Haunted Mansion! That most perfect example of Disney magic at its best. Back in October, I highlighted all we love about the Haunted Mansion for a Halloween post. For Christmas, we brought a little Haunted Mansion to our own humble abode. No, a ghost didn’t follow us home, but almost just as good!
Megan and I had certainly been thinking alike back in December (although we wouldn’t find that out until Christmas morning)! Last fall, the Disney Store had some great Haunted Mansion items in their home-goods section – oddly enough, I didn’t see what Megan bought for me when I was shopping and she didn’t see what I bought her. You might recall (if you saw my Disney Christmas gifts post) that I received a nifty Haunted Mansion wine bottle stopper – perfect for me since my love for both wine and the Haunted Mansion are well-known to The Fam.
I bought Megan a set of coasters for her apartment. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? These are no ordinary coasters though – they’re tombstones from the Haunted Mansion’s graveyard! They even come in an adorable coffin-shaped box that says “Tomb Sweet Tomb” on the top! Go ahead, admit it….right now you’re wishing your mom had given you an awesome gift like that, too.
Sadly, my original purchase arrived broken. This was strange to me – I ordered a mug for Raymond, three ornaments (Sally, Steampunk Earhat, and Mulan) and the coasters – the box arrived with virtually no packing material in it – all the items were just rattling around in there. There was also no receipt or order confirmation document of any kind. The ornaments and mug were wrapped securely, but the coasters were just in their unprotected box and each one was shattered (they’re ceramic or some such).
On December 20th I emailed the Disney Store per the website’s “contact us” instructions and explained my plight – then promptly got swept up in the holiday madness and forgot all about it. Christmas morning arrived – and this is, again, strange. Megan gave me a Disney cookie jar…turns out it was the second one she’d ordered because the first one came in broken. Note: She wanted that cookie jar in time for Christmas, so when the broken one arrived she immediately called the Disney Store and they shipped a replacement one right out. That’s when I remembered the coasters and told her that while I hadn’t heard back yet, I was sure my email was being processed and replacements would be on their way soon.
Fast forward to last Monday. Megan came over to do some laundry and watch a couple movies with me (yes, Disney movies) and said, “I guess I’m never getting those coasters, am
I.” Yikes! I’d forgotten all about them. I called the Disney Store and explained the situation – that I had emailed and received no reply (I offered to forward a copy of the email if necessary) – The lady on the phone – who’s every sentence was liberally sprinkled with terms like “magical” and “pixie dust” and even a reference to “Fairy Godmother” (I kid you not) – said she would send replacement coasters out posthaste with no further action on my part necessary. Sure enough, three days later I had a box from the Disney Store on my doorstep. New coasters safe and sound. Aren’t they CUTE?
Moral of the story – do NOT email the Disney Store if there’s a problem with your order – give them a call. They’ll be magically helpful and certain to offer whatever pixie-dusted assistance is necessary (even enlisting Fairy Godmother’s aid, if required) to ensure your happily-ever-after satisfaction.
So, last Saturday Raymond and I went to a big shoe sale at our local running store. I was able to score a much-needed new pair of Nikes for 40% off! Not my usual color-choice, these beauties are gray, purple, and neon green (hello? ON SALE!) – They’re growing on me though – I’m calling them my Haunted Mansion shoes.
The Haunted Mansion is just my favourite favourite thing ever. 🙂 I don’t collect or trade pins, but I do have a very small tiny collection of HM pins (maybe 3-4 in all). The first WDW t-shirt I bought was an HM one. I think I have to find at least a couple of Christmas ornaments on a future trip and then perhaps my collection will be complete. …No it won’t. 😀 What I’d REALLY like is to someday have a dedicated room to decorate with HM stuff. This is not likely to happen but I can dream! Both of the items you picked up are ones I’d love to have, too!
The funny part is, I couldn’t really honestly say it’s my favourite *ride*, it’s just my fave experience. 😀
Final note: I actually really like your new shoes! I buy ones with those kinds of colour scheme, and actually it’s usually b/c they are on sale, but I am more likely to buy the ones with the odder colours than the regular ones. Heh. I like things that clash, are neon, or are really, really bright… not to wear, just to look at. LOL!
