Countdown to 2012 WDW Marathon Weekend #7

#7 - Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion

From the Walt Disney World website:
The Haunted Mansion is a spooky tour of an ominous haunted house in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom theme park, where a supernatural Ghost Host introduces you to his closest 999 dearly-departed friends.

Don't worry—too much. While Haunted Mansion contains some mildly frightening subject matter, there is no gore, the ghostly residents are friendly and the experience is appropriate for all ages. 

Enter the mysteriously well-maintained exterior of an 18th-century mansion and find yourself in an ornate estate where anything can happen—and often does. Walking past the entrance foyer and into the ghostly portrait chamber, the air cools and the sense of dread begins to grow. Suddenly, you realize that you are in a room with no windows and no doors! 

Moving along, you board a "Doom Buggy" and begin your supernatural journey. Your Ghost Host takes you through several dusty rooms, where you can see eerie signs of ethereal awakening. Soon, you encounter the mansion's resident medium, Madame Leota, who invokes the mansion's ghost and ghouls to show themselves. 

What follows has to be seen to not be believed, but suffice to say that you've never before seen the dead so lively. The conclusion is definitely more merry than scary, but the sight of wraiths and skeletons—even of the kindest constitution—is something you're sure to remember as long as you live. 

And maybe a bit longer. 

At the end of your tour, to help you remember your visit to the mansion, a team of 3 cheery hitchhiking ghosts volunteer to follow you home. It's no use trying to dissuade them; they're deadly serious about their duty. 

The Haunted Mansion is the imposing colonial manor darkening the eastern banks of the Rivers of America in the northwest corner of Liberty Square.

Why am I looking forward to the Haunted Mansion?
The Haunted Mansion is one of my most favorite rides in Walt Disney World (like that grammar?)!  There's nothing that I don't like about this ride - it's just fantastic.

I have not had the opportunity to see the new interactive queue enhancements yet.  I'm looking forward to seeing what fun elements have been added to the queue.  There are rumored to be things like sounds, sights, gags, water and more that will add to the queue experience.  I'm not typically a big fan of these enhancements as so many guests just seem intent on destroying things that have been put there for their enjoyment - I know not all guests are that way, but one of them is too many for me.  Nevertheless, I am still curious what I'll see in this queue now.

The cast members at the Haunted Mansion are some of my favorite.  If I was going to be an attraction cast member, this is one of the attractions that I would love to work at.  An attitude, lack of smile, scaring people and being just a little unpleasant are not only expected, but applauded here.  I so fit that role!  Really, watch some of these cast members work, they are good - really good.

Finally, you enter the mansion.  Look up, look down, look all around.  Notice the little details in the architecture and decorating.  As you are entered in to the next room, you must step lively and in to the dead center of the room away from the walls.  This is the stretching room and where your journey truly begins (or will it be the end?).  Now, I know it's tempting to recite the dialog, but please try to refrain - it's just not fair to the other guests with you.  Some of them might be first timers and you don't want to spoil it for them.

You exit the stretching room and head to board your doom buggy.  This is your ride vehicle, your vantage point for the rest of the ride.  The vehicles are on a constantly moving sidewalk, so watch your step and have a seat.

You travel through the mansion, witnessing different aspects of some of the 999 happy haunts.  They read, they float, they try to escape, they hold seances, hang out in attics and gather in the grand ballroom.  The fun doesn't stop there - you'll travel out on to the grounds of the mansion and there's just a huge ghost gathering going on out there. 

As the ride comes to an end, you must be very careful as a ghost may follow you home.  At least you'll have a warning as to which ghost will be following you.    You'll get a chance to meet your ghost at the end of the ride. 

As you exit the ride you might want to stop and take a look at the pet cemetery.  There are some interesting pets to see there.  You might also want to admire the horseless carriage - and I'm not talking about a car :).

Most importantly - hurry back and don't forget to bring your death certificate!  Rumor has it there's always room for one more!