Phantom Manor
 |
Contents |
Walkthrough
Right at the end of Frontierland is Phantom Manor. A haunted house which is based on the Thunder Mesa story. The ride experience is this: After entering the gloomy old house, a disembodies spirit speaks to the guests and urges them to enter an inner chamber. Once inside said chamber the voice returns and suddenly shows a malicious side, pointing ut that the guests are now trapped in a room without windows or doors. The chamber streches as the ghost-host speaks, and after his maniacal laughter exhoes away there is a thunderclap and a hanging body above the guests is revealed, with the menaceing ghost host (a skeletal figure clad in an old, wealthy mans cloting) rocking the hung body.
The guests are finally allowed to exit the strech room and are invited by the returning voice of the (now much more inviting) ghost host to further explore this art gallery and then go further on... After the guests have marvelled at the morphing paintings on the walls of the gallerym they line up to board the actual ride vehicles, known as Doombuggies. These then take the visitors through the haunted manor where they are welcomed by a ghostly bride whose sad voice is heard throughout the house. It quickly becomes apparent that the "phantom ghost host" and the bride (often called "Melanie" by CMs and fans of the attraction, though at present no official source is known to actuallyh name the bride character) are somehow connected and that the bride never got to be wed on the fateful day of her wedding-to-be.
The Doombuggies silently go past a seance circle where the disembodies head of a fortune teller chants eerie phrases about the dark past of the house. They pass over the balcony of a large ball room where a score of ghosts dance, drink and generally have a hauntingly good time. After the merry ball room the guests exit the house via the bride's budir where she is seen crying by her make-up table with the mirror in front of her turning into the omen of a skull. verily, outside her windo the evil phantom is seen, laughing and digging a grave down through which the visitors go to see what goes on below the graveyard. A ghostly quartet sings a catchy tune (the Disney classic "Grim Grinning Ghosts") and skeletal musicians entertain riders briefly before they enter the delapitated ghost town of Phantom Canyon. There, they witness a duel between a bank robber and a cowardly sheriff, some disembodies card players and the eerie staff of a collapsing saloon. Lastly, they ar eonce again confronted by the Phantom, who laughs over an empty coffin. The skeletal remains of the Bride (now with her bridal dress in tatters) point the visitors towards the way out, and after a brief encounter with a ghost who tries to hitch a ride with the guests in their Doombuggies, the ride is over and the guests exit the ride through the wine cellar, haunted by the ghostly figure of the bride, who makes a last appearance urging everyone to "Hurry baaaaack!"
The attraction is one of the most elaborate Dark Rides ever built, with a ride time of between seven and eleven minutes depending on crowds.
This attraction houses 92 audioanimatronics, 54 animated props, 58 individual special effects and more than 400 special show props.[1]
| Phantom Manor | |
|---|---|
| Type | Darkride |
| Opened | 12 April 1992 |
| Duration | 7:00 min |
| Number of Doombuggys | 131 |
| Capacity per Doombuggy | 2 |
| Queue | average wait 
|
Tips
- The many special effects and millions of minute details in this attraction makes it the perfect attraction to visit many times over, just like Pirates of the Caribbean or it's a small world. Thanks to its limited wait time, this is also very feasible.
- It is rare that this attraction has a long wait time, mostly due to the fact that is has such excellent capacity, so do not be afraid to save it for last. Visiting the attraction after nightfall really adds to the excitement! Particularly on nights when there are fireworks you can benefit from the nonexistent wait time to really get a taste of the attraction by visiting it almost all by ourself.
- Phantom Manor probably has the most dedicated Cast Members of all the attractions of the park. They are usually happy to chat and make spooky jokes with passers-by.
- This attraction may be frightening for young children.
- You queue up outside the 'house' where you wait for around 5-10 minutes so try to be at the front on the house!
- Inside the house you enter a 'elevator' which gets dark for a few moments, don't be scared. Claustrophobic people should be advised that it can get very crowded in the elevator.
References
- ↑ http://www.dlrpmagic.com/guides/disneylandpark/frontierland/phantommanor/ DLRPmagic.com Retrieved 14 Januar 2008
