Being a Disney World Cast Member has some serious perks.

I used to work at the Haunted Mansion, and not only did I learn SO MUCH about the attraction, I also had the opportunity to enter a lottery system to be able to do Backstage Tours of various other Disney World attractions. And, other Cast Members got to come and experience the Mansion from my perspective! One of my lovely co-workers here at DFB actually got to do a Backstage Tour of the Mansion, and together, we’ve teamed up to bring that tour to you. We’re here to tell you exactly what a behind-the-scenes look at the Haunted Mansion is like!

Alright, Honorary Maids and Butlers. Let’s start that tour. Keep in mind that things might have changed since then, so the tours could look different now. This is just what we got to experience!

First, these Backstage Tours have to take place when no one else is in the park or the ride. (Hello, Safety Key. Sorry. Cast Member joke.) So, the Cast Members on these tours would wake up before the sun to be on their haunting tour as early as 5AM. The empty Mansion is super eery in itself, which makes for a pretty awesome experience.

When you enter on one of these tours, you won’t hear the sounds of the rides like you would if it were operating. (No, the ride isn’t operating while you’re on the tour, silly! Disney doesn’t want you to become a permanent resident.) The group on the tour enters the ride where the doom buggies enter the ride, and they set out on foot.

The lights inside the ride are on, which makes things a lot less scary. There are no glowing eyes, and there are also no surprises. The ride is also surprisingly hilly! The Cast Members on this tour climb a few more hills than they probably expected.

While the folks don’t get to walk through the entire attraction because of safety reasons and these said hills, something even COOLER happens. The walking tour of the ride itself ends right before the seance scene where you’ll see Madame Leota. Then, you’ll go down BELOW the ride to get a behind-the-scenes look of the iconic ballroom scene.

From there, you’ll get to see how Disney creates the Pepper’s Ghost effect to make the ballroom come to life with these ghostly friends. The glass panel is just a window, and directly below the ride track are the solid forms of the ghosts, positioned to where they line up properly with the scene you see on the other side of the glass. Bright lights cause the translucent figures to appear as though they’re ghosts in the scene. It’s very cool!

Seriously, that’s the coolest part of the whole ride. After the ride walkthrough, the Cast Members are actually able to ride the ride a few times without the normal sounds, for an extra spooky time.

The Backstage Tours are such a great experience, and something we think every Cast Member should take part in throughout their career with Disney.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing.

Looking for more Cast Member stories from our team? Click here!

Have you ever worked at Disney World? Let us know in the comments! 

The post I Took a Backstage Tour of the Haunted Mansion. Here’s What It Was Like! first appeared on the disney food blog.