We still don’t know when Disneyland’s version of Splash Mountain will close for business to make way for the Princess and the Frog themed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but Disneyland isn’t waiting for Splash Mountain to close down to give another part of the park a Princess and the Frog re-theme, as the French Market restaurant is set to close down next month in order to be transformed into Tiana’s Palace.
Disneyland Resort has officially confirmed what had been previously rumored, that a Tiana's Palace restaurant is coming to Disneyland later this year. The French Market and the attached Mint Julep Bar, will see their last day of operation on February 16. Then they will close down for the refurb to begin, before reopening sometime later this year. The restaurant will remain a quick serve location.
The Princess and the Frog is a movie about food as much as it’s a movie about people being transformed into frogs, so it was almost a necessity that Tiana’s Palace be built someplace alongside the new version of Splash Mountain. I advocated for Tiana's Palace back when the log flume ride’s transformation was first confirmed. Although, I have to say I was hoping that a Tiana’s Palace restaurant would be a bit of a higher end affair.
Because the French Market is already a location with a New Orleans theme, it’s unlikely that the dining location will see significant changes beyond the aesthetics. There’s no real reason for the menu to significantly change, though that doesn’t mean they won’t come up with a new dish or two if only because they can.
The news of Tiana’s Palace comes as we await news of the fate of Disneyland's Splash Mountain. We know the closure is coming, but an actual end date has yet to be announced. The Walt Disney World version of the ride is set to close later this month, and both versions of the ride are currently set for a late 2024 reopening, so expectations are that Disneyland’s Splash Mountain will be closing very soon.
It’s possible the ride got a stay of execution because another E-ticket attraction close by, Indiana Jones Adventure is getting a major refurbishment right now, and the park doesn’t want to close both rides at once. Two E-ticket attractions close to each other in the park being closed at once would likely cause crowd control headaches elsewhere in the park.
If there’s a downside to the decision to close this spot, it's that it means no Mickey shaped beignets for the next few months. It’s sad, as that was one of my go to breakfast items at Disneyland rope drop. Luckily I still have the gloriousness that is the breakfast chimichanga.
