraction based on a movie that's been essentially banned by the Disney company. And while I personally thought nothing in the original ride was offensive, I understand that others felt differently and I don't want to invalidate those feelings.
I thought the Princess and the Frog was a great choice for the retheme and — if executed well — it had the potential to be better than the OG Splash Mountain. The Princess and the Frog has all the ingredients for a classic E-ticket attraction. When the retheme was first announced I first felt some sadness that my favorite ride was changing, but then I pivoted to cautious excitement for a Princess and the Frog ride.
Over the years, as more details about the new project came about, I began to grow increasingly concerned as the ride seemed to be pivoting away from the Princess and the Frog film to something entirely different — with a convoluted backstory involving salt mines and food co-ops. I also was concerned that all of the marketing revolved around New Orelans research, "authenticity" and the significance of Tiana's representation instead of "fun, magic, danger, thrills!" I think authenticity and representation are both good/great things, but it shouldn't have been the focal point in the marketing of a log flume ride with a 50+ foot drop.
Ultimately I think Tiana's Bayou Adventure is decent, but it falls way short of what it could have been. It's a marvel in terms of animatronics and set design but lackluster in storytelling and providing emotional highs and lows. If people like the attraction, that's GREAT. I want people to be happy. And I genuinely think the creative team for Tiana's Bayou Adventure poured their heart and soul into the ride. I just think they missed the mark a bit.