Haunted Mansion - Infamous Hallway Photograph

Skipper Dan

Active Member
Original Poster
I thought that I would share this with everyone. In September, along with my best friend, and her grandmother, I traveled to Walt Disney World. It was my best friend’s second visit to the resort, and her grandmother’s first. Being a lifetime Disney enthusiast, there is very little that I don’t know about Walt Disney World, though a few months before my trip, I read of something that I had never heard of before. The infamous “Servants Only” themed hallway access, connecting the Gallery to the exit of the “Haunted Mansion.” So one day, while exiting the ride, and showing my friend’s grandmother the epitaphs on the monastery, I noticed the door. Now it took a whole three seconds for it to “click,” then I was like, “... hey!” My heart started racing, because I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to just slip inside, and snap as many pictures as I could. But as my best friend and her grandmother stood taking photographs, I wondered the obvious questions, “... was there a blinking light, on that inferred video that I saw of the hallway on YouTube?” Or, “... what if I got caught? Should I just ask if I can be escorted, so that I can take some pictures?” I had to make a decision, my adrenaline was seriously through the roof. So I grabbed my camera, opened the flash, pushed open the door... SNAP!

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You better have read my story! :fork: :p

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IMG_5622.jpg


Ta’da! There you have it.

An elderly lady - CM - approached me. I cannot remember the exact conversation, only that she obviously had not noticed/been informed of what I had done, or noticed that I meant no harm, and let us go about our business. I wish I could remember in further detail our conversation, but my adrenaline was still through the roof. But I glazed on my southern charm on thick, and if she had any intentions of saying anything, she changed her mind quickly. She called after us, after I kind of nonchalantly ended the conversation, but we kept on walking. I still don’t know if she was calling after us or not. :lol: :lookaroun

Hope you enjoy the picture! :wave:
 

DizneyPryncess

Well-Known Member
Great pic! I love your story!

I saw that room on the Keys to the Kingdom tour, but of course since you're not allowed to have cameras on the tour, I couldn't get a photo. The bells have no ringers in them - they are "dead ringers" :lol:

I stole that 'joke' off our guide.
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
This is technically an onstage area: it's the exit for those "too full of fear to continue" (the sign says something like that) after the stretching room.

You can take as many pics as you want. :)
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
This is technically an onstage area: it's the exit for those "too full of fear to continue" (the sign says something like that) after the stretching room.

You can take as many pics as you want. :)

Actually, there are two hallways, one before the stretching room and one after it near the loading area. As far as I know, only the one from the boarding area is marked as a Guest exit, and most likely doesn't have any access to non-Guest areas off of it. (It's on my list of things I want to check out on my next trip. I don't think I've ever seen pics of the boarding area hallway)

The one shown in the above photo is of the *other* hallway that links the exit walkway to the foyer, and probably isn't supposed to be accessed without a CM accompanying you. (If I'm not mistaken, the door in the left wall is the door to the CM break room.)

In either case, while they're both themed so that the Show is maintained and pics are OK, neither hallway is supposed to be accessed from the exit walkway, which is probably why the CM stopped the OP.

-Rob
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Yes, all assisted guests enter via this hallway. The closest stretchroom mechanics can be heard, as can the bass from the audio systems.

A closeup of the bells - note the labels!

IMG_5990bells.jpg
 

pilka214

Active Member
i've been in there, if a member of your party is wheelchair bound you enter through there, i have soem pictures somewehre, but amongst all my other pictures, i don't wish to search for them.
 

Thiger

New Member
The last time I was on HM I walked off and saw the door open...seeing a few people walk in I felt the rush and walked in with them. The CM asked if I was part of the party and before I could answer they said 'he is now' and I rode the ride with them. Very cool and always fun when little adventures spring up in the world...
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
The one shown in the above photo is of the *other* hallway that links the exit walkway to the foyer, and probably isn't supposed to be accessed without a CM accompanying you. (If I'm not mistaken, the door in the left wall is the door to the CM break room.)
-Rob

'tis True. You're right. :eek: I've only walked through backstage HM two or three times, and got confused.

Just the same, if you can hitch a ride with somebody in a wheelchair (no pun intended), feel free to take pics in this hallway.

p.s. creepiest place in the entire HM: a backstage staircase painted completely black and illuminated with green lights.
 

maelstrom

Well-Known Member
Can you list all of the bell labels? I can only read Xavier, Leota, and McKim. I know they're all supposed to be Imagineer names, but I just can't read the rest of them. :)
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Can you list all of the bell labels? I can only read Xavier, Leota, and McKim. I know they're all supposed to be Imagineer names, but I just can't read the rest of them. :)
Right to left Professor Wathel's Reposing Lounge, Colonel Coats' Breakfast Berth, Master Graceys bedchamber, Uncle Davis' sleeping salon, Grandfather McKim's resting room, Madame Leota's Boudoir and Ambassador Xaviers lounging lodge
 

agent86

New Member
Being a lifetime Disney enthusiast, there is very little that I don’t know about Walt Disney World,

Sorry but I just had to chuckle at this. It kind of came across as a little bit show-offy to state, "There is very little that I don't know about Walt Disney World", but to follow it with something that is very WIDELY known about, and which LOTS of people have visited, just cracked me up. :ROFLOL:I also got a kick out of how the OP described this "adventure" like he was on some sort of impromptu espionage mission and was being so clever...when in reality, it's a room that is pretty easy to get into and pictures are totally allowed. :hammer:
 

Blackie Pueblo

Active Member
That's awesome. Funny story and thanks for that great pic. Maybe I met a bad castmember but I was standing at the exit once waiting for some friends who were still on the ride and the door opened and a castmember came out. This castmember held the door partial open while answering a guests question.

Of course I was really trying hard to peek in the hallway while standing against the wall. When the guest thanked the member with a smile and left, the castmember saw me and gave me this "what the heck do you think you're doing look" and literally pulled the door close with a loud slam. Then the castmember walked away.

"My business is making people, especially children, happy."
---Walter Elias Disney
Did I do something wrong here or was the castmember just in a bad mood?
 
Sorry but I just had to chuckle at this. It kind of came across as a little bit show-offy to state, "There is very little that I don't know about Walt Disney World", but to follow it with something that is very WIDELY known about, and which LOTS of people have visited, just cracked me up. :ROFLOL:I also got a kick out of how the OP described this "adventure" like he was on some sort of impromptu espionage mission and was being so clever...when in reality, it's a room that is pretty easy to get into and pictures are totally allowed. :hammer:
Wow. Way to take the wind out of someone's sail's.
 

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