Tag Archives: Haunted Mansion

We’re Going to WDW – 10 Things I’m Looking Forward To!

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As mentioned before, I’m crazy excited to introduce our granddaughter to the joys of a Disney vacation. I can’t wait to see her reaction to characters, rides and all the sights, sounds, and flavors we can find for her to enjoy.

Personally, I am looking forward to quite a few things by myself. When I focus on staying “in the moment” while I’m at WDW, it’s amazing what random experiences stick in my mind as being particularly wonderful. I know what I’m most looking forward to changes for every visit, but this time the top ten are….

Drumroll, Please

10. The Electrical Water Pageant. Sure, there’s no afternoon parade in Magic Kingdom and no nighttime fireworks in the parks right now, but I’m kind of okay about it because I can still enjoy the most cheerfully ridiculous spectacle on the Seven Seas Lagoon!

9. Florida dawns and sunsets. I suppose we have some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets in Louisiana, but I’m typically too busy to notice. Seems like when I’m at Walt Disney World I get to start and end the day with gorgeous skies and have time to soak up every moment.

8. The Ghost Host will lower my safety bar. And then I’ll get to see and hear all the things I adore in the Haunted Mansion! Madam Leota, Constance-in-the-attic, all of it! Maybe Little Leota at the exit might be my favorite. Hard to say because I love it all.

Haunted Mansion's Madame Leota

7. The smell of the lobby in Bay Lake Tower. Sure, it’s lovely when they say, “Welcome Home!”, but nothing is more welcoming to me than that special scent. It’s like a warm hug that washes away all my worries. I could be weird, but there it is.

6. Earning the lowest score on Toy Story Midway Mania. I don’t do it on purpose, but there’s a reason I have never participated in any sports requiring eye-hand coordination. Nonetheless, I love this ride! Breaking those plates is inexplicably gratifying.

5. PeopleMover. If you don’t love it, stay off of it and let the rest of us have it to ourselves. There’s not a single second of resting on that lovely blue upholstery as I cruise around Tomorrowland that I don’t love. Mr. Morrow, I can’t wait to be there!

4. Sipping and Snacking my way around World Showcase. This is the ultimate Epcot experience for me. I can shop, stroll, or sit and relax while sampling exotic fare and sipping an adult beverage. Doesn’t matter if we start in Mexico or Canada, I’m going to enjoy the trip around the World!

Italy Pavilion / Epcot's World Showcase

3. Taking a million pictures on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I’ve stopped trying to NOT do this. I can ride the Safaris five times on a single vacation and I will snap pics like I’ve never been there before. I’m convinced my family appreciates this phenomenon as just another of my many adorable quirks. And if they don’t, I don’t care. Look! An Okapi!

2. People watching from the Dawa Bar. Give me an Old Elephant Foot IPA and a place to stand. This is a great spot for soaking up the atmosphere in Africa. I don’t have very many must-do’s on every trip, but this is absolutely one of them.

And Number One…

Walking down Main Street USA. I can’t be alone here. This is probably something the majority of people love to do on a Disney vacation. It’s the ultimate I-am-back feeling. Familiar sights, sounds, and smells. The lovely air of nostalgia. There’s Cinderella Castle in all her glory…a familiar and beloved sight that will be especially welcome to these weary eyes…they’ll probably start leaking.

View of Cinderella Castle from Main Street U.S.A.

What will you be looking forward to the most on your next visit?

WDW Attractions – Best Lead Up

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RM-Haunted-Mansion-Exterior2We’ve talked about queues, we’ve talked about favorites and today it’s time to talk about the best attractions for attention-grabbing from afar – the one’s with real curb appeal, if you will.  With some of the very best rides, it’s all about the lead up!

Some attraction exteriors offer absolutely no clue what to expect (think Soarin’, Country Bears, Space Mountain), but some attractions draw you in from far away – the theme, the park setting – long before you step into the queue, you know you’re about to experience something extraordinary!  I’m going to talk about just five today – go ahead and leave a comment if your favorite gets left out – I’ll do a “part 2” in the future!

