“I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” my friend Alicia texted me a few days before I was set to meet her in Anaheim. “Haunted Mansion is closed. They’re getting it ready for Halloween. The good news is, Haunted Mansion Holiday opens our last day, so we’ll get to see it!”
Haunted Mansion decked out in all its Halloween glory? That did sound like good news! Because let’s face it. A trip to Disneyland would feel incomplete without a Doom Buggy ride.
The Haunted Mansion is usually the first attraction I head to when I visit Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. And if I can, I’ll ride it more than once. But this time, I had to pack my patience and enjoy other rides until re-opening day on September 1. Luckily, our visit was still happening then.
Except, even when it re-opened, the wait continued.
The Curse of Haunted Mansion Holiday
During our three days, Disneyland and Disney California Adventures were busy but not overly so. Surprisingly, wait times for rides weren’t terrible. 20 minutes or less in most cases. Except for some of the more popular rides, like Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland or Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventures.
Friday morning, a.k.a. Haunted Mansion re-opening day, Alicia and I checked the app as we left the hotel and walked to Disneyland.
“There’s no wait time right now,” she said, pulling up the info before I did.
“Great!” I said.
I’d been psyched to discover that her plan for the day was the same as mine: hit up Haunted Mansion first thing. But that was our first disappointment. There was no wait time because the ride was on “delay,” a euphemism for “broken down.”
Crap.
We could get in line and wait for who knew how long, or we could go enjoy other rides and come back later. We opted for the latter.
A couple of hours later, the Haunted Mansion was working again, but the wait was an astounding 80 minutes. Alicia’s oldest daughter had gotten in line with her friend, so we all went to try and meet up with them…only to have another delay strike the ride as we got there.
I was beginning to suspect we were cursed and doomed never to take a spin in the Doom Buggies that day. I wasn’t far off.
Dirty Trick
The ride restarted later in the day, but the wait time just kept mounting. Disneyland didn’t close until midnight. We got back in line at 11:30 p.m. and finally made it through the front doors and into the stretching room after midnight.
That was my first shock. Even with all of The Nightmare Before Christmas decorations on the outside, I wasn’t prepared for what they did inside.
Gone were the familiar portraits in the Stretching Room. Holiday-themed stained glass inserts had replaced them. WTF? Was that how the entire ride was going to be?
It seemed like it, but I still wouldn’t discover the extent until the next day. (Well, technically, it was later that same day.)
However, during that first try, we found we couldn’t exit when the doors to the Stretching Room opened to the Portrait Gallery. The hallway was crammed with other Foolish Mortals, and no one was moving. But I could see the portraits, and while they morphed similarly to how they normally do, they were all Nightmare Before Christmas-themed, too.
After a prolonged wait, the line shifted a bit to relieved sighs. But then it stopped again, and not too long after that, the lights came on to a chorus of disappointed groans. The ride was totally shut down.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Disappointment
My friend left for home, so she never got to experience the Haunted Mansion Holiday. But Wayne and I still had one more day left in the park, and after another hour’s wait, we finally got on a Doom Buggy —er, Black Christmas Sleigh, as they called them.
Groan.
Confession (and apologies to all the movie’s fans): I’m not nuts about The Nightmare Before Christmas.
I wanted to like it when it first came out because it was Tim Burton. I loved Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. But for whatever reason, I couldn’t get on board with Nightmare Before Christmas. The tunes were catchy, but the storyline turned me off.
Clearly, I’m in the minority with my feelings. Nightmare Before Christmas is beloved by most people, so it’s not a surprise the spookiest place in Disneyland would incorporate it into its ride. And not just at Halloween and Christmas. Jack Skellington and crew can be found among the other happy haunts in the mansion at other times of the year, too.
However, from September 1 through early January, The Nightmare Before Christmas completely commandeers the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. No area is spared, from the exterior to the Stretching Room, Portrait Gallery, and Seance Room to the Attic, Ballroom, and Graveyard. No wonder the ride shut down for two weeks. They basically re-did the whole thing.
However, even though I didn’t like it, I have to give credit to the Imagineers. It was obvious a lot of hard work and thought went into basically bringing the animated movie to life.
But it wasn’t the Haunted Mansion anymore, and definitely not the classic I know and love. Although, I did like what they did with Madame Leota’s area. I literally squealed in delight when I saw it.
The Only Good Thing
Now that I know what happens to the Haunted Mansion during Halloween and Christmas in Disneyland, I wouldn’t visit Disneyland then. But what about Magic Kingdom? Does it also remake the ride?
Thankfully, no. The only other location to do it is Disneyland Tokyo.
Check-In
Do you like The Nightmare Before Christmas? If so, who’s your favorite character?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I am so sorry they had so many problems when you went. That said, like you, I’m not crazy about the changes they make for the holidays SO FAR AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Couldn’t they do it in November? Ugh. I really wish they would just create a whole new ride for Nightmare Before Christmas elsewhere in the park, like Fantasyland or over in the other park and leave the Haunted Mansion alone. After the movie this summer, more people may want to see the original Haunted Mansion set up.
They don’t change it over at Disney World by the way.
I’m going to Paris on an art study trip the second week of October and yeah, I bought a ticket for their Disneyland. It may be my only chance to see their Haunted Mansion, which has a wild west theme.
LOL! And that’s the other thing. WAY too much Christmas WAY too early! lol
I TOTALLY agree with you! Just make it it’s own ride. And I think a lot of people were excited to ride the ride after the movie and then…that’s not what they got at all. One of the other people we went with had never been to Disneyland before and was curious about the Haunted Mansion ride and said it was not what she expected at all based on what all the rest of us had told her. She had sort of gone of by herself and rode it right away when the park opened that first day. She was disappointed and thought we were nuts for liking the ride so much. She didn’t even get to truly experience it!
But you’re right. The only good thing is they don’t do it at Magic Kingdom. Phew!
AND I LOVE that you’re taking an art class in Paris AND will go to Disneyland there and see Phantom Manor! PLEASE tell me about it and what it’s like. I’m so curious!!!!
More Disneyland Haunted Mansion news I read the other week: they’re going to improve the line/waiting area that extends beyond what is there now. More fun stuff to look at AND they’re finally putting a shop next to the ride exit for all us super fans.
The first time I experienced the swap was on a Halloween when I went with a friend and her boyfriend. I was so bummed to see it was already changed. I only rode the ride once because of that.
Oooo! I wonder if it will be the like Memento Mori shop at magic Kingdom? I’m always surprised they don’t have something like that already at Disneyland.
And a more fun waiting area would be nice. I do get a kick out of the pet graveyard when I finally get to it. (The snake is always my fave.)
I’m also SO relieved to hear I’m not alone in not liking the change to the point you only rode the ride once too! You have no idea how much comfort your comment gave me, Maria! THANK YOU for leaving it!
It is supposed to be like the one at Disney World and all I can say is….What took them so long?!
LOL!