The Haunted Mansion

The Haunted Mansion is my favorite theme park ride ever; nothing else even comes close. The Pirates of the Caribbean and Mission Space are great, but neither matches the scale and detail of the Haunted Mansion.

The complete ride takes up to twenty minutes from when you enter the mansion and the sound, visual effects and attention to detail are spectacular. Even the attendants for the ride are themed, having the unsmiling look, wardrobe and demeanor of Lurch from the Addam’s family. I was disappointed that by the end of our vacation we had only ridden it four times.

The unquestioned highlight of the ride is watching rooms in front of you fill up with partying, dancing, cavorting ghosts which fade in and out of existence, looking very real. Most people think that Disney is using holograms, when in fact this particular visual effect, Pepper’s Ghost, was created in the nineteenth century!

WDW recently upgraded the ride, adding some new effects and improving old ones. Without exception, the upgrades were excellent. In the seance room, Madame Leota’s talking head in a crystal ball no longer sits on the table, but floats three feet above the table. The attic scenery is much improved with multiple portraits of bridal couples in which the grooms' heads disappear. The ghostly bride looks scarier than ever and an axe materializes in her hands! They also got rid of the cheesy spiders and added a room full of Escher-esque staircases. If you’re going to update a classic ride, this was definitely the way to do it.

If you’d like more info on the Haunted Mansion, including behind the scenes secrets, check out Doombuggies.com. If you haven't ever seen the Haunted Mansion, plan your next vacation now!