PHOTOS - New interactive Haunted Mansion queue opens for guest previews today

[darthspielberg]

I really like this. It's going to be wild for kids experiencing the Mansion to be able to explore this area.

I love the new busts, they look like they were ripped directly from Marc Davis' art.

 

[Crazy Harry]

Yesterday they were giving you the choice of going through the interactive part or bypassing it. So the wait time would have been less bypassing the new section.

Ok, so how does the group who went through the interactive portion then reintegrate into the line. Sounds a little messy. I thought everyone had to go through the interactive portion :shrug:

 

[xdan0920]

Ok, so how does the group who went through the interactive portion then reintegrate into the line. Sounds a little messy. I thought everyone had to go through the interactive portion :shrug:

My guess would be that once the new queue is officially opened all guests will enter the same way. Maybe the reason they are allowing the bypass right now is to keep the initial influx of guests to a more reasonable number. Since it is testing, maybe they are not ready for a full haul of guests.

 

[fyn]

I actually think they'll keep both queues open during slow times, and then during heavier times run everyone through the longer queue.

My take? Disney just created a queue so compelling to experience that guests may actually elect to wait longer in line just to see it. I don't know how you can't call that a success.

 

[wdwmagic]

Ok, so how does the group who went through the interactive portion then reintegrate into the line. Sounds a little messy. I thought everyone had to go through the interactive portion :shrug:

Check out the first and last photo at http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions...e-opens-for-guest-previews-this-afternoon.htm

The interactive part is pretty much a loop, you enter it near to where you would previously begin to curve to the right, and then rejoin it roughly where the turnstyles were.

 

[Pluto'sGrl]

It'd be pretty creepy - and cool- if you saw something spooky there...

I agree...I'd like to see something swim by or suddenly peer out one of the portholes!

 

[ariel90]

I wanna play the organ!!!!

 

[Master Yoda]

Anyone else catch the name (Ravenscroft) on the Pipe Organ? I so love little details like this.

 

[astewart]

The title of the thread says "Open for guest preview"

Does that mean that it may not be open everyday before they officially open? Or is it pretty much open for good now? Our plane leaves friday, we'll be at the MK on Saturday!

 

[wdwmagic]

The title of the thread says "Open for guest preview"

Does that mean that it may not be open everyday before they officially open? Or is it pretty much open for good now? Our plane leaves friday, we'll be at the MK on Saturday!

Check out http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Haunted-Mansion/News.htm

 

[Hoop Raeb]

I'm sure one person that will hate it is Alice Davis, Marc's wife. She was angry at DLR's 40th anniversary because she thought managment was messing with the original intent of HM. Her one quote was, "3 singing busts in the graveyard was funny but 5 just took things too far". I'm pretty sure she'd blow a gasket at this queue.

 

[Rob562]

Haven't there been some problems with the interactive props breaking at the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh queue? It would seem like they would have the same problems here.

However, there are some things I do appreciate. I've never liked the canopies, but the green works better. I wished they replaced it all, because it just looks silly now. Also, I do like the tributes to the Imagineers, but they should have found a better place for them. All in all, I was not thrilled.

From what I can tell from the photos and video, many of the interactive elements are electronic based, which nothing physical to break. The instruments are all sensed electronically, apparently by infrared sensors around the outside. The organ appears to operate the same way.

The only physical items I'd be worried about are the books that slide in and out.

(And speaking of the books, from looking at things I'm thinking that there's more of a puzzle to it than just random books sliding in and out. Though I'm thinking someone might figure it out before I can get there myself)

I'm assuming that either a) they ordered the wrong color canopy and a red one is coming, or b) they'll soon be replacing the remaining red canopy with the original green.

-Rob

 

[Conrad]

TBH its just a couple of basic things like "press this and you hear a trumpet" and is being used as crowd control. Nothing more. Some people are going way ott on here about how magical it is

 

[wolf359]

Anyone else catch the name (Ravenscroft) on the Pipe Organ? I so love little details like this.

Yes and yes!

I'm also glad to see a new tombstone for Bruce Gordon. I wonder how many more new tributes are hidden in there?

 

[PhoenixSpirit]

Wow I can't wait to see this when I go in July! Let's hope the water features work well enough to cool you down when it's midday and boiling hot

 

[wedenterprises]

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but I don't like the new queue one bit.

The interactive stuff looks fun and is really creative and clever but I'm never going to touch those things, I've seen how many dudes don't wash their hands when coming out of the washroom - and YES it's your boyfriend and husband.

Aside from that - the queue just looks cramped, overfilled, and random. The busts looks cheap and as if they were just plopped down. The tombstones are at waist height and leave no room for an actual body to be buried. The tombs are over designed and everything just looks like a cramped yard sale.

My main gripe is that the queue does not add to the story of the HM, what it does instead is pull things from inside the ride and place them outside. I wish they would have themed the queue to a garden or a cemetery shed or something else. Sure, a few tombs make sense in theory, as does an expanded cemetery but the way they did this actually ruins the entire exterior story of the mansion. I thought the canopy was bad enough in the first place, now this. Oy.

A poster earlier said it right, it does not prepare you for the experience inside the mansion. I agree. The queue should be somber and eerily quiet. It was perfect before (if they got rid of the canopy). This just comes off as "well the guests hate waiting in line so let's give 'em some games cuz games are cool". What a waste of money here. If there is the option to skip this part of the queue then I'll be happy. I'm usually not a hater but this is just bad... I had high hopes.

 

[astewart]

Check out http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Haunted-Mansion/News.htm

Thanks.. just saw that after I replied... thought I was at the end of the thread before I replied! haha

 

[jmick71]

i love every thing except the tombstones in the middle of the flower box (could have replaced it with interactive statues or some thing) also every thing looks too new, all the brass on the busts need to be aged, along with other things (captains crypt is aged well!) they could have also added features with the tombstones on the hill( like what they did with leotas, it would be cool of some glowed,or floated at night. they could have added eyes in the bushes that would appeared at night, butt hidden at day)
as of now it is not fully opened, so they could easily age stuff before it opens, or move the tomb stones/ add more affects
it would be cool if it got creeper at night, but stay more kid friendly during the day!

 

[wdwmagic]

New video from Disney
http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions...the-new-Haunted-Mansion-interactive-queue.htm

 

[Atomicmickey]

Two options for WDI, each with two results.

1) DO NOTHING.

a) I love this, it's exactly the same as it always was.
b) This is stale, they really should do something.

2) DO SOMETHING

a) I love this, it's cool and new
b) This sucks, it should have stayed as it was.

And so we see that there is no way for them to win this weird four-cornered game.

It is obvious that those involved with this enhancement have a deep appreciation for HM details.

So, they chose number two, DO SOMETHING.

I guess some here and in other places would have either done nothing, or done something different. Until any of us actually work there, we're just going to have to "put up with" decisions made by people who are not us, who apparently care a lot about the attraction, just in a different way than some people expect them to.

Honestly, how do you win in a situation like this?

Well, I'm calling it a win. Them that's complaining, I think they're in the solid minority on this one. Go ahead and walk on by while we all enjoy the little details, the old tombstones back, and more cool stuff at the HM.

We'll know who the downers are, the ones with their fingers in their ears so they can't hear the instruments, facing away from the new queue, pretending it's not there, and being all gloomy-like because that's 'how we're supposed to feel' while lining up for an attraction they've been on four hundred times before and still ride in spite of the abomination just outside their viewing range.

In the meantime, I'll be playing the Ravenscroft organ loudly and enjoying this very cool queue.

:wave: