Credit: Disney Unruly guests reportedly interrupted The Stretching Room on The Haunted Mansion ride at Magic Kingdom Park on Saturday. According to one guest, what began as a “Happy Birthday” sing-a-long among young adults quickly ruined the pre-show experience for everyone.
This isn’t the first time inconsiderate guests have ruined Walt Disney World Resort attractions. Disney Parks fans often bemoan guests who quote popular attraction pre-shows, like the library on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror or the Avatar-matching room on Avatar: Flight of Passage. While memorizing a pre-show after dozens of Disney Park visits is understandable, it’s important to remember that it’s almost always another guest’s first time experiencing it.
While talking before and during attractions is a frustrating but common experience, it’s unusual for guests to break out into an unrelated song! On Saturday, Reddit user u/bombardaokay took their friend to The Haunted Mansion for the first time and was disheartened by another group’s behavior.
“During the stretching room scene, this group of people started to sing happy birthday VERY loudly to their friend,” the guest recalled. “Couldn’t hear anything the CM was saying. After being shh’ed by about 10+ people they stopped.”
“Right when the room started stretching they started again and no one could hear what the Ghost Host was saying,” they continued. “I’m not sure what is up with people but have some courtesy! It could be someone’s first time on HM (it was my besties first time)!”
Other Disney Parks fans shared similarly upsetting experiences.
“A group of 60 started chanting in the Tower of Terror line before the pre show,” u/Upstairs_Watercress wrote. “The CM told them to be quiet and they did thankfully.”
“We went on FOP today and someone loudly yelled WHO FARTED and laughed as the ride was going on,” said u/idkausername_sorry. “So obnoxious.”
More on The Haunted Mansion Ride
Now the inspiration for two feature films, The Haunted Mansion is one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most iconic original creations. Following its success at Disneyland Park, different versions of this not-so-scary dark ride opened at Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Last December, the Hat Box Ghost animatronic finally made its way to Walt Disney World Resort, dividing fans over its location and impact on The Haunted Mansion’s storyline. Its The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) overlay, Haunted Mansion Holiday, remains exclusive to Disneyland Resort.
“The disembodied voice of the Ghost Host is your private guide through the cadaverous realm of an eerie haunted estate, home to ghosts, ghouls and supernatural surprises,” the official Disney attraction description reads. “Glide past a casket-filled conservatory, Madame Leota’s chilling séance room and a ghostly graveyard of singing specters as you attempt to find your way out. Beware of hitchhikers—these phantom pranksters may follow you home. Happy haunting!”
Has anything like this ever happened to you at the Disney parks? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.