News Tiana's Bayou Adventure - latest details and construction progress

[EagleScout610]

Off a POV from today:

Goin' Down the Bayou

• Show lights are seemingly out where the geese were, leaving the scene very shadowy (Revenge of the shadow man?)
• Timoleon seems to not be rocking back and forth
• Beau the Possum isn’t rocking back and forth
• PawPaw’s hand is broken again (It was fixed in a different POV)
• Claude (father bear) is seemingly falling backwards and isn’t rocking back and forth as fast as he should be.

Dig a Little Deeper

• None of the frogs in the former Laughin’ Place are working.
• Mama Odie resets twice (Seriously, why even include the leaves? Just have Odie out the entire time. It's just obvious she's resetting between lines.

Secret Spice

• Lottie isn’t swaying back and forth
• Eudora isn’t moving at all
• Tiana isn’t moving from the neck down
• Mama Odie seems to have had a stroke as her right side isn’t moving

 

[Tha Realest]

Off a POV from today:

Goin' Down the Bayou

• Show lights are seemingly out where the geese were, leaving the scene very shadowy (Revenge of the shadow man?)
• Timoleon seems to not be rocking back and forth
• Beau the Possum isn’t rocking back and forth
• PawPaw’s hand is broken again (It was fixed in a different POV)
• Claude (father bear) is seemingly falling backwards and isn’t rocking back and forth as fast as he should be.

Dig a Little Deeper

• None of the frogs in the former Laughin’ Place are working.
• Mama Odie resets twice (Seriously, why even include the leaves? Just have Odie out the entire time. It's just obvious she's resetting between lines.

Secret Spice

• Lottie isn’t swaying back and forth
• Eudora isn’t moving at all
• Tiana isn’t moving from the neck down
• Mama Odie seems to have had a stroke as her right side isn’t moving

It’s buggy everywhere and incoherent even when it fully works, but at least relevance has been activated.

What a sad joke.

 

[EagleScout610]

On a side note, I'm hoping for DL's that they remove the leaf transition with Odie right before the big lift hill.

I get its supposed to be her peering down at tiny us, but the swirling leaves give off a Power Point transition feeling between lines. Just have Odie looking down the entire time and going "Ah there you are!" when the log hits the senor.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I rode the WDWRR recently and the shudders blocking the view of the finale look permanent. I hope that they open them up towards opening but it is worrying they haven’t done so already.

 

[dreamfinding]

Recap on the second operational day for the public (technically APs..):

• 7am drop lasted for 24 mins, versus yesterday's ~2 hours. Seems like APs with a MK reservation were more proactive to getting a BG right away after yesterday's situation.
• 1pm drop only lasted for about 1 sec. This is somewhat of a surprise because there were no extended downtimes leading up to the 1pm drop. Maybe the afternoon 1pm drop really only has a limited allotment/supply to account for any downtimes in the afternoon.

Now for the downtimes:

• It failed to open with the official park open again at 9am. Opened for BGs at 9:39am.
• Then at around 1:45pm, it closed for another ~1.5 hours.
• Around 4:30pm, it closed for 30 mins.
• Then at 6:29pm, it stopped calling BGs and would not call anymore BGs for the rest of the night. The park closes at 11pm, so there was about another 4 hours of operational time. Could also be they ran out of BGs to call, but I doubt.

So in total, 376 mins, or ~6 hours 16 mins of total downtime today.
Magic Kingdom was open for 14 hours today, so it was closed for ~44% of the day.

A little bit better than yesterday's downtime of 7 hours, but still not good and ideal.
There are no AP previews tomorrow 6/15.

Day 2 Stats Recap in TBA VQ thread:

I’m scheduled for the d23 preview next weekend. Disney was very specific in the verbiage that we are welcome to ride as much as we want during the event. Starting to believe that this is going to be an issue…

 

[dreamfinding]

I rode the WDWRR recently and the shudders blocking the view of the finale look permanent. I hope that they open them up towards opening but it is worrying they haven’t done so already.

