Sad Haunted Mansion

[davis_unoxx]

The buggies go faster than they originally did but you're more likely to have a longer ride than you did in 1971 (or 2001, for that matter) due to the CONSTANT stopping and slowing of the ride. The annoyance of it is mighty made even more so by the barrage of highly capable people who rent EVCs/chairs because they still think it will get their entitled and useless bodies onto rides faster. Remember how many wheelchairs/scooters you saw at Disney World before around 2005 and compare that to how many you see now.... either the population of adults 40 and up is getting more and more disabled than they used to get or more and more entitled...

I completely agree, my uncle is very handicapped and 65. Can't speak a word of English, but when he visited he walked everywhere! He's someone who needs but walks! These people act so entitled, when I visited in April twenty people with scooter guy cut us in bus line because they had to "help" him. We were there first in line, and didn't get a seat. Truly awful how people abuse the system.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

The seance room had the stationary Leota and I think the effect works well.

It seems like she's been like that for a while. Has anyone seem her floating recently?

 

[pax_65]

Having said that, Disney is expensive and expectations at Disney rightfully should be high. So when beloved effects aren't working or working sub-par, it's a major let down.

THANK YOU for this post. I've been told I'm too hard on Disney ("Just relax and enjoy your trip!")... and ok, I can see the logic in that. You don't want to allow some minor maintenance issue to upset a day of your vacation. But still, one of the things we love about Disney is that the standards are so high! I'm not happy when things aren't quite up to show quality and nobody seems to notice/care.

 

[Matthew]

The cars go faster than they did in the 1970's, that's true! They also used to only stop the ride for wheelchairs/disabled guests once every hour (or once every thirty minutes.. I forget). Now, they stop the ride every time it is needed... .

People in wheelchairs/disabled guests have just as much right to ride it as you do!

The annoyance of it is mighty made even more so by the barrage of highly capable people who rent EVCs/chairs because they still think it will get their entitled and useless bodies onto rides faster.

Not everybody who requires a wheelchair has a disability that shows when you see them walk a few steps. My fiancee suffers from cerebral palsy but for all intensive purposes you would not notice if you looked at her however after an hour of walking round she will develop a slight limp, after another hour it will be worse without rest and keep getting worse until the day after she will barely be able to walk. If she stands for for long periods of time she starts to develop a bad back... if her back gets too bad shes in pain whether shes stood up, laid down or sat down... so we use a wheelchair because like everybody else we pay for a holiday and we want to enjoy it... if she didn't use a wheelchair we would be able to visit the theme parks every two or three days out of our fourteen.

So please don't always judge a book by its cover when it comes to guests in wheelchairs.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

The current managment team just doesn't care. And it's because the managment team above them tells them that they can't care.

I can vouch for it. A quick side note to it, I have a friend who managed to get a coveted spot at Mansion after literally 5 years. Left the company due to HM's management.

 

[Communicora]

The buggies go faster than they originally did but you're more likely to have a longer ride than you did in 1971 (or 2001, for that matter) due to the CONSTANT stopping and slowing of the ride. The annoyance of it is mighty made even more so by the barrage of highly capable people who rent EVCs/chairs because they still think it will get their entitled and useless bodies onto rides faster. Remember how many wheelchairs/scooters you saw at Disney World before around 2005 and compare that to how many you see now.... either the population of adults 40 and up is getting more and more disabled than they used to get or more and more entitled...

Wow. Entitled to leave their homes perhaps.

People with disabilities are not useless. Sure there is a small percentage who may not need mobility assistance devices, but I sincerely doubt that the vast majority of people who use wheelchairs or even scooters are people who do not need them to get through a day at the parks. People aren't using these devices for fun or entitlement. They are using them to have some semblance of a normal life.

I don't like the constant stopping and slowing of the ride, but I do like that this is one of the attractions accessible to a wide audience. Perhaps some built in time delays, well spaced out could help.

 

[Communicora]

I completely agree, my uncle is very handicapped and 65. Can't speak a word of English, but when he visited he walked everywhere! He's someone who needs but walks! These people act so entitled, when I visited in April twenty people with scooter guy cut us in bus line because they had to "help" him. We were there first in line, and didn't get a seat. Truly awful how people abuse the system.

I am glad your uncle was able to walk. Not ever person with a disability has the same situation. My dad used to be able to walk in the early stages of his disease, but it has now progressed to where he uses a wheelchair almost full time. His world is a lot smaller now, although thankfully not populated by a parade of endlessly singing children ;. Luckily, the wheelchair lets him leave the house from time to time. Sure there are some jerks who use mobility devices, just like there are jerks who don't. Try to have some compassion for the greater population instead of focusing on a few that irritated you.

