I've been on this weird Disney urban legend kick. I haven't performed for the company in years and pushed interest out of my brain for quite a long time, but since moving to Orlando, all the curiosity is returning to me, and I'm not disappointed. Everyone knows that with a company as old and prevalent as Disney, there are bound to be ghost stories. The parks, namely Disneyland and Disney World, are stuffed with urban legends, history, secrets, and everything in between the magic. Some of Disney's biggest fans' favorite part about the Goliath franchise isn't the parks or meeting their favorite characters. It's the stories.
And while I'm not the biggest fan of Disney after my stint as a performer, I do love a good Disney story. Most of us have heard about the odd ghost haunting certain Disney parks. In both California and Orlando, there is a ghost that haunts both the Haunted Mansion Rides, a Pirates of the Caribbean spirit who doesn't like to be ignored, and a potentially haunted dummy named Caesar on the famous Tower of Terror that is a cameo from an episode of the Twilight Zone. I've written about them all. And it was while I was doing my research for the Caesar story that I ran across this one I'd never heard.
Instantly, I was depressed. It truly is unfortunate. But I'm going to tell you the story anyway.
But first, a little about the Hollywood Tower of Terror, one of Disney's most beloved rides and seemingly one of the most haunted. With the first Tower of Terror opening to a very receptive public in 1994, the ride had turned into a Disney icon, earning spots in California Adventures (before Mission: BREAKOUT! Took over), Disneyland Paris, and a similar ride at Tokyo DisneySea.
From Disneybounds flooding the park for Dapper Day in their best spooky but classy bellhop motif to massive, snaking lines every day, there's no denying the star power of this awesome ride. If you've never been on the ride, From the moment you walk into the ride, you are greeted by creepy bellhops who give instructions in a fun monotone. Throughout the ride, the same bellhops help you through the cue, and then one final bellhop who "seals your doom" by closing the doors after asking for any questions. I've never been on the ride when that hasn't gotten a chuckle.
But my point is that the whole ride is littered with bellhops. They're the only cast members you'll see the entire way. And, according to this tale, it's one of these bellhops that's haunting the ride.
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta are the loading platforms for the Tower of Terror, and our bellhop was working on the Delta platform when he dropped dead. Though no reports surfaced about how he died (or if he's real), Platform D continues to have problems to this day, according to Cast Members, to the point cast members wouldn't ride alone on the platform.
Though said to be non-malicious, the bellhop is also said to make things "rather scary and freaky for other Cast Members."
Now, he's never been said to be dangerous or out to harm anyone, but he would make life rather scary and freaky for other Cast Members. The ride would freeze, and lights would dim randomly. When you loaded onto the ride, there were claims of a "ghostly figure" in the ToT boiler room. There's even apparent photographic evidence of "ghosts." Still, like the source, I agree that it seems as if the images of other riders on a different track are bleeding onto the other photo somehow.
Still, the next time you head to Disney World, it's worth a ride to see if you can catch a glimpse of the alleged ghostly bellhop. As for me, I was already heading to Tower of Terror first, but now I will be sprinting. Who's coming with me?
Comments / 0