WDW Attractions – Best Lead Up

  1.  Haunted MansionRM-Haunted-Mansion-GraveyardFrom WAY far away, the draw to Haunted Mansion is incredible!  It looks exactly the way you hope it will – Grand yet a bit sinister.  You can immediately tell the Mansion holds room after room to explore – haunted corridors, ballrooms, attic and much more!  RM-Haunted-Mansion-ExteriorThe minute you see it, you know it’s going to be the perfect combination of scary and fun!
  2. Big Thunder Mountain RailroadThe Red Rock of Big Thunder MountainThe train flies along the track – you can see the passengers raise their hands, you can hear them screaming in delight, but that’s not the primary draw.  In Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, the whole landscape of Big Thunder that makes you eager to get inside that mountain – so out of place with the surrounding Florida palm trees and lush tropical plants.  Big Thunder Mountain is a wasteland of epic proportions and the details are mesmerizing!  Best of all, the queue at this mountain is top notch.
  3. Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorDisney's Hollywood Studios Tower of TerrorIt looks elegant and disheveled, classic but unique – first impressions are everything here in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Strolling down Sunset Boulevard, you can’t help but notice the tower’s façade and how it stands out.  Walk a little farther, and you’ll notice something else – the SCREAMING!  The sound will draw your eyes closer to the tower where in an upstairs window, you’ll see motion, but little else.  If you’re a thrill ride junkie, this is the ride for you!
  4. Rock’n’ Roller CoasterRock'n'-Roller-Coaster-GuitarThe location actually hurts this attraction because Tower of Terror tends to steal Rock’n’ Roller Coaster’s thunder.  You have to turn left at the very end of Sunset Boulevard to even notice the upside down Cadillac let alone the gigantic guitar, but once you see the setting, you know that for music fans and coaster addicts alike will find this the place to be!
  5. Expedition EverestRM-Expedition-Everest-ApproachIn Animal Kingdom, you can be far from Everest and still be drawn in.  Call me biased, but there’s a reason this is my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World and one of the main reasons is that from the moment you see the mountain in the distance, you can’t help but want to be a part of its magic.  “Forbidden Mountain” is like a double-dog dare to those of us who love an amazing coaster – every single detail is beyond perfect!  Hands down, Expedition Everest has the best draw from afar of any attraction in the World.

Is your favorite “love at first sight” attraction missing from this list?  Which Walt Disney World rides grab you from afar and draw you in?Expedition Everest

Disney Vinylmation- Park Starz Haunted Mansion Bride

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When Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion was updated in 2007, one of the best changes was the addition of the attic scene and Constance Hatchaway, the Black Widow Bride.  This one section alone, makes me want to ride Haunted Mansion multiple times on every visit to Walt Disney World – I notice something new every time!  Of course, Nick has a gem in his Disneyana collection commemorative of this most amazing, perfectly detailed part of one of my most favorite Disney attractions.  Enjoy!

Disney Vinylmation- Park Starz Haunted Mansion Bride

By: Nick

A few years ago Barbie and I took a short trip to Walt Disney World with another couple, staying in a Fort Wilderness Cabin.

While visiting the Magic Kingdom’s Emporium, I showed my friends the new form of Vinylmation, the Park Starz line. I stated that before the trip was through, I would have to buy one, in the hopes of getting one of the few figures I was interested in.

That evening, they went to the Magic Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours, while we stayed at the cabin. Imagine my surprise when I awoke the next morning to find that they had bought me a Park Starz figure! I couldn’t wait till everyone woke up to open it, as I am like a kid on Christmas morning when it comes to opening gifts, so I took it out onto the deck to see what “Santa” had brought me.

The packaging is terrific. I love the graphics. The box itself is a work of art.

What can it be? Is it one I want?! It feels roundish, is it the Yeti. I wouldn’t mind the Yeti, but it isn’t my first choice. I hope it isn’t Big Al, as my wife really dislikes the Country Bears.

I open the foil to find the figure I actually wanted the most! The Haunted Mansion Bride!
She even comes with an ax!

They even thought to paint in her shoes on the bottom!

It gives me chills just looking at it.

Included is a little fold out pamphlet with a name of each figure, and the year of it’s creation at each of the parks it may be in or have been in.
For instance, the Robot Butler, Horizons, Epcot, 1983-1999.

A fantastic collectible. A big thank you to my friends!

