The Haunted Mansion

Location:        Liberty Square 

RideType:      Dark Ride        

Passengers:   2-3 per “Doom Buggy” ride vehicle     

Fastpass?       No

Minimum Height:     None

Summary:   Come and join the 999 Happy Haunts on a journey through a mansion filled with spooks, specters, and grinning ghosts.  The humor starts as you wait in line – read the tombstones to find pithy epithets and tributes to the “dearly departed”.  Once you enter the mansion, things may get scary for younger or lower-functioning children.  You enter a room “with no windows and no doors”.  The room seems to stretch, revealing the dangerous situations most of the portrait subjects were experiencing (such as walking on a tightrope over a lake of alligators).  The lights go out, a voice screams, and above you is the silhouette of a hanging man.  At this point, the doors open and you proceed to your “Doom Buggy” vehicle.  As you journey through the mansion, you’ll encounter a ghostly ballroom, a ghostly bride who is fond of de-capitating her husbands, Madame Leota hovering in a crystal ball during a séance, and a spooky graveyard featuring the foolish antics of it’s ghostly inhabitants.  As you leave the mansion, some of the ghosts will try to catch a ride home with you!

Comments:   While this ride is funny for adults, it is scary for children with autism.  The waiting area (where the room stretches) gets very crowded with guests, and can be frightening with the darkness, thunder, and other special effects.  To board and exit the ride vehicle you must transfer from a moving sidewalk which may be difficult for children with transition issues.  The graveyard scenes can be frightening, because skeletons pop up suddenly from behind tombstones.  At one part in the ride, the vehicle goes backwards down a gentle slope.  It is best to preview the attraction for yourself before putting your child on the ride.

NOTE:  The ride was refreshed in 2008, and is actually a little bit scarier than it was before.

Hidden Mickeys:  In the “Deathday Party” scene in the ballroom, watch the plates on the table.  The setting on the far left of the table is in the shape of Mickey’s head.

Josh Rating :  

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From Disney Parks

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