Bad Experience in HM...

[mamatedd]

Another thread about line etiquette made me recall a recent unfortunate experience on HM. I am so embarrassed by what happened that I almost didn't post this. My snafu didn't happen in the queue, but in the interior queue after you are herded out of the stretching room. I hate this area always, but on this particular time we were lumped in with a very large school group that were aggressively trying to stay together. I was holding hands with my DD, as was my DH. A very large man was shoving me with his body, and I dropped DD's hand, knowing she would be okay with DH. I was honestly afraid she would get trampled if I tried to keep us all together. We were instantly separated. At one point, I was actually being shoved backwards. I had given up all hope of riding with my family until I spotted them next to me, on the other side of the velvet rope. I felt a little silly, but I ducked under the rope to join them. I figured it was not a big deal because I was riding in the same Doom Buggy with them, and everyone in the group gets to ride. Well, to some people in that school group, it was a big deal- a very big deal. A woman (a chaperone, btw) yelled "real classy" at me. I said " oh, I was separated from my family". The other woman with her yelled "trash"! And there group commenced talking about this "horrible" incident. I sat with tears streaming down my face the entire ride. I was mortified! Does anyone else not like the way HM is loaded? I wish it could be like other queues, with organized roped lines. Honestly, this experience wrecked one of my very favorite rides. If you've made it this far, I thank you and apologize for very long post!

[Capt_redshirt]

I agree if you want to be with your family its impossible with the way they cattle you in to the row... and you did nothing wrong i would have done the same. those women were probably overwhelmed with having to watch over all those screaming kids.

[mamatedd]

Thank you. I didn't look at it that way. I can't imagine chaperoning at WDW. I'm sure it would not bring out the best in me. It's hard enough to keep an eye on my 3! :blush:

[hauntedmansiongirl]

The other people sound very rude! It's absolutely uncalled for! When you said that you were rejoining your family they should have apologized!

The interior line is terrible! Especially if there is a backup of one or two stretching rooms. There must be a better way!

Don't take it to heart! :mickey:

[kbean]

Your the better person for keeping your cool. Especially hearing the lady say "trash". Me, I would have Macho Man Randy Savage suplexed over the velvet rope right into her.

I had a guy keep trying to push through with one of those Cadillac size strollers they allow in. After the fifth ram to my heel, I ended it real quick.

She was jealous of you because she was stuck as a chaperone with a bunch of brats.

[Cheshire_Girl]

That que is the worst. I always do my best to just hug the wall on the left as soon as they herd us thru the doors!
I've had someone actually elbow me, chest height, in that line just to get one space ahead of me... But I didn't yell at them and call them names. At least not loud enough for them to hear it! :-)
One thing I've noticed... There are a lot of mean unhappy people at the happiest place on earth! How sad for them
At least you got to ride with your family. And you handled it pretty classy too !

[LVT]

You did the correct thing. I hate that chokepoint The dim lights contribute to it. A lot of people do not know what is happening. If anything, you are too civilized. NO SHAME:mickey:

[mamatedd]

Thank you, Intercot Family! Every response, literally, made me laugh out loud! I might just be brave enough to try it again TOMORROW (so flippin' excited)! This time, I will just try to retain my sense of humor! :thumbsup:

[Terra]

That que is the worst. I always do my best to just hug the wall on the left as soon as they herd us thru the doors!
I've had someone actually elbow me, chest height, in that line just to get one space ahead of me... But I didn't yell at them and call them names. At least not loud enough for them to hear it! :-)
One thing I've noticed... There are a lot of mean unhappy people at the happiest place on earth! How sad for them
At least you got to ride with your family. And you handled it pretty classy too !
That is so true. I just want to tell people to slow down and enjoy!

OP, I think you were fine personally. I'm so sorry people were that rude to bring you to tears!

