2angelsinheaven
Loves making dreams come true!
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2003
- Messages
- 7,225
We booked a room for Wednesday night just so we could get over to the Magic Kingdom for EMH in the morning and get a head start on the crowd we knew would show up for the Mansion. 
The Mansion has to be our favorite ride, it's a classic. And after missing it for four months we couldn't wait to ride again and see all the new enhancements. So we got up around 6:30am, got ready and headed over to the Magic Kingdom around 7:30am. We made it to the gates in time to see the last few minutes of the opening of the park and to make our way into the mad rush of people running down Main Street.
We are big fans of the Mansion (obviously) and pin, so we go GaGa over pins featuring the Haunted Mansion. There were to be 3 released today so we headed into the jewlery shop and happily were only 5th in line. We snagged our pins and then headed back down to the the entrance to lock them up in a locker and made our way back towards Liberty Square. The entrance was roped up and we were told it would be 9am before they opened so we headed to ride Peter Pan's Flight since we always skip this one on normal days as it's got crazy lines. We had a great "flight" and then noticed the building crowd near the old sky buckets tower so we joined in.
It was about 8:30am and it was thick already....and hot!
We were told the Mansion would open at 9am so we waited, excitement was growing.
When the ropes fell at 9am, it was a madhouse. Everyone was heading right to the Mansion this morning. We ended up being the second group to enter the Stretching Portrait room after about a 10 minute wait.
All I can say is "WOW". Everyone looks so new, fresh and sounds GREAT! The Ghost Host voices seems to jump about the room and the room has great creeping and creaking sounds now. The wallpaper is new and the wood looks great as well. Like a brand new attraction.
As we left that room we noticed the portraits from the original first scene had been moved to the loading area. We jumped into our Doom Buggy, complete with new sound and headed into the Mansion.
The first scene now flickered with lightning and on our right there are now four new portraits that change in the light, very cool!
There are also a ton of flickering creepy eyes that match the famous wallpaper.
The endless hallway's suit of armour now moves and comes to life.
And there is the endless staircase with ghostly footprints and hanging candles.
Leota seems to effortless float in space and the instruments are brighter than ever.
The attic is incredible, the bride looks GREAT. All redone.
And the graveyard section is like new, brighter, sounds great, etc.
I won't go into a ton of detail as to not ruin the surprise but those are some of the highlights. See below for photos.
The Park looking down Main Street USA from the Castle...this was at 8:05am or so, already getting busy.
About 8:30am, waiting in the crowd for the Mansion to open. This was next to Peter Pan's Flight (next to the bathrooms)
CM's from the Mansion come out to tell us they will open at 9am, the crowd cheers.
About 9:45am, the line is stretching back past Small World. Everyone is excited for the Mansion Re-Haunting.
Some of our fellow Haunted Mansion Fans...lol We want in now!
Only a "13" minute wait on the 13th on the Month...love it!
There she is, the Mansion in all her Glory!
A nice couple on vacation from Japan snapped our photo for us. We look beat...lol
The Line.
Fresh flowers on the Master's grave.
And one for Leota.
After leaving the Mansion I turned back to snap a photo.
More of the growing crowd.
There was a handfull of Imagineers there to see the excitement. Including the Imagineer and author of the book The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. (He's the guy watching the line, near the wait time post in the black shirt/jeans).
Another crowd shot.
My fiance John infront of the sign of his favorite ride, we got off and then got back in line again. It was up to 45+ minutes at this point.
The Mansion has to be our favorite ride, it's a classic. And after missing it for four months we couldn't wait to ride again and see all the new enhancements. So we got up around 6:30am, got ready and headed over to the Magic Kingdom around 7:30am. We made it to the gates in time to see the last few minutes of the opening of the park and to make our way into the mad rush of people running down Main Street.
We are big fans of the Mansion (obviously) and pin, so we go GaGa over pins featuring the Haunted Mansion. There were to be 3 released today so we headed into the jewlery shop and happily were only 5th in line. We snagged our pins and then headed back down to the the entrance to lock them up in a locker and made our way back towards Liberty Square. The entrance was roped up and we were told it would be 9am before they opened so we headed to ride Peter Pan's Flight since we always skip this one on normal days as it's got crazy lines. We had a great "flight" and then noticed the building crowd near the old sky buckets tower so we joined in.
It was about 8:30am and it was thick already....and hot!
We were told the Mansion would open at 9am so we waited, excitement was growing.
When the ropes fell at 9am, it was a madhouse. Everyone was heading right to the Mansion this morning. We ended up being the second group to enter the Stretching Portrait room after about a 10 minute wait. All I can say is "WOW". Everyone looks so new, fresh and sounds GREAT! The Ghost Host voices seems to jump about the room and the room has great creeping and creaking sounds now. The wallpaper is new and the wood looks great as well. Like a brand new attraction.
As we left that room we noticed the portraits from the original first scene had been moved to the loading area. We jumped into our Doom Buggy, complete with new sound and headed into the Mansion.
The first scene now flickered with lightning and on our right there are now four new portraits that change in the light, very cool!
There are also a ton of flickering creepy eyes that match the famous wallpaper.
The endless hallway's suit of armour now moves and comes to life.
And there is the endless staircase with ghostly footprints and hanging candles.
Leota seems to effortless float in space and the instruments are brighter than ever.
The attic is incredible, the bride looks GREAT. All redone.
And the graveyard section is like new, brighter, sounds great, etc.
I won't go into a ton of detail as to not ruin the surprise but those are some of the highlights. See below for photos.
The Park looking down Main Street USA from the Castle...this was at 8:05am or so, already getting busy.
About 8:30am, waiting in the crowd for the Mansion to open. This was next to Peter Pan's Flight (next to the bathrooms)
CM's from the Mansion come out to tell us they will open at 9am, the crowd cheers.
About 9:45am, the line is stretching back past Small World. Everyone is excited for the Mansion Re-Haunting.
Some of our fellow Haunted Mansion Fans...lol We want in now!
Only a "13" minute wait on the 13th on the Month...love it!
There she is, the Mansion in all her Glory!
A nice couple on vacation from Japan snapped our photo for us. We look beat...lol
The Line.
Fresh flowers on the Master's grave.
And one for Leota.
After leaving the Mansion I turned back to snap a photo.
More of the growing crowd.
There was a handfull of Imagineers there to see the excitement. Including the Imagineer and author of the book The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies. (He's the guy watching the line, near the wait time post in the black shirt/jeans).
Another crowd shot.
My fiance John infront of the sign of his favorite ride, we got off and then got back in line again. It was up to 45+ minutes at this point.
When I was little I could be dragged on and would close my eyes for most of the ride and then it got to where I could sorta watch what was going on until one day at 
.....please tell me they havn't resurrected him at MK?
Thanks for the report and photos! I can't wait to go in Jan.
.