This article originally appeared on Nick’s Disney Musings Blog and at The Disney Exchange. You can also find Nick on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Nick, our friend David Hodges, and I host the Disney Exchange Podcast where you can listen to us argue about have friendly discussions about all things Disney – New episodes come out every Sunday.

Haunted Mansion – My 10 Favorite Things

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So, I’m cooking dinner.  I do this a lot – cooking relaxes me and I like it.  Maybe mowing the yard relaxes Raymond the same way.  I hope so, since I wouldn’t know how to start the lawn mower, much less maneuver it around the yard.  But I digress.  Back to the cooking.  I’m waiting for the pasta to boil and the sauce to do its thing and I see the leftover wine from last night, secure in its bottle with my Haunted Mansion bottle stopper.  That’s how many of these blog posts begin – so many things around me to remind me of Walt Disney World and what I love about spending time there.IMG_2439

Haunted Mansion – My 10 Favorite Things

DWR2009 078Location – You can’t beat the setting in Liberty Square – just at the edge of Frontierland.  I prefer to approach from Fantasyland for the best first look of every visit – I’m weird that way, but hey!  Makes me so happy!!!

Exterior – Sure, the view from land is awesome, but the Mansion, viewed from the water (aboard the Liberty Belle), is breathtaking!  The color of the stone, the shapes of the different wings, towers, and solarium, the black wrought iron fence, the green awning…all of it!RM-Haunted-Mansion-Queue

Queue – Purists will lament the 2007 refurb that added many new elements to the waiting-outside part of the Mansion’s queue.  This was a huge improvement to us and we love all of it!  Because the ghost horse & hearse and the cemetery are original and amazing on their own, don’t miss them while you’re taking in all the other interactive and hilarious elements.  A feast for the senses, the Haunted Mansion’s queue invites you to touch, look, and listen to an amazing number of details, large and small.RM-Haunted-Mansion-Graveyard

Costumes – Some of the outfits Cast Members wear are less than memorable to me, but at the Mansion, they look great!  Also, those appropriately-attired hosts know how to play their part.  Sure, some are better than others, but overall, the Mansion’s “help” couldn’t be better!

Humor – This is not a haunted house to be feared.  Puns, sight-gags, and creepy charm abound.  These spooks are friendly and funny – from the stretching room portraits to the ghoulies in the cemetery at the end of the ride…the mix of fun and fright is pure genius.RM-Haunted-Mansion-Stretching-Room

Doom-buggy – What omnimover ride has a better vehicle?  None.  This shiny, black, rounded and oddly cozy capsule is the perfect transportation.  The ghost host (voiced by Paul Frees) speaks directly to you!  This makes the experience seem personalized and adds a special element to the fun.

Madam Leota – Leota in the crystal ball, Little Leota at the ride’s conclusion – I love all her forms!  (“Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween…Awaken the spirits with your tambourine!”).  She’s mysterious and beautiful and her voice is perfectly frightening!Haunted Mansion's Madame Leota

Wallpaper – Now available on Disney’s Dooney & Bourke handbags, the Mansion’s wallpaper is but one of the hundreds of tiny details that make every tour special.  I’ve ridden dozens of times and still, every time, I find some previously unnoticed element.  This alone is why I may ride several times in a single vacation and more than once or twice in a single day.  Glowing eyes, moving shadows, floating objects, ever-changing portraits, dancing, singing, partying spirits  – all if it amazing!RM-Haunted-Mansion-Bride-Constance

Constance – She’s weird and clearly insane!  Constance is the bride in the Mansion’s attic.  She’s been busy, our Constance, and proof of her misdeeds is all around you as you glide through her diabolical history.  If you’re fortunate and you look carefully, you can find her ring outside in the Mansion’s queue before you go inside.RM-Haunted-Mansion-Singing-Busts

Singing Busts – I LOVE these guys!  First of all, catchy tune!  They’re also fun to watch as you glide toward the attraction’s finale.  Lighthearted and well-crafted, the final scenes are clever and interesting.

“Hurry Baaaaaaack……Hurry BAAAaaaaaaaack….Be sure to bring your death certificate if you decide to join us.  Make final arrangements now.  We’ve been dying to have you…”-Little Leota

What do YOU love most about Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion?RM-Haunted-Mansion-Shrinking-Room-Portrait