[Jeddie]

If I were in a similar situation, I probably would not have been able to reserve myself the way you did, so good job and yes that area is ridiculous. They need to figure out better line management in the interior queue now or else someone is either going to get hurt, separated from their family, or an argument is going to break out.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Oh geesh! I hate the interior queue at HM, and even though we try to hang back leaving the stretching room, by the time we're entering the line, a new stretching room is rushing towards us.

You were much calmer than I would have been, and I'm sorry the other woman was having such a stressful day (with all of those kids to watch, I think I understand) and that she chose to take some of it out on you.

[minnie04]

I hate going on that ride for that reason!!!! :thedolls: there is no reason we have to be shoved in like that, they really need to change the way they do that.

As far as you going under the ropes. I know I wouldn't have a problem with it. I would have said to the two women.. "EXCUSE ME!!!!!! If YOU were keeping a better eye on your group you would know they were rushing in like ANIMALS and pushing people!!!!" besides that MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!! You have no Idea why I did what I did so keep walking and have a nice day... :mad: I might have let the Italian side come out and that might not be as nice as I would have said it ….lol But I would also remember where I ‘am and keep it civil…

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Those comments were uncalled for even if she thought you were line jumping...once again you handled it well:thumbsup:

[mickclub1955]

This is one of the worst ride ques in the park. My DW always hates it when we leave the stretching room. Disney needs to evaluate this area and come up with a better way to handle this. The mass mob is really uncalled for. As far as the other issue, I will have to say that you are a better person than I am. I would not have kept my mouth shut. The :thedolls: would have come out in me and I when it was all over I probably would have been escorted off of the ride.:cool:

[grumpyguy]

I HATE that funnel spot....I am always worried about a confrontation with some there.I always have a sense of relief once I'm in the single file
part of the line..

[Melanie]

This area is terrible! We usually try and guess which door w I'll open from the stretching room so we can get right up front, or hang back and fall in behind everyone. I hate getting in the middle of that mess. I don't care how it would look, I wish they'd put the cattle queues in there.

[VacationDisney]

You did the right thing. Shame on those other people.

[#1donaldfan]

Although it's one of my favorite rides, the loading area is not !!

You did the right thing by keeping quiet. Those who spoke out only revealed their ignorance and poor attitudes to not only you, but the kids they were supervising.

Don't let ignorant people ever ruin your day. It's they who are miserable and want to see others around them suffer....you did great !!:thumbsup:

[cer]

This area is terrible! We usually try and guess which door w I'll open from the stretching room so we can get right up front, or hang back and fall in behind everyone. I hate getting in the middle of that mess. I don't care how it would look, I wish they'd put the cattle queues in there.

I think it is the door under the girl with the umbrella portrait....

[Katzateer]

You did nothing wrong. people are so rude. I have developed a tough skin against rude people because I encounter a lot of them everyday at work. I don't know why people shove and push and I dislike getting on that ride also. We hang back but I have had the NEXT group come up behind us and start pushing ahead so there is no easy solution. I don't remember that happening as much when our girls were little. The CM need to work on the entrance timing to avoid the large crowd stuffed in together!

[mamatedd]

I think it is the door under the girl with the umbrella portrait....

It is. We were with our V.I.P. tour guide when this "incident" occurred. She instructed us to stand right under the portrait of the girl with the umbrella. Unfortunately, like other posters have mentioned, we were forced into an area where the group before us had far from boarded the ride. I wish they could implement better timing and queue organization. It is one of my favorite rides, save getting on it.

[Melanie]

I think the door that opens depends on the stretching room. Aren't there 3?

[BriarRose0708]

I think the door that opens depends on the stretching room. Aren't there 3?

There are 2 stretching rooms, as far as I know. In both rooms the door to the loading area is under the portrait of the girl with the parasol.

Your experience sounds terrible, I am so sorry other people were so rude. The only time I've had a problem here was during a spring break week visit and the ride had stopped. We exited the stretching room and were waiting behind a large group. No one was moving forward but more and more groups were coming out of both packed stretching rooms and finally it was so crowded the concept of 'personal space' was a distant memory. Ultimately the ride was evacuated and we never made past the first set of ropes before leaving.

