Disney World’s Haunted Mansion (A Complete Ride Guide)
Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion Ride is one of the most well-known attractions at Magic Kingdom Park. From the fantastic queue and dramatic pre-show to the chilly doom buggy ride, guests are enthralled by this attraction! Perhaps the best part of the Haunted Mansion is the ghosts. The mansion is home to 999 happy haunts, and a newer, not-so-happy ghost, the Hatbox Ghost, has taken up residency.
Below, we’ll discuss details for experiencing the Haunted Mansion during your vacation. Since the Haunted Mansion ranks high on most guests’ must-do lists, it has long waits throughout the day. So, we’ll look at the best times to ride and what to expect.
The table below lists quick reference information for experiencing the Haunted Mansion.
| Haunted Mansion | Magic Kingdom |
|---|---|
Location: | Liberty Square |
Height Requirement: | None |
Lightning Lane: | Yes, with Multi Pass (Tier 2 Category) |
Ride Type: | Slow-moving/Omnimover |
Seats Per Vehicle: | Two to Three per Doombuggy |
Rider Switch: | None |
Early Entry: | No |
Extended Evening Hours: | Yes |
Good For: | Anyone |
Scare Factor: | Mild |
Must-Do List: | High Priority |
Perfect For: | Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults |
Special Mention: | This attraction has an on-ride photo opportunity for guests with Memory Maker. |
Accessibility: Guests in wheelchairs or ECVS must transfer to the ride vehicles. Details for those with mobility issues (e.g., wheelchairs and ECVs) can be found on Disney’s site. Audio description and handheld captioning are available.
Make sure to check our one-stop Lightning Lane Guide to plan your attractions.
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Haunted Mansion at Disney World
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride that’s not at all scary. Thankfully, most of the ghost animatronics are friendly. That said, small children might be intimidated by the idea of a haunted mansion, which is completely understandable.
The entrance to the attraction sits off Liberty Square past the Liberty Square Riverboat. If you have the chance to ride the boat during your vacation, you’ll get to take in a neat perspective of the Haunted Mansion. Below, you can see the long line of guests waiting in the stand-by queue to experience the attraction.
The line for Haunted Mansion is considerably long on most days. It’s common to see wait times of up to an hour for The Haunted Mansion.
A 55-minute wait was posted at the attraction’s entrance during this visit.
A Lightning Lane is available to the right. If you purchase Disney’s Lightnight Lane Multi Pass service, you might want to include this attraction in your selections. It is a Tier 2 Category attraction.
A sign outside the entrance reads Board a Doom Buggy to tour the happy haunt of 999 ghouls and ghosts who are dying to meet you.
You’ll see a horse harness with a hearse as you continue through the queue. The harness gives the illusion that a ghost horse is involved.
The Haunted Mansion has an on-ride attraction photo for guests who have purchased the Memory Maker. Usually, a MagicBand will connect the photo to your account. But if you’re not using a MagicBand, you can scan the QR code in the queue to have the attraction’s photo automatically linked to your Disney account.
Eventually, you’ll make your way through the cemetery and tombs. This area provides a few interactive elements along with grave humor, literally. You’ll first come across the Dread family busts. More than meets the eye with this collection of busts. They provide guests the opportunity to figure out a murder mystery. Each bust has a rhyme that offers clues on how each family member died. It’s your job to figure it out.
As you continue through the cemetery, you’ll encounter tombstones like this one that reads, Our Patriarch Dear Departed Grandpa Marc. This is a reference to Disney Imagineer Marc Davis, who created most of the characters seen in The Haunted Mansion. Throughout the attraction, you might look for references to other Imagineers who had a heavy hand in its creation or contributed, like Rolly Crump, Yale Gracey, Paul Frees, Thurl Ravenscroft, and Claude Coats, among many others.
A musical crypt in the queue reads A composer of note and renown here reposes, his melodies fade as he now decomposes.
Right before you reach the pre-show, you’ll encounter a tombstone for Madame Leota, who is part of the seance scene inside the ride. It reads, Dear Sweet Leota, beloved by all in regions beyond now but having a ball. If you don’t get the reference, you soon will!
Once you are escorted inside the mansion, you’ll wait momentarily before advancing into the parlor. This next room is known as the stretching room. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself sinking to the lower level.
These portraits appear normal at first. But you’ll soon realize they have a bit of a twist.
A panel soon opens, allowing you to exit the stretching room. You’ll then join another queue that’s a bit of a bottleneck where the large group forms a singular line. We always try to stand back and wait for a minute when possible. It will not make much difference if a few guests get ahead of you.
This line now begins to move swiftly. The Haunted Mansion is an omnimover where the ride continues moving, and guests step onto the platform and into their doom buggy. Two adults and one small child can fit into each doom buggy.
During the initial hallway, you’ll notice several picture frames are hanging on the wall. This area is where the on-ride photo opportunity is located. So, make sure to smile as you look straight ahead.
The Haunted Mansion has a variety of scenes as you make your way through. The newest scene features the Hatbox Ghost, who appears on the left side of the endless hallway.
Watch closely as his face disappears and reappears in the hat box.
Unfortunately, that’s about as far as my camera skills reach due to the darkness. After the Hatbox Ghost, you’ll see Madame Leota as she holds a seance awakening the other ghosts of the mansion. That’s when grim-grinning ghosts come out to socialize.
Each scene moving forward contains happy haunts, like the ballroom where ghosts dance below, the attic where Constance Hatchaway awaits the next willing groom, and the graveyard where singing busts entertain. You’ll even pass an area with mirrors. This is where you’ll realize a few hitch-hiking ghosts have caught a ride as they magically appear next to you in the doom buggy.
As you approach the end of the ride, a tiny ghost (little Leota) bids you farewell with a hurry back and a reminder not to forget your death certificate. Then, your ghost host will magically release the ride restraint, and you’ll step onto another moving walkway to exit the ride.
Outside the ride’s exit, you might notice the pet cemetery on the hillside.
Best Times to Ride Haunted Mansion
As far as the best time to ride Haunted Mansion, it’s important to remember that lines will typically be very long the majority of the day. Therefore, riding as early in the morning as possible or later in the evening is usually best. Typically, the first and last two hours of the day will have the shortest wait times.
Other Haunted Mansion Attractions
- The Haunted Mansion, Disneyland Resort in California (New Orleans Square)
- Phantom Manor: Haunted House Attraction, Disneyland Paris
- Mystic Manor, Hong Kong Disneyland
- Haunted Mansion, Tokyo Disneyland
The Resorts Gal Spin on The Haunted Mansion
We’re giving the Haunted Mansion the green light. We wouldn’t miss this attraction, even if the wait was long. If you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, make sure to select this ride for one of your spots. You can usually find shorter lines during the evening performance of Happily Ever After or immediately after if you’re close to the attraction. If not, don’t be surprised because the line fills up quickly after fireworks on evenings when the park is open later.
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
For more Magic Kingdom Planning, try these:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney World
- The Hall of Presidents
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Review
- Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom
Or you can browse the complete list of Magic Kingdom Rides.
Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Check out some of our resources, like our ultimate Disney World Dining Guide. Or you might enjoy our list of Disney World Resort Reviews. That article lists every resort review we have available on the site.
In the comments
We hope this article helped plan or answer your questions about Disney World’s Haunted Mansion. Do you plan to ride the Haunted Mansion on your vacation? What are your thoughts about this ride? Is it a favorite? Drop us a comment below and tell us your thoughts.