They probably won’t do anything until the 28th

 

[_caleb]

Yeah, I'm not buying the "oh, you can't judge it from a ride video, you have to go on it!" excuse. The Ratatouille ride didn't look any more impressive to me when I rode it when it did in the POV. It feels like just another excuse for pro-rethemers to move the goalposts and shut up any criticism of the ride.

In my opinion, some of the best attractions at the parks would look less than impressive on POV videos.

• Tiki Room
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• Space Mountain
• Flight of Passage

If you can decide that a ride is bad based on a video that doesn’t capture even half of the ride experience, what are you basing your opinion on?

 

[splah]

Are the A1000s in Tokyo having these reliability issues?

Maybe the rapid pace was a detriment after all

 

[Tha Realest]

In my opinion, some of the best attractions at the parks would look less than impressive on POV videos.

• Tiki Room
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• Space Mountain
• Flight of Passage

If you can decide that a ride is bad based on a video that doesn’t capture even half of the ride experience, what are you basing your opinion on?

No one is comparing those attractions POV videos to this; many (most?) of us have experienced Splash, so we have a reference point.

Videos don’t miss an incoherent plot or non-working AAs/screens.

 

[_caleb]

No one is comparing those attractions POV videos to this; many (most?) of us have experienced Splash, so we have a reference point.

Videos don’t miss an incoherent plot or non-working AAs/screens.

I was the one comparing POVs of those attractions to TBA's. Did you see the post I was quoting? He said:

Yeah, I'm not buying the "oh, you can't judge it from a ride video, you have to go on it!" excuse. The Ratatouille ride didn't look any more impressive to me when I rode it when it did in the POV. It feels like just another excuse for pro-rethemers to move the goalposts and shut up any criticism of the ride.

Good point about most of us having ridden Splash (I know Brer Panther certainly did!) and therefore having a reference point. But wouldn't you agree that experiencing most rides in-person is different than watching them on video? Often in ways that can make a huge difference on our perception of what makes a ride impressive?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I was the one comparing POVs of those attractions to TBA's. Did you see the post I was quoting? He said:

Good point about most of us having ridden Splash (I know Brer Panther certainly did!) and therefore having a reference point. But wouldn't you agree that experiencing most rides in-person is different than watching them on video? Often in ways that can make a huge difference on our perception of what makes a ride impressive?

The problem again is that the specific issues that are being levied against Tiana are by and large issues that are not going to change or become better by riding it in person. The number of AA's is not going to magically go up if I am physically sitting in the boat, all of those areas that used to have characters before are not going to suddenly become occupied again. Nor is the movement of the new critter figures going to improve upon riding it either. I'm also not going to enjoy the finale song more by riding it. Nor is the dialog going to get any less stupid.

These are comparisons that incidentally do not require a person to have ever ridden Splash either. For instance, i've never ridden the Disneyland or Tokyo versions of Splash and can still easily tell they are still far and away better than TBA (and both have quite different scenery compared to WDW's Splash). Already good rides are typically more enjoyable when you're physically present in them. That isn't up for debate. There are nevertheless still a ton of elements that are possible to analyze without having ever been on them.

My overall opinions on an attraction's scenes do not typically shift significantly in the opposite direction after experiencing it in person. An attraction that I already enjoy will either remain relatively the same or be improved somewhat, while an attraction I already thought is poor will usually remain that way or occasionally become even worse (Frozen and Little Mermaid are examples that are worse in person than on video, i'd argue Test Track v2 as well). Same goes for the middling ones.

Keep in mind that there were also people who were and are praising TBA without ever riding it as well. Quite a few in this thread. And yet there is a conspicuous lack of proportional complaining towards them by comparison.

 

[_caleb]

The problem again is that the specific issues that are being levied against Tiana are by and large issues that are not going to change or become better by riding it in person. The number of AA's is not going to magically go up if I am physically sitting in the boat, all of those areas that used to have characters before are not going to suddenly become occupied again. Nor is the movement of the new critter figures going to improve upon riding it either. I'm also not going to enjoy the finale song more by riding it. Nor is the dialog going to get any less stupid.

