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Haunted Mansion Fan Thread

Apr 6, 2014
4,105
947
Rushmore Academy
It's no surprise we all love the haunted mansion, it's widely known as the best ride of all time and personally my favorite ride. So I wanted to start a fan page where we can post about merchandise, fan art, photography, behind the scenes and just overall stories of this masterpiece ride. Hopefully this starts a great thread that just brings out a ton of love for Gracey Mansion and all who inhabit it. Happy hauntings
 
As I said in the podcast this ride was a giant childhood fear. After the stretching room I was done and I can clearly remember nightmares and picturing a bride in my attic, it got to the point where I slept with the lights on XD, this ride is ultimate escapism for me. I feel like I'm somewhere else and I have a ear to ear smile on my face the entire time. I have a giant collection of merch and I'm just a overall fanboy for the history it brings. The thing is about the ride I get is that you can see how every effect is made but you just have to marvel at the enginuity of it all. Pretty damn revolutionary. Essay over
 
So I have taken my daughter on this ride since she just turned one (when we started going to Disney with her). People sometimes say something or give me this "look" because she is now three. So these two guys were behind me the one day and said something about her might being scared. I said she goes on this all the time, which surprised them. They got to know us because they didn't have the line going thru the interactive part (just around it) and she was running out of line to play with the interactive stuff. I was by myself so they saved my spot for me. Anyway, we go into the stretch room (which she is not a fan of anymore) and she buried her head into me like normal. Well she is walking out of the room and she points to the stretch room and real loud said, "I don't like that part" and then she point to the ride and again real loud says, "but I love that part, it is fun." The two of them cracked up laughing. I have found out we can skip the stretch room, I might ask to do that next time and see if that is better for her. She doesn't get nightmares from it though. You know when she has a nightmare and it is normally about very large animals trying to eat her lol
 
So I have taken my daughter on this ride since she just turned one (when we started going to Disney with her). People sometimes say something or give me this "look" because she is now three. So these two guys were behind me the one day and said something about her might being scared. I said she goes on this all the time, which surprised them. They got to know us because they didn't have the line going thru the interactive part (just around it) and she was running out of line to play with the interactive stuff. I was by myself so they saved my spot for me. Anyway, we go into the stretch room (which she is not a fan of anymore) and she buried her head into me like normal. Well she is walking out of the room and she points to the stretch room and real loud said, "I don't like that part" and then she point to the ride and again real loud says, "but I love that part, it is fun." The two of them cracked up laughing. I have found out we can skip the stretch room, I might ask to do that next time and see if that is better for her. She doesn't get nightmares from it though. You know when she has a nightmare and it is normally about very large animals trying to eat her lol
your daughter is way braver than I ever was XD. After my first stretching room experience I didn't go back in until I was around 8!!! I bet you she'll get into horror nights at a early age aswell
 
She trusts her mommy that nothing will happen and she has no fear of the dark because she slept in a completely dark room up until about 4 months ago. Now that we are trying to train her to get out of bed and come to us when she has a nightmare or to get up and go to the potty, we had to add a nightlight to her room so she can navigate out of bed and to the door.

The only time she has "freaked" on a ride is Disaster. And that is because everyone looks scared to play the part. So when she saw mommy "looking" scared and all the people around her "looking" scared she freaked out. But outside of that she has her moments where she squirms and snuggles with me, but that is just parts of the ride or movie. Overall she enjoys everything. It is funny because she knows when the "scarey" parts are coming up and will hide her face right before they come and then lift her head up as soon as they are done. Like in the stretching room she doesn't even wait for the lights to come back on, as soon as the screaming/thunder is done she lifts her head back up to look around at everyone.
 
She trusts her mommy that nothing will happen and she has no fear of the dark because she slept in a completely dark room up until about 4 months ago. Now that we are trying to train her to get out of bed and come to us when she has a nightmare or to get up and go to the potty, we had to add a nightlight to her room so she can navigate out of bed and to the door.

The only time she has "freaked" on a ride is Disaster. And that is because everyone looks scared to play the part. So when she saw mommy "looking" scared and all the people around her "looking" scared she freaked out. But outside of that she has her moments where she squirms and snuggles with me, but that is just parts of the ride or movie. Overall she enjoys everything. It is funny because she knows when the "scarey" parts are coming up and will hide her face right before they come and then lift her head up as soon as they are done. Like in the stretching room she doesn't even wait for the lights to come back on, as soon as the screaming/thunder is done she lifts her head back up to look around at everyone.
that's adorable!!! I was the same way I loved the creepy dark and scary things as a kid, it was always the best part of whatever it was. But that's insanely impressive she doesn't mind that stuff in rides. I think the fact that it's real and right in front of you makes it 10x scarier than it would on a TV. For a kid that's rough. HM and alien encounter were like the only two rides that freaked me out like that
 
that's adorable!!! I was the same way I loved the creepy dark and scary things as a kid, it was always the best part of whatever it was. But that's insanely impressive she doesn't mind that stuff in rides. I think the fact that it's real and right in front of you makes it 10x scarier than it would on a TV. For a kid that's rough. HM and alien encounter were like the only two rides that freaked me out like that

