Sarah Riles Addresses May 3 Haunted Mansion Disney World Closed
haunted mansion disney world closed on May 2 at Magic Kingdom, and the ride was still shut on May 3. Sarah Riles, Magic Kingdom’s Vice President, sent a park-wide apology through the My Disney Experience app as guests arrived to find one of Liberty Square’s marquee attractions unavailable.
Sarah Riles on May 2
Riles wrote, "On behalf of the entire team at Magic Kingdom, I’d like to apologize that Haunted Mansion is currently unavailable. Our Cast Members are working diligently to get the attraction up and running again, and we are sorry you are not able to experience this attraction at this time. I hope you will enjoy some of our other attractions during your experience in the park today." The message gave guests the only operational guidance Disney shared that day: use the rest of the park.
The My Disney Experience app listed the closure as temporary on May 3, but Walt Disney World Resort still had not said when the attraction would reopen. For guests planning a Magic Kingdom day around a specific ride mix, that leaves Haunted Mansion off the board with no reopening window attached.
January 2026 Facade Work
Disney had already started a quiet refurbishment of the attraction’s exterior in January 2026, and by February a photo-realistic wrap covered the entire facade. Scaffolding surrounded much of the building, including the conservatory, the weather vane, the towers, and some backstage areas, while the interior remained unchanged.
That setup makes the May 2 closure easier to read as part of a larger exterior project rather than a full interior reset. Disney had not shared its plans for the outside of the attraction or indicated when the project may wrap up, and it had not explained the reason for the closure.
For visitors with a fixed Magic Kingdom itinerary, the practical move is simple: do not count on Haunted Mansion until the app and park messaging say otherwise. The ride stayed down through May 3, and Disney’s own wording left the reopening tied to a work-in-progress instead of a set return date.
