Are too many regular visitors wrecking Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion experience?

Visiting Disneyland is almost always fun, but sometimes the visit can have its challenges – rarely from the park, almost certainly from other visitors.

Thanks to Annual Passes, there are a lot more “regulars” who visit Disneyland on a regular basis. They still enjoy themselves (I would hope so at the prices some pay for the higher end passes!) but the question I have to ask is: Do they enjoy it just for themselves at the expense of others?

So here comes some food for thought about some things us “regulars” should consider when visiting Disneyland on one of our regular visits.

One of my favorite attractions is the Haunted Mansion. It was, when it opened, one of the most ground-breaking and innovative attractions ever made. So successful it has stood the test of time and is still popular nearly 50 years after it opened.

But that popularity and repeated visits have created some odd circumstances for anyone going through the attraction.

Before I get to those odd circumstances, a brief synopsis of the attraction.

This is not just a ride, it truly is an attraction. It starts with the approach to the mansion, a Victorian looking structure, complete with pillars and a porch. Not really that foreboding looking.

Then one enters the foyer, where the enveloping into the experience begins. Eerie organ music plays, and after a few moments (depending on the timing of one’s entrance into the space) a voice is heard. “When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still (the air is still in here and the candlelights are flickering.) – that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight.”

Okay, this is where the people and more comes in. Some of the “regulars” are trying to appreciate the experience right at the start. Still other “regulars” feel they should be a part of the show and start either mouthing those words quietly, or out loud. Still others have seen it so many times that they just keep their conversations from waiting in the queue line going – in complete disregard for others trying to enjoy the show.

Finally, you have the newbies, those who haven’t seen it before – and because of all those different “regulars,” they aren’t quite sure if they should be quiet, talk amongst themselves or what. Of course, the other factor is if the attraction host or hostess has closed the foyer entrance door in time to block out the outside light and signal that something is about to start.

Next comes Act 2, the art gallery room, known to “regulars” as the “Stretching Room.”

A wall (door) opens to reveal that room, one with art work on the walls, and everyone moves into it. The voice continues by introducing himself, “I am your host, your ghost host.”

Now usually, some of the guests (regulars and newbies) are talking as they move into this room, while others are looking around and straining to hear the ghost host voice of Paul Frees.

Here is where the problems I talked about happening in the foyer come to the forefront.

Depending on the mix of “regulars” and newbies, the Stretching Room can, at times, be Disney’s version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” There are times when you can’t hardly hear the Ghost Host because everyone, or nearly everyone, is saying the infamous words out loud. Imagine, an enclosed room of 90 or so people talking and saying the same thing all at once. Sort of surreal.

Then comes this, “Of course, there’s always my way,” followed by a person who has been hung up in the rafters, then total darkness and a scream. And many people do scream – very loudly.

Many young ones, especially those who have never experienced this before, are very frightened by this, effectively ruining what should be an eerie, yet comical, experience for them and their parents.

Next, it’s time for the walk down the hallway and boarding the “Doom Buggies,” Disney’s term for the Omnimover ride vehicles that will take visitors on a ride through the rest of the Haunted Mansion.

This experience can be slowed down due to guests with disabilities trying to board or exit the Omnimovers, and I have no problem with this at all. No, it is others that are riding that can take one right out of this immersive experience. There are some who take flash photos of the ride now that’s where “regulars” either know better (that the flash will ruin the shot) or they want to take the flash to show the “secrets” the Imagineers used to create the ride.

Still others have their phones or iPads up and running, their screens visible throughout the whole ride by those in the adjoining Omnimover vehicles. Sigh, kind of annoying.

I don’t know that there is a solution to all these issues, as different folks enjoy Disneyland different ways. But I feel there is a societal issue at play here, bigger than Disneyland. That of people not considering the feelings and effects of their actions on others.

It’s part of the selfishness that has reared its ugly head in the current social media driven society.

So, here’s what I would like to see: “Regulars” start being a little more aware of others, “regulars” and newbies, trying to enjoy their visit without intrusion from others. Think of it as being neighborly. Don’t carry on a loud conversation inside an attraction. Don’t take flash photos, it’s just downright rude. Be discreet in your use of smart phones or iPads. Try to enjoy the Haunted Mansion, and let others enjoy the classic entertainment created by Walt Disney’s original Imagineers in all its eerie glory. And if you can’t do that as you’ve seen it so many times, then maybe consider not visiting the attraction for a while so you can maybe enjoy it like new again.

Just my thoughts, I’m sure some will disagree, and that’s okay.