Anyway, back to HM. It's sad that they aren't maintaining it well. Do comments to guest services ever get results in situations like these?

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

Wow. Entitled to leave their homes perhaps.

People with disabilities are not useless. Sure there is a small percentage who may not need mobility assistance devices, but I sincerely doubt that the vast majority of people who use wheelchairs or even scooters are people who do not need them to get through a day at the parks. People aren't using these devices for fun or entitlement. They are using them to have some semblance of a normal life.

I don't like the constant stopping and slowing of the ride, but I do like that this is one of the attractions accessible to a wide audience. Perhaps some built in time delays, well spaced out could help.

Don't read words that I didn't say. I said there is a problem with people faking it now. There is a problem with people exploiting it now for gain. That's the problem, the people who DON'T need a chair/scooter but who get one in the parks because they think it will entitle them to special treatment. Putting words in someone's mouth (hands?) such as implying that I said people with disabilities are "useless" is putting a click bait spin on something I didn't say. Stop looking to get offended and looking to moral grandstand on a issue that wasn't brought up but that you rather made up.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I completely respect the rights of persons with disabilities (which includes some of my family members) to ride and enjoy Haunted Mansion. I do agree, though, that the constant stoppages can ruin the ride. (In my family's experience it typically stops at least 2-3 times, and on one occasion, we stopped so many times that it took us more than 20 minutes to experience the less-than-8-minute attraction. All sense of continuity and immersiveness was completely destroyed.)

I'll bet everybody -- disabled or no -- would appreciate it if the ride could be stopped once every, say, 10 minutes to load and unload passengers who require assistance, so that every guest could enjoy the attraction with a minimum of interruption.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

I feel like the best way to handle it is to go back to the way the system used to work:
Those in scooters or chairs or with walking problems were issued a time to return (it was every half hour or every hour, I believe). The ride was then stopped once to allow everyone for that return time to get onto their buggies with the track stopped. It was a system that I believe left once those in chairs could go into the foyer/stretch room.

 

[Matthew]

I feel like the best way to handle it is to go back to the way the system used to work:
Those in scooters or chairs or with walking problems were issued a time to return (it was every half hour or every hour, I believe). The ride was then stopped once to allow everyone for that return time to get onto their buggies with the track stopped. It was a system that I believe left once those in chairs could go into the foyer/stretch room.

So are you going to do that on every ride that has a moving walkway? that sometimes needs to be stopped or slowed down to allow somebody with mobility issues to ride? i think that's totally unfair and borderline discriminating against people for been disabled...

'sorry you can't come on this ride at the moment... come back in an hour'

 

[Ellen Ripley]

I visited the parks twice last year. I rode the Haunted Mansion multiple times as it is possibly my favorite ride. At the time, I found it having the best lighting I had experienced in years (I prefer for it to be on the dark side). I also thought the sound mix was the best that I had maybe ever heard there. I think the lighting and sound probably get tweeked often, but we probably have different preferences as to what the optimal settings are. I do wish they would return the attic to it's original 1970's glory, with the heartbeat, pop up ghosts, and original bride.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

So are you going to do that on every ride that has a moving walkway? that sometimes needs to be stopped or slowed down to allow somebody with mobility issues to ride?

I'm not going to do anything, skippy. I respect myself too much to work for the Mouse anymore. I was presenting the way it was done for 30+ years with no issue.

 

[DisneyNittany]

So are you going to do that on every ride that has a moving walkway? that sometimes needs to be stopped or slowed down to allow somebody with mobility issues to ride? i think that's totally unfair and borderline discriminating against people for been disabled...

'sorry you can't come on this ride at the moment... come back in an hour'

Honest question, but aren't people with disabilities allowed to skip the line (or the vast majority of it)? If so, I don't think it's really discriminating against them. This would just be forcing them to wait, albeit not in a line, like the rest of the guests. Discriminating against them would be telling them that they couldn't ride the ride, not building them accessible entrances/exits, only allowing them on before 9a/after 9p, etc..

 

[DisneyNittany]

THANK YOU for this post. I've been told I'm too hard on Disney ("Just relax and enjoy your trip!")... and ok, I can see the logic in that. You don't want to allow some minor maintenance issue to upset a day of your vacation. But still, one of the things we love about Disney is that the standards are so high! I'm not happy when things aren't quite up to show quality and nobody seems to notice/care.

Yeah, but we all keeping going, and paying, and paying some more. It's basic economics. Does it make it right? No. But, as long as we keep forking over our hard earned money to TWDC, they can continue to keep managing the parks the way they are.

