Aaaaaattention, Foolish Mortals!

Wow, I really missed saying that. And calling everyone I encounter a “foolish mortal.” You see, before I was part of the amazing team here at DFB, I was a resident of the Haunted Mansion at Disney World. Yep, I was one of the resident maids that haunted the halls — decked out in the dreadful green and black-striped costume, a bat perched atop my head. (Before anyone asks, my bat’s name was Beverly — named after the vile, bitter, and disgusting Italian Coke product that you can find in EPCOT’s Club Cool. You weren’t going to ask? Well, maybe I just miss telling everyone that bit of information, too.) Being a Mansion Maid was one of the BEST jobs I’ve ever had, but it was also the hardest job I’ve ever had. As a Cast Member, I dealt with scenarios I never thought I’d encounter — ones that might have been avoided if the Mansion visitors just… understood me and my fellow maids and butlers a little better, you know?

Well, if you’re a fan of the Haunted Mansion, and you also love getting the inside scoop on Disney’s rides and attractions, then this post is for you! Here are 10 things that I need you to know about the Mansion and about the Cast Members that reside within. Hopefully, these things will help you understand why things happen the way they do inside the Mansion walls, and how the maids and butlers are just trying to help you — and everyone around you — have the BEST experience possible. Let’s go!

The ride isn’t breaking down every time it stops.

The ride stops a lot. It does. However, it’s not breaking down every time the ride stops. The amount of times I heard, “Ugh, don’t ride this ride. It’s always breaking down,” or, “I KNEW the ride would break down the second we got on,” is so disheartening! Cast Members take pride in the attraction at which they work, and so comments like these can be hard to hear. When Mickey signed my paychecks, I couldn’t really set anyone straight, but now I can. 😉

More often than not, the ride is stopping to assist those living with disabilities as they get seated in the ride comfortably. You don’t see these people get on because we assist those folks at the unload belt. The process is called a “Stop on 1.” We stop the ride when the first out of 160 doom buggies reaches the end of the unload belt. The 1st and 3rd buggies are built slightly differently so that folks can slide from wheelchairs directly onto the seat. A lot of these folks skip out on riding entirely because of comments they’ve heard in the past from other riders, and they don’t want to hinder anyone’s experience. If you’ve made these comments in the past, I’m not trying to guilt you, but please be more mindful of your words if you ever get stopped on the ride.

We’re not being mean to you, we’re just in mourning.

The whole storyline of the Haunted Mansion revolves around the fact that Master Gracey is now dead. Our employer has passed on. We’re SAD. We’re morose. We’re just playing the part! A lot of first-time Disney World visitors don’t really “get” the Mansion maids and butlers, because they’re so used to the chipper, outgoing demeanor of Cast Members throughout Magic Kingdom and Disney World in general.

Everything at Disney World is all about the “show.” So, within the Mansion, you probably won’t see too many smiling faces. If you ask a question, you might be met with a very short answer. It’s not our job to scare you or freak you out, that often just happens accidentally. However, it is our job to mourn the late Master Gracey. In training, they told us that the further away we are from the Mansion, the bigger our smiles can be! If you’re hoping for a super duper Magical Moment, you might wanna interact with the folks outside. (But don’t ask for a Magical Moment. That never works.)

I’m sorry I slammed the Mansion doors in your face. We operate on a ghoulish timer.

From the moment you walk through the doors of the mansion until you exit the stretch room, the Cast Member is listening for audio cues from Ghost Host. The stretch rooms can hold only a certain amount of people, and the Cast Members can tell when the room is reaching maximum capacity based on the flow of people coming inside as well as the words Ghost Host is speaking as folks are entering.

There are times that I upset some folks because I quickly had to slam the doors shut. Sorry! I’m sorry. I just had to make it back to the stretch room so that those automagic doors didn’t shut without me inside. I would have gotten in big trouble with Mickey for allowing scared folks into a room with automatic doors all by themselves. Oh, and I’m sorry about kicking you out of my stretch room when you were trying to hear the gargoyles. I just had to go let more people into the Mansion.

