Haunted Mansion - Too Dark?

[OppR2nist]

We just got back from our last trip, and there's something that's been cloying at me. I love the Haunted Mansion. It is my all time favorite ride. It is my family's all time favorite. Please don't take this as a complaint. It's very much not. On our MK day, we, of course, rode the Haunted Mansion. Here's what we noticed. It was dark. Extremely dark. We couldn't see the staircase, and the Endless Hallway was very dim. Didn't ruin our enjoyment of the ride, but all four of us noticed how hard it was to see in there. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[stsomewhere]

We just got back from our last trip, and there's something that's been cloying at me. I love the Haunted Mansion. It is my all time favorite ride. It is my family's all time favorite. Please don't take this as a complaint. It's very much not. On our MK day, we, of course, rode the Haunted Mansion. Here's what we noticed. It was dark. Extremely dark. We couldn't see the staircase, and the Endless Hallway was very dim. Didn't ruin our enjoyment of the ride, but all four of us noticed how hard it was to see in there. Has anyone else noticed this?

we noticed the same thing a few weeks ago.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Your perception is likely due to the lack of the time spent in the foyer and Stretching Room scenes, which help your eyes adjust to the darkness within the attraction. Walking straight through those rooms doesn't give your eyes time to adjust.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Your perception is likely due to the lack of the time spent in the foyer and Stretching Room scenes, which help your eyes adjust to the darkness within the attraction. Walking straight through those rooms doesn't give your eyes time to adjust.

Interesting thoughts, I wonder if science can confirm that. I just chalked it up to growing old and my eyes ain't what they used to be!

 

[Ross Kratter]

Interesting thoughts, I wonder if science can confirm that. I just chalked it up to growing old and my eyes ain't what they used to be!

Science does confirm that. It has to do with pupil dilation, if I remember correctly.

 

[Mike1082]

Your perception is likely due to the lack of the time spent in the foyer and Stretching Room scenes, which help your eyes adjust to the darkness within the attraction. Walking straight through those rooms doesn't give your eyes time to adjust.

Absolutely correct! I noticed the same thing and figured it was due to the lack of time for your eyes to adjust coming in from the daylight.

 

[OppR2nist]

Science does confirm that. It has to do with pupil dilation, if I remember correctly.

That is an interesting point, but I even noticed it being dark in the graveyard, where my eyes should have adjusted. I don't doubt that there my be something to what you're saying, but it seems to linger a bit longer.

 

[gharter]

It will be interesting to see if we find the same thing in a few weeks.
I will miss the pre-shows, but understand why we currently don't have them.

 

[Orion Nebula]

I rode it a few weeks ago and both my daughter and I thought it was a lot darker than usual.

 

[empedocles]

I had the same impression. Less time spent inside adjusting makes sense. Similarly, I also attributed it to the lines. In this non-FP era, everyone is spending 30+ minutes waiting, most of that in the sun.

 

[dizneegirl]

DH and I both noticed it one day last week. I chalked it up to having not been wearing my sunglasses outside before we went it... figured I just couldn't adjust to the change. He *did* wear his sunglasses, and his eyes weren't adjusting either. Neither of us could see much of anything coming in - the foyer, stretching room and loading were all really dark. I couldn't even see the wallpaper and could barely see the eyes after the staircase. It was dark enough that we both commented on it.

We rode again a day or two later, and had a completely different experience. We were both able to see better the second day - it was easy to see going through the foyer, stretching room, etc., and we could both make out the floating candlestick, wallpaper... a much different experience (and more like normal).

 

[Akck]

Your perception is likely due to the lack of the time spent in the foyer and Stretching Room scenes, which help your eyes adjust to the darkness within the attraction. Walking straight through those rooms doesn't give your eyes time to adjust.

Good to know. Next time, I’ll wear my sunglasses in the queue outside, even if it’s not sunny.

 

[kanerf]

Just got back from the opthomaligist and had the drops in my eyes to expand my pupils. Would have been a great time to do the Haunted Mansion. It would have been like it was daylight.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Thanks!
[/QUOTE]

Science does confirm that. It has to do with pupil dilation, if I remember correctly.

What I meant was whether it actually takes that long for the eyes to adjust.

 

[mindeola]

I feel like it was darker this month then I when I went in October and December.

 

[stinkpickle]

It's definitely better at night when my eyes have had longer to adjust.

 

[theFoof]

What I meant was whether it actually takes that long for the eyes to adjust.

If I remember right going from light->dark it takes about 30 minutes for your eyes to FULLY adjust, going from dark->light is much quicker. When pilots fly at night they have to be careful to not expose themselves to bright white light (they use blue/red light which don't throw off your adjustment as bad)

 

[Evita_W]

Your perception is likely due to the lack of the time spent in the foyer and Stretching Room scenes, which help your eyes adjust to the darkness within the attraction. Walking straight through those rooms doesn't give your eyes time to adjust.

This is my guess, as we needed the moving walkway stopped, which means we spent extra time in the darker corridors waiting, as well as in the hallway between unload and load and didn't notice this issue. I think it is highly likely that extra time gave our eyes more time to adjust.

 

[1GoldenSun]

This happens faster for people with lighter colored eyes than those with dark-colored eyes, too.

 

[Heather07438]

Remember myth busters?
They did an episode about pirate eye patches and the dilation benefits in dark.