Happy 45th Anniversary to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion!
My Memories of Haunted Mansion
Although I have never had the pleasure to visit Disneyland yet, I have much love for the Disney World version. I can't believe I wouldn't feel the same way about the original version! Disneyland's Haunted Mansion gets a little extra love for me because at Halloween it changes to a Nightmare Before Christmas facade. This is diffidently on my Disney bucket list.
I would love to take this opportunity to share why I love this ride so much, and why you should not avoid it even if your young ones are fearful.
I have a huge confession I was way too scared to ride the Haunted Mansion when I was 4 years old. I know I sound like I am contradicting myself by encouraging your little ones to ride this. My sisters build it up into this terrifying ride where hitchhiking ghosts ride beside you when you leave and they might follow you home! Yikes! I couldn't even walk past it. The Haunted Mansion became a terrifying legend to me.
At the age of 23 I rode it for the first and it wasn't bad at all. I rode it again and was fascinated with the effects... rode it again I was fascinated with the imagery... rode it again and fell in love the story. This was my slow descent into becoming a Haunted Mansion fan.
Later when I started to vacation at Disney with my soon to be husband. The Haunted Mansion became romantic. We would hold tight to each other in "fear" and smooch in the dark parks of the ride. Even though I was in my 30s I felt like a teenager again.
Last year we took our 3 year old son to Disney. I wanted him to ride Haunted Mansion but I didn't want him to have the same fear that I did. We worked him up to it. We started him on toddler friendly rides building up to the darker rides. Little Mermaid was a good place to start because it has it dark and light moments. Luckily he loved it! No fear of the dark scary spots. We tried Pirates of Caribbean. He love it more. Next we tried Haunted Mansion. There was some fear and wonder. He held both our hands very tight. We told him to think of it as a ghost party. He rode the ride with wide eyes not making a peep. We were unsure if loved or hated it while he was on it. Afterwards all he kept taking (and still talks about to this day) is how he went to a Ghost Party! He loves going to Ghost Parties! And a new Haunted Mansion fan is born!
Okay enough with all my cute (at least I think they're cute) Haunted Mansion stories.
Here are some tips for riding dark rides with timid children.
-Don't feed into their fear. For instance, we didn't stress that Haunted Mansion is a scary Haunted House filled with vengeful ghosts. We stressed how it is a fun ghost party. We also stressed that is only make believe. Although it depends on the age of child, they might understand that. My 3 year old definitely cannot determine what is fantasy from reality.
-Build up to the ride. If they are scared of the dark, try The Journey of the Little Mermaid or Peter Pan's Flight first. Let them use a glow stick or your phone on the ride for some extra light. Sometimes having that touch of light that they can control helps.
-Distraction-If your little one starts to get scared on the ride make a game of it. Count ghosts. Look for the ghost dog. Try to figure out what ghosts eat. Make it fun! Or at least try.
-The queue-I think that the new Haunted Mansion queue has been a great improvement to the ride. Nothing lightens lightens up a ride when you can play before hand. The queue is a great distraction from the fear!
-Know your child's limits. I have seen a child panic in the stretch room of the Haunted Mansion. I have also seen a cast member allow them to exit the ride from the same room. If it is too much for your child and they panic, DO NOT be afraid to ask for help from a cast member. There is always a way off before the ride starts.
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The Haunted Mansion queue at Disney World
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Happy riding!
