The Haunted Mansion is Disney Perfection - Talk Amongst Yourselves

[Mindwellwasted]

It's a classic every trip must do. A couple trips ago it broke down while we were riding as part of the Keys to the Kingdom tour... as luck would have it we were stuck right at the ballroom scene. It was awsome to be able to sit there and really study it all with the tour guide pointing a few things out. Then icing on the cake, they ultimately had to turn on the lights and walk us out.

The same thing happened to me the very first time I rode it a few years ago, at the same point. It was cool to study it at first (even tho I already knew how the effects were done) but I was also a little mad cause I felt like it ruined the experience of me when they walked us back through the ride with the lights on and you could see all the storage areas and such.

But, after I got to experience it in full later that trip it made me appreciate how 'simple' a lot of the ride is but it's still great.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Love Haunted Mansion! I have trouble picking my favorite attraction, but this is definitely in my top five!

 

[Planogirl]

The Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride in all of WDW so I couldn't agree more. That ride and a few others are what I really go to WDW for.

 

[MNash87]

Yes I agree. HM and Pirates are, in my opinion, the best "true" Disney rides there are. They are our favorites an we ride both multiple times when we go.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

HM isn't my favorite attraction, but I do love and would ride it a lot more if the rest of my family felt the same way about it.

 

[jhaig]

Looks like HM and TOT both have loyal followers. But what makes the mansion stand out is it's accessibility to families and the fact that almost anyone can enjoy it. TOT has the thrill factor that scares some people away.

 

[Farps]

Absolutely one my favorites, loved it as a snot nosed kid and now love it as a snot nosed adult !!!

 

[MasterGracey84]

Obviously! haha

 

[mikejuliestl]

As a kid going to Disneyland I dreamed about living in HM for a day (days?) just continuously riding it, getting off the ride and sleeping among the tombstones etc. (yes my yard is the "best" in the neighborhood during Halloween).

I sincerely hope Disney doesn't water down the ride to keep up with the prevailing "PC" attitude of the country now. (e.g. the women chasing the pirates in POTC)

 

[ttintagel]

Some of the "upgrades" over the years have been better than others, but it's still the best Disney has to offer.

 

[a4matte]

Some of the "upgrades" over the years have been better than others, but it's still the best Disney has to offer.

The latest bride bothers me. The reason Leota and the busts work with the projection effect is because the actors had to keep their faces forward without moving side to side. The latest bride turns her head to the side and it's right then that it distorts on the mannequin and kills the effect. That drives me nuts.

Other than that it's one of my favorite rides. So much detail and it's paced well IMO. Even the queue is fun. I would LOVE to see Disney make use of that "blacker than black" coating that has been developed. That could potentially add some mystery to the ride. If you don't know how it works, basically the coating absorbs all light - nothing is reflected. This makes whatever it's on look like a void. Imagine them coating the mechanical elements of the light up faces around the corner when the purple wallpaper starts with this stuff. It would make the eyes truly look like they're floating no matter how much your eyes have adjusted to the darkness.

 

[Diszona]

Agree. But I hate the Nightmare Before Christmas version that they do in DL at the holidays. (Maybe hate is too strong a word, but I'd much prefer the original ride).

I am with you on this one. I know we are in the minority but I can't stand it. It was kind of neat the first time but not nearly as good as the original version and the overlay stays way too long. What made it worse was our annual DL trip usually is during October break so the overlay ended up being the default version of the ride for us. It was great going in the spring this year and getting to experience the real version for a change.

 

[jhaig]

Love Haunted Mansion! I have trouble picking my favorite attraction, but this is definitely in my top five!

It's my entire top 5...

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Agree.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

Haunted Mansion is a staple attraction for me on my visit to MK. My only complaint is when you exit the expanding room, there is disorder & everyone ends up bottlenecking to get to the Doom buggies. The ride itself, awesome! I feel like I always see something new.

This is also my only dislike about the HM.

 

[Buttrcp16]

I am with you on this one. I know we are in the minority but I can't stand it. It was kind of neat the first time but not nearly as good as the original version and the overlay stays way too long. What made it worse was our annual DL trip usually is during October break so the overlay ended up being the default version of the ride for us. It was great going in the spring this year and getting to experience the real version for a change.

I'm with you both! HM is my favorite attraction and while I do love NBC, to me the two do not belong together. AT. ALL. It doesn't make any sense and I think it looks terrible. But I don't make it out to DL often so as long as they keep it away from WDW I'm happy!

 

[bcrook]

I'm with you both! HM is my favorite attraction and while I do love NBC, to me the two do not belong together. AT. ALL. It doesn't make any sense and I think it looks terrible. But I don't make it out to DL often so as long as they keep it away from WDW I'm happy!

I would have agreed with the OP before my trip to DL. But now I agree with Buttrcp16!

The DL, 15 minute version of POTC is incredible. The WDW shorter ride just doesn't even count anymore.

I could not get enough of that ride in DL. Then I had to go eat at the Blue Bayou just be in the same space.

HM mansion and Tower of Terror are both excellent rides too, but I would still choose Splash Mountain for story, fun, and detail over both of them.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Love love love this ride. I did a backstage tour of the HM when I was a CM. It was around 6AM and all the lights were on and we got to walk the whole track and go inside the ballroom. It was amazing and something I'll never forget. We also did a backstage tour of ToT but that wasn't nearly as good..

 

[Frozen2014]

300% agree. Love this attraction! So much to see...and each time you go on it, you notice something else. It's even my (then) 5 year old's favorite at Disney.

 

[kbelle8995]

I love HM. One of my favorite rides. I think all the changes that Disney has made with this attraction has just made it better.