[cer]

We exited the stretching room and were waiting behind a large group. No one was moving forward but more and more groups were coming out of both packed stretching rooms and finally it was so crowded the concept of 'personal space' was a distant memory. Ultimately the ride was evacuated and we never made past the first set of ropes before leaving.

That's just awful.

[mamatedd]

There are 2 stretching rooms, as far as I know. In both rooms the door to the loading area is under the portrait of the girl with the parasol.

Your experience sounds terrible, I am so sorry other people were so rude. The only time I've had a problem here was during a spring break week visit and the ride had stopped. We exited the stretching room and were waiting behind a large group. No one was moving forward but more and more groups were coming out of both packed stretching rooms and finally it was so crowded the concept of 'personal space' was a distant memory. Ultimately the ride was evacuated and we never made past the first set of ropes before leaving.
Thank you. And your experience sounds nightmarish. I have to remind myself that is not the norm. As another Intercotee posted, the mob situation is compounded by the dark/ dimness. :(

[Melanie]

There are 2 stretching rooms, as far as I know. In both rooms the door to the loading area is under the portrait of the girl with the parasol.


Awesome! Learned something new! I'll keep,that in mind at WDW, and remember to see if it's the same at DL.

[kakn7294]

Our strategy for HM is to wait until the last family out of the stretching room then stay together 2-by-2 (we're a family of 4) along the far left-hand wall. When the next group emerges, we just try to inch our way forward with the pressing masses until we reach the roped section where we body block for our family to get in this part of the line together. I really hate it as well.

As far as chaperoning, we allow our kids (8th to 12th grade marching band) to go do their own thing as long as they at least stay in pairs - there are serious repercussions if they are caught alone. They have designated check-in times but we don't force them to go together as a huge group as that's far too obnoxious for everyone, including the people around them. I would never treat anyone the way those women treated you. Sorry you experienced that!

[faline]

Apparently these folks were chosen as chaperones because they are such wonderful role models for the children.

I wouldn't worry about it. Most people would have understood you were simply trying to reconnect with your family from whom you had inadvertently been separated.

[yankeesfan123]

Awesome! Learned something new! I'll keep,that in mind at WDW, and remember to see if it's the same at DL.

I always just looked for the red light on the wall!

[Main Street Jim]

Best thing to do...let your family know *before* you exit the stretch room that everyone will gather on the *far right-hand side* (away from the wall) after exiting. Just *wait* for everyone to get together....everyon'es getting into a DoomBuggy anyways, so no need to *rush* and *trample*. The stretch rooms are *usually* timed so that both rooms don't exit at the same time.

[indytraveler]

I always just looked for the red light on the wall!

When you enter the aging portrait room with the fireplace you either go left or right into the stretching room. If you go to the right of the aging portrait, you are entering the right side stretching room. The portrait of the girl with the parasol will be on your left. You will see the very small red light in the corner of where the door will slide open.

The stretching room on the left is just the opposite. The girl with the parasol will be on your right.

Knowing this you can either sit back and let your group move past you or be ready to move so you won't get run over when the lights are turned back on.

Good luck

Oh by the way, you were the one that wasn't been rude. You just hooked up with your family.

[EeyoresBestFriend]

You've gotten great advise from everyone so far! Yes, folks can get quite obnoxious in lines.

We tend to stay single file with hands on shoulders of person in front and not rush. If we become separated from others on our party, whoever is in front draws off to the side, let others pass until the rest catch up. Not had problems when doing this at all.

