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It’s known as the “happiest place on earth,” but for a group of Disneyland guests, a breakdown at the Haunted Mansion turned into an behind-the-scenes look after a ride malfunction forced the lights on and left passengers to navigate their exit alone.
The unusual incident, which took place close to the park’s 11 p.m. closing time on May 27, was detailed in a viral Reddit post that left Disney fans surprised by the breakdown in standard operating culture.
The “Doom Buggies” ground to a halt inside the ride, smack dab in the middle of the cemetery.
Initially, cast members gave standard instructions over the loudspeaker, advising stranded riders to remain seated and wait to be escorted off the ride.
“After about 10 minutes, the message changed, stating that the cast members could no longer assist us and to go ahead and squeeze out of our buggies and find the nearest exit,” the frazzled rider wrote online, describing the experience as “absolutely wild.”
When the lights were turned on to aid the exit, the eerie reality of the attraction’s inner workings was fully unveiled.
Footage from inside showed the exposed structural cavern beneath the fake graveyard’s tombstones, green foliage, and mechanic props, breaking with the classic Disney illusion for those on the inside.
Guests said the voice on the loudspeaker initially failed to explain how to safely exit the buggy, and passengers remained seated inside the lit graveyard scene for several minutes before instructions on how to manually release the heavy clamshell safety bars were broadcast.
Former Disney employees flooded the thread.
“I used to work Mansion,” one person wrote. “This is a VERY rare evac,” adding that “there must have been a severe malfunction or emergency.”
Another employee noted that they have “only heard of a self-evacuation procedure in training on another attraction, but it was reserved for a serious emergency.”
Since standard Disney evacuations reportedly involve park staff systematically walking the tracks to unlock vehicles one by one, a self-evacuation implies a unique system failure or malfunction. Although, many Redditors speculated that a staffing shortage contributed to the situation and that a fire alarm may have triggered the message. However, the original poster confirmed that no alarms were heard inside the building.
The technical hiccup comes at a tricky time, as Disney is bracing for a constrained summer season with seven major attractions and shows closing due to refurbishments and schedule modifications.
High-capacity mainstays like Pirates of the Caribbean and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blast are currently down for extensive multi-month overhauls, while Disney California Adventure anchors like Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and the Silly Symphony Swings are also dark.
The nighttime show on Rivers of America, Fantasmic!, will not run on June 16 and June 18, a meet-and-greet area in Fantasyland, Pixie Hollow will be closed every Tuesday and Thursday in June, and Soarin’ Over California will shut down on July 1 to prepare for Soarin’ Across America.
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