At a Glance
Duration: 11 minutes
Look Out For: many animatronic birds and tikis as well as one spooky moment with thunder, smoke effects, and loud chanting
Opening on October 1st, 1971, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room is a classic serenade by our favorite animatronic birds. But how scary is The Enchanted Tiki Room? Let’s take a look at the stats:
1. Ride Length
The Enchanted Tiki Room has a duration of approximately 11 minutes. There is also an outdoor pre-show in the queue that lasts around 3 and a half minutes. Like any stage show, you may spend a few extra seconds or minutes in the theater while other guests find their seats.
2. Height Requirement and Warnings
The Enchanted Tiki Room has no height requirement or official warnings from Disney. While this could make it a great option for the whole family, I personally find it a bit scary and wouldn’t recommend it to the most sensitive guests. Be sure to the my Is it Scary section for more details.
3. Ride Vehicles and Restraints
The Enchanted Tiki Room seats an estimated 230 guests in a circular theater facing the stage. However, while most of the action takes place in the center and above you, there are many special effects and show elements going on in every corner of the room.
In addition, unlike many Disney World stage shows, the theater is not always filled to capacity – often allowing for some space between your party and the others around you.
4. How Does The Enchanted Tiki Room Work?
The Enchanted Tiki Room works like any standard stage show, seating guests in stationary seats facing a stage. What makes this attraction unique is the entirely animatronic cast and lack of any screens or 4D effects whatsoever. While these practical effects are very charming, it does make the show prone to malfunctions – especially considering how old the animatronics are.
5. Is The Enchanted Tiki Room Scary?
While the Enchanted Tiki Room is not meant to be scary, there is one notably spooky moment involving some significant sensory overload. Be prepared for loud sound design, noisy bird and animal noises, some ominous singing, and tribal chanting that culminates in the room going dark with thunder, lightning, and smoke effects. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the show to those prone to sensory sensitivity and would even be wary if someone in your party is easily frightened.
Luckily, this spooky scene only lasts about 2 minutes and 30 seconds before we’re told that “the gods have been angered by all the celebrating.” One of our bird hosts cracks a joke and the room quickly returns to its light and whimsical self.
Aside from the sensory overload, many guests could be off-put by the often janky animatronics located in every corner of the room. As an opening day attraction, the characters are very old and have the propensity to malfunction often. While most of the animatronics are pretty realistic birds, there are some creepy tiki faces and drumming figures that lean a bit more heavily into the uncanny valley.
6. How High is The Enchanted Tiki Room?
The Enchanted Tiki Room does not involve heights. As a standard stage show, you and your seat will remain on the ground at all times.
7. How Fast is The Enchanted Tiki Room?
The Enchanted Tiki Room does not go fast. In fact, there is no movement whatsoever on this attraction.
8. Does The Enchanted Tiki Room Have Drops?
The Enchanted Tiki Room does not have drops. Like most stage shows and performances, there are no thrill elements to speak of.
9. Does The Enchanted Tiki Room Cause Motion Sickness?
The Enchanted Tiki Room should not cause motion sickness. With its lack of any screens, motion, or 4D effects of any kind, there is really nothing on this attraction that could cause nausea.
10. Is The Enchanted Tiki Room Claustrophobic?
The Enchanted Tiki Room should not feel claustrophobic for most guests. While it is a 11 minute stage show, you can always exit at any time and see a cast member if you need any assistance. In addition, the theater is rarely filled to capacity and even has faux windows, making it a much more palatable theater experience, in my opinion.
11. Are There Animatronics in The Enchanted Tiki Room?
There are many animatronics in the Enchanted Tiki Room. As I mentioned earlier in the Is it Scary section, some of these characters can be unintentionally creepy due to their age and propensity to malfunction. In addition, these characters can be found all over the room, making it impossible to sit farther away from the animatronics than other guests. While none of them come close to touching the audience, they’re a little more imposing than characters in, say, the Country Bear Jamboree that are limited to the stage at all times.
The Enchanted Tiki Room Queue Walkthrough
The queue entrance is located outside in the Adventureland area of Magic Kingdom. Once entering the line, you will simply wind around under a covered area right outside of the show building. When you reach the doors, you will queue up for the next show to begin and enjoy the 3 and a half minute pre-show from the outside queue.
The pre-show begins by waking the island gods of fire and water. A third god emerges from a waterfall and we meet Claude and Clyde, perched on his horns. They tell a brief story (complete with some loud animal sounds) before welcoming you to the show. When the pre-show ends, you’ll be allowed into the theater to find your seats.
The Enchanted Tiki Room Ride Walkthrough
The show begins with our favorite birds, Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz, kicking off the celebration with a song. The entire attraction consists of various animatronics serenading the audience from all around the room. Paying homage to the original opening-day attraction, all of the songs are classic, pleasant, and upbeat – that is, up until the “Hawaiian War Chant” about 8 minutes into the show.
As I mentioned earlier, this island chanting quickly turns ominous and overwhelming – all of the animatronic characters joining in until the lights go out and thunder and lightning crash all around the room. The birds, agitated, start cawing loudly and it is announced that “the gods have been angered by all the celebrating.” However, the tone quickly turns whimsical again and the cast sings you out with a happy finale.
That’s it! Remember, everyone’s riding experience is a little bit different and only you can decide whether to hop on that ride vehicle or not. I just hope this guide helps you be prepared and enjoy every second of your Disney experience!
So what do you think? How scary is The Enchanted Tiki Room? Leave a comment to help keep this guide up to date!
For a full visual of the ride and queue, be sure to check out this video from JohnYChen:
