‘Secret’ entrance offers shortcut to Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. How to find it

The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland just got a bit spookier for some guests who got to enter the popular attraction through a “secret” back door on the resort’s reopening weekend.

Employees, called cast members in Disney parlance, periodically invited some guests to skip the lines outside the mansion by using a hidden door in the pet cemetery, according to visitors.

The entrance skips the stretching room normally used to enter the attraction, instead taking guests down a stairway and hallway with eerie decorations to the loading area.

Disneyland Resort reopened Friday after a months-long closure during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s operating at limited capacity for California residents only.

Always popular with visitors, the Haunted Mansion reopened to long lines over the weekend with some new additions to the cemetery outdoors and the portrait hallway indoors, Inside the Magic reported.

Employees appear to be using the door, located at the end of the row of interments, to reduce wait times and control crowd levels, according to the blog.

Guests must be invited inside by cast members when the door periodically opens, so don’t bother trying to barge in, SFGate advised.

True to Disney form, even the hidden entrance comes fully decorated with antique-looking furniture and a hatbox.

“Along the way are candlesticks, lanterns and plenty of doilies,” according to the publication. “There are even the four iconic photos from the elevator room, although in truncated form, and illuminated by not-so-atmospheric fluorescent lights.”

The secret entrance was a hit with fans who got to experience it.

“If you are given the option to take the stair for Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, take it!” reads a Twitter post by Attractions360, calling it a “unique experience.”

Parks and Cons posted a video of the passageway to YouTube, apologizing for the abrupt start as they were surprised to be invited inside. Several other visitors also posted videos.

This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 1:14 PM with the headline "‘Secret’ entrance offers shortcut to Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. How to find it."