In April 2021, a number of videos were posted online that purportedly showed the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland Park has a "secret entrance." The videos appeared shortly after the California park reopened its gates with limited capacity following more than a year of being closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 'Secret Entrance'
TikTok user Frances Dominic posted a new video with the caption: "999 HAPPY HAUNTS NOW SEARCHING FOR NEW SERVANTS!!!! Look at the new and alternative queue to go on Haunted Mansion! DISNEYLAND YOU AMAZE ME!"
In the video, Dominic was led down a path that passed some of the headstones in the graveyard. A Disney cast member opened the door at the end of the path. Inside was a hand sanitizing station, hats, and some furniture.
After walking down a set of stairs, Dominic passed several spooky portraits, candles, mirrors, and chairs that lined the hallways. The words "Be Our Guest" were displayed near the end of the video, alluding to "Beauty and the Beast."
The alternate way into the ride appeared to skip the "stretching room," which is a portion of the experience before guests sit down in their "Doom Buggy" for the ride. It appeared that Disney cast members might have been using the "secret entrance" to more quickly shuffle the small number of guests at the park through the ride.
Additional Videos
A search of Twitter brought up another video from @shelby_young who also documented the "secret entrance" inside Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. The ride is located in New Orleans Square.
A number of YouTube users also recorded their experience heading in the door, down the stairs, and through the hallways.
It's unclear if the special entrance was referred to as the "servant's quarters," or if that only pertained to the same ride at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.
Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion ride opened at Disneyland in 1969. It's a slow-moving ride that guides guests through a number of rooms where they can witness some frightful delights.
Disneyland's official description of the ride reads:
Dearly depart into a foreboding estate, drag your body to the dead center of the Portrait Chamber and watch as the walls begin to stretch before your eyes. Climb into your waiting Doom Buggy and embark on a shivering journey into an unearthly realm.
The disembodied voice of the Ghost Host is your private guide through the cadaverous dwelling—home to grinning ghosts and other spectral surprises.
Glide past a rattling casket in the conservatory. Head off to Madame Leota’s spooky séance room. Float by the Grand Ballroom and its waltzing apparitions. Take a spin through a cemetery where the spirited residents regale you with song.
Beware of lurking hitchhikers—these phantom pranksters may try to follow you home!
The ride is not too scary, with Disney describing the ghostly residents as "friendly."
In sum, it's true that a "secret entrance" for Haunted Mansion was being used after Disneyland Park reopened in April 2021.