Right. But all these things are "scorecard" issues, not show issues. If a single scene with only 3 AAs offers a compelling show (meaning, it grabs your attention and is so entertaining that it makes everything else around you fall into background), that can be a different experience than 10 AAs randomly dispersed to fill in empty spots.

You've posted at length about how you value range of motion and degrees of articulation on AAs. I'd say AAs should perform what the story needs, even if it's limited movement. Why waste 10 points of articulation on a critter playing a trumpet drums that guests fly past while focused on a more central character? In my opinion, limited-motion AAs can actually be better for the story by not competing for attention against scenes elements that are more important to the story.

And POVs don't typically do a great job of providing that dynamic.

These are comparisons that incidentally do not require a person to have ever ridden Splash either. For instance, i've never ridden the Disneyland or Tokyo versions of Splash and can still easily tell they are still far and away better than TBA (and both have quite different scenery compared to WDW's Splash). Already good rides are typically more enjoyable when you're physically present in them. That isn't up for debate. There are nevertheless still a ton of elements that are possible to analyze without having ever been on them.

Right. I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss/analyze what we're seeing. This is fun for most of us!

My overall opinions on an attraction's scenes do not typically shift significantly in the opposite direction after experiencing it in person. An attraction that I already enjoy will either remain relatively the same or be improved somewhat, while an attraction I already thought is poor will usually remain that way or occasionally become even worse (Frozen and Little Mermaid are examples that are worse in person than on video). Same goes for the middling ones.

I, on the other hand, try not to formulate strong opinions about attractions I've not experienced in person. One of my favorites is the PeopleMover, and to me it is much more than the sum of its features. The only reason I keep bringing this up around here is because I want people to share the enjoyment of things I find enjoyable.

Keep in mind that there were also people who were and are praising TBA without ever riding it as well. Quite a few in this thread. And yet there is a conspicuous lack of proportional complaining towards them by comparison.

From my perspective, there are positive posts from people reacting to what they see on the ride, negative posts reacting to what they see on the ride, and negative posts reacting to what they don't see on the ride. (I'm sure there are other groups and posts that don't fall into these categories). But it's posts from that last group that I don't care for, and there seem to be quite a lot of them here.

 

[Ayla]

I rode the WDWRR recently and the shudders blocking the view of the finale look permanent. I hope that they open them up towards opening but it is worrying they haven’t done so already.

It isn't open to the public. Much ado about nothing.

 

[easyrowrdw]

Off a POV from today:

Goin' Down the Bayou

• Show lights are seemingly out where the geese were, leaving the scene very shadowy (Revenge of the shadow man?)
• Timoleon seems to not be rocking back and forth
• Beau the Possum isn’t rocking back and forth
• PawPaw’s hand is broken again (It was fixed in a different POV)
• Claude (father bear) is seemingly falling backwards and isn’t rocking back and forth as fast as he should be.

Dig a Little Deeper

• None of the frogs in the former Laughin’ Place are working.
• Mama Odie resets twice (Seriously, why even include the leaves? Just have Odie out the entire time. It's just obvious she's resetting between lines.

Secret Spice

• Lottie isn’t swaying back and forth
• Eudora isn’t moving at all
• Tiana isn’t moving from the neck down
• Mama Odie seems to have had a stroke as her right side isn’t moving

I rode it yesterday and if anything was broken it wasn’t evident to me or the people I was riding with. I dunno.

 

[Kristamouse]

We will be in MK on 6/25. We do no have AP’s.
Does anyone have an idea on how we will attempt to ride? Just the typical GoG or RoR grab for VQ? Any idea on if LL will be avalible?

Edited to be clear, we are between the AP preview and actual opening day.
Yall are the smartest Disney Nerds I know any ideas?

 

[lightningtap347]

Some observations from my ride this morning:

It's pretty and the animatronics are cool. I unfortunately felt nothing in terms of emotion, and I think that has to do with the weak story and poor dialogue in the ride. There's no reason to feel anything because there's nothing to feel for. It was a bit harder to suspend disbelief than normal, and I feel that's because I don't believe Tiana would be doing any of this. They seemingly pigeonholed themselves with the structure, and it was hard to ever get invested in what was occurring.