And to keep others from getting 'overly enthusiastic' with their shoving, we just keep our arms bent so our elbows are protecting us. No one will get hit with them unless they try to shove. :D

What boggles my mind is how many parents will shove their children into other people! Do they really not like their own offspring?? The poor kids are dodging while dad or mom use them like a personal battering ram. Parent, child behind held by hand, parent behind that - no one gets hurt or lost. You don't need to walk side by side 5 deep. Really. ;)

[CaptSmee]

You did the correct thing. I hate that chokepoint The dim lights contribute to it. A lot of people do not know what is happening. If anything, you are too civilized. NO SHAME:mickey:

I agree 100%, but being a self proclaimed HM "expert" my future advice to you is either gather your riders together under the gal on the tightrope over the crocodile or opposite that painting. If your under it make a quick exit as soon as the door opens to avoid the bottleneck. If your facing it, just wait patiently until the mass in front of you goes through it

[texas211]

I hate all the areas like that. The Laugh Factory and American Experience are others. In the AE, you best be quick to and off the escalators. I had some JA's try to want to walk up the escalators.

I've resigned myself to one day I'll get a lifetime ban for starting a melee in one of the lines.

[Stu29573]

Actually the shame is that the CM's could (and should) control this situation. There are three "control points" in the line. The first is at the door. The second is at the stretching room(s). The third is at the vehicle load platform. Crowds can be controlled by at any of the points, although it becomes more difficult the further in guests get. For example, to control overcrowding, the first line of defense is to simply not let as many people into the house at one time. This allows the stretching rooms to not be stuffed and the overflow to be less. However, say the "butler" lets in too many. That is when control 2 takes over and the stretching rooms divide the crowd into small chunks. If they are not run too quickly, or over filled, then the line after the rooms will not back up. However, if controls 1 and 2 are blown, then there is relatively little the loading CM can do to put people on the attraction more quickly. The ride runs at a set speed and the doombuggies hold a pretty much set number of folks. Now the downside to using control 1 and 2 is that people get stuck out in the heat longer, but wasn't that what those wizz-bang interactive elements supposed to help with? Just saying...

[Bay Lake]

We had a situation in the HM back in March, when a family of 4 all large people, riding 4 EVCs through the que. Now those turns in the interactive area are quite tight and they kept having to back up the convoy and readjust their position. Well wouldn't you know when we get to the door, I thought we had good space between us and them, we enter the stretch room and whipping around the corner are 4 EVCs and the room was pretty full. Well they didnt fit and would not listen to the CM asking them to back out and wait for the next room to open. So the door would not close exposing the effect of the stretching room walls. And if that wasn't bad enough, they all had to ride in their own car, which meant 4 stops of the ride to let them on.

[TheVBs]

So sorry about your experience. :( You absolutely were not in the wrong, and the woman who yelled at you should have been bounced. This is probably a person who's miserable and mean all the time.

I wish they'd do a better job with this queue as well. Even in the slower seasons there can be a serious crunch there. We (family of 4) hold hands single file and don't worry about people getting in front of us or falling behind us.

[DKA041177]

I agree with what everyone has said...and I am so sorry for your experience. My wife has almost refused to ride HM again because of the "funnel". I wish they would figure out an alternative way to move guests after the stretching room.

[kakn7294]

I agree with what everyone has said...and I am so sorry for your experience. My wife has almost refused to ride HM again because of the "funnel". I wish they would figure out an alternative way to move guests after the stretching room.

They could redesign the internal queue area so that guests are forced into a line as they come out of the stretching rooms and well before they reach the current "funnel". There is plenty of room there and it works in rides like Dinosaur and Rock 'n Roller Coaster.

[MissMaryPoppins]

That's awful! I totally agree with you, the Haunted Mansion line is badly set up. I was just there about a month ago with my cousin, and it was total chaos. We had trouble staying together and everyone seemed to just push. That line has always been a mess but it seems to have gotten worse. The only thing worse than that is the jam after the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.

[RBrooksC]

Once you get into the Stretching Room, you are out of the general queue for the ride. You are going to ride almost immediately after leaving the stretching room.

While abhor people who cut in line to "get with my group/family" because I believe everybody should get in line together so you go as fast as your slowest party, once you are inside the show building, it doesn't matter anymore because the experience has started.

