The Haunted Mansion

When Walt Disney World was being designed, The Haunted Mansion received a kinder fate than Pirates of the Caribbean which was left out because of Disney World's proximity to New Orleans and the Caribbean. Instead of cutting Haunted Mansion from the roster, park designers simply redesigned it. Rather than being a rural Louisiana mansion, the building in question is in the English Tudor style of a Hudson Valley mansion. Inside, though, things remain much the same and a point of contention between fans as to which version is better.

Walt Disney World > Magic Kingdom > Liberty Square

General Information

Location: At the far back of Liberty Square, along the Rivers of America.

Date Opened: 10/1/1971

# of Ride Units: 160 omnimover shells

Ride Capacity: Each unit can hold 2 or 3 adults.

Restraint Method: Lapbar

Ticket Rating: E Ticket

Ride Photo: No

Time Commitment

Open/Close: Opens and closes with the park. Guests can enter right up until the park closes. This attraction is open during evening Extra Magic Hours but not the morning version.

Wait Times: Standby wait times can frequently approach 45 minutes.

Length of Ride: 8 minutes

FastPass: No

Single Rider: No

Queue Description: The queue winds through the front grounds of the mansion.

Access Information

Health Restriction: None, though it is a haunted mansion, nothing is truly frightening.

Ride Access: The queue is wheelchair and ECV accessible.

Wheelchair Transfer: Riders board the ride vehicles from a track that moves in conjunction. It is necessary to transfer from wheelchairs or ECVs to the units, and cast members can pause the ride to allow sufficient time for this transfer. Normal exit is from a different location than boarding, but if you need to return to your wheelchair or ECV, you'll continue riding by the offloading area until you return to the start where you can exit.

Service Animals: Yes

Audio: Handheld captioning devices for the spoken (though not sung) portions of the attraction are available from Guest Services.

Weight and Size Issues: Each unit has plenty of room, and you can ride alone if that is your preference.

Parenting Information

Height Restriction: None

Child Swap: Yes

Other Issues:

History and Trivia

At this location: The Haunted Mansion has been in this location since the park opened in 1971.
The Attraction's History: The attraction remains essentially unchanged since it opened in 1971. Based on the same attraction at Disneyland, the big change was superficial, changing the architectural style of building.
Other Trivia:
- Actually an Illusion: At Magic Kingdom, the stretching room elevator doesn't actually go anywhere. The Disneyland version is really a functioning elevator, required to get guests below and beyond the park's berm. At Magic Kingdom this wasn't necessary, but designers wanted to retain the effect.
- Grim Grinning Ghosts: The song played throughout the attraction was written by X. Atencio and Buddy Baker and performed by the Mello Men: Thurl Ravenscroft, Bill Lee, Max Smith, and Bob Stevens who are shown as the singing busts inside the ride.
- 107 ghosts: There are 109 animatronics in the ride, though only 107 represent the ghosts living in the mansion. The other two are the mansion caretaker Dick O'Dell and his dog.