Something I found alarming was the guest discourse after my ride. I stayed by the picture booth for about 25 minutes after to listen to others as they got off the ride. Maybe it was just the environment (AP preview) but I not once heard a comment that wasn't essentially directly comparing against Splash. I also didn't hear a single comment that I would evaluate as anything beyond "light praise." It's concerning to me that no one appeared able to give the ride an honest shot, but in my personal attempt to do so I think I'd give it a 6.5/10. Unfortunately, Disney was seemingly unable to detach this attraction from its past, and in my opinion, this just isn't a good enough replacement, regardless of technological advancement.

The ride will definitely pull a line, and probably sell merch so it will be deemed a success by those who define those metrics, but for replacing a top five attraction of all time (my opinion), this just wasn't the grand slam it needed to be.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I've noticed the show scene troubles are well documented at this point so I apologize if this has already been mentioned among those. But a recent video from a vlogger I saw had a broken Mama Odie on the final lift hill, too. Only her mouth was moving, the rest of her was static.

Somehow, this super advanced animatronic has ended up with less movement than Brer Rabbit did in this moment. The heck is going on over there?!

The ghost of Brer Rabbit is still up to his old tricks?

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I got to ride it today! Overall, I enjoyed the experience.

Starting with the queue, it is an improvement. The air conditioning upstairs being the highlight. I also appreciated the nod to WWI veterans, a war which is often forgotten.

Onto the ride. I was surprised by how much rock work was left alone at the beginning. Most of the outdoor portion of the ride is an improvement, with the exception of no Brer Frog replacement.

The bayou scenes are very well done but go by quickly. The scenes are much darker than on SM. To me this makes a lot of sense as it makes redoing all the set pieces from Splash much easier. The scenes are very detailed and have lots of kinetic energy, but there are a few stretches where I wish more was going on.

The transition to the former Laughing Place is not as bad as I thought it would be based off the videos. The screens look much better in person. There is also much more going on than the videos relate. The animated figures are very well done and I like the Afro Cuban music.

The lift hill is a little bland until you get to Mama Odie, who is very well done.

The drop itself is mostly the same, minus the water cannons, an improvement in my book. I ducked so I didn’t get wet.

The finale is also very detailed. I love the building facade and all the figures look great. I just wish that Tiana wore her princess dress. Like the other scenes, it does go by pretty quick.

As for the ride system, the dispatches were quick! The line moved fast and everything looked like it was synced pretty well. Most if not all of the AAs were working. I think the 2nd Louis AA might have had issues with his mouth. Besides that, all looked good.

In sum, a great experience. Is it as good as Splash? If it had just a little more in the bayou scenes, it would be as good as Splash. This coming from someone who has opposed this change from the beginning.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I got it to the extent of that the rabbit was being perused by the fox and bear, and ultimately escaped and found his way to Home Sweet Home again.
I didn't get that he live in the briar patch and used reverse psychology on the fox to get tossed back into it again.
Chalk that up to the dialog not being clearly audible, and rides spaced a minimum of one year apart from each other.

Apologies for discussing the old ride again, but that makes me a bit sad to hear.
Every adult/most students should have known that Brer Rabbit is a classic Trickster character, and that he was using classic tricks to outwit the fox.

I fault your teachers more than problems w/ the ride.

Did you ever read the Cherokee Legend, How the Rabbit Lost His Tail? Or Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit stories? Or Bugs Bunny cartoons? Those should be stables of every child's education. sigh.

If you - or anyone else participating in these forums is not well versed in the above, then I encourage you to seek them out now. Admittedly, many classic bugs cartoons are a bit dated, as many of the old Disney cartoons are dated, but still worthwhile. After that, make sure you know Homer's Odyssey! (One of the greatest tales ever told.) Every adult should know Odysseus is a classic trickster. And Loki, and ...

 

[BrerFoxesBayouAdventure]

I didn't get that he live in the briar patch and used reverse psychology on the fox to get tossed back into it again.

That's interesting because he's shown living in the briar patch in the first scene.