After a subpar expertise at Thirteenth Floor's Red Castle final weekend, I had low expectations for his or her sister occasion Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. I’d heard that parking on opening weekend was a nightmare that left folks considerably disgruntled, so I headed to the venue properly forward of opening time, decided to beat car parking zone site visitors. This ended up being an ideal name, as I used to be waved proper in and parked simply in entrance of the doorway. I waited in line below a wonderful oceanside sundown earlier than the occasion opened, and walked within the entrance path as darkness started to settle over the ship. The sky was purple and orange as I meandered by a set of cobwebbed facades and rolling smoke. A couple of actors in spooky costumes lurked about, sometimes approaching behind unsuspecting shoulders or sliding by the fog in direction of shrieking teams of friends.
As I handed by the entryway the house opened up, and the Queen Mary ocean liner sat earlier than me. The Queen Mary is the clear spotlight of this occasion, as three out of the 5 haunted mazes happen contained in the ship itself. Between the doorway and the ship lay a big carnival of types, filled with dozens of meals choices, rides, and all types of surprises (for instance, a haunted hookah bar.)
Spooky actors meandered across the complete house, decked out in creepy apparel and able to frighten friends. Actors at some of these occasions need to stroll a wonderful line between being playfully scary and jarringly pushy, and the Dark Harbor actors did a unbelievable job. Every time an actor approached me I felt willingly unsettled and not deeply uncomfortable. I additionally couldn’t assist however discover the flawless, vibrant make-up on each actor. Clearly a variety of time and effort went into the costuming for Dark Harbor.
I used to be fortunate sufficient to have VIP entry to all of the mazes, so the longest I waited in line was about 5 minutes. This allowed me to run again by the mazes time and time once more, with out the heightened, frightful power being damaged by a protracted wait in line. Depending on how a lot you’re within the mazes, I'd suggest investing in a higher-level ticket to keep away from traces. The Fast Fright, Evil Express, and VIP choices supply a various diploma of particular entry to facilities like shorter traces. (Prices depending on the day of the week.)
The Lullabye, Feast, and Infirmary mazes all happen contained in the ship, with entry through gangplank. Stepping into the ship, there's a direct sense of immersion firstly of every of those mazes. Thirteenth Floor did a beautiful job using the historic nature of the ship to set a scene for every narrative. The narratives usually are not too sophisticated, nor do they should be. These mazes depend on jumpscares and well-executed set dressing alongside their slender and winding paths. A couple of instances the mazes bought congested and a bit claustrophobic, however one might argue this performs into the sense of discomfort fairly successfully. Again, I’d suggest investing in a technique to skip the traces in order that if you happen to do find yourself in a congested maze run, you may redo it and have a greater expertise with out ready in line once more.
The meals choices have been aplenty. I handed scorching sticks of roasting meat, tacos, BBQ, pizza, ice cream, and extra. There have been a couple of bars as properly, and I opted to strive a drink from the Bayou Barrel Bar. The drinks have been bigger than anticipated, and not as cloyingly candy as I'd’ve anticipated given the components. There have been a handful of cocktail tables close to the Barrel Bar, in addition to small, raised bowls of fireplace by which you may roast marshmallows and make s’mores. I sadly didn't partake, but it surely regarded very fun.
On the left is an “Insidious” with Casamigos tequila, triple sec, agave and lime, topped with blackberry brandy. On the proper is “Serpent’s Kiss” with Whiskey, bitter apple pucker liqueur and cranberry
The major sights have been complemented by a handful of smaller-scale actions. Photo cubicles, a taking pictures vary, well-decorated lounging areas, and so on. There have been additionally a handful of traditional carnival rides, however I can not absolutely report on these as a result of I'm deeply apprehensive of quickly constructed rides and too frightened to journey them. The mazes offered sufficient thrill for me. My favourite expertise exterior of the ship was the Big Top Terror maze. This maze utilized the outside house very successfully, incorporating open air areas and traditional carnival parts alongside its path. I don’t need to spoil an excessive amount of, however there was a ball crawl concerned (crawling not necessary).
I'm completely happy to say that my night at Dark Harbor restored my religion in Thirteenth Floor, and offered me with an ample quantity of frights to kick off the month of October. The actors and ambiance have been fascinating, meals and drink choices have been diverse and appeared of constantly top quality, and there have been loads of facet actions to go with the principle sights. If you’re seeking to attend a Thirteenth Floor attraction within the Los Angeles space this Halloween season, this is the one.
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