Haunted Mansion — Attraction in Bay Lake

This is my favorite Disney attraction. I even enjoy the movie from 2003. I love how the ghosts are spooky but not scary. Nothing is going to pop out at you and give you a fright. This is just a great classic ride appropriate for all ages.

I was so happy on this visit to finally experience the updated ride queue. Disney did an amazing job on it and there is plenty to look at and play with while you move through the line. The first part you come to is a murder mystery with five busts of the Dread family who all ended up dead. By reading the clues you can figure out who killed who. The pictures above everyone's name gives you a hint. As you wind your way around the queue there are many gravestones with the names of various Disney Imagineers who worked on the attraction. The Master Gracey gravestone, (Master Gracey was also a character in the movie) is in tribute to Yale Gracey who designed many of the rides special effects. The crypt of Captain Culpepper Clyne will cool you off by spitting water on you. While you are there face the crypt and look to the right where there will be a trash can. There is a ring in the pavement in the corner. The Haunted Mansion bride threw it out the window when her groom was a no show. Next there is wall of ghostly instruments that will play if you touch them and a pipe organ that plays music when touched even though the keys don't move. The crypt of Prudence Pock writes ghostly poetry if you say the next word to be written into the speaker. The final interactive element is a library crypt where you push a book in only to have another one pop out. It's actually a cryptogram and each book has a symbol on it. If you can figure out what letter of the alphabet corresponds to what symbol them you can solve the ghostly puzzle. At this point you will be up to the ride doors waiting for them to open. If you look to the right you can see the eyes open on grave of Madame Leota, the same Madame Leota whose head resides in the crystal ball.

Finally when you think you can't take the Florida heat a moment more you will be blasted with AC when the doors open to admit you to the mansion. You are ushered into a room with seemingly benign portraits on the wall. The ghost host narrates as the walls stretch down revealing the gruesome deaths of all of the people in the portraits. At one point there is lightning and you can briefly see your ghostly tour host hanging from a noose from the ceiling.

The doors open again and you board a doom buggy that takes you through the portrait gallery, endless hallway, and the glass conservatory with the coffin. After the corridor of doors you end up in the seance room with Madame Leota and floating instruments. Next comes my favorite scene, the ghostly birthday party in the ballroom which uses the Pepper's Ghost technique to achieve the ghostly ballroom dancers. From there is up into the attic and down to my second favorite scene, the graveyard. On your way out beware of the hitchhiking ghosts who thanks to your magic band may actually know your name.

On your way out of the ride check out the pet cemetery. If you look toward your top left you will see the grave of Mr. Toad whose ride was demolished to make way for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

As much fun as the ride is it is even a little more special during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party when they haul out even more decorations for the front. There is so much to see on this ride that I never get tired of it. It is vintage Disney fun that should not be missed. Hurry baaack! They are dying...

Talk about a ride that sticks with you through generations and through all is changes. I've ride this ride every decade of my life: 90s, 00s, 10s, & 20s.

The titan of excitement walking up to the mansion is unmatched. Younger me enjoyed reading the funny gravestones and older me enjoyed the newer fun line elements that have me and my nephew fun memories while waiting in line.

The stretching room is always fun to experience other people's reactions. It's true fear and magic happening in that room no matter your age.

I love getting to the ride and listening to the voice over tell you the ghost will put your restraint down. It makes you feel like the spirits are already on this journey with you.

There isn't a time when I am not darting my head back and forth on this ride trying to catch every little detail and see if anything new has popped up. But there's so much to see it's hard to tell if something is new or you just missed it before.

To mess with people in my group I normally reach out and knock on the back of their ride vehicle. I admit I shouldn't do this and have eased off it as an adult.

There's so many aspect of this ride that ate iconic: Madame had in the crystal ball, the ballroom, the grave yard scene, and the thing that terrified me the must as a kid. The hitchhiking ghost and the voice over saying a ghost might go home with you. The only thing scarier to me on this ride is the ride breaking down in the graveyard and that ghost popping out from behind the grave didn't break. (True story)

The haunted mansion is a must do Disney ride. Never go to any Disney park and skip out on their haunted mansion or phantom...

👻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Grim Grinning Greatness – A Spirited Masterpiece!

The Haunted Mansion isn’t just a ride—it’s a work of art, a perfect blend of spooky fun, clever storytelling, and timeless Disney charm that continues to captivate guests of all ages.

From the moment you step through the gates of that eerie old manor, you're transported into a world of ghostly illusions and morbidly delightful humor. The experience begins before the ride even starts, with the now-legendary Stretching Room setting the tone with creepy elegance and a wink of dark comedy.

Once aboard your “Doom Buggy,” you're taken on a slow-moving, surreal tour through haunted halls, flickering ballrooms, creepy crypts, and ghostly graveyards—all accompanied by the unforgettable tune “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” The atmospheric effects, pepper’s ghost illusions, and elaborate set pieces still feel astonishingly effective decades later.

The ride balances eerie ambiance with playful touches: Madame Leota’s séance, the ghostly dancers in the ballroom, and the singing busts all offer moments of wonder and fun. And let’s not forget the Hitchhiking Ghosts, who gleefully follow you home in the finale!

What makes Haunted Mansion so special is its tone—it never takes itself too seriously. It’s spooky without being scary, funny without being silly, and packed with detail you’ll notice more of every time you ride.

The Haunted Mansion is Disney storytelling at its finest—rich, mysterious, and endlessly re-rideable. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned Foolish Mortal, this is an absolute must-do.

There’s always room for one more guest… so step...