Have you ever watched the behind the scenes look at the making of a Disney attraction

land or hotel and you've heard Walt Disney Imagineers talk about their research trips?

Well, just last week I was invited by Disney and hosted in New Orleans for a few days

to walk in the footsteps of the Walt Disney Imagineers as they continued to bring Tiana's

Bayou Adventure to life at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I'm going to share some of the

new details that I learned about the upcoming Princess and the Frog attraction as well as the

real dirt on what actually happens during these research trips. Full disclosure though,

Disney did pay for my flight, my hotel, and most of my meals during the stay in New Orleans,

so this isn't a review of the experience because obviously it's not something that Disney is going

to offer as a vacation in the future and it's really just me sharing my thoughts about what I learned

along the way. I just wanted to be upfront and honest about the fact that I did not pay for this.

Actually, I've really struggled with how I was going to cover this research trip. I'm obviously

extremely honored that Disney chose me and I was included, but going into this trip I did have

some issues with the marketing behind Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Since Splash Mountain's

Closer was announced, I've been pretty vocal about it being a good change and really at its heart,

Splash Mountain had good bones and that's the most important part of that attraction to me.

That being said, in the years since the initial announcement, Disney has placed a huge emphasis

on the story of Tiana's Bayou Adventure and its authenticity to the city of New Orleans,

and Disney's always known for having an elaborate backstory to anything they create, whether or not

it serves a purpose, but for some reason I just didn't feel like I necessarily needed justification

behind this attraction. I just want to know if there's going to be lots of animatronics or if

they're going to go for a cheaper route and just rely on screens throughout the entire ride.

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