Being a Disney World Cast Member has some serious perks.
Haunted Mansion in Disney World
I used to work at the Haunted Mansion, and not only did I learn SO MUCH about the attraction, I also had the opportunity to enter a lottery system to be able to do Backstage Tours of various other Disney World attractions. And, other Cast Members got to come and experience the Mansion from my perspective! One of my lovely co-workers here at DFB actually got to do a Backstage Tour of the Mansion, and together, we’ve teamed up to bring that tour to you. We’re here to tell you exactly what a behind-the-scenes look at the Haunted Mansion is like!
Alright, Honorary Maids and Butlers. Let’s start that tour. Keep in mind that things might have changed since then, so the tours could look different now. This is just what we got to experience!
Haunted Mansion
Let’s start with a deeper dive of what a Backstage Tour even is. As a Cast Member, you can enter a lottery system for select attractions’ tours, as we mentioned before. However, these tours are extra exclusive, because a lot of them consist of about 15 Cast Members. They do happen once or twice a week, but there’s still not very many folks that get selected. It’s just sheer luck!
Haunted Mansion in Disney World
First, these Backstage Tours have to take place when no one else is in the park or the ride. (Hello, Safety Key. Sorry. Cast Member joke.) So, the Cast Members on these tours would wake up before the sun to be on their haunting tour as early as 5AM. The empty Mansion is super eery in itself, which makes for a pretty awesome experience.
The Haunted Mansion is SO CREEPY when no one is inside!
When you enter on one of these tours, you won’t hear the sounds of the rides like you would if it were operating. (No, the ride isn’t operating while you’re on the tour, silly! Disney doesn’t want you to become a permanent resident.) The group on the tour enters the ride where the doom buggies enter the ride, and they set out on foot. Along the way, you’ll learn how aspects of the ride work, as well as history behind the attraction.
Haunted Mansion
The lights inside the ride are on, which makes things a lot less scary. There are no glowing eyes (which are actually silly-looking faces painted on twisty pipes), and there are also no surprises (you can see and hear things coming from several steps away). The ride is also surprisingly hilly! The Cast Members on this tour climb a few more hills than they probably expected. Depending on who your tour guide is (it’s a Haunted Mansion Cast Member), you’ll learn facts that the tour guide holds dear and you’ll get to hear personal stories. Every tour is a little bit different. (This is how training certain aspects of Cast Member training are at the Mansion, too! It’s pretty fun!)
Haunted Mansion in Disney World
If you’re super lucky, you’ll get to pet the bird that’s perched near the coffin in the conservatory scene. His name is Lucifer. (Mansion Cast Member lore says that if you don’t pet Lucifer each morning during ride walkthroughs, BAD things happen in the ride throughout the day, like downtimes, wild crowds, and mean visitors.)
Haunted Mansion
While the folks don’t get to walk through the entire attraction (or touch anything other than Lucifer) because of safety reasons and these said hills, something even COOLER happens. The walking tour of the ride itself ends right before the seance scene where you’ll see Madame Leota. Then, you’ll go down BELOW the ride to get a behind-the-scenes look of the iconic ballroom scene.
Haunted Mansion
From there, you’ll get to see how Disney creates the Pepper’s Ghost effect to make the ballroom come to life with these ghostly friends. The glass panel is just a window, and directly below the ride track are the solid forms of the ghosts, positioned to where they line up properly with the scene you see on the other side of the glass. Bright lights cause the translucent figures to appear as though they’re ghosts in the scene. It’s very cool! It’s kind of like what happens when it’s really dark outside, all the lights are on in your house, and you see your reflection in the window. In this situation, you’re just seeing the ghosts’ reflections.
Pepper’s Ghost ©Wikipedia
Seriously, that’s the coolest part of the whole ride. After the ride walkthrough, the Cast Members are actually able to ride the ride a few times without the normal sounds, for an extra spooky time.
The Backstage Tours are such a great experience, and something we think every Cast Member should take part in throughout their career with Disney.
Hatbox Ghost
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing.
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Are they now charging for cups of water in the Disney parks in Florida?
Before Covid I booked this tour and had to cancel it once the park shut down. I booked this one and the behind the seeds tour. Did this tour not come back yet ?
This back stage tour must be amazing. We were fortunate to go to Paris Disneyland and go on the Phantom Manor twice. This attraction has to be one of the best ever created.
I will look into applying for the lottery to go on this tour
Hi Bette! You can still get free cups of ice water at quick service restaurants in the Disney parks.
I think somebody didn’t pet Lucifer a few days ago, because when I went on it they had to walk us through a hallway directly onto the ride because the stretching room doors wouldn’t open. So we went through a door near the fireplace. I really appreciated how they made this hallway look like it was actually part of the mansion. There were keys hanging on the wall and bells that were labeled with different rooms!
Is this a tour you can book??? Asking because I’m going to try and go back to Disney for my 30th birthday in November and this is legit one of my all time favorite rides. I rode it at least 4 times when I was last there lol.
Hi Amber! Unfortunately, it’s not a tour you can book. There are other fun tours, however, like the Keys to the Kingdom tour at Magic Kingdom and the Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT. 🙂
Way back in 2004/2005 I won a sweepstakes from Disney for a trip to Disneyland that included a walkthrough of the Haunted Mansion and the Tower of Terror. The Mansion Cast members led and talked us through the ride, and our Tour Guide admitted that he had never been backstage at the Mansion.
Once in a lifetime. Unless you work there. (grin)