 

[Matthew]

I'm not going to do anything, skippy. I respect myself too much to work for the Mouse anymore. I was presenting the way it was done for 30+ years with no issue.

good for you if that's how you feel! as for how it used to be done... well times have moved on since 30 years ago and theres not as much prejudice against disabled people and they have alot more rights.

Honest question, but aren't people with disabilities allowed to skip the line (or the vast majority of it)? If so, I don't think it's really discriminating against them. This would just be forcing them to wait, albeit not in a line, like the rest of the guests. Discriminating against them would be telling them that they couldn't ride the ride, not building them accessible entrances/exits, only allowing them on before 9a/after 9p, etc..

sometimes you go to a separate loading area (usually the exit) at which point there is usually always another period of wait time, most rides you can take the wheelchair right up to the entrance through the queue area... stopping a ride is usually only an issue on things such as haunted mansion, buzz or things that have a moving walkway... i'm lucky in that once on a moving walkway my partner is able to walk with assistance without the ride been stopped.

and i'm sorry but telling them they can't access the ride like any usual person is singling them out and therefore discriminating.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

Honest question, but aren't people with disabilities allowed to skip the line (or the vast majority of it)? If so, I don't think it's really discriminating against them. This would just be forcing them to wait, albeit not in a line, like the rest of the guests. Discriminating against them would be telling them that they couldn't ride the ride, not building them accessible entrances/exits, only allowing them on before 9a/after 9p, etc..

No, they're not. Most queues are fully accessible. If they claim to not be able to wait in line, they still have the wait for ten minutes less than the reported wait time. They are issued a return time to come back and go through either the fastpass queue or an alternative entrance.

 

[DisneyNittany]

good for you if that's house you feel! as for how it used to be done... well times have moved on since 30 years ago and theres not as much prejudice against disabled people and they have alot more rights.



sometimes you go to a separate loading area (usually the exit) at which point there is usually always another period of wait time, most rides you can take the wheelchair right up to the entrance through the queue area... stopping a ride is usually only an issue on things such as haunted mansion, buzz or things that have a moving walkway... i'm lucky in that once on a moving walkway my partner is able to walk with assistance without the ride been stopped.

and i'm sorry but telling them they can't access the ride like any usual person is singling them out and therefore discriminating.

Gotcha. Thank you for the additional information.

To the last point, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. They're already, technically, being singled out by having separate entrances and loading areas. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be, but again, technically, there are. This is personal for you, however, so I can understand your stance. I don't have an opinion, one way or the other, but I was just saying that I can see the other point of view.

 

[rob0519]

I feel like the best way to handle it is to go back to the way the system used to work:

Those in scooters or chairs or with walking problems were issued a time to return (it was every half hour or every hour, I believe). The ride was then stopped once to allow everyone for that return time to get onto their buggies with the track stopped. It was a system that I believe left once those in chairs could go into the foyer/stretch room.

First, in defense of TheGhostWithTheMost, he did write "highly capable people who rent ECVs / Chairs", not the legitimately handicapped.

We've been going to WDW every year, or almost every year since 1996. Our son is in a wheel chair and I do remember being taken in through the exit, told to wait in a location just outside the end of the ride, but were never given a later time to return. Sometimes it was just us or sometimes with a few others in wheel chairs. What I don't remember is the belt actually stopping to let the people load. Since all the doom buggies were empty at that point, it didn't seem to a big deal. Even now, with everyone going through the queue, I don't remember the ride stopping completely to load passengers. Maybe we've just not been there when it happens.

I'm not an attorney, but it's possible that telling a handicapped person that they have to wait 10,30 or 60 minutes to board the attraction may be violation of the ADA as being discriminatory. Just a thought.

 

[Matthew]

Gotcha. Thank you for the additional information.

To the last point, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. They're already, technically, being singled out by having separate entrances and loading areas. I'm not saying that there shouldn't be, but again, technically, there are. This is personal for you, however, so I can understand your stance. I don't have an opinion, one way or the other, but I was just saying that I can see the other point of view.

I can see the other point of view but like you said we shall agree to disagree.... in some instances disabled riders already have to miss out some of the best parts of the queues like with Haunted Mansion before the redesign of the queues wheelchair users would of missed the stretch room. I can see how it can be frustrating for other people but I just feel like its enough to make people go through separate entrances without making them wait for an hour or half an hour (like was suggested previously by people) before they can ride and feel that doing that is discriminating against somebody for having a disability.

Personally i've never rode HM where its stopped more than a couple of times... and in all honesty it's no biggie to me because i understand why its been done