Nightmare Before Christmas/Haunted Mansion

[Ashley Saunders]

When do they normally do the switch over for the Haunted Mansion? I am planning a trip for next year around Veteran's Day and I was really hoping they would have the Nightmare Before Christmas version of the ride at that time.

 

[mom2rtk]

This is the WDW forum. They don't do a HM overlay.

If you're asking about DL, they overlay that in time for Halloween Time and stays up through all of Holiday Time.

 

[SoCalTrojanSkip]

When do they normally do the switch over for the Haunted Mansion? I am planning a trip for next year around Veteran's Day and I was really hoping they would have the Nightmare Before Christmas version of the ride at that time.

The Disneyland version of the NBC overlay goes up sometime at the beginning of September. Like mom2rtk said, there isn't an overlay done at WDW which I kind of enjoyed for my recent October trip.

 

[Nancyg56]

I understand why WDW does not do the overlay, but it is pretty awesome!

 

[DebbieB]

At Disneyland, there is also a Halloween overlay for Space Mountain. Small World has a beautiful Christmas overlay. It's a great time to go to DL.

 

[horse11]

At Disneyland, there is also a Halloween overlay for Space Mountain. Small World has a beautiful Christmas overlay. It's a great time to go to DL.

Wow this sounds like fun!! Wish they did that at WDW!

 

[LisaDKG]

The DL overlay for Haunted Mansion is extremely awesome! The DL overlay for Space Mountain is extremely creepy...
While I like the fact that each park does things completely differently or in their own way, what IS the reason that WDW does not do The Night Before Christmas?

 

[mountdew1]

While I like the fact that each park does things completely differently or in their own way, what IS the reason that WDW does not do The Night Before Christmas?

No one outside management at WDW will ever likely know the true official reason, but most people point to 2 things.
1) price
2) having HM down for a month each year, and in holiday mode for a few months each year

Just look at how people people complain when such and such a ride is down for refurb during their trip, "My vacation was ruined, splash mountain was closed in Jan and even though it was 35 degrees out I still wanted to go on and it's my favorite ride and now I'm complaining to guest services and demand free stuff!!" Imagine if HM was closed for 4ish weeks each year (2 to set up, 2 to tear down I forget the real length of time it takes) and then having the overlay for the Halloween/Christmas season. A ton of people would be complaining that Jack is too scary for their child, or they saved for years to come just to ride HM and see the ghosts, or how it just isn't fair.....

 

[bswift]

The DL overlay for Haunted Mansion is extremely awesome! The DL overlay for Space Mountain is extremely creepy...
While I like the fact that each park does things completely differently or in their own way, what IS the reason that WDW does not do The Night Before Christmas?

I did the Marceline to Magic Kingdom tour a few weeks ago and the HM overlay came up because I had just been to DL the week before. Our guide said WDW was meant to get the overlay too but they decided that since WDW gets so many one-off visitors, they'd rather keep attractions as is (he cited people complaining about the birthday cake castle). He said it works better at DL where they have so many repeat visitors and this way they get to see something different occasionally.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

The DL overlay for Haunted Mansion is extremely awesome! The DL overlay for Space Mountain is extremely creepy...
While I like the fact that each park does things completely differently or in their own way, what IS the reason that WDW does not do The Night Before Christmas?

Team Disney Anaheim (TDA) does the overlays every year. Depending on the attraction, it usually takes a couple of weeks to install them and a week or so to remove them. (Sometimes more time, sometimes less.) The alleged reason that Team Disney Orlando (TDO) doesn't do the same thing is that most WDW visitors are not locals and taking down headliners might ruin someone's trip, whereas most DLR guests live nearby and can easily come back another day. However, I think that ascribes far too much generosity on the part of TDO. I think the real reason is simply cost. WDW and DLR have different management cultures and TDO just doesn't value spending the money on overlays. Granted, MK now gets the Jingle Cruise overlay on Jungle Cruise, but that's a very, very light lift.

It's worth nothing that DL's Space Mountain just received what is now its fourth overlay since being closed for two years and rebuilt 10 years ago. Besides two versions of Rockin' Space Mountain and the aforementioned seasonal Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy (which just played for HalloweenTime), last week the Star Wars-themed Hyperspace Mountain debuted for the HolidayTime "Season of the Force." That's a lot of money and time to spend on rebuilding and planning and re-fitting a single attraction. If TDO prioritized show the same way, Ellen's Energy Adventure and Carousel of Progress wouldn't be stuck in the 1990s. And if TDO doesn't think embarrassingly un-renovated attractions like those will ruin people's trips, they certainly don't care about one missing attraction for overlay installation ruining people's trips. But they can't officially say that.

Visitors complain about things at WDW all the time. Absolutely all the time. Every day. Nonstop. And they still keep visiting. It has nothing to do with visitor complaints or bad press or anything of the sort. It's all about money. TDO sees no reasons to spend it on overlays and TDA does. Simple as that.

 

[DebbieB]

I think too many people who go to WDW dismiss going to DL because it isn't as big (2 parks vs 4 parks) but there is something really special about DL. I love going to both, they both have their special moments. Every WDW fan should try it if they can. I have a friend who I expected to dismiss DL as not as good as WDW when we went and she was blown away (she called it her trip to "the mother ship"). So much so that she brought her husband and 20 year old son when we went in August. It's just a different experience.

