Next time you're having fun at Gay Days Disney or One Magical Weekend, just remember, you're never alone. Not only are they supposedly the happiest places on earth, Disney parks are also the final resting places of people that have been snuck in through the gates.
No, we're not talking about full cadavers being hauled in or official burials in the park, but we're citing an urban legend that has been recently confirmed by the Wall Street Journal.
Human ashes have been spread in flower beds, on bushes and on Magic Kingdom lawns; outside the park gates and during fireworks displays; on Pirates of the Caribbean and in the moat underneath the flying elephants of the Dumbo ride. Most frequently of all, according to custodians and park workers, they’ve been dispersed throughout the Haunted Mansion, the 49-year-old attraction featuring an eerie old estate full of imaginary ghosts.
“The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” said one Disneyland custodian. – wallstreetjournal.com
So, that isn't fairy dust being sprinkled by patrons, but the remains of their deceased loved ones.
Apparently the code phrase used when human remains are spotted is “HEPA cleanup.” You're not gonna need a bigger boat, but a better vacuum that can pick up fine dust particles, you know, human remains sized particles.
Head over to wallstreetjournal.com to not only read more from staff that are called to clean up the random deposits, but also read the accounts of three of the families that have made such a deposit in the park in the form of their loved ones.
My last visit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida was just last year when my sister and her family came down for a week-long stay. I was a good gay uncle / guncle as I hung out with them for their trip and visited the parks and rode the rides. I noticed "It's A Small World" was recently repainted from top to bottom and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride had added a Johnny Depp look-a-like pirate to the end of the water journey.
But what about the "Haunted Mansion?" Well, you can let us know next time you ride through. I do have my thoughts and experiences.
Do you think Disney should just give in and create a spot for people to dump ashes? I mean, anything for money, right?
FYI – Walt Disney himself is not buried at a Disney property, but frozen buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Ave, Glendale, CA, over 30 miles away from Disneyland.