Haunted Mansion - Sound cranked up, Lights cranked down

[RonAnnArbor]

Had the chance to ride Haunted Mansion several days and several times each day during the past week...

Two basic observations:

The sound on the DoomBuggies IS cranked up - you can hear everything now. THis was not the case on my last two trips there in November and in March a year ago. During probably 5 rides over the course of the week, every DoomBuggy was nice and clear as far as the sound.

The lighting throughout the mansion is dimmed WAY down...some of the rooms are so dark you can barely make out what you are seeing - the entire first hallway (doors creaking/moving etc) is so dark you can barely make out the doors, let alone that they were moving. I thought mabe one of the lights had burned out, but the entire mansion was darker. For example, you can not read the Tomb Sweet Tomb sign at all. You can see the sign and if you know what it says you can squint to try to read it, but it is NOT visible.

The Madam Leotta seance room looks great darker - you see the instruments moving, and can't see the tracks above them...but other rooms are just plain old too dark...

Just my two cents worth.

 

[AndyMagic]

On my last trip I definately noticed a large bump in the sound as well although I didn't notice the Mansion being any darker. Maybe this is a more recent change. While I appreciated the rise in the volume (because sometimes it is hard to hear what Gracey is saying,) there were times that it felt a bit TOO loud and it really drew attention to the low-quality recording and speakers. I'm pretty sure the sound system in Disneyland was completely overhauled and I expect our version to have an upgrade to the sound system when it goes down for its rumored changes down the road.

 

[testtracker]

it is possible that you rode during different times, and it seemed much darker to one much like space mountain.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Nope - it is definately darker.

 

[1stStarIC2nite]

I agree. In March I went on and I actually remember saying "it seems a lot darker in here." I could barely see anything, when there have been times I could almost see everything. Maybe they didn't pay their electricity bill? :lol:

 

[peter11435]

Nope - it is definately darker.

I think what he meant was that it may have been how your eyes were adjusted. I know from experience that the mansion seems much darker during the day than it does at night.

Although it is possible it was darker than normal. I have not done the mansion in a little while.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I know that is what he meant. It is not a matter of eyes adjusting. THe lighting is so dim in some of the rooms you can barely see the items.

 

[aeillill]

When I went last September I noticed that they were playing around with the level of the lighting, during most of our trip it was incredibly dark exactly like how you said you could hardly read the Tomb Sweet Tomb sign, but then our last day (which was the day before the MNSSHP) the lights were turned way up. I figured maybe they were just trying to save energy during the off season and they had turned it up since we were coming into the month of October and the ride would get a boost from MNSSHP

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Interesting. I doubt there is an energy concern, but I do wonder what all the fiddling is for. I personally found Mansion very bright last time I rode it. I like the shadowy, dim lights, even if it is difficult to read perhaps.

 

[clarkstallings]

Oh my God! Then I'm not crazy! I noticed it a couple of weeks ago too!

 

[imagineer boy]

That's actually pretty good that the lighting in the corridor of doors is down. It was a bit too bright, and you could clearly see the un-themed cieling.

 

[Videoteck]

Well I actually noticed something bad, at night the lighting scheme was all screwed up its was ruining the effect.

 

[hypercatmatt04]

Well, it is a dark ride.

-rimshot-

 

[Videoteck]

Well, it is a dark ride.

-rimshot-

What? Who u talking to?

 

[MissM]

Hrm. Odd. Last weekend I don't recall it being louder or darker. Seemed about the same to me. We didn't have any broken sound or static sound (which is sadly rare) so maybe it only sounded louder because of that?

Hrm.
-m

 

[dvcnut39]

I'm glad they fixed the sound. We were there in early DEC and found that HM had no sound at all. It really took alot away from the experience.

 

[peter11435]

I'm glad they fixed the sound. We were there in early DEC and found that HM had no sound at all. It really took alot away from the experience.

Im sure that was only a temporary glitch. I doubt it was like that for even an entire day.

 

[A "Ghost" Host]

We've definatly had changes with lighting. Indeed a few rooms are EXTREAMLY dark, others lights though were installed to see other things better, such as the hanging body of our beloved Master Gracey.

 

[unkadug]

From what I understand alot of the lighting fixtures at HM were proprietary fixtures from different manufacturers that have since 1972 gone out of business. No parts available to make repairs. So rooms have gotten darker over the years. As repairs/replacement fixtures are installed the lighting will get brighter.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

so they finally fixed the sound in WDW? SWEET!