I don’t know why I’m surprised by how many people are quite passionate about HM. It’s one of the best themed, meticulously detailed attractions. Thanks for reading and commenting and for liking my shoes. 🙂
I’ve been following your blog for quite a while in preparation for my first Disney World vacation, which I’m currently on. Yesterday was my first time ever visiting the Magic Kingdom. It was cold and rainy, but the low crowds afforded me the opportunity to ride so, so many rides, multiple times. My partner wasn’t willing to deal with the weather after a few hours, so she returned to the resort early, allowing me to go at my own pace through the park. For me it was the perfect way to experience the Magic Kingdom.
…and then I found the Haunted Mansion. I got to ride the Disneyland version 18 years ago on a trip to California with my aunt, uncle and then toddler cousin. My aunt and uncle had been to Disneyland a handful of times, but we’re never bitten by the Disney bug. It was simply something do waste a few hours on during business trips to California, and they went twice a year or so. It was summer, the lines were ridiculous, I had heat stroke within three hours of arrival, and my aunt and uncle were only interested in riding the rides they wanted and ones appropriate for my young cousin. I think in total we rode three rides together that day. I kept begging to ride Roger Rabbit’s car-toon spin, but my aunt refused, insisting it was lame. I heard that a lot that day. She told me jungle cruise was lame, tiki room was lame, and a few others I don’t quite recall. They were all ready for a break around sunset, and there I saw it… The Haunted mansion. I asked if we could ride it, and my aunt again told me it was lame. I was pretty frustrated with them, and they could tell, so they relented. I could ride it, but I would have to go on my own… So I got in line, all by my lonesome, and waited the hour long wait and rode it. I loved every microsecond of it! It was my first experience with Disney magic.
Now on to the part I really wanted to tell you. I was looking forward to riding the Haunted mansion again for all these years! and yesterday I got to. It was glorious. Three times, in fact, but I’m sure I’ll do it a couple more times before I leave on the 5th. After my second ride, I entered the closest gift shop and found the little tomb, sweet tomb box. I didn’t think much of it, until I opened it. After a second, it registered in my brain what I was looking at… Coasters! Coasters made just for me. I have a coaster collection at home and these are going to be the perfect addition!
I had to tell you just because the timing is so perfect. Maybe too perfect.
Wow Megs! What a very cool (odd and creepy) coincidence! I loved your whole story – was a great build up for the end!!! Haunted Mansion is a fantastic place to experience Disney magic for the first time. I’m so sorry everything was so LAME for your aunt! LOL! Thanks for being a blog reader and extra thanks for commenting. Don’t forget we also have a FB page (https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife) and I always love new twitter followers – @life_of_green Come back and tell me how the rest of your trip goes!!!
I’m now following you on Facebook! I’m not much of a twitter user though.
I remember my aunt proudly stating the absolute best theme park she had ever visited was Knott’s berry farm. I suppose the theming and little details (and cast member service) just aren’t her thing.
I’ll be here until Wednesday next week. I’ll make sure to check back with you then!
Excellent, Megs! Thanks for joining in on Facebook. Can’t wait to hear how the rest of the trip goes.
A. I love the Haunted Mansion, too! It’s my favorite “classic” ride.
B. Love your new sneakers! They also kind of remind me of Maleficent.
C. I recently had a broken order from The Disney Store Online, too. It was a Steampunk Ear Hat Ornament. I did email customer service and they emailed me back right away. The ornament I had originally ordered had been on sale for around $8, but was no longer available. The closest available replacement was around $13, so they sent me a gift code for $15. Score! (The best part: I later found out that I could super-glue the broken ornament back together.)
Hi Heather! Thanks for reading and commenting!!! I ordered a steampunk earhat ornament for my son…they are great, aren’t they? It arrived wrapped in bubblewrap, but otherwise loose and bouncing around in the box (with all the other stuff). I couldn’t believe more things weren’t broken. I bet all the breaks and poor packing ended up costing Disney a fortune!