Report on new Haunted Mansion queue

[SueM in MN]

We just got back on April 15, 2011 and did get routed thru the new interactive queue with our DD who uses a wheelchair.
When we arrived at the attraction, the start of the line looks pretty much the same as it did before, although the whole length of the line was divided into 3 lines. There was a greeter CM and we were directed to stay in the right line (the rest of the lanes were chained off at the entrance).
There used to be a ‘pull off’ point marked with a wheelchair symbol on the chain near the hearse on the right side where guests with mobility devices and other special needs were pulled off. That is no longer marked in any way and has a chain continuing the queue past the ‘old’ handicapped entrance.'

As we got closer to the building, there was a dividing wall that divided the queue into 2 parts, but we could not see what was ahead on either side. A CM was standing in front of the right side queue, blocking it and directed us to go to the left of the wall. We did and found ourselves in the new interactive queue, which is wheelchair accessible, although it does wind around a bit.
The first things in the queue are some statues of “family members”. Then you come to a mausoleum with what looked like bas relief musical instruments, which made music when touched. The line continues along the side of the mausoleum, which had an organ that could be played and mist came out of the organ.
Across from the organ, there was a mausoleum of someone who died at sea and was afraid of earth, so he was “pickled in brine.” An interactive element there sprayed water.
As you continue thru the queue, you pass the back of the musical instrument mausoleum, which has a ‘spooky’ looking version of the instruments on the other side that play ‘spooky’ music when touched. You pass by the “brine” mausoleum, a graveyard behind an iron fence and one side of some bookshelves where some books mysteriously pop out of the shelf. On the end of that mausoleum, there is a magic writing screen where the writer of all the interesting rhyming epitaphs on the gravestones starts a rhyme and waits for guests to suggest a rhyming word to finish it. After that, you pass the other side of the bookshelf, where more books pop out of the shelf.

At that point, the right side line (which does not go thru the interactive queue) and the left side of the queue join together about 15 feet or so outside of the building. There were guests in the right side of the queue and it appeared they had been in the right part of the line which bypasses the interactive part. I assume that as the interactive queue gets full, they route guests thru the other part. Not sure if they have other plans for the queue - such as a Fastpass line that bypasses the interactive parts.

There was a CM at that ‘joining’ point, who instructed guests traveling with wheelchairs to stay to the right side of the line.
The line entered the first room (quite dark) which has an ‘aging portrait” and that room leads into the stretching room. When entering the stretching room, we were told to stay along the wall closest to the place we entered. We were also told to stay where we were and wait for a CM when the rest of the group was leaving.
When the stretching room part of the attraction was completed, a CM led our group to the right side of the room thru a doorway into a hall along with the other guests traveling with wheelchairs. We stayed in that hallway until we were called to board.
The boarding process worked the same as before. A CM asked us if DD was able to walk or would need to bring her wheelchair into the boarding area. We said that we would need to bring the wheelchair right up to the doombuggy and would need a full stop. The boarding was accomplished efficiently and without any problem. I did notice that there were some guests being brought from the area outside the exit/unload area for loading. Since they were not in the hallway with us, I assume they had bypassed the stretching room the way guests with mobility devices used to. As we left the area, we did see several guests who had parked their wheelchairs and ECVs in the place outside of the exit of the building where those were usually parked before the renovation.

I have pictures and hope to post them by next weekend.

 

[BillSears]

Thanks Sue!!! I can't wait to try it out in 2 weeks. It'll be fantastic to see the stretching room and the rest of the queue. And hopefully the added second wait for the accessible car won't be too long.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks Sue!!! I can't wait to try it out in 2 weeks. It'll be fantastic to see the stretching room and the rest of the queue. And hopefully the added second wait for the accessible car won't be too long.

Hope you get to see it and enjoy it! DD did not want to interact with the ghosts much, but it appeared that she could have reached most everything in the interactive queue.