she is also the kid when she was only two and had just started going on the kiddie coasters pointed to Hulk and said, "Abby go, weeee..." (she used to call coaster weee before she was talking a lot). When we did child swap the one and only time at Rockit she was very mad that daddy was going on the coaster and she was not. I tried showing her the very large hill and she did not care. She really has no fear, which can be not good at times too. Of course I have been told I was the same way, I would follow my dad up a latter onto a roof if no one was paying attention to me, which ironically she tried to do the same thing to us when my husband was fixing stuff on my mom's roof. Luckily at three she is not very fast on a latter :lol: Now scarey things freaked me out as a child, so I have no clue where she gets that part from. It may just be that she has ridden these rides before she knew to be scared. So even now it is just something she tolerates to get to the fun dancing ghost part. When she is 40" (she is 38" now) I am going to have to figure out if I let her do Spidey and Transformers. I have a feeling she might not take well to those action type rides or I could be wrong. Who knows, it is tricky trying to figure out if you are going to damage your child taking them on some of these rides.
 
So I have taken my daughter on this ride since she just turned one (when we started going to Disney with her). People sometimes say something or give me this "look" because she is now three. So these two guys were behind me the one day and said something about her might being scared. I said she goes on this all the time, which surprised them. They got to know us because they didn't have the line going thru the interactive part (just around it) and she was running out of line to play with the interactive stuff. I was by myself so they saved my spot for me. Anyway, we go into the stretch room (which she is not a fan of anymore) and she buried her head into me like normal. Well she is walking out of the room and she points to the stretch room and real loud said, "I don't like that part" and then she point to the ride and again real loud says, "but I love that part, it is fun." The two of them cracked up laughing. I have found out we can skip the stretch room, I might ask to do that next time and see if that is better for her. She doesn't get nightmares from it though. You know when she has a nightmare and it is normally about very large animals trying to eat her lol

she is also the kid when she was only two and had just started going on the kiddie coasters pointed to Hulk and said, "Abby go, weeee..." (she used to call coaster weee before she was talking a lot). When we did child swap the one and only time at Rockit she was very mad that daddy was going on the coaster and she was not. I tried showing her the very large hill and she did not care. She really has no fear, which can be not good at times too. Of course I have been told I was the same way, I would follow my dad up a latter onto a roof if no one was paying attention to me, which ironically she tried to do the same thing to us when my husband was fixing stuff on my mom's roof. Luckily at three she is not very fast on a latter :lol: Now scarey things freaked me out as a child, so I have no clue where she gets that part from. It may just be that she has ridden these rides before she knew to be scared. So even now it is just something she tolerates to get to the fun dancing ghost part. When she is 40" (she is 38" now) I am going to have to figure out if I let her do Spidey and Transformers. I have a feeling she might not take well to those action type rides or I could be wrong. Who knows, it is tricky trying to figure out if you are going to damage your child taking them on some of these rides.
She'll adore Spider-Man, my brother went on it when he was around 6 and it blew his mind, he wanted to go on pretty much every ride after that. I'd say do it. Is she used to 3D?
 
She'll adore Spider-Man, my brother went on it when he was around 6 and it blew his mind, he wanted to go on pretty much every ride after that. I'd say do it. Is she used to 3D?

She does 3D in a bunch of things. Mickey thing, Muppets, bugs life, DM, etc. So while it sometimes makes her jump (which is hilarious for us) she is used to it. But she is going to be 40" probably before she turns 4...
 
She does 3D in a bunch of things. Mickey thing, Muppets, bugs life, DM, etc. So while it sometimes makes her jump (which is hilarious for us) she is used to it. But she is going to be 40" probably before she turns 4...

If she can do despicable me she'll be fine. I understand your concerns because you are right it's a overwhelming but I'm sure she'll enjoy it if she's a thrill seeker. It must be insanely exciting for you that your daughter can finally go on rides with you like that. I could only imagine
 
No love for Pirates? That is the other one everyone I go with has on their must see list. Along with the typical Space and Thunder Mountains.
 
No love for Pirates? That is the other one everyone I go with has on their must see list. Along with the typical Space and Thunder Mountains.

FLAME SHEILD UP!!!! I don't like space mountain, I think it's just a boring Matterhorn bobsleds in the dark. I love thunder mountain and pirates went the lost continent route. Once good, now pretty lame. They really ruined it with all the movie stuff BTW haunted mansions line was 80 minutes today. I had to skip it and now I feel empty inside
 
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I remember the first time I rode HM I had....um....smoked a little something in the parking lot before heading inside the park and it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life. HM is why Disney was once the best at what they do and just makes us wish they could make awesome new rides like that today instead of themed bathrooms, more M&G areas, horrible hard ticket events with cupcakes and overhyped kiddie coasters. Mad love for this ride, it along with Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are what makes this park worth visiting. Before someone calls me out on POTC, I've always kind of thought that ride was overrated. Good, but not on the level of Haunted Mansion at all.
 
HM is my all time favorite WDW ride and my daughter's. She's 2 and she absolutely loves it, though if it's one of the rides we hit later in the day, she always falls asleep cuddled up to me.

This was my daughter's favorite ride too. Now that she is a little older, she still likes the ride portion, but not the stretch portion. If you ask her favorite now it is any roller coaster she is tall enough to get on :)
 
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