 

[rwdavis2]

I think too many people who go to WDW dismiss going to DL because it isn't as big (2 parks vs 4 parks) but there is something really special about DL. I love going to both, they both have their special moments. Every WDW fan should try it if they can. I have a friend who I expected to dismiss DL as not as good as WDW when we went and she was blown away (she called it her trip to "the mother ship"). So much so that she brought her husband and 20 year old son when we went in August. It's just a different experience.

DL has as many attractions in 2 parks as WDW has in 4. We usually go to WDW but have been to DL once and loved it.

 

[BrianL]

It's not just a matter of the downtime that keeps WDW from doing overlays, but it's the customer base. DL gets a lot of locals who will come many, many times a year. They like to see different things more often. At WDW they get a lot of once-in-a-lifetime visitors and International visitors. If I was ever only going to Disney once, I think I would much rather be able to see the classic Haunted Mansion an alternate version. I might even be from a country where Christmas isn't celebrated.

Personally, I like the fact that DL and WDW each offer something different. It makes them both worth visiting over and over again.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think too many people who go to WDW dismiss going to DL because it isn't as big (2 parks vs 4 parks) but there is something really special about DL. I love going to both, they both have their special moments. Every WDW fan should try it if they can. I have a friend who I expected to dismiss DL as not as good as WDW when we went and she was blown away (she called it her trip to "the mother ship"). So much so that she brought her husband and 20 year old son when we went in August. It's just a different experience.

That's one of the things I love about DLR. It has as many attractions as WDW, but it's smaller (much easier on the feet). I can opt to do any attraction on any given day of our trip without having to overhaul our entire plan.

 

[bumbershoot]

taking down headliners might ruin someone's trip

And, you know, it ruins DLR visitors' trips as well. Going when it's totally down, if that's your only time to go, is rotten. Going during holidays when they put that ghastly thing up in small world (jingle bells and the small world song combined is an abomination) is beyond rotten for me.

I talk to people in lines, and I tell you I have NEVER met a local person in line at DL. I truly do not know what they are talking about with this whole "most are locals" thing. I get that there ARE locals, but I haven't randomly met one yet. Whereas my cousin is a local to WDW, she and her husband spent almost all their group dates wandering WDW, just like Disney seems to think Anaheim residents do at DL.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

It's not just a matter of the downtime that keeps WDW from doing overlays, but it's the customer base. DL gets a lot of locals who will come many, many times a year. They like to see different things more often. At WDW they get a lot of once-in-a-lifetime visitors and International visitors. If I was ever only going to Disney once, I think I would much rather be able to see the classic Haunted Mansion an alternate version. I might even be from a country where Christmas isn't celebrated. Personally, I like the fact that DL and WDW each offer something different. It makes them both worth visiting over and over again.

That may be, but I don't think it would have any financial impact on TDO. One-in-a-lifetimers will come anyway. They still visit and spend their money now, regardless of refurbs and construction walls. Disney isn't afraid of people not visiting because of a missing headliner or two.

 

[BrianL]

That may be, but I don't think it would have any financial impact on TDO. One-in-a-lifetimers will come anyway. They still visit and spend their money now, regardless of refurbs and construction walls. Disney isn't afraid of people not visiting because of a missing headliner or two.

You have a point, but there are lots of reasons to not take a classic headliner offline for that amount of time and have an alt. program in it's place for several months. It really doesn't make any sense for them to do it, whereas in DL it does because of the customer demographic differences.

Honestly, as much as I like NBC and Jack, I actually wish I could get out to Anaheim when it wasn't Haunted Mansion Holiday time.

 

[mom2rtk]

That may be, but I don't think it would have any financial impact on TDO. One-in-a-lifetimers will come anyway. They still visit and spend their money now, regardless of refurbs and construction walls. Disney isn't afraid of people not visiting because of a missing headliner or two.

Then why aren't they doing the overlay?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

You have a point, but there are lots of reasons to not take a classic headliner offline for that amount of time and have an alt. program in it's place for several months. It really doesn't make any sense for them to do it, whereas in DL it does because of the customer demographic differences. Honestly, as much as I like NBC and Jack, I actually wish I could get out to Anaheim when it wasn't Haunted Mansion Holiday time.

Has nothing to do with demographics. That's exactly what Disney is doing with the morph from Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. It's also what Disney does every time it unexpectedly renovates a themed pool or entire wing of a resort and sends reserved guests a heads-up letter. The same applies to the ongoing now it's running/now it isn't monorail work. Or any major, walls-up, headliners-down work at any major theme park anywhere. Disney is no different. The only additional reason they may be reticent to do overlays is crowding, since talking headliners down can increase crowding, especially during peak times.

 

[mom2rtk]

Has nothing to do with demographics. That's exactly what Disney is doing with the morph from Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. It's also what Disney does every time it unexpectedly renovates a themed pool or entire wing of a resort and sends reserved guests a heads-up letter. The same applies to the ongoing now it's running/now it isn't monorail work. Or any major, walls-up, headliners-down work at any major theme park anywhere. Disney is no different. The only additional reason they may be reticent to do overlays is crowding, since talking headliners down can increase crowding, especially during peak times.

DL has issues with crowding as well, maybe more so because of the park's smaller footprint. Yet they take it down and do the overlay every year.