I should mention that we went past Haunted Mansion twice when it was closed during our stay before we actually got on. I don’t know if it was a planned closing and we were part of the ‘testing’ period or if there were some problems.

 

[Momelie]

Yes, you can still skip the stretching room, if needed. I'm only 2 weeks out from some back surgery and am really unable to stand that long, and my DH was at home that day leaving me with the girls, so I took my scooter straight back to the exit and loaded there.

I really like the way this is reconfigured, and I hope that somehow the right side can get something as well.

 

[Mary976]

I'm so glad to hear the new interactive features are at a good height for chair users. We got to experience the stretching room and new boarding procedure last month, but the interactive queue wasn't open then.

I do think the new boarding procedure cuts down on the wait for those who still need to board at the exit. At least it did when we rode.

Mary

 

[ohana7]

Thanks for such great report. It helps us plan

 

[magicbob]

When we were there in Jan w/ECV, we were directed through the chain by the hearse and had to go in through the exit for boarding. We were slightly disappointed that this meant missing the stretching room. Does the new boarding procedure apply to both WC and ECV? My wife can walk short distances with a cane. I'm sure she would like to see the new queue and, of course, the stretching room, but if we have to abandon the ECV and walk that entire distance, I'm concerned it might be too far for her. Would she be able to take the ECV through the new queue and stretching room and THEN be redirected for boarding?

 

[WendyG4]

Thanks for the info! Hopefully, our autistic son does ok with the new set-up!

 

[SueM in MN]

When we were there in Jan w/ECV, we were directed through the chain by the hearse and had to go in through the exit for boarding. We were slightly disappointed that this meant missing the stretching room. Does the new boarding procedure apply to both WC and ECV? My wife can walk short distances with a cane. I'm sure she would like to see the new queue and, of course, the stretching room, but if we have to abandon the ECV and walk that entire distance, I'm concerned it might be too far for her. Would she be able to take the ECV through the new queue and stretching room and THEN be redirected for boarding?

In January, the old set up was still in place, so there was not any option. They just opened the new queue part very recently.

The new boarding as I described it applies to both ECVs and wheelchairs. We had a person using a wheelchair, but I know of people who have taken an ECV thru the whole new queue. They went thru the queue the same as we did, watched the stretching room part and were asked to stay in the room until the other guests had left after the stretching room part.
At that point, they were asked if walking for 3 minutes would be a problem. The person on the ECV said she could not walk that long and the family was led to the exit for boarding thru the same hallway as my family was.

 

[magicbob]

In January, the old set up was still in place, so there was not any option. They just opened the new queue part very recently.

The new boarding as I described it applies to both ECVs and wheelchairs. We had a person using a wheelchair, but I know of people who have taken an ECV thru the whole new queue. They went thru the queue the same as we did, watched the stretching room part and were asked to stay in the room until the other guests had left after the stretching room part.
At that point, they were asked if walking for 3 minutes would be a problem. The person on the ECV said she could not walk that long and the family was led to the exit for boarding thru the same hallway as my family was.

I knew the interactive queue wasn't opened yet when we went in Jan. I am really happy to hear that the new queue is ECV accessible, so my wife (and others) will now be able to experience HM as it's "meant to be experienced" (including pre-show/stretching room).

 

[SueM in MN]

I knew the interactive queue wasn't opened yet when we went in Jan. I am really happy to hear that the new queue is ECV accessible, so my wife (and others) will now be able to experience HM as it's "meant to be experienced" (including pre-show/stretching room).

I didn’t explain it well.
The interactive part was not open as you knew, but the other part of the queue was also not accessible until recently.
As you got close to the building, there used to be turnstiles to get into the first part of the building (the portrait room). Because of that, any guests using wheelchairs or ECVs had to leave the line at the point where the hearse was. Soon after the hearse, the line ran along a wall and there was no way out except going thru the turnstiles to get into the room.
This is a picture of the old turnstiles:

When they renovated and added the interactive portion of the line, they also removed the turnstiles and there is now just a big open area. I have hear that they also made a new passage that goes from the Stretching room to the exit for boarding (the hallway we waited in at the exit). I am not certain if it is true that this is a brand new passage or not since my DD can’t walk at all, so we were not allowed into the stretching room previously at all.
I know there had been a way in previously so that people who were able to stand and walk could park there ECVs or wheelchairs at the exit and walk in (I think into the portrait room thru the door labeled “Servant’s Entrance”.)