So, those people saying those things were jerks. Period.

[Stu29573]

My point, though, is that there is no need to redesign the line, it just needs to be run as designed. If it is managed properly, the crush never happens!

[Nut4DW]

First of all....you did nothing wrong in rejoining your family....anyone should be able to see that. Secondly, let me tell you what we do here in the South....we say "well, bless your heart - have a good day" with a smile on our face that hides the sarcasm in our voice from such rude people. Don't let others mess up your fun!

[Aurora]

First of all....you did nothing wrong in rejoining your family....anyone should be able to see that. Secondly, let me tell you what we do here in the South....we say "well, bless your heart - have a good day" with a smile on our face that hides the sarcasm in our voice from such rude people. Don't let others mess up your fun!

I love "bless your heart." I happen to know what it really means. ;)

As for the design of the hall, I seem to remember, as a teen in the late '70s, that the amount of time in the stretching room took a little longer than it does now, so the rooms unloaded at a slower pace, resulting in less of a crowd in the hall. The pause between the lights going out and the scream of the ghost overhead certainly seemed longer, and so was the queue outside the building.

I wonder if anyone has any old video of how long the time in the stretching room took, to compare it with how long it takes now.

[Stu29573]

I love "bless your heart." I happen to know what it really means. ;)

As for the design of the hall, I seem to remember, as a teen in the late '70s, that the amount of time in the stretching room took a little longer than it does now, so the rooms unloaded at a slower pace, resulting in less of a crowd in the hall. The pause between the lights going out and the scream of the ghost overhead certainly seemed longer, and so was the queue outside the building.

I wonder if anyone has any old video of how long the time in the stretching room took, to compare it with how long it takes now.

Exactly! This is what I'm talking about! If they ran the line slower, it would all work out!

[EeyoresBestFriend]

I love "bless your heart." I happen to know what it really means. ;)

This poor little Canadian just learned something I never knew before! Thanks for the enlightenment :D

[Nut4DW]

This poor little Canadian just learned something I never knew before! Thanks for the enlightenment :D

Now sometimes we really mean it, but if we have a big smile on our face......maybe not. :secret:

[Main Street Jim]

The pause between the lights going out and the scream of the ghost overhead certainly seemed longer, and so was the queue outside the building.

I wonder if anyone has any old video of how long the time in the stretching room took, to compare it with how long it takes now.This (timing) has never changed.

[KAJUNKING]

I would not worry about it! You did nothing wrong. I would have done the same thing!

[ANG]

That can be a rough entrance. I can't believe that trying to staying with your family warrants calling you trash. We try to hug the wall and let the crazies go before us.

[The Horned King]

I normally wait at the back of the stretching room. It moves constantly so for the sake of two minutes I protect my ribs.

[ransam]

sounds like you did the right thing

[MNNHFLTX]

Holy cow. I just read the original post and am flabbergasted at how petty and rude those ladies were. It doesn't matter that they were dealing with kids, were hot, tired, hungry or whatever. There's no excuse for being that mean-spirited.

I much prefer hanging back in the stretching room and letting the crowd go before me. With any luck I figure I can get through the worst of the bottleneck before the next group emerges. This incident also makes me more appreciative of Disneyland's version of Haunted Mansion. There is more space from the stretching room to the loading area and doesn't feel nearly as congested as the Disney World version.

[Speedy1998]

This (timing) has never changed.

I disagree, sort off. While I agree the show in the stretching room is the same, I remember in the 80's going into the Foyer, and the doors to the outside closing before the "When hinges creek in doorless chambers...." even started. Now the doors open to the Foyer as this speech starts, so if you are not near the doors when they open, you completely miss it.

[linedropper]

I have been on HM many many times and if you just stand to the side and let the people in a rush go by it is easy to stay together. Its just the people that feel like it is a race to get in the buggy that are ridiculous! Patience!