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Haunted Mansion, 2.0
(continued)
The exterior of the house was reworked, and it shone as those a glaze had
been added over the fresh paint. A lightning strobe effect now plays at
nighttime on the outside of the house.
Looks better than brand new!
Visitors using wheelchairs join the regular line. As the switchback under the
canopy nears its end, a CM standing nearby lets the wheelchair party out, and
they wait by the hearse for the chance to join the attraction. This line, being
wheelchair friendly, does not enable those in wheelchairs to skip ahead at all.
And, I'm delighted to report, there is no skipping ahead at all, since the
ride has no FastPass any more (the machines were unused long ago, and ripped out
some months back). The new Mansion is popular enough that management might have
been tempted to keep FP there (or put it back-perish the thought!) but
thankfully, wiser heads prevailed and they remembered that this ride's
throughput is so high, it doesn't need FP.
Lastly, the Leota-themed merch cart has moved back to its old location near
the exit, and no longer sits by the Liberty Belle riverboat. We didn't see any
special merchandise, though. There was a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas
stuff. They could sell lots of stretching gallery merch now, I'll bet, if only
they had some unique things for sale!
Meet Jack!
On Sunday, the Magic Kingdom (MK) quietly opened a new character meet-and-greet location.
Captain Jack Sparrow is here for a few weeks in a test run, set up for several
hours per day in the old Adventureland Veranda restaurant.
There are switchbacks in
case crowds materialize.
There are displays to look
at. Some grisly, and some
informational (like knots, or famous pirate flags).
Captain Jack himself meets
visitors much like Mickey--he waits for you to come
into his lair, then lets you take a photo. Of course, Photopass
employees are there to capture the moment, too.
If you recall, this is the same facility set aside for Tortuga, a future
pirate-themed restaurant that should capitalize nicely on the wave of interest
in pirates. Jack's presence here is certainly apropos.
I'm looking forward to
Tortuga.
And speaking of Captain Jack Sparrow, Disney should consider renaming Cap'n
Jack's Restaurant in Downtown Disney. A few weeks ago, I heard not one, but two
young children asking their parents if Captain Jack was going to be there. They
assuredly meant the eponymous pirate, not the grizzled face on the menu board.
Mickey's Not So Scary (But Oh So Rainy)
Halloween Party
Last Friday brought the first Halloween party of the season, and what do you
know--it rained very hard almost as soon as the party started, and kept raining
for a few hours.
With all that rain, many
stayed indoors and just danced.
The storybook area was well-lit, but deserted.
Too much rain!
Ghost Mickey on the lawn
near Adventureland just shivers in the rain.
It rained hard enough to shoo many visitors away, in fact. The park was much
less crowded by the end of the night than it had been at the start.
Pumpkins at the train station.
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