 

[Inkmahm]

In January, the old set up was still in place, so there was not any option. They just opened the new queue part very recently.

The new boarding as I described it applies to both ECVs and wheelchairs. We had a person using a wheelchair, but I know of people who have taken an ECV thru the whole new queue. They went thru the queue the same as we did, watched the stretching room part and were asked to stay in the room until the other guests had left after the stretching room part.
At that point, they were asked if walking for 3 minutes would be a problem. The person on the ECV said she could not walk that long and the family was led to the exit for boarding thru the same hallway as my family was.

I was there in March when they were soft opening the new queue. I was using an ECV and was easily able to go through the new line. I could also touch the interactive features from my ECV. It really is a great addition to the ride! We loved the new queue.

 

[starshine514]

It's so nice to hear about the new queue. It would be nice if all the rides could all let everybody have the same experience, because there are some really nice queues out there... Now if only they had enough HA cars so that after waiting in the regular queue, you didn't encounter another one!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

They have made some changes related to the new procedures which I found out today.

Anyone with a chair/ECV will go through the queue and the stretching room. After exiting the stretching room anyone in a chair or ECV, and their party, will be directed through a short corridor to near the exit.

You will, at that point, be asked if you are able to walk a short distance and handle the moving belt. If the answer is yes, you will be asked to park your chair or ECV outside the exit and then return through the exit door. You will be escorted alongside the exit belt to its start. You will then get on the exit belt and enter and sit in a doom buggy, which will go to the entrance to complete loading.

You will exit with all other Guests and pick up our chair or ECV outside the building's exit.

If you cannot walk, or need an assisted transfer, you will take your chair to the belt, which they can stop to handle load or unload.

 

[SueM in MN]

They have made some changes related to the new procedures which I found out today.

Anyone with a chair/ECV will go through the queue and the stretching room. After exiting the stretching room anyone in a chair or ECV, and their party, will be directed through a short corridor to near the exit.

You will, at that point, be asked if you are able to walk a short distance and handle the moving belt. If the answer is yes, you will be asked to park your chair or ECV outside the exit and then return through the exit door. You will be escorted alongside the exit belt to its start. You will then get on the exit belt and enter and sit in a doom buggy, which will go to the entrance to complete loading.

You will exit with all other Guests and pick up our chair or ECV outside the building's exit.

If you cannot walk, or need an assisted transfer, you will take your chair to the belt, which they can stop to handle load or unload.

That sounds like what happened when we were there.
The people right in front of us had a wheelchair and the lady using it was able to walk. She was taken out and then came back to the hallway without the wheelchair.
We were asked if DD can walk; since she can’t, we were able to bring her wheelchair right onto the moving walkway at the exit. We waited in the side hallway for a few minutes, then a CM brought us the the exit hallway to wait a few minutes before they were ready for us to board. DD loaded into the very first doombuggy in the line with the walkway stopped. After we loaded, the doombuggies started again and continued on to the usual loading area. My daughter’s wheelchair was left in the exit hallway, but the only ones left there were those of people who were not able to walk.

The loading part was no different for us than before, except that we were waiting in a hallway to the side instead of in the hallway where guests are exiting after riding.

 

[OrthoDad]

Thanks for the report, Sue! At WDW, the CM's have always directed us to load through the exit, which meant us missing the stretching room. And, that has always really upset my son. However, at DL, even folks in chairs would go through the stretching room (and come out that way, too, which gives you a unique experience!)

To be honest, we have started skipping HM at WDW, since it's not the same ride without the beginning. I am so glad to hear that they have made it fully accessible!

Wade