New Orleans Square
New Orleans Square offers two classic Disneyland attractions that have been loved for generations: the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. Both are suitable for people of all ages, but might be a bit scary for very young kids.
New Orleans Square is also home to Club 33, the exclusive, private club located in Walt Disney's former VIP dining room. Look for the door marked number 33 just to the right of the Blue Bayou restaurant.
TRAVEL TIP
The Disneyland Railroad stops at New Orleans Square and can take you to any of the other stations located throughout Disneyland, such as the main entrance, Mickey's Toontown, or Tomorrowland.
The Bilge Rats and the Bootstrappers
This bunch of pirates and miscreant musicians supposedly just escaped from the Pirates of the Caribbean story. They play to pay off their debt to the owner of the Faithful Bride Tavern, one of the places you'll pass on the ride. You'll find them in the area between the water and the shopping street.
Haunted Mansion
Ages 2–4: |
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Ages 5–10: |
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Ages 11–15: |
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Ages 16–adult: |
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Before Haunted Mansion opened, Walt Disney held media interviews during which he invited all homeless ghosts to come live at Disneyland. Construction began in 1963, but it wasn't completed and opened to Disneyland guests until 1969.
Since then, millions of guests have dropped in on the 999 ghosts who live in the mansion. Perhaps one of the most elaborate haunted houses anywhere, this one uses all sorts of special effects to entertain and scare visitors.
After entering a lobby area, guests move into a room (actually an elevator), the lights go out, lightning flashes, and the room seems to grow taller. At the end, a body is seen hanging from the ceiling. After walking down a hallway lined with amusing paintings and decorations, guests board moving loveseats, called “Doom Buggys,” to travel past several richly decorated scenes and dozens of smaller sights and details, including a ghostly dinner party.
At the end, each car picks up a hitchhiking ghost who appears to be in the car with the riders. The trip takes seven minutes.
FAST FACT
At Disneyland, they have a hard time keeping the Haunted Mansion dirty, and the maintenance crew regularly has to bring in new cobwebs and dust to replace what the air-conditioning system sucks out.
Haunted Mansion closes every September to get decked out for Haunted Mansion Holiday, an even more richly themed affair based on Tim Burton's animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas, a look at what might happen if Halloween tried to create Christmas. It stays decorated from October through the end of the year and then closes again for all the decorations to be taken down.
Haunted Mansion is suitable for everyone, but parts of it may be too scary for the kids, and the very dark and noisy growing room often sends little ones into tears. Lines can get long, especially during the holidays but fastpass is available then to help shorten the wait.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Ages 2–4: |
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Ages 5–10: |
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Ages 11–15: |
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Ages 16–adult: |
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Walt Disney always loved pirates, which is the reason he insisted that Disneyland guests have the opportunity to take a boat ride through the pirates' world.
After being one of Disneyland's most popular attractions for many years, the ride inspired a Disney film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which became so popular that it spawned two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. In turn, the popular films prompted Disney to start a major renovation of the ride shortly before the second film debuted.
The updated Pirates of the Caribbean follows the same basic story of a pirate attack on a Caribbean village, with riders embarking at Lafitte's Landing and following the event from the initial attack through the burning, pillaging, and plunder. The Animatronic pirates and animals underwent significant improvement in 2006, making their movement more natural, and the rest of the attraction was spruced up, cleaned up, and brightened.
The song “Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life for Me” plays throughout the cruise, so by the end of the cruise, you'll probably be singing along.
Pirates of the Caribbean is air-conditioned. It lasts longer than most rides and attractions, so it's an ideal place to cool off and relax in the middle of a hot day. The Blue Bayou restaurant is located inside the same building. Riders can watch the diners (and vice versa) as they float through the first part of the trip.
The thirteen-minute boat ride is one of Disneyland's most popular attractions, suitable for anyone, but a bit noisy for some of the smaller folks. Just after your cruise begins, the boat takes two very short (three-second) drops, otherwise your cruise will be smooth, slow, and extremely enjoyable. However, if you are sensitive to sudden movements, the rafts sometimes bump into each other while waiting to unload.