Screaming in the stretch room affects more than you think.

If you’ve been in the stretch room before, you probably know what I mean when I talk about the part where Mansion visitors tend to scream. Purposefully. Yes, there’s audio of a scream that plays at the same time. However, that audio is quieter. It comes from far away. It’s expected and it flows with the storyline.

When you let out a bloodcurdling scream, you’re not only startling me, but you’re also startling children who just worked up the courage to ride. You’re startling neurodivergent folks who are triggered by sudden, loud noises. You’re startling veterans and folks living with trauma. Don’t scream. You’re the only one who thinks it’s funny, I PROMISE. There are few things that anger a Mansion Cast Member more than this.

Drag your bodies AWAY from the walls. I MEAN IT.

The cool thing about the doors of the stretch room is that they won’t open if you’re standing too close to them. At the beginning of the stretch room, the Cast Member will ask you to kindly drag your bodies away from the walls and into the dead center of the room. This isn’t just a punny way of greeting folks.

The doors literally will not open and let you out unless you are standing a certain distance away from them. Drag your bodies away, please!

It’s just a giant treadmill. I’m okay!

People love to check on the Maids and Butlers as we’re walking on the load and unload belts. You know, the moving walkways. I frequently heard concerned comments like, “Do they make you walk backwards all day?” People were always concerned that we were all spending our entire shifts on the moving walkways, and folks even thought that we were walking backwards.

Let me assure you, it’s just a giant, slow-moving treadmill! It isn’t that bad. Also, the Cast Members are only at a location for about 45 minutes at a time. No cause for concern, here!

Please stop trying to scare me!

Just like some people scream in the stretch room, people try to scare the Cast Members to try to get them to break character. I lost count of people that let out bloodcurdling screams in my face or right in my ear. 

Well, it definitely did always scare me. We’re all trying to do our jobs, and if we’re near or on the moving walkways, we’re concentrated on keeping everyone safe. We’re counting, watching for potential concern, trying not to trip, and also potentially communicating with other Cast Members, even if it looks like we’re just standing there and walking. Screaming at us to try to scare us throws us seriously off kilter!

Your flash or bright phone screen ruins the experience of others.

I know it’s dark in the mansion! Especially after you just escaped the bright, Florida sun. However, turning on your flash or keeping your phone screen really bright, especially in the stretch room, is super distracting. It prevents other guests from being able to see what’s taking place on the ceiling. 

Oh, and definitely don’t turn on your flash in the ride. That’s even worse! Some folks are just trying to enjoy the show.

No, the stretch room is not an elevator.

Disney World’s stretch rooms aren’t elevators, but the stretch rooms at Disneyland are! Many folks refer to the stretch rooms as elevators, and the maids and butlers just roll with it most of the time.

I’m sorry to crush your Disney World stretch room dreams! If you visited during the pandemic days, then you probably got to walk straight through the stretch room with both of the doors open. It’s pretty cool!

However, it’s definitely cooler to experience the pre-show.

DON’T lay your loved ones to rest here.

When I first started working at the Mansion, I quickly learned what a Code A was. A stands for ashes, and it’s when people dump the ashes of loved ones throughout the ride. We do ride walkthroughs in the mornings and at night, and so we find the ashes later, or we find them as soon as they happen because sometimes the ashes land partially on the doom buggy or the safety plate underneath. We make sure it’s a true Code A by using a black light. The ashes have a pinkish glow underneath the light.

When this happens, we sometimes have to close the ride so that a team in these suits that look like Ghostbusters uniforms can come in and clean up the biohazard. YES. BIOHAZARD. Pleeeeeease don’t sprinkle ashes in the ride.

Hopefully, you learned a few cool things about the Haunted Mansion and the Cast Members that work there. I think the Haunted Mansion is the COOLEST place ever, and the only thing that could make it cooler is if everyone could understand these 10 things. If you love learning more about Disney World’s parks, attractions, and Cast Members, make sure to follow along here at DFB so that you never miss a thing. See you